Find Romantasy Books
The Ascended (The Aesymarean Duet)
Parker Lennox
4.7
The Black Jewels: Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood / Heir to the Shadows / Queen of the Darkness
by Anne Bishop
Published Dec 2, 2003
Categories
About this book
In the brutal, patriarchal realms of the Dark Kingdom, power is measured by the color of the jewels embedded in one’s skin. For centuries, the realms have awaited the arrival of a prophesied Witch—a Queen whose raw, untamable power will eclipse even the High Lord of Hell. When Jaenelle Angelline finally emerges, she is young, vulnerable, and dangerously naive, making her the ultimate prize in a lethal game of political maneuvering.
Three powerful men, each a bitter enemy of the others, seek to claim the girl. Some wish to protect her, others to manipulate her, and some to corrupt her absolute potential for their own gain. As Jaenelle navigates a landscape of ancient blood magic and treacherous court intrigue, she must discern friend from foe while grappling with the agonizing burden of her own destiny.
Caught in a web of shifting loyalties, Jaenelle’s journey forces an uneasy alliance between those who love her and those who fear her. This dark, atmospheric saga explores the fine line between devotion and obsession, where the cost of ruling the darkness is a heavy price paid in blood, sacrifice, and the fragile, burgeoning realization of a power that could reshape the world forever.
Available Formats
Kindle: $19.99 Paperback: $15.57 Kindle: $9.99
What readers are saying
BeccaWitch is wonderful
"I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a unique storyline that I looked forward to reading every night. Great world building and characters. ["
February 12, 2026 Verified Purchase
Sketchy BiblerWonderful.
"While I cannot hope to write as graceful a review as every other person before me has, I will try to tell you what I can about this book, and why is should be part of your collection. The book (though there are actually three combined into one lovely volume) is about a very original world. I won't delve too deep into it, because part of the fun is figuring it out as you go, getting all the tidbits and making your own dreams of it. But, this world, this is what grabbed me the most. It's not like all the other fantasy books I've read; where there's always the set 'bad guy' and the 'good guys' and oh woe is me, someone must save us all. While that concept is present in this book, it is not drawn out and used as the only tagline. There are so many other pieces to this great piece of writing! Beyond the world, there are the characters. The deliciously real characters who I myself end up crying for, and getting angry about. Anne Bishop really draws you in and you start to know them so well... there are so many things about them, you feel like you could walk past them on the street. They do things that you think they would do, that you know is what that character would want to do. It is all very well done, gracefully, and well-fleshed so that they are believable, likable, and in some cases, absolutely despicable. The plot is wonderfully twisted. There are so many strands of it that are to be pieced together, it's like a treasure hunt. And each chapter that gives you another lead, another piece... it's so lovely. And then a few things click, and you mentally go 'ooooh, that's why he did that!' And the way all the conflicts meet up in the end, how everything comes together so well; it's a piece of art. And the romance, of course. My boyfriend stuck out his tongue and refused when he'd heard me mention that, though I know he was reading it when I slept... but it is a focal point. Enough that women will swoon, but not enough, I think, to turn men away from reading and enjoying this book. With all the different characters, situations, and happenings in this book, there will surely be a thing for you to love and connect with, something to draw you in. If you give it a chance, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed. So... read some more reviews, think it over, and then do it, and enjoy reading about the life of the SaDiablo line, and all those who are drawn into their plight... :) ["
August 27, 2007 Verified Purchase
Fields FamilyA must read!
"I LOVED this series!!! I borrowed this series from a friend, rather she forced it on me since this is not normally the type of books I read and I'll admit it sat on my desk for months with me glaring at it, cause really who wants to be forced to read a book? Once I started it though I never regretted it and it is now one of those books I carry around everywhere with me. I have loaned it out 4 times and had to replace it every time because friends kept keeping it! It is a story following the life of a young girl through terrible events in her life to her adulthood and the people around her that hinder or encourage her along the way. I found it a very strong female lead character driven book although the way it was written I found very unique and honestly it wasn't until my 10th reading that I realized that it is never written from the main characters point of view, just everyone around her and yet still had a very rich and strong main character. There are parts of it that I found hard to read due to tough emotional things but didn't take away from the story at all, in fact it added to it. I also loved the way the world was developed throughout the story I actually felt like I was there and that can be a tough thing to do in stories, you either have it too detailed in which case it gets boring and you start skipping sections or not detailed enough in which case as characters are interacting with the environment you are confused about what is going on. Long story short, if you like strong female leads who aren't whiny or "woe to me" this is a read for you! As I said before I was happily surprised as has been everyone I've made read the books :-) ["
September 6, 2013 Verified Purchase
K.BlackwoodWonderful
"I've loved these books since I've first read them and so happy to have them together. Not for the faint of heart, but an excellent read through. ["
December 27, 2025 Verified Purchase