ARC Review: Turns of Fate by Anne Bishop

Turns of Fate
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: An Isle of Wyrd Novel (Book 1)
Publication: Ace (November 11, 2025)

Description: A young detective investigating crimes of the uncanny will learn that bargains can change your fate—for good or ill—in this darkly enthralling fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Others and the Black Jewels series.

Words have power. Intentions matter.

Most people come to Destiny Park for entertainment. They come to have their cards read to tell them a bit about their future. They come to walk through a beautiful park and to eat at the hotel’s restaurant. They come in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Arcana, the paranormal beings who rule the Isle of Wyrd.

But some people come to make a bargain with the Arcana—to change their fate. And some people come for dark purposes.

When Detective Beth Fahey is sent to Destiny Park to inquire about a “ghost gun,” she will begin a strange journey on which she must learn to navigate the Arcana’s unforgiving laws and dangerous attractions. Her search will draw her into seemingly impossible cases and the secrets of her own past as tensions rise between the Arcana and their human neighbors across the river.

For the Isle of Wyrd is a place where the dead ride trains to their final destinations, predators literally become prey, and seekers’ true natures are revealed in the ripples of destiny unknowingly stirred in their wakes.

Who will live? Who will die? And who will be lost in between?

My Thoughts: Anne Bishop's new fantasy begins an engaging series. Detective Beth Fahey is sent to the Isle of Wyrd to make enquiries about a "ghost gun" which caused the man who used it to injure his former girlfriend, current girlfriend, and daughter to age over 70 years and die himself. 

Beth is a new detective on a squad that deals with the Isle of Wyrd and its non-human occupants. Her first trip is not her last because, for some reason not known to her, she excites the interest of the residents. 

Engaging with the residents of Wyrd is a complex and dangerous task. These members of the Arcana have a code the everyone must abide by. She needs to always remember that words have power and intentions matter. Humans who forget or disregard that often find themselves victims. 

This is the story about some of those people who have their fates changed by the Isle of Wyrd. A woman fleeing an abuser, a gang of teenage predators, a young man who is almost the gang's victim all have their fates determined by their words and their choices. So does a man obsessed with myths and legends who is determined to explore the island. 

Along the way, Beth learns more about herself and her past as she deals with the foster parent who looks at her as a sort of cash cow and who is willing to ruin Beth's reputation if it will advance the woman's goals. But Beth has powerful protectors who have been looking after her since she was a child and who are willing to change someone's fate if it will protect Beth. 

This was a compelling story. I literally couldn't put it down until the last page was read at 5:30 AM. I loved the way the story combined current life with the fantastic. I can't wait to read it again when it is released and listen to the audiobook too. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris

The Last Wizard's Ball
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Gunnie Rose (Book 6)
Publication: S&S/Saga Press (July 22, 2025)

Description: #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns with the sixth and final installment in the critically acclaimed Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia must face their fates at the last Wizards’ Ball.

Lizbeth Rose’s sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards’ Ball, and as one of the most powerful—and beautiful—death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia…and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

My Thoughts: The final book in the Gunnie Rose series has Lizbeth in San Diego with her husband and sister so that her sister Felicia can attend the Wizard's Ball. Held every three years, the ball gives magic users a change to get to know one another and make marriage alliances. 

Lizbeth is not enjoying herself. She doesn't like San Diego or dressing up or attending social events. She is there out of a sense of duty to her sister and to keep her sister alive. As one of the most desired attendees, Felicia is a lovely death wizard with a great amount of power. She's also carrying a reputation since it is well known that she murdered her family. Nonetheless, Felicia is being courted by wizards from all over the world. 

Tensions are high at the gathering since Hitler is making plans for Germany which include killing all the Jews and invading everywhere. The German wizards and the Japanese who are allied with Germany are there in force trying to recruit Felicia to their cause. And if she can't be recruited, her death would work as well. 

The story is filled with attempted murders from arrows shot at a tea garden, to a bomb under a table at a tearoom, to an assassin trying to get to Felicia during a welcoming party. Besides the stress of keeping Felicia alive, Lizbeth and her husband Eli are facing stresses in their marriage. He's keeping secrets that could impact their future.

With everyone choosing sides in the upcoming war, Lizbeth and Eli find themselves at odds with each other. Despite their love for each other, their futures look to be taking different paths. And Felicia has chosen her own difficult path for her future. 

Although I'm told that this is the final book in the series, there are definitely a number of loose hanging threads in the story. I enjoyed it for its worldbuilding and its characters. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Fateless by Julie Kagawa

Fateless
Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Fateless (Book 1)
Publication: HarperCollins (July 15, 2025)

Description: Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

My Thoughts: FATELESS is the first book in a new epic fantasy series. It introduces Sparrow who is a seventeen-year-old member of the Thieves Guild. She was found as an infant by the guildmaster and raised in the guild. She is a very talented thief. 

She is given a mission by the Circle to travel to a buried city and retrieve an artifact. She'll either die on the quest or retrieve the artifact if she wants her mentor to survive. But what she doesn't know is that the artifact can be used to resurrect the Deathless King who wants to take over all life.

With the help of a fatechaser named Halek and despite the interference of the iylvaahn assassin Raithe, Sparrow does find the artifact and make it back to the surface. A former friend and fellow member of the guild steals the artifact from her and when she goes to the Circle to retrieve it, she is just in time to see him sacrificed and see the resurrection of the Deathless King. 

She manages to flee the city as it is being destroyed along with Halek and Raithe but the Deathless King isn't willing to let her go. Apparently, she is fateless, her life's threads aren't tangled in the web that hold all other lives. That makes her the only one who can possibly defeat the Deathless King. 

