The Shadow Queen ~ Anne Bishop

It’s hard to adequately describe how I felt – feel – about the Black Jewels Trilogy. Some reading experiences are like that. I mean, I could say that I didn’t read about the world Bishop created, but that I became a part of it. I could say that the characters tugged at me, but really they tore me up, slid under my skin, and have refused to leave since. And I could say that it’s something like relief, knowing that with books like The Shadow Queen, they aren’t going away to not come back just yet. And still that wouldn’t do it. But it’s enough to let you know going in that the anticipation I felt for this new chapter in the Black Jewels saga bordered on the absurd, and that the joy I took in reading it was sharp and sweet.

Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand-without a leader and without hope.

Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who remembers the Blood’s code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

Having come off a few unsatisfying encounters with books, I knew that if anything could tempt me back, could soothe and rile my love of story it was Anne Bishop. For me, reading about Lucivar, Daemon and Saetan, Janelle and the rest of them, is strangely calming, reassuring. That sense of homecoming was even more pronounced with The Shadow Queen because its focus was on family, on healing, on taking risks and making a stand. Because of that, it wasn’t as violently tension-laden as the original trilogy, but then, I’ve never expected the books that came after to be carbon copies of the first three, and as a result have never been disappointed.

I’m not going to even attempt to write a review of the novel, not in the true sense, because while it’s a standalone effort, it’s part of something greater. Something that needs to be read as a whole to be fully appreciated. So my suggestion? Get a copy of Daughter of the Shadows. Or, better yet, get the entire trilogy in the omnibus edition. Give yourself a chance and a week to settle in with it. For me it was worth every ache and twinge I felt in my shoulder that resulted from carrying around over 1200 pages in my bag for the time it took me to absorb every word. These books are truly fantasy at its finest.
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Once Upon a Time III Challenge
1. The Shadow Queen

The Swan Maiden ~ Jules Watson

She was born with a blessing and a curse: that she would grow into a woman of extraordinary beauty—and bring ruin to the kingdom of Ulster and its ruler, the wily Conor. Ignoring the pleadings of his druid to expel the infant, King Conor secrets the girl child with a poor couple in his province, where no man can covet her. There, under the tutelage of a shamaness, Deirdre comes of age in nature and magic…. And in the season of her awakening, the king is inexorably drawn to her impossible beauty.

But for Deirdre, her fate as a man’s possession is worse than death. And soon the green-eyed girl, at home in waterfall and woods, finds herself at the side of three rebellious young warriors. Among them is the handsome Naisi. His heart charged with bitterness toward the aging king, and growing in love for the defiant girl, Naisi will lead Deirdre far from Ulster—and into a war of wits, swords, and spirit that will take a lifetime to wage.

As of this moment, I haven’t finished reading The Swan Maiden. An immediacy of feeling made me set it aside to get out a few thoughts. Namely that, as I read that last passage before setting it down, my heart jerked with uncertainty, a beat I’ve come to know well since beginning this novel.

But I’ll step back a few paces and say that, while I’m not sure what drew me to this book, I can tell you it wasn’t foreknowledge of the legend upon which it is based. My ignorance there may very well feed in to how I respond to the story. All I can say is that these types of stories – re-tellings of myths, fairytales and legends – always catch my interest.

The Swan Maiden unfolds at a slow pace, which doesn’t reflect a lack of action or interest, but rather because each page begs close contemplation. The writing is lovely and so tied up in the natural world that at times the story took on a visceral quality; it’s like looking into a pool of water that is shaded from light, determined as you are to see to the bottom. Similarly, you sink into a knowing of the characters, but they somehow remain as elusive as a summer storm. It’s an odd place to find yourself in. And I think it is feeding into my fear to pick it back up again.

Let me then share a few reasons why I’m enjoying it so much.

…it wasn’t any woman-flesh he hungered for. It was this body, imbued with all that naked will and emotion, that disconcerting fierceness that wrestled with his own.

