by Terrance Mc Arthur

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a signed copy of The Queen’s Bargain, and links to purchase it.

I am a fan of Anne Bishop’s The Others series and The World of The Others. I enjoyed paranormal danger that could be fatal without being graphic, love with shapechangers that wasn’t sexual, and wry commentary on everything from prejudice to government. From the “Also By” lists, I knew that Bishop had other books and other worlds in her writing, but I had never read any of them. Oh, boy.

The Queen’s Bargain is the tenth Black Jewels Novel, the first one since Twilight’s Dawn in 2011 (before the Others series began). I’ve walked into a strange new world, and everybody knows everybody else…but I don’t. The people have wings. They have jewels that determine their power. Queens are Witches that have the most power, but males are princes who rule territories. Dead jewel-bearers still hang around, the demon-dead, although they usually stay at a special castle, and are sometimes called upon to advise and counsel the living. There’s a lot to understand for a new visitor.

Dillon is a low-level aristo who was spelled by a girl into becoming a plaything for spoiled rich girls. He has become a manipulator, extorting money from families to go away. Jillian is a foster-child nanny for Saetan and Marian, and thinks Dillon is her true love. Saetan’s brother Daemon, has so much sexual power connected to the Jewel he carries that his new wife, Surreal (a trained assassin), can’t deal with the need and desire he creates in her. The children in the families are going through difficult phases of being difficult, and the dogs are sentient beings who communicate telepathically on a grade-school mental level with dogged loyalty to duty.

There is lively sex (pretty graphic) and violence (sometimes ditto), Daemon’s dead wife, Jaenelle, is a major part of the story. It isn’t armies clashing, but personalities and emotions are in high conflict.

Jumping into this book is like riding the rapids. You may not see the rocks ahead, you may feel confused and lost, but in the hands of a experienced storyteller like Anne Bishop, The Queen’s Bargain may be more than you bargained for, but it’s a bargain at any price.

To enter to win a signed copy of The Queen’s Bargain, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “queen,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 16, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT MAY TAKE LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

The Queen’s Bargain (Black Jewels #10)

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Terrance V. Mc Arthur is a Librarian in Fresno County, California. He is also a storyteller, puppeteer, magician, and maker of pine needle baskets. On top of that he writes stories that range from rhymed children’s tales to splatterpunk horror. He’s an odd bird, but he’s nice to have around.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.