But what can one young woman who has known no future but that of the thieves guild manage to defeat a Deathless King? As Sparrow travels with Halek and Raithe to find answers, they are being pursued by agents of the Deathless King, chief among them being her mentor from the Thieves Guild so has been secretly engineering the return of the Deathless King. Sparrow needs to gather colleagues and allies if she will ever be able to triumph.

This story was packed with adventure. The world building was intriguing and the characters engaging. The only fault I can find with the book is the first in a trilogy. There is still so much adventure and growth that the reader will have to wait for in the rest of the trilogy. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Twice as Dead by Harry Turtledove

Twice as Dead
Author: Harry Turtledove
Series: City of Shadows (Book 1)
Publication: CAEZIK SF & Fantasy; First Ed edition (March 18, 2025)

Description: Rudolf Sebestyen is missing, and Marianne Smalls is involved in an illicit affair with the shady Jonas Schmitt. Both cases converge when Dora Urban, Rudolf’s beautiful and mysterious half-sister, and Lamont Smalls, Marianne’s suspicious husband, hire Jack Mitchell, a hard-drinking, chain-smoking private investigator. Dora wants Jack to uncover what happened to her brother, while Lamont seeks proof of his wife’s infidelity.

But Dora is a vampire, in a city teeming with creatures of the night.

As Jack dives deeper, he discovers that both cases are linked to vepratoga—a dangerous new drug spreading through Los Angeles. Twice as Dead is brimming with vampires, wizards, zombies and zombie dealers, the Central Avenue jazz scene, an exclusive after-hours club, adultery, a New England ghost who prefers Southern California’s warmer clime, corrupt cops and politicians, spying rats, and a smart-mouthed talking cat.

When Jack’s home is burned to the ground, the strands of his investigations culminate in a showdown at a tire factory, where even the reliefs on the walls are not what they seem. In this unique noirish urban fantasy set in postwar Los Angeles, Jack finds more adventure, danger, and romance than he ever imagined—and learns that success may come at too high a price.

My Thoughts: TWICE AS DEAD combines urban fantasy with noir detective stories. Jack Mitchell is a hard-drinking, chain-smoking war veteran who is Black but light enough to look ethically ambiguous. He's living in LA after what would be the equivalent of World War II. In his world the enemy was the fylfot. Different name but same prejudice against Jews. 

The first clue that this is an urban fantasy series is that Jack has a cat who talks but is otherwise as self-centered as any other cat. The second clue is that one of the clients who walks in the door is Dora Urban who happens to be a vampire. 

Dora wants Jack to find her half-brother Rudolf Sebestyen. As Jack investigates, her find that Rudolf was not an upstanding vampire. He's planned a hit on the local blood bank and he's involved somehow with a new drug that is exciting all kinds of interest in shady circles.

But finding Rudolf is not Jack's only case. Celeste Jethroe has come to hire Jack to find out what happened to her missing husband Frank. He worked at U.S. Rubber and disappeared one day after work and after an argument with his supervisor. 

Jack's third case has to do with proving that the wife of a local newspaper editor is having an affair. 

The whole story was filled with questions to be answered and narrated by the very cynical Jack. The worldbuilding with includes vampires, wizards and zombies juxtaposes with the corrupt cops and built-in prejudices of the time period.

It was an engaging story with interesting characters.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson

Unhallowed Halls
Author: Lili Wilkinson
Publication: Delacorte Press (February 18, 2025)

Description: DARK ACADEMIA...WITH DEMONS.

A teen girl travels to an exclusive boarding school after a deadly incident at her old school, but the wood-paneled halls of Agathion are built over centuries of secrets—including an ancient society which may have ties to demonic magic—in this dark academia fantasy perfect for fans of Curious Tides.

Page Whittaker has always been an outcast. And after the deadly incident that destroyed her single friendship at her old school, she needs a fresh start. Which is why when she receives a scholarship offer from Agathion College, an elite boarding school folded deep within the moors of Scotland, she doesn’t even consider turning it down.

Agathion is everything Page has ever wanted: a safe haven full of dusty books, steaming cups of tea and rigorous intellectual debate. And for the first time in her life, Page has even managed to become part of a close group of friends. Cyrus, Ren, Gideon, Lacey and Oak help her feel at home in Agathion's halls--the only problem is, they're all keeping secrets from her.

Page doesn't know it yet, but her perfect new school has dark roots--roots that stretch back to its crooked foundation, and an ancient clandestine society with rumored ties to demonic magic. Soon, Page will be forced to learn that not everyone at Agathion is who they say they are. Least of all, her friends.

Agathion claims to teach its students history…but some histories should stay buried.

My Thoughts: UNHALLOWED HALLS was an excellent paranormal thriller. 

Page Whittaker is offered a scholarship to the mystery Agathion College in Scotland. This Florida girl has been looking for a new start after a disturbing incident that has left her with burn-scarred palms. Page has always been a loner. She's smarter and stranger than average teens and finds herself an outcast at whatever school she has attended and there have been lots of them. Every "incident" has resulted in her parents moving her to another school.

At first, Agathion College looks like just the place for her. She loves the atmosphere, the steaming cups of tea, and classes filled with intellectual debate. And it looks like she might finally be making friends. She finds herself in a group with Cyrus, Oak, Ren, Gideon and sometimes Lacey. 

But everyone has a hidden agenda and has slotted Page into place to further it. Even her friends are keeping secrets from her. And then the weirdness begins... Cyrus "graduates" early and Page sees him taking part in a strange ritual. 

She learns that her friends are part of a secret society who want to overthrow the school's Masters and stop the evil they have been perpetrating for centuries. But ancient evil isn't that easy to overcome, and all of the group will be tested to their limits before the thrilling finale. 