I was caught unaware by the sexuality of the story. Not sex, but sexuality. And that, too, I guess, ties to nature, the element that grounds the novel. But in the case of the few sentences above, I quoted it because I’ve rarely seen attraction explained so…wonderfully. It’s not merely about physicality for Naisi and Deirdre, it’s about, in some ways, like calling like. The need for freedom is a burn upon their skin and it’s what sparks the heat between them. Their relationship isn’t rushed, isn’t lacking credibility. And for all that holds them together, you still know there is plenty that could tear them apart. And that, that is where some of the uncertainty comes from. Then there’s the constant threat of Conor and his crusade against them, the unseen complications in the dynamics of three brothers, and danger that’s only hinted at. Still, it’s that Naisi and Deirdre will break apart when they’ve found strength together that makes turning the page such a weighty decision.

And, of course, this is all just me rambling. But for that I wouldn’t know how to approach this “review.” So I’m going to save this draft now and finish it when the book is done. I’ll leave off with what will draw me back…

Though the wind still blew in icy gusts and snow dusted the highest rock-peaks, blossoms began to halo the thorn-bushes with white among the bare, brown trees. A raft of cold, sunny days lit the dead bracken into a glowing swathe of copper, and the slopes were reddened by the russet crowns of the birches. Even at the bleakest time of year, Alba blazed with color, its heart too fierce to be dulled by the gray and cold.

Later, all I can say is this…

The Swan Maiden is beautiful and heartbreaking. The story of Deirdre and Naisi, of the sons of Usnech, will linger. And if you’re anything like me it will consume: I’ve already started to track down more on this legend, and on other bits of Celtic lore. I feel like I won’t be free of it until I know all there is. And even then I will come back when Jules Watson releases The Raven Queen, “the second of these two interlocked stories,” this one about Maeve of Connacht.

If you don’t mind reading an excerpt that’s set further into the book, Jules Watson has one available on her website. She also has information on the myth of Deridre, which includes links to tellings of the lore.

Promises In Death ~ J.D. Robb

Amaryllis Coltraine may have recently transferred to the New York City police force from Atlanta, but she’s been a cop long enough to know how to defend herself against an assailant. When she’s taken down just steps away from her apartment, killed with her own weapon, for Eve the victim isn’t just “one of us.”

Dallas’s friend Chief Medical Examiner Morris had started a serious relationship with Coltraine, and from all accounts the two were headed for a happy future together. But someone has put an end to all that. After breaking the news to Morris, Eve starts questioning everyone, including Coltraine’s squad, informants, and neighbors, while Eve’s husband, Roarke, digs into computer data on the dead woman’s life back in Atlanta. To their shock, they discover a connection between this case and their own painful, shadowy pasts.

It’s almost hard to believe that this is the 28th entry in the In Death series. Why? Well, for one, I never tire of it. I can’t see myself ever getting to that point, in fact. Because even when some entries aren’t as good as others, I never feel let down or disappointed; at their core, the weaker ones are still good, still remarkably enjoyable. All that said, I knew without a doubt Promises In Death was going to be a strong installment, and, as it turns out, I was right.

I could go on ad nauseam about how much I love Eve and Roarke as characters, individually and as a team. But I’ll let a sentence from Promises that tugged at me speak for this matter:

After a while, Eve thought, marriage turned walls into clear glass so both of you could see right through each other.

They work because they have fantastic chemistry. After all this time, I, as the reader, still care about their relationship deeply. This book was full of intimate moments between them, scenes that I read and then read again for the tenderness or passion implicit in them.

But what I loved most about Promises was the relationship between Eve and Morris. I’ve always wanted more of his character because there was just something about him. He and Eve share a lot of common points; they’re both admirable in their dealings with life and death. As was no doubt the plan, Eve’s reaction to his relationship with Detective Coltraine in the last novel truly set this one up nicely, which made Promises all the more heartbreaking. Again, there’s a scene that will stand in as example:

…Summerset walked in. “Let me show you your room, Dr. Morris, and you can tell me if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you.” Morris looked back at Eve. “I have what I need.”

So simple, right? But it shook me because these people don’t throw the word ‘need’ around. And that it’s Eve that Morris looks to…I let out a sigh as I read it, and, yeah, I read it again.

All of Robb’s mysteries tend to be intricate and it’s always a treat to watch Eve unravel the threads, putting it all together with determination and not a little help from her friends. This one was solid, building on a plot arc from a previous novel. I found myself more then once wanting to go back and read sections from some of the older books in the series. I think, actually, I might do just that as soon as I’m done with this.

