Wolfeona The Wise
Hey thanks. I have been looking for a good trilogy series has anyone read The Black Jewels trilogy?
I own it, although I can't really find my copies right now. There is a follow-up book about Janelle called Dreams made Flesh, which goes into a lot of in-between detail, and is well worth reading.
The authors name is actually spelled Anne Bishop. That helps if you are looking it up online.
smile The first book, called Daughter of the Blood, is about a powerful young girl named Janelle, who is Witch, the physical embodiment of magic. She is a Black Widow Queen, which not only means she is powerful (being a Queen, which equals status) she is also a Black Widow, which is a rare power that only Queen-level females possess. The exception is Daemon SaDiablo, who is a Black Widow Warlord Prince. Anyway a Black Widow can weave what is called a "tangled web" which depending on the intent when it's made can do anything from shards of future events to ensnare the minds of the unwary to healing wounds of the soul and mind.
The basic principle behind this trilogy is a matriarchal society. The Queens rule over everyone. The Warlord Prince is a rank of nearly equal power in the males, but of less rank. A Warlord Prince is a law unto himself, and tangling with one is one of the most dangerous things to do in this universe.
Your power is based on your gender and the color of the Jewel you wear. The Queen is supposed to be the ultimate power. The darker your Jewel, the deeper the reservoir of power you have at your disposal to fuel Craft, or magic. You can do nearly anything with Craft, from "vanishing" objects and "calling" them back to airwalking(walking as if on steps of air) to erecting aural(sound) shields, sight(invisibility) shields, and a physical barrier. Apparently it is also possible to add a lock of power to a door. If you wear a Gray Jewel, then you can Gray-lock a door. Only the next strongest Jewels can unlock it, the Ebon-gray, or the Black.
When you are born you given a jewel in a mysterious ceremony. This is your Birthright Jewel. You can descend(get a darker Jewel) three ranks from your Birthright Jewel. For instance, if you wear Birthright Red, after you make what is called the Offering to the Darkness, you may come out with a Black Jewel, the most powerful. See the first few pages of any of the Black Jewels trilogy for an explanation of the Jewels and a list of the colors and power levels.
This is by far one of my favorite trilogies.
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