I loved the complex worldbuilding complete with ancient goddesses and demons, and I loved the personalities of the members of Page's group. Page grows and changes a lot through the course of the story as she battles demons and finds love and friends.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop

The Queen's Price
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 12)
Publication: Ace (March 7, 2023)

Description: Enter the dark and sensual realms of the Black Jewels in this sweeping story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga of three young women who must navigate life within the powerful SaDiablo family—and come to terms with Witch, the Queen who is still the heart and will of that family.

The Queen’s price is to stand against what you know is wrong. To stand and fight, no matter the cost to your court or to yourself. Especially to yourself.

Zoey, a young Queen-in-training at SaDiablo Hall, is wounded...and vulnerable to taunts and criticism. When an opportunity arises to befriend a stranger seeking sanctuary at the Hall, she puts herself and others in danger by ignoring Daemonar Yaslana’s warning to back off.

Meanwhile, the witch Jillian’s family prepares for her Virgin Night, the rite of passage that assures a woman will retain her power and her Jewels. The trouble is Jillian secretly went through the ceremony already. Now she has to explain the omission of that detail to her powerful and lethal family. And the High Lord of Hell’s daughter, Saetien, travels to Scelt to find out about Jaenelle Angelline’s sister—and perhaps to discover truths about herself.

With some guidance from Witch, these three young women will learn when to yield because it is right—and when to take a stand, even if they must pay the Queen’s price.

My Thoughts: THE QUEEN'S PRICE continues on from THE QUEEN'S WEAPONS this time focusing on the young women. The story mainly focuses on Zoey, a young Queen-in-Training, who was wounded in the first book and is trying to come to terms with the trauma and learn to be a good queen. 

Saetien's story continues as she tries to redeem herself from the costly mistakes in the first book and learn what her role and future will look like. She travels to Scelt because of a prophecy of a damaged Black Widow to learn about Witch who was once Jaenelle Angeline. She has always felt that she was in competition with Witch and had no hope of ever winning the competition. Now she gets a chance to learn about Jaenelle from one of the demon dead who knew her.

Jillian is also a star of this story. She's preparing for her Virgin Night which is a big deal in the culture and an even bigger deal when one's foster father is Lucivar Yaslana, Demon Prince and Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih, and one's foster uncle is Daemon Sadi, Warlord Prince of Dhemlan and High Lord of Hell. Her problem is that she already went through her Virgin Night and didn't tell them and now doesn't know how to do so. 

The story also features a couple of new characters. Grizande is a Tigre witch who was tortured and found her way to SaDiablo Hall because of the prophecy of another Black Widow. Brenda is an outspoken Witch who becomes a teacher at SaDiablo Hall and helps train the young Queens-in-Training and the others who will someday be parts of their courts.

The worldbuilding in this story is excellent. It is a rich and complex society that is describled. Still the focus of each person's story is their quest to find out what their role should be in their world. Each is a kind of coming-of-age story.

It was wonderful to revisit the world of the Black Jewels.

Favorite Quote:

"You stand for the land and the people you rule," Witch said quietly. "You stand against what you know is wrong, no matter who gives the command. You stand and fight, no matter the cost to your court or to you. Especially to you. There is no such thing as a small wrong, Zoela. Not when you're a Queen. That's how the taint begins."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Daemonar Yaslana spread his dark membranous wings to their full span before letting them settle into a relaxed position - or as relaxed as he could manage, all things considered. Then he blew out a breath and raised a hand to knock on his uncle's study door.

Friday 56:

"To be lovers?" Which meant Jillian had ignored the permission-before-action rule up to the part that could get Stefan killed if Lucivar found out after the fact. But the girl had reached her majority, so that rule shouldn't apply any more,

Except they were talking about Lucivar. And Daemon.

This week I am spotlighting The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop. This is the 12th book in her Black Jewels series. The genre is Dark Fantasy. Here is the description from Amazon:

Enter the dark and sensual realms of the Black Jewels in this sweeping story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga of three young women who must navigate life within the powerful SaDiablo family—and come to terms with Witch, the Queen who is still the heart and will of that family.

The Queen’s price is to stand against what you know is wrong. To stand and fight, no matter the cost to your court or to yourself. Especially to yourself.

Zoey, a young Queen-in-training at SaDiablo Hall, is wounded...and vulnerable to taunts and criticism. When an opportunity arises to befriend a stranger seeking sanctuary at the Hall, she puts herself and others in danger by ignoring Daemonar Yaslana’s warning to back off.

Meanwhile, the witch Jillian’s family prepares for her Virgin Night, the rite of passage that assures a woman will retain her power and her Jewels. The trouble is Jillian secretly went through the ceremony already. Now she has to explain the omission of that detail to her powerful and lethal family.   And the High Lord of Hell’s daughter, Saetien, travels to Scelt to find out about Jaenelle Angelline’s sister—and perhaps to discover truths about herself.

With some guidance from Witch, these three young women will learn when to yield because it is right—and when to take a stand, even if they must pay the Queen’s price.

Book Review: The Queen's Weapons by Anne Bishop

The Queen's Weapons
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 11)
Publication: Ace (March 9, 2021)

Description: Enter the dark and sensual realms of the Black Jewels, a world where power always has a price, in this sweeping story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.

They are Warlord Princes, men born to serve and protect. They are the Queen's Weapons, men born to destroy the Queen's enemies--no matter what face that enemy wears.

Daemonar Yaslana knows how to be bossy yet supportive--traits he shares with his father, the Demon Prince, and his uncle, the High Lord of Hell. Within his generation of the family, he assumes the role of protector, supporting his sister Titian’s artistic efforts and curbing his cousin Jaenelle Saetien’s more adventurous ideas. But when a young Eyrien Queen, someone Titian thought was a friend, inflicts an emotional wound, Daemonar's counterattack brings him under the tutelage of Witch, the Queen whose continued existence is known only to a select few.

