A – Z Book Reviews

This trilogy was recommended to me by a friend who is also a lover of Fantasy Series. I was in need of a new book, and she just happened to mention that one of her favorite series is The Black Jewels Trilogy. I read a bit about it prior to purchasing the set, but not much. So needless to say, I was in taken aback by the brutal introduction to The Ring and the ruthless sex trade of men. The portrayal of men as the secondary sex (subjective to torture and abuse) who are only meant to serve their females was unsettling, to say the least. I felt like I was thrown headfirst into the land of Terrielle and a bit overwhelmed. When I met Daemon and his twisted Queen that he serves, I was so disturbed by their relationship and his torture that I almost stopped reading the book. Yet, I powered through; and how glad I am that I was able to continue reading!

Once I got through the disturbing details and learned more of the realm’s history, I began to understand (a bit) more of the relationship hierarchy and how things managed to get so twisted. It took me a minute to really become invested in the characters, but by mid-way through the first book, I was hooked.

Jaenelle is introduced with her innocence in the first book, and we learn that she is meant to be an all-powerful Queen that can out play even the Lord of Hell himself, Saetan. Saetan is actually quite charismatic in this trilogy, and one of my favorite characters. He has some humor about him, a protective edge for those he cares about, and a caring touch for those in his realm (who haven’t betrayed him). This is not to offset his power and ruthlessness when necessary, though. We do learn the history between him, his son Daemon and his other son, Lucivar (another one of my favorites) quite early in the series. The triangle of relationships and how they intertwine with Jaenelle is quite compelling. The trio (Saetan, Daemon and Lucivar), have lived for thousands of years and seen the realm through good times and bad. They are each destined to have a relationship with Jaenelle, albeit in different ways entirely.

The series takes us through Jaenelle’s coming into her power, and the relationships she builds along the way. There is the inevitable evil force that is trying to disrupt Jaenelle’s rise to power, but we see Jaenelle overcome her adversaries and build her power throughout the realm.

Anne is able to build each character wonderfully; they all have incredibly fitting personalities for their roles in the story. There is some humor to offset the incredulous torture and dark nature of the book itself. The goal of saving the realm and having Jaenelle at its head helps to drive the series forward with each chapter. So, putting together the magic, the evil vs. good, the compelling characters and interesting plot lines and you have yourself a 5 star fantasy series!