And that, I’d say, is testament to just how good, how sustaining, the In Death books are.

Upcoming Reviews…

Angels’ Blood ~ Nailni Singh

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael. But this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other-and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break.

It’s hard to imagine Nalini Singh being able to trump her fantastic Psy/Changeling series, but with such a strong beginning to her new Guild Hunter series she may have done just that.

The foundation of the Guild Hunter world is that angels are able to create vampires. There’s no need for the two seemingly disparate races to be at odds, not when the angels are able to leash the vamps, so to speak, with loyalty or fear. And when that doesn’t work, Guild Hunters such as Elena Deveraux get called in. The concept is executed very well, and while the setting is grounded in the gritty reality of New York streets, the presence of angels and vampires lends a heady sort of magic that I found intriguing and fresh.

In terms of character, one of the many things I appreciated about this one was that we weren’t just told that Archangels were lethal. Raphael’s actions spoke volumes. His character, his nature, was meant to be dynamic, and Singh built it beautifully. Elena was a standout because the reader gets hints of a tragic event in her past, and it’s evident how those moments of her life forever affected her drive, her relationships, her sense of self. And that’s just with hints! Singh is adept at creating layered characters, and there were several secondary characters that further proved it. I can’t wait to see more of them in future books.

So what did I love most about this book? Well, I loved that I’d read a sentence, a description, or a bit of dialogue, and I’d immediately need to read it over again. And in some cases, again. There was much to savor, and I found that I wanted to make it last. By the time I finished it I knew it was going to be next to impossible to wait for more of the Guild Hunters’ world. The set-up for book two was wonderful; so many questions, so many possibilities. I need to know what’s going to happen next. And that’s why I’ll be first in line to buy all future books in this series. I hope you’ll give this one a shot when it’s released in March – it’s well worth it!

At Grave’s End ~ Jeaniene Frost

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

In my “best of” post last year I mentioned that the Night Huntress novels were like Dove’s dark chocolate raspberry caramels: deliciously addictive. Waiting for a new novel in the series, I feel the same rush of oh-this-is-going-to-be-so-good anticipation as I do when I’m folding back the foil wrapper of the candy. And I savor them the same way, too.

At Grave’s End is good, there’s no  mistaking that, because Jeaniene Frost is a talented storyteller. The writing seems – feels – easy. That kind of effortless flow pulls the reader into the action and doesn’t let go until the very end. But that’s not why I love these books so much. That has everything to do with the characters.

The third book in the series doesn’t just bring back Cat and Bones; we see more of the fascinating Mencheneres, as well as Spade and Ian, and there’s one new character that tips the balance into quite the heavenly – or would it be hellish? – cast. I’d hate to spoil it for anyone, but if you’re interested, highlight after this: Dracula.

The interaction between all of the players is always interesting and always handled just right. My only complaint with this book, then, is that there actually wasn’t enough, especially concerning Bones. I think this is mostly because of the fact that there were so many new characters added to the mix, and that Tate’s role becomes much more pronounced. That said, the presence of these new characters will only serve to make the next books in the series that much better, I think. And I especially hope that highlighted-above will be back.

This one is good, as I said, but it’s not my favorite of the three. I wanted more Bones, expected a little more from the chemistry he and Cat share, and would have liked a few more pages, too. And even saying all that, I won’t hesitate for a single second to buy all future books in this series.

When people tell me they like vampire novels, but are borderline tired of them, I always point them in the direction of the Night Huntress books. The writing is solid and I’ve not once felt frustrated with the author’s direction. Simply put, I cannot recommend these books highly enough.

Lord of Misrule ~ Rachel Caine

I’m going to cheat just a bit and insert the back cover’s synopsis here:

In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans have coexisted in (relatively) bloodless harmony…until the arrival of Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to put the evil back in evil undead and smash the fragile peach. But Bishop isn’t the only threat…

Violent black clouds promise a storm of devastating proportions. As student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements – both natural and unnatural – the unexpected happens: Morganville’s vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Claire to one last choice: Swear allegiance to Bishop…or die.

Two things: 1) Carpe Corpus – the next book in the Morganville Vampire series – is going to be really, really good and, 2) I really, really do not like the cover of Lord of Misrule.