As Daemonar is confronted by troubling changes within and around the family, he sees warnings that a taint in the Blood might be reappearing.  Daemonar, along with his father and uncle, must uncover the source of a familiar evil--and Daemon Sadi, the High Lord of Hell, may be forced into making a terrible choice.

My Thoughts: The eleventh book in the Black Jewels series concentrates mainly on the younger generation - Daemonar, Titian, and Jaenelle Saetien - in a story which shows that the evil their parents battled wasn't completely destroyed. It will be necessary to battle it again or all will be lost.

Jaenelle Saetien has had a charmed childhood free from the turmoil and dangers her parents faced which makes her vulnerable when evil in the person of someone she admires and wants to be accepted by tries to slither in. 

Daemonar is also facing another face of the evil in a young woman who is a queen but does not understand that along with the privileges come responsibilities. When she hurts Titian's feelings, Daemonar rushed in to protect his sister and makes an enemy for himself. It does serve to let his elders know that evil has been stamped out.

I enjoyed this story which had a lot to do with the vigilance needed to keep evil away and the costs that had to be paid for careless mistakes. It was filled with many favorite characters from the series and added some new and interesting characters too.

Favorite Quote:

"It's important to have a place where people don't think you're scary."

What does this child think about when she's on her own? And how big a heart does a person need to understand that truth at so young an age?

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book & Audio Review: Crowbones by Anne Bishop

Crowbones
Author: Anne Bishop

Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Series: World of the Others (Book 3)
Publication: Ace & Penguin Audio (March 8, 2022)

Length: 351 p,; 11 hours and 17 minutes

Description: In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer—before it’s too late.…

Crowbones will gitcha if you don’t watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others—shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings—Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.

But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble—and that could mean serious trouble.

To “encourage” humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others—and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter.

My Thoughts: Vicki DeVine didn't know what she was starting when she mentioned Trickster's Night to her terra indigene employees. Now, they are all trying various looks for their disguises and Vicki is trying to keep them from choosing something too scary.

Vicki has a full house at The Jumble for the holiday too. Her guests range from a couple of almost newlyweds, to some Intuit acquaintances of Julian's, to a mixed-bag of college professors who want to learn more about the Others. 

Things start to go wrong when a trick-or-treater comes to the door dressed as the Crowgard bogeyman Crowbones which scares the feathers off Vicki's Crowgard employees. When the trickster is found murdered and gutted, it soon becomes clear that something more than disapproval of a costume is going on. 

Crowbones is real - an elder and a hunter - who has come to Lake Silence on the track of contamination that is spreading to some adolescents of the Sanguinati and the Crowgard. When the Elementals conspire to block all access to the area, it is up to Vicki and her friends Chief of Police Wayne Grimshaw, bookstore owner and Intuit Julian Farrell, and her vampire attorney Ilya Sanguinati to find out what is going on and stop it before they are all doomed.

The story gradually unfolds through the viewpoints of a number of different characters. And the suspense builds with every page. I enjoyed the chance to catch up on the lives of the beings in and around The Jumble. Alexandra Harris does a wonderful job narrating the story.

Favorite Quote:

She nodded. "I'd better get these groceries up to the house before my guests start thinking nibbling on dead donkey is a good idea."

Even for a human, she said the most peculiar things. That's why he found her appealing.

I got this one on publication day. (Actually, I preordered it on September 21, 2021,) You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey

Unnatural Issue
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: Elemental Masters (Book 6)
Publication: DAW (June 7, 2011)

Description: The sixth novel in Mercedes Lackey's magical Elemental Masters series reimagines the fairy tale Donkeyskin in a richly-detailed alternate Victorian England

Susanne Whitestone, an Earth Master magician, had always lived in Whitestone Manor and liked nothing more than to keep the land itself and its animal inhabitants thriving. For the last eleven years, she has had a special teacher in the forest—a powerful fae known only as Robin. Susanne, at twenty-one, doubted any mortal Earth Master could find fault with the practices that Robin taught her.

But though Susanne was her father’s only child, she had never set eyes on him, for Richard Whitestone lived as a recluse in a sectioned off wing of the manor. Richard Whitestone was also an Earth Master, but since his beloved wife’s death in childbirth, he had lived a kind of half-life. He hated even the thought of the child who had ended his wife’s life. His own life had withered, and as he had grown bitter, and blighted, so had everything he could see from his windows—the once-beautiful private garden was  now as stark and wizened as his heart.

But as the years passed, Richard found that there was one thing that gave him solace—the thought, an obsession, that he could bring his Rebecca back to life through necromancy. He would need an appropriate vessel for her spirit, a young woman, preferably one who looked like she did and was approximately the same age that Rebecca has been at the time of her death—twenty-one....and Susanne was the image of her mother.

My Thoughts: This historical fantasy is set around the beginning of World War I in England. Susanne Whitestone is the long neglected daughter or Earth Master Richard Whitestone. He was off doing a job for Lord Alderscroft when his beloved wife went into premature labor and died. He blamed Susanne for murdering her and ignored her. 

Susanne was raised by the servants who became her only family. When she came into her own magic as a child, she went into the woods and demanded a friend and a teacher. What she got was Robin Goodfellow - one of the oldest of the Old Fae. He became her friend and taught her and, as she grew, she became the Earth Master of her father's lands while her father nourished his obsession to reclaim his wife by studying forbidden and dangerous necromancy.

Meanwhile in London, Lord Alderscroft has heard rumors of a necromancer in Yorkshire and has sent one of his agents - Lord Peter Almsley - who is a Water Master to find the necromancer and take care of the problem.

