Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw an ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions. Now the Dark Kingdom readies itself for the arrival of its Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But she is still young, still open to influence-and corruption.
Whoever controls the Queen controls the darkness. Three men-sworn enemies-know this. And they know the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love-and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining…
About Anne Bishop
Anne Bishop made her first short fiction sale in 1988. Her most recent work has appeared in White Swan, Black Raven and 365 Scary Stories. She lives in upstate New York.
Unicorns And Witches And Wild Mood Swings, Oh My!
NPR Book Review – July 2, 2012 (Excerpt)
I love the My Guilty Pleasure series, I really do. But here’s the thing — I don’t think it’s nearly guilty enough. It’s like saying your guilty pleasure is ’50s pulp novels, but only first editions. Or fried chicken, but only from this one perfect stall in the Taipei night market — not actually guilty at all. Except for Gary Shteyngart — dude, call me up and let’s talk about Zardoz, because I think you might be my new best friend.
So bring the Cheetos and the cheap pink wine, because I’m about to bring the guilt (though let’s not forget the pleasure).
I’m a fervent, if not unabashed, fan of Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels trilogy. I reread it at least once a year, and I never tire of the overheated adventures of Jaenelle, Saetan, Daemon and an awful lot of other characters with “ae” somewhere in their echt-fantasy-novel names. And, yes, Saetan is who you think he is — the ruler of this world’s version of hell. Warning: mild spoilers ahead!
Bishop actually has an interesting project. She’s flipping fantasy tropes on their heads: In this world, the common pairings of good/light and evil/dark have come uncoupled. Power and honor come from the darkness, and only women can rule. Not only that, but the ruling class arises from an inborn magical caste system quite separate from the standard oligarchy — even the poorest village girl can be a queen. And Saetan’s a good guy, when you get to know him.
Our heroine is Jaenelle Angelline, the misfit daughter of a noble family. Of course she’s blonde, fragile and lovely, and of course her family doesn’t understand or appreciate her because she shows none of the standard signs of magical power — but she does claim to talk to unicorns, which supposedly don’t exist. [Read the full article...]
UnBound: Battle of the Half-Angels
The Nephillim Chronicles – Book One by Ronnie Massey
Justin and Theo are just normal teenagers with their teenage problems, until the day they meet their biological fathers, Michael and Uriel, two of the few remaining archangels. They learn, they are nephillim, the half human offspring of angels, and they learn they are not the only ones. In the days of old, nephillim walked the earth. Now heaven’s misfits may be all that stands between mankind and the wrath of Lucifer and the Fallen. But how will a handful of teenagers react when they find out, not only are they not human, but they are the most powerful soldiers in heaven’s army? How will they deal with their newly found powers? And will they be able to stop Lucifer?
We are the only country that makes guns, including military-style assault weapons, available to anyone who wants to buy them. This is not freedom. It is a tyranny of death and destruction — a tyranny of which the National Rifle Association is proud. The Washington Post
UnBound: Battle of the Half-Angels