Let me start with the cover. Shane is my favorite character. This is the first time “Shane” has appeared on a cover for the series. That is not at all how he is in my head and so, as I read, it seriously messed with my reaction to parts I would have been sighing over. I hate that.

As for the little bit of premonition about the next book being good? Well, all I really have to say about that is “Claire’s birthday.” Which won’t mean much unless you read the series. As for how this one fared, well, it had some wonderfully tense moments, some incredibly sweet ones, and all it did was whet my appetite for the next one. Caine packs a whole lot of punch into a really short page count, that’s for sure.

Right now I’m even more interested in how the titles are playing into the plot. I didn’t know much about the actual history behind “The Feast of Fools” and “Lord of Misrule,” still don’t really, but what little I’ve read is fascinating. And I’m wondering if the correlation is to Bishop or to Myrnin. Which, again, means nothing unless you follow the books. Sorry.

I’ve been a fan from the start and will continue to buy these books as long as Ms. Caine writes them. Great storytelling combined with strong, memorably characters will always keep me coming back for more.

The Musician’s Daughter ~ Susanne Dunlap

In the Viennese court of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy, Theresa’s father was a violinist working with composer Franz Haydn. Thanks to her father’s devotion, Theresa grew up with music and a keen desire to play the violin; she thought she knew his life as she knew the callus’ on each of his fingertips. His murder jolted the entire family, plunging young Theresa into a pursuit of truth and justice. What she discovers will give her life new meaning and reshape the world around her.

It feels like it’s been awhile since my path has crossed a strictly historical fiction novel, YA or otherwise. And because of that, I feel this hesitance when it comes to reviewing or discussing it. Mostly because I have nothing to measure its historical accuracy by, no true knowledge of its particular time frame.

For instance, the novel takes place in 1779 and I found myself wondering if a young woman of the time would use the word “puke.” According to one online etymology site, the “noun meaning ‘material thrown up in vomiting’ is from 1961.” The same site mentions that Shakespeare used it in “As You Like It,” which appeared in 1623, so it could be possible. (And sorry about the icky topic.)

I was thankful for the author’s note because it brought up the relevance of the actual historical players in the novel, and discussed a main plot point, which I won’t reveal for fear of spoilers. And, really, any quibble I might have possibly had in this regard was minor.

The Musician’s Daughter features Gypsies; finding them in fiction is always a treat for me (especially after Deanna Raybourn’s excellent and compelling treatment of them in her Lady Julia Grey books.) The same could be argued for music. “Meeting” Haydn and learning just a little bit about his background was very interesting; in fact, a bit more would have been welcome. But at it’s heart, this young adult novel was about Theresa, and her path to becoming a responsible woman, able to judge people not by class or color, but through understanding and firsthand knowledge, even when the cost to herself and her family had the potential to be devastating.

Here’s why I liked her, despite her tendency to want to rush into things:

Events and people have pushed me beyond limits I thought were built of unyielding stone, starting on Christmas Eve, when Zoltán and the others brought my father’s body to our apartment. But it was more than just the outside things, the world that was not under my control, that had changed. I had discovered that I had wits, and, I supposed, courage…

Some aspects of The Musician’s Daughter felt underdeveloped, such as the romance, and the last page or so seemed rushed. That didn’t stop me from finishing it in one night, though, or from wondering what happened to Theresa beyond the novel’s end.

Brimstone Kiss ~ Carole Nelson Douglas

Delilah Street, a paranormal investigator according to her business card, is determined to solve the murder of two young lovers she and her ex-FBI boyfriend found buried in a Las Vegas park. Her investigation has already made enemies and her allies aren’t always friendly. And as she continues to dig, she just might find that she’s taken on something unimaginably horrific, something that will sacrifice everything she loves in an attempt to regain power.

This novel took me entirely too much time to finish. The time, the level of distraction…With this type of novel it’s unlike me. Add to that the fact that I found Dancing with Werewolves enjoyable enough, and you’ve got me scratching my head over the whole thing. That got me to wondering why. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Like it’s predecessor, Brimstone Kiss has its repetitive moments. On several occasions Delilah reminds the reader that she’s Black Irish, commenting on her “baby blues,” and that she grew up believing herself to be unattractive to anyone but vampires and their wannabes. And her once virginal tendencies. Which, fine, it can be overlooked. But it was more than that this time: I felt like entire passages were being repeated. Or at least the essence of them.