When Richard decides to remove his daughter's soul and replace it with his wife's and Susanne finds out about it, she flees. After a three-day flight across the moors, she finds herself at the same estate where Lord Peter is staying, an estate filled with people from the masters to the servants who all have some magic. Susanne finds a comfortable home there and develops a crush on the son of the house, but her father isn't just going to let her go.

The story is filled with the horrors of World War I since Susanne flees to the continent and finds herself working as a nursing sister in order to stay close to her crush. And the badly damaged land and many deaths make the battlefields a perfect location for a necromancer who wants revenge and still wants Susanne. 

I really liked this story. I thought the world building was great. I liked the way the Elementals fit into the story. I liked Susanne who was determined to have a life of her own and who has great courage. I liked Lord Peter who develops his own love for Susanne. 

This is the sixth book in the Elemental Masters series, but I didn't have any problem getting into the world created. I did read the earlier books years ago and am now tempted to reread them. I read from both a print book which I bought in 2012 and a newly purchased audiobook.

Favorite Quote:

So she took an apple and bread and cheese in her pockets, waited until no one was watching her, and walked quite calmly out of the gardens to the green trees she could see. There she had demanded, wordlessly, but firmly, that someone come to keep her company. Someone nice. Someone who knew things. Someone who could explain these wonderful new sensations she was having.

She got Robin, who was quite as surprised as she was.

Suiting his form to hers, he had appeared as a child rather than an adult. She had intrigued him no end--and the Fae were always attracted to mortal children.

I bought this one March 29, 2012. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

Beyond
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Series: The Founding of Valdemar (Book 1)
Publication: DAW (June 15, 2021)

Description: The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this new series from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.

Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire’s exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda’s father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.

Kordas has lived his life looking over his shoulder. The signs in the Empire are increasingly dire. Under the direction of the Emperor, mages have begun to harness the power of dark magics, including blood magic, the powers of the Abyssal Planes, and the binding and "milking" of Elemental creatures.

But then one of the Duchy’s mages has a breakthrough. There is a way to place a Gate at a distance so far from the Empire that it is unlikely the Emperor can find or follow them as they evacuate everyone that is willing to leave.

But time is running out, and Kordas has been summoned to the Emperor's Court.

Can his reputation as a country bumpkin and his acting skills buy him and his people the time they need to flee?  Or will the Emperor lose patience, invade to strip Valdemar of everything of worth, and send its conscripted people into the front lines of the Imperial wars?

My Thoughts: I have been reading the Valdemar books for years and years. So I was excited to find that Mercedes Lackey has chosen to write the story of how Valdemar came to be.

Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a small, rural duchy famous for breeding horses and making and selling rafts. He is proud of his reputation as a country bumpkin who lives in an uninteresting place. Staying out of the Emperor's mind is his goal.

Kordas was taken hostage for five years as a teen and lived in the Emperor's palace. He had a chance to see the way the empire worked and the way people were shaped to fit into it. He decided not to be brainwashed.

He is also keeping a major secret: his family has been planning a way to flee the empire with their people and goods for a couple of generations. They were waiting for mages who live secretly in Valdemar to find a way to gate them to a place far outside the Empire. Now that discovery has been made and it is time to put the plans into motion.

But, just as plans are getting underway, Kordas is called to the capitol to present his annual tribute of horses to the Emperor. He finds that things are not only worse than they were when he was a hostage but getting worse each day. He also finds new allies and the need for a bigger rescue than he could have imagined.

I enjoyed the world building in this story. I also enjoyed getting to know Kordas, his wife Isla, and his young sister-in-law Delia. There were many other characters who were well-developed and interesting people. The story was filled with action, adventure, and lots of moral dilemmas. 

I can't wait to see where this series goes next. 

Favorite Quote:

"Do what you can, do everything you can, do it to the best of your ability, and leave the rest to fate. Or the gods. Or random luck. Your choice," he advised. "By the time you get to be my age, you've learned to let a lot go."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

The Bone Maker
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publication: Harper Voyager (March 9, 2021)

Description: From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a standalone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of aging warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.

Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. But victory came at a tragic price. Only four of the heroes survived.

Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”

My Thoughts: THE BONE MAKER asks what happens after the heroic actions, the adulation, and the fame and after the story should be ended. Five people defeated an evil bone maker named Eklor twenty-five years earlier and then went their separate ways. 

Jentt, who was the thief, died during the battle leaving his wife Kreya who was the group's leader bereft but determined to get her husband back. Zera returned to the seat of power and used her talents as a bone wizard to become rich but not happy. Marso was the bone reader. He couldn't deal with his visions after the battles were over and is now struggling to live. Stren was the warrior who managed to build a new life with a wife and children after the battle was over.

Kreya was a bone maker who could use bone to animate the inanimate. Since the battle, she has been studying books about the bone makers art because she was determined to find a way to make her husband live again. She needs bones and her blood to work her spell. But bones are not easy to come by. In fact, there is a major taboo in the society about bones which causes all who die to be burned to ash. 

Kreya knows one possible source of bones - the battlefield where they defeated Eklor. But she needs help to get there. She tracks down Zera to make some of the talismans she needs if she is going to get the bones to reanimate her beloved Jentt. But Zera and Kreya discover something horrible on the battlefield. Eklor is still alive and still making the monsters that almost gave him victory in the last battle.

They need to get their original group back together to convince the leader of the Guild the Eklor is back and that new heroes need to be found to defeat him again. Only there are major problems with this plan...

I loved the storytelling. The worldbuilding was intriguing and the characters well-rounded. I liked the mythology. I liked Kreya's willingness to pay any cost to get her husband back even it it meant defying every taboo and breaking any law. There was a lot of philosophy in this story about the costs of choices and the consequences of them. 

