Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop

The Dark Court has been Formed

Jaenelle Angelline has made her Offering to the Darkness, and reigns as Queen of Ebon Askavi. No longer will the corrupt Blood slaughter her people and defile her lands. But where one door has been closed, a window may be opened...or broken through.

Even Witch cannot protect the Shadow Realm alone. Somewhere, long lost in the madness of the Twisted Kingdom, is Daemon, her promised Consort. His unyielding love for Jaenelle will complete her court and secure her power. Yet, even together, their strength may not be enough to stave off their enemies.

What a stunning conclusion to the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. The first two books in the series are Daughter of the Blood and Heir to the Shadows. This book was so excellent, with the suspense and the pacing building up so to an incredible crescendo. It was suspenseful and emotional (I very nearly cried on the train!) and when I closed the book it was with a huge sigh as I thought.....Wow!

Jaenelle is Queen of Ebon Askavi, but the role of Consort remains empty as every waits for Daemon to make his way out of the Twisted Kingdom. Everyone is looking for him...not only Jaenelle and her allies.

Once Daemon takes his place, both of them need to get to know each other again. Daemon doesn't want to scare her, Jaenelle doesn't know how to tell him that she wants him. And in the meantime dark forces are crossing the boundaries of Kaeleer with the aim of destroying the Queen and the Dark Lord.

With the world building pretty much complete after the first book in the trilogy, this book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, as Jaenelle and Daemon must do anything it takes to stop a war between the various realms, that if left unchecked could destroy all of the Blood once and for all. All of the characters we have come to know are in this book, including the assassin Surreal, Saetan and Lucivar, and the other young queens.

Whilst this was the end of the trilogy, there are a couple of other books by Bishop set in this world, and I will definitely be getting those sooner rather than later.

Fantastic!!

Rating 5/5