Shalador's Lady (Black Jewels)

Possibly my favorite of the series. I love how it delves into the question of what happens after the heroine saves the day? How do you rebuild and create a happily ever after?
This story does that beautifully.

Shalador's Lady is a fantastic conclusion to a story that originaly starts in (The Invisible Ring)which is a chronicle of an event that happened years before that leads to the next addition to the story (The Shadow Queen) where in the land of Terreille in the territory of Dena nehele a man desperate to find a Queen to rule their people puts his own life in danger and travels to Kaeleer to ask Daemon SaDiablo to find for them a queen, but what he gets is not exactly what he bargained for. Find out what becomes of Theron, the rose jeweled queen Cassidy and Dena Nehele in Shalador's Lady.

Complicated storyline, if you haven't read the previous books in the series. Since I have read all of the books in the series, I must applaud Anne Bishop on another wonderful story. Her continuity between books is phenomenal. Super attention to detail.. I love the characters, human and kindred. I am sorry there is only one book left.

Slow start with a lot of characters and names tossed around but by the middle of the story I was engrossed by the heroine and her friends. By the end of the story, I was reading it avidly. The heroine's nemesis got more attention than I like in a story but she got her just desserts.

This book has become one of my favorites. Janelle is not the main character but she is still involved. I just bought this book a couple of months ago. I've read the book at least 3 times. I love how it shows what happened to different parts of that world. If you like the Black Jewel Trilogy, please read this series.

I really enjoyed reading this sequel to 'The Shadow Queen'. I have a soft spot for 'plain but hard working' characters who bring about good because of said hard work.

I read a library copy of this story, and once this book comes out in paperback, I will be one of the first to buy it. ^_^

The conclusion to the Shadow Queen Duology is much improved over its predecessor. Unlike the first book we actually get a villain to deal with and a focus on the main storyline. Even so, anyone can see through all the mysterious visions and ambiguous warnings to predict what's to come.

This book has all the drama and tension of a daytime soap opera- much like the mighty SaDiablo family and their friends have been reduced to. This is the problem that's existed since the original trilogy- when you're dealing with the most powerful individuals that have ever lived, what can possibly threaten them? Artificial restraints have to be installed to maintain even the faintest possibility of difficulty. It's even pointed out in the story itself: Daemon wants to deal with the antagonist directly but Jaenelle stops him for no other reason than she thinks it would violate their personal sense of honor. Seriously.

Their appearances in the story mostly feels like dropping in on old friends for tea and gossip; there's a few sub-plots thrown in to extend their presence, but some folks completely disappear after their cameos (Surreal and Rainier, especially), leaving you to wonder why they were ever brought in.

Prince Theran turns out to be the most interesting person in the story. Whereas in the previous book he was simply a whiny chump pouting about not getting what he wanted, he actually has a story arc in this one; as forced and paper-thin as it is in places, it does work for the most part. The more dramatic and poignant moments of the story almost always involve him in some fashion.

The antagonist, Kermilla- who also turns out to be the one who broke Cassidy's former court- is weak. For a Queen who studied Protocol around all these legendary figures and was schooled in the Old Ways, she's singularly stupid and one-dimensional. She's exactly like every other bitch queen who's appeared since Jaenelle's purge; since they're not allowed to be outright evil anymore, they're just shallow, vapid, wholly self-centered... and completely boring.

Just when you think Cassidy has it all figured out... she doesn't. Kermilla's arrival naturally throws her for a loop, shaking her confidence. But after three-quarters of the book with most of the Blood siding with her and finally getting her man, you'd think she'd be about past it all- and you'd be wrong. One fit of panic nearly undermines everything; even her Circle is left asking why she's acting like that.

Gray finally comes into his own (surprise!) and claims his lady. Amazing how the prospect of a little nookie can help undo over ten years of stunted development and emotional scarring in less than one year.

The lack of originality in the character's names is also annoying. While expecting some level of continuity, making every major character being a variant of or namesake to the cast of the Invisible Ring made it seem like Bishop wasn't even trying. The Sceltie dogs had better monikers than this crew.

This is no longer the intriguing and compelling storyline it used to be; there's no way it can be. The only real question remaining is when do we get the story we're all waiting for: When Dorothea Met Hekatah. This one gets 3-stars for the visit with old friends and a few interesting moments. Other than that, it is what it is- not much.

As usual, Anne Bishop has written yet another great book to add to her Black Jewels series. Despite it being a story about people other those from her original trilogy, she is still able to draw a person in with her great story-telling and excellent placement of humorous moments. Also there are some moments involving your favorite characters from the Black Jewels Trilogy.

While Cassidy's story doesn't have the dark lushness of the original trilogy it has a lighter feel and an appeal all its own. The relationships between the major characters evolve and change, not always for the better, and all the threads come together into a tightly woven and utterly enjoyable tale. Fans from the original will also have the continuing enjoyment of peeks into the life of Damien and Jaenelle behind closed doors and the chemistry there is as electric as ever.

I've been waiting for months in anxious anticipation, and this book did NOT disappoint! Great balance of stories and extremely entertaining. Definitely on par with the original trilogy, if not my new favorite. Loved the character interactions here. Only downside is now I'm anxiously awaiting the next one!

I hesitated buying this at first because I'm trying to stretch my book budget and thought I could maybe wait until it came out in paperback.

I caved and am so glad I did. I read it in one day. One long delightful day. Adding my co-sign to the other reviewers who loved this book.

When she was Queen the first time, Cassidy of Bhad was too weak and plain so her retinue deserted her to join the stronger court of much prettier and more powerful Queen Kermilla. At the same she is dethroned, the deceitful Queens ignored the honorable Rules of the Blood and ruin Dena Nehele leading to revolt.

As the Rose-Jeweled Queen Cassidy expands her efforts to cleanse the entire realm and affirm she deserves being the ruler, Cassidy continues to grow in moral fiber, which enables her to grow in power to cleanse the land of the taint.

Fans of the long running Black Jewels saga will relish this terrific entry; newcomers need to at least read the previous entry The Shadow Queen to better understand the action-packed entry though perusing previous books would be even better as Anne Bishop paints a complex realm.

Harriet Klausner

This is actually the second book of Cassidy's story. The first is The Shadow Queen. I really enjoyed watching Cassie grow into a strong, powerful queen and I loved the Shalador people with their tattered pride and deep longing to be able to embrace their heritage again.

Love all of the Black Jewel Series, I actually purchased them at this time for my sister as a Christmas gift. My sister had read the first 3 but hadn't had the opportunity to read any of the others so I purchased the entire series for her. She loved the first 3, I'm sure this one will be no different. These books are definitely not for the kindhearted and I would describe them as dark and disturbing for most of the series, they can be graphic, horrifying, fantastic, whimsical, saddening and much much more. I have found myself actually laughing out loud, and crying so hard I had to put them away for a while. I've read and reread them probably close to 10 times and can say that I feel they blow most other writers and writing styles out of the water. Everyone is all about 50 Shades of Gray for its sexual content and heat but, in my opinion, nothing beats these books in that aspect as well as many others, I find myself wishing I could step through the pages and live in their world. These books are definitely something you read with an open mind and they are by no means written for children. Shalador's Lady is a milder book in the series because the other books focus on the hardship of the society that Anne Bishop created when she wrote them. I find I enjoy this book most for how Cassidy and Gray grow in their relationship.

The Black Jewels series isn’t to be missed! Beautifully written characters, and stories spanning realms. Impossible to put down. Only sad that these characters stories have come to an end. Looking forward to the next.