Fans of intriguing fantasy about what happens after "the end" will enjoy this thought-provoking story.

Favorite Quote:

Maybe there were no perfect choices for anyone to make, hero or villain. Maybe there was only doing the best you could with the time you had. That was an unsatisfying thought, but just because it was uncomfortable didn't mean it wasn't true.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley (via the author). You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Kreya always wore her coat with many pockets when she went out to steal bones.

Friday 56: 

Kreya felt as if she were screaming from within her skin -- her mind, her soul, her very blood felt as if it were screaming. She couldn't make sense of this.

This week I am spotlighting The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst. She emailed and asked if I was interested in reading her latest fantasy. Here is the description from Amazon:

From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a standalone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of aging warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.

Twenty-five years ago, five heroes risked their lives to defeat the bone maker Eklor—a corrupt magician who created an inhuman army using animal bones. But victory came at a tragic price. Only four of the heroes survived.

Since then, Kreya, the group’s leader, has exiled herself to a remote tower and devoted herself to one purpose: resurrecting her dead husband. But such a task requires both a cache of human bones and a sacrifice—for each day he lives, she will live one less.

She’d rather live one year with her husband than a hundred without him, but using human bones for magic is illegal in Vos. The dead are burned—as are any bone workers who violate the law. Yet Kreya knows where she can find the bones she needs: the battlefield where her husband and countless others lost their lives.

But defying the laws of the land exposes a terrible possibility. Maybe the dead don’t rest in peace after all.

Five warriors—one broken, one gone soft, one pursuing a simple life, one stuck in the past, and one who should dead. Their story should have been finished. But evil doesn’t stop just because someone once said, “the end.”

ARC Review: The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop

The Queen's Bargain
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 10)
Publication: Ace (March 10, 2020)

Description: POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE.

Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.

After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon's reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for a bit of fun. To restore his reputation and honor, he needs a handfast--a one-year contract of marriage. He sets his sights on Jillian, a young Eyrien witch from Ebon Rih, who he believes has only a flimsy connection to the noble society that spurned him. Unfortunately for Dillon, he is unaware of Jillian's true connections until he finds himself facing Lucivar Yaslana, the volatile Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih.

Meanwhile, Surreal SaDiablo's marriage is crumbling. Daemon Sadi, the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, recognizes there is something wrong between him and Surreal, but he doesn't realize that his attempt to suppress his own nature in order to spare his wife is causing his mind to splinter. To save Daemon, and the Realm of Kaeleer if he breaks, help must be sought from someone who no longer exists in any of the Realms--the only Queen powerful enough to control Daemon Sadi. The Queen known as Witch.

As Jillian rides the winds of first love with Dillon, Daemon and Surreal struggle to survive the wounds of a marriage turned stormy--and Lucivar has to find a way to keep everyone in his family safe...even from each other.

My Thoughts: It was great to return to the world of the Black Jewels and catch up with favorite characters in this 10th book in the series. Lots of things are going on.

Daemon Sadi is entering into a new level of maturity which could signal the end of his marriage with Surreal if she can't accept all of the man he is. His new sexual energy feels like it is threatening her independence which is the bedrock of her life. They love each other but these conflicts could shatter their relationship.

Lucivar Yaslana is also having some issues too. His wife is fading away after giving birth to their thirds child and he doesn't know how to help her. Also, his foster daughter Jillian has met a young man who wants to court her. Unfortunately, Lord Dillon's intentions are not pure since he was done wrong by a woman he fell in love with and had his reputation ruined. He sees Jillian as his last chance to redeem his reputation and will do anything  to get her to fall for him.

Looking into Lord Dillon's past indicates that all is not well and Lucivar is going to have to take over lands that he had previously left in the Queens' hands to prevent a return to the bad old days from the land where he and Daemon were raised.

This was an engaging story. I loved the relationships between the characters and kept hoping that things would work out well for all of them. I enjoyed the Scelties both for the humor they added to the story and for their personalities. I enjoyed Daemon's power struggles with his little girl as he tries to raise an ethical Queen.

People who have been waiting for more in the Black Jewels world will be very pleased with this new adventure.

Favorite Quote:

*I did a wrong thing,* the Sceltie whined. "There is blame.*

*Jaenelle Saetien did a wrong thing. You made a small mistake. We can talk about the correct thing to do when  I get back.*

I got this one for review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Facing the freestanding mirror in her bedroom, Jillian used Craft to secure the pendant that held her Purple Dusk Jewel to her green tunic so that it wouldn't swing when she moved or flew. 

Friday 56:

"Jillian, whatever you're planning to do: Don't,"" Daemonar said. "You've already made a promise to Auntie Surreal, and she's half Dea al Mon. Your friend's life won't be worth anything if you break your promise to her."

This week I am spotlighting a new arrival on my review stack. The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop is the 10th book in her Black Jewels series. I have recently read the rest of the series. Here is the description from Amazon:

POWER HAS A PRICE. SO DOES LOVE.

Return to the dark, sensual, and powerful world of the Black Jewels in this long-awaited new story in the New York Times bestselling fantasy saga.

After a youthful mistake, Lord Dillon's reputation is in tatters, leaving him vulnerable to aristo girls looking for a bit of fun. To restore his reputation and honor, he needs a handfast--a one-year contract of marriage. He sets his sights on Jillian, a young Eyrien witch from Ebon Rih, who he believes has only a flimsy connection to the noble society that spurned him. Unfortunately for Dillon, he is unaware of Jillian's true connections until he finds himself facing Lucivar Yaslana, the volatile Warlord Prince of Ebon Rih.