Plus, there were all these undercurrents in the dialogue; half the time I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what was being said. It took me out of my role as a reader and placed me in this odd spot where the characters were more real, in a sense, than not. I was overhearing a conversation, sure, but either I didn’t know the players well enough, just plain hadn’t been paying attention beforehand, or I just wasn’t getting it. In a few spots it outright frustrated me.

As for the plot, it advanced, slowly, but circled on itself more than once. That could be chalked up to the fact that Delilah is trying to do two things: Get information on the murdered couple she and her boyfriend/partner, Ric, found in Sunset Park, and find her “twin” Lilith. Delilah bounced back and forth between the two plot points and the reader did, too. With all of the characters, all the potential ways they connect, it got a bit tedious trying to juggle everything and maintain a high interest level.

One of the things that brought me back to this series was Snow. He’s enigmatic to say the least and this book didn’t elucidate much. I’ve no more an idea, well, maybe a slight idea, about what he is then I had reading Dancing with Werewolves. And still Delilah’s response to him feels off. It’s like there should be a spark, but the reason for there not being one isn’t just because she’s fighting it, or denying it. That, at least, I could accept.

I guess that’s it, then: Everything felt off.

This was such a weird experience for me. Characters I liked at first annoyed me, including Delilah, and the ending left me cold. Will I read the next one? I’m not sure. But Brimstone Kiss has been getting plenty of postive reviews from other book bloggers, so, who knows.

Mona Lisa Darkening ~ Sunny

During the time when the Monère people Bask under the moon’s light, one Queen is taken into darkness. Trapped in a region known as NetherHell, the land of the damned and cursed, Mona Lisa believes she is dead to all those she loved. In this realm, though, she may have even more to worry about when Mona Louisa, a Queen she killed, absorbing her essence when she died, is stronger, able to take over Mona Lisa’s form and thoughts. And even when Mona Lisa’s first love, Gryphon, and her Demon Prince, Halcyon, come looking for her, her survival is anything but secure.

First, no one said I was any good at writing synopsis’ , and second, anything I just wrote is bound to confuse unless you’ve followed the series. Here’s a bit of a recap (from the author’s website):

“Long exiled from the moon, the men of the Monère serve—and mate—with imperious Queens, who can channel the rays of their far-off homeland. Gryphon believes that Mona Lisa is a Queen—perhaps the first of Mixed Blood ever known. But her introduction to the nighttime court of the Monère, simmering with intrigue, casual lust, and calculated cruelty, is far from smooth.”

If you’re familiar with Laurell K. Hamilton’s Merry Gentry, you have a sense of this series’ traits. However, Sunny’s books aren’t – usually – orgies wrapped in a slim thread of plot. There is a definite storyline that runs through each, mingling with the sex. And what keeps you, or rather me, coming back for more are the characters.

Mona Lisa has five lovers. Of those, Halcyon is my hands-down favorite. He captured my attention from book one, Mona Lisa Awakening, and shallow as the reason may be, I actually buy these books because of him. His appeal is hard to explain. He’s the High Prince of Hell and as such has been alone his entire existence; those in both his realm and the mortal one fear him. He is weary, vulnerable – as someone so dangerous can be – in his loneliness, and yet Mona Lisa sparks hope in him. Watching him heal in that sense, to begin to crave what he thought unattainable, is warmly gratifying. Obviously, Sunny has done a good job writing her characters. And unlike Merry, Mona Lisa is hardly ever overshadowed by her male counterparts. She can hold her own in a fight, play the political game, and still care for the people she gathers to her.

Mona Lisa Darkening was a good installment, but as another reviewer pointed out, it almost felt like two stories. The part that transpired in NetherHell and what happened after Mona Lisa’s rescue. They merged well enough but it felt like a line had been drawn. I enjoyed the progression with Dontaine, her master at arms, and rather liked that Dante, the object of the last book’s affections, was a no-show.

Now, if only I could find news of the another book. Sunny’s site revealed little and it’s too early to be listed on Amazon. I’m very curious to see where Sunny is going to take Mona Lisa next.

The series, in order:
Mona Lisa Awakening
Mona Lisa Blossoming
Mona Lisa Craving
Mona Lisa Darkening