Meanwhile, Surreal SaDiablo's marriage is crumbling. Daemon Sadi, the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, recognizes there is something wrong between him and Surreal, but he doesn't realize that his attempt to suppress his own nature in order to spare his wife is causing his mind to splinter. To save Daemon, and the Realm of Kaeleer if he breaks, help must be sought from someone who no longer exists in any of the Realms--the only Queen powerful enough to control Daemon Sadi. The Queen known as Witch.

As Jillian rides the winds of first love with Dillon, Daemon and Surreal struggle to survive the wounds of a marriage turned stormy--and Lucivar has to find a way to keep everyone in his family safe...even from each other.

Book Review: Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop

Twilight's Dawn
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 9)
Publication: Roc (March 1, 2011)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels novels have enthralled readers and critics alike. Now, in Twilight’s Dawn, she returns to the Blood realm with four captivating novellas...

WINSOL GIFTS

Daemon is settling into his first year of married life with his Witch Queen Jaenelle. But as the celebration of Winsol draws near, he finds himself pulled in multiple directions playing host to his formidable family.

SHADES OF HONOR

When wounded Surreal returns to Ebon Rih, her former lover Falonar ruthlessly challenges the rule of her family, testing Surreal’s resolve not to succumb to the darkness burning inside her.

FAMILY

When someone lays a vicious trap for Queen Sylvia and her sons, the ruling family of Dhemlan must uncover the identity of a vicious warlord before he returns to finish what he started.

THE HIGH LORD'S DAUGHTER

After losing two important people in his life, Daemon has built a wall around his heart. But when he inadvertently forges a new connection, will it be enough to free him from his loveless existence?

My Thoughts: The ninth book in the Black Jewels series contains four wonderful stories. WINSOL GIFTS is a great slice of life story that lets us see old favorite characters and experience the winter holidays the way the SaDiablo family does.

SHADES OF HONOR fills in the details about whatever happened to Falonar after he broke Surreal's heart.

FAMILY is the story of a betrayal and what the SaDiablo's do when someone messes with their family. Saetan's love Queen Sylvia is essentially ambushed when she goes on a simple family visit to a manor near Little Terreille. Her death needs to be avenged, her children protected, and the villain eliminated before he can do any more damage.

THE HIGH LORD'S DAUGHTER made me cry. It tells the story, centered around Daemon, after the love of his life - the woman he waited for for 1700 years - dies and leaves him to pick up his life and start again. There are a number of heart-wrenching losses in this one but lots of new children born too.

Favorite Quote:

"She throws herself at the world and is confident the world will catch her. And maybe it always will."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Wild Country by Anne Bishop

Wild Country
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The World of the Others, Book 2)
Publication: Ace (March 5, 2019)

Description: In this powerful and exciting fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, humans and the shape-shifting Others will see whether they can live side by side...without destroying one another.

There are ghost towns in the world—places where the humans were annihilated in retaliation for the slaughter of the shape-shifting Others.

One of those places is Bennett, a town at the northern end of the Elder Hills—a town surrounded by the wild country. Now efforts are being made to resettle Bennett as a community where humans and Others live and work together. A young female police officer has been hired as the deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff. A deadly type of Other wants to run a human-style saloon. And a couple with four foster children—one of whom is a blood prophet—hope to find acceptance.

But as they reopen the stores and the professional offices and start to make lives for themselves, the town of Bennett attracts the attention of other humans looking for profit. And the arrival of the outlaw Blackstone Clan will either unite Others and humans...or bury them all.

My Thoughts: This second book in the World of the Others is a Western complete with outlaws, cattle rustlers and con men. Bennett was one of the towns where the Others killed everyone in retaliation for members of Humans First killing terra indigene. However, it's position on the railroad and its role as a transportation hub means that the terra indigene don't want to lose it. Neither do the humans in the area that survived the purge.

Grandfather Erebus has put Tolya Sanguinati in charge. He has been working with Jesse Walker, an Intuit from Prairie Gold, to determine what kind of population they need to make the town viable. The Lakeside Courtyard has held some hiring fairs to find Intuits and Simple Life people to fill needed positions - ranch hands, doctors, lawyers, among others. But other people are taking a look at Bennett as an opportunity too.

Jana Paniccia isn't an Intuit or Simple Life but an anonymous phone call sends her to the Lakeside Courtyard looking for a job as a Deputy. She has faced all sorts of harassment to go through the Police Academy but can't find a job because she's a woman even though jobs are unfilled after the Great Predation. She has a chip on her shoulder, no real life experience, and a need to protect and serve even if it means working with Sheriff Virgil Wolfgard who has no reason to like humans.

Also there is Barbara Ellen Debany (Barb) who is an almost-vet and taking care of all the abandoned pets left in Bennett. Since her brother is one of the cops working with the Lakeside Courtyard, the Others take a special interest in her.

There are so many interesting characters in this one. From a family with same sex parents who have adopted four kids - a wolf, a coyote, a hawk, and a blood prophet - to a Harvester named Scythe who is running the local saloon. There's a family with a Skippy child who are looking for a place that accepts her. There is a member of the panthergard and his adopted human brother who is likely the son of a blood prophet.

Bennett is also becoming a magnet for a wide variety of outlaws. Parlen Blackstone is the head of an Intuit clan of gamblers and con men who have usually ridden the trains to keep them one step ahead of their victims. His daughter Abigail ran away from him three years earlier and has been hiding under a different persona in Prairie Gold. Her ability to sense which jewel can match with a person to bring them luck - or disaster - is a very unusual Intuit ability. I liked that the names of the outlaws hearkened back to the Wild West - the Bonneys, the Parkers.

I liked the bits of humor in the story too. Jana's new puppy and his toy Cowboy Bob added some lightness to a rather dark story and gave a chance to see how Others and humans can look at the same thing in two very different ways.

This was a story that didn't focus on one character. The focus seemed to me about trying to build a community made up of all varieties of humans and Others. It was about fighting for that community and that vision and the bumps along the way and the costs of trying for that vision.

Favorite Quote:

"They brought those children here to learn to be who they are, where they could be who they are. This is Bennett. Who will care if a boy can shift into a wolf? Here they don't need to be a secret in order to be protected."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Grave Witch
Author: Kalayna Price
Series: Alex Craft series (Book 1)
Publication: Ace (October 5, 2010)

Description: Not even death can save her now. 

As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead-she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case. When she's raising a "shade" involved in a high profile murder, it attacks her, and then someone makes an attempt on her life. Someone really doesn't want her to know what the dead have to say, and she'll have to work with mysterious homicide detective Falin Andrews to figure out why...

My Thoughts: Alex Craft is a grave witch. She can speak to the dead. In fact, she is set to make a witness appear from beyond the grave at a groundbreaking court trial. She needs the work. Her rent is overdue, her refrigerator is empty, and her Chinese Crested's vet bill for a broken leg still needs to be paid.

When she gets a call from her estranged sister to see if she can check out her boyfriend's shade to find out who killed him, she finds herself deep into a long-running fae plot. Her sister's boyfriend was the governor of Necros. She gets into the morgue by way of her friend John who is a homicide detective. He wants help identifying a body from a body dump. While she's there she'll get a look at the body her sister is interested in.

John's corpse rises screaming but Alex recognizes her as a fellow student at the wyrd academy her father sent her to when he disowned her because of her witchcraft. After all, her father is a leading proponent of the Humans First party in Necros and, since his daughter's boyfriend's death, he's the new governor.

At the morgue she also becomes haunted herself by a ghost who is claiming that the former governor stole his body twelve years ago. She also gets hit with a soul-stealing curse. And she meets the Falin Andrews who is a man of mystery in charge of the investigation into the governor's death.

This was an interesting urban fantasy mystery as she works with Falin to find out about the body stealing entity who impersonated the governor and is now in someone else's body. She has until the full moon to find the impersonator or she'll die and the impersonator's plan with bring devastation to Necros.

I liked Alex. I liked that using her grave magic had a cost. Using it too much makes her blind and has totally ruined her night vision. I liked that she learned some new things about herself and her family. I liked her relationship with Falin and her relationship with Death who is a collector of souls.

Favorite Quote:

He held up his hands, palm forward, and mouthed something, which could have been anything from "I'm sorry" to "please help."

One day I had to learn to read lips. But not today.

I bought this one March 12, 2011 and am rereading it. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother's medical chart at him. As far as impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me. Some days I wished he hadn't - particularly when we crossed paths on the job.

Friday 56:

I needed to know more about Bartholomew. I hit the icon to bring up my Internet browser. My e-mail was set as my home screen, and I groaned at the number of unread messages in my in-box. I scanned, deleting as I went. As expected, most were from the press.

One wasn't.

This week I am rereading a book I read in 2011 - the first in a series - to refresh my memory before I read the sixth book in the series. Grave Witch by Kalayna Price is urban fantasy. Here is the description from Amazon:

Not even death can save her now. 

As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead-she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case. When she's raising a "shade" involved in a high profile murder, it attacks her, and then someone makes an attempt on her life. Someone really doesn't want her to know what the dead have to say, and she'll have to work with mysterious homicide detective Falin Andrews to figure out why...

Book Review: Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop

Shalador's Lady
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels (Book 8)
Publication: Roc; 1 edition (January 25, 2010)

Description: Return to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s world of the Black Jewels—where a Queen has emerged from the shadows to bring hope to an impoverished people…

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. And even though the refugees have found sanctuary in Dena Nehele, they have never been able to call it home.

Now that Dena Nehele has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, knows that restoring the land will require all her heart and courage as she summons the untested power within her, a power capable of consuming her if she cannot control it.

And even if Lady Cassidy survives her trial by fire, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land—and Lady Cassidy—forever...

My Thoughts: Lady Cassidy is trying to be a good Queen for Dena Nahele except Theran Greyhaven is undermining her at every step. He isn't shy about his disappointment that she isn't prettier and more powerful. Fortunately the rest of her dozen sworn Warlords and Warlord Princes are much happier with her. So are the landen and the other people she rules over in Greyhaven.

She takes a trip to the Shalador Reserve in Eyota to meet more of the Shaladoran Queens and discovers a land parched and almost barren. She knows how to transfer her power to enrich the land but she has never dealt with a land so empty. She almost drains all of her power and shatters her jewels before her Court realizes what's happening and takes her away.

After she recovers, she returns to Greyhaven to find the she has a visitor. Lady Kermilla, the Queen who took her Court away from her and ruined her confidence, has come for a visit (and to demand that Cassidy give her money to run her Court). Cassidy tells her to leave but Theran takes one look at her and realizes that Kermilla is the Queen he has been waiting for to cure Dena Nehele. Cassidy is ready to give up and leave until her loyal Court convinces her to return to Eyota and take her Court - minus Theran, there.

The story splits viewpoints. We see Cassidy and her Court in Eyota, Theran dealing with Kermilla and Dena Nehele, and Kermilla who is self-absorbed, selfish, hedonistic, and has a major sense of entitlement. It was painful watching Theran making excuses for her and dealing with her very expensive tastes. The contrast with Cassidy and her behavior couldn't have been clearer.

This story also saw Gray finally maturing after the trauma he suffered at age fifteen. He picks wonderful role models and teachers in Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar. I loved the scelties who came to Cassidy's Court to help and teach and herd their human sheep.

This was a very entertaining entry into the Black Jewels series.

Favorite Quote:

Jaenelle said some people need a hard lesson in order to learn and grow -- and some people are the hard lesson.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.