geo_ix's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
So I read a random book from this series as a teen and really loved it (I still don’t remember anything, if I ever finished it I just know I really enjoyed the writing/character) and I always wanted to go back & see if I loved the actual series. I’m not really into reading since my dad passed but I’ve been paying for KU all year so I didn’t lose the books I borrowed last year & decided to kick my own butt and read the oldest borrowed KU book I had, and it was this. I was nervous because this was LONG, and in the beginning (hence the 4.5 instead of 5) it was super slow & I kept questioning if I was going to continue. The magic system is a little overwhelming & I’m still confused but the characters were honestly the best things ever.
CW/TW:
This book is DARK, there’s a lot of rape, on page, and their society kind of normalises child-rape & it was very, very difficult to read. It can get quite graphic & I definitely cried reading this, but it was so well written all types of different trauma responses were explored (from good to bad) and I think weirdly it makes sense for the world? It all revolves around power of the mind & all genders are harmed by those holding the most power. Everyone’s so hungry for it and they just become more evil as time goes on. Weirdly loving the spidery nature of the witches & definitely going to pick up book two.
So I read a random book from this series as a teen and really loved it (I still don’t remember anything, if I ever finished it I just know I really enjoyed the writing/character) and I always wanted to go back & see if I loved the actual series. I’m not really into reading since my dad passed but I’ve been paying for KU all year so I didn’t lose the books I borrowed last year & decided to kick my own butt and read the oldest borrowed KU book I had, and it was this. I was nervous because this was LONG, and in the beginning (hence the 4.5 instead of 5) it was super slow & I kept questioning if I was going to continue. The magic system is a little overwhelming & I’m still confused but the characters were honestly the best things ever.
CW/TW:
Spoiler
This book is DARK, there’s a lot of rape, on page, and their society kind of normalises child-rape & it was very, very difficult to read. It can get quite graphic & I definitely cried reading this, but it was so well written all types of different trauma responses were explored (from good to bad) and I think weirdly it makes sense for the world?
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures: https://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2020/01/18/daughter-of-the-blood-by-anne-bishop/
Daughter of the Blood is a dark fantasy novel by Anne Bishop. And I do mean dark. I started reading this book around a decade ago. There were things I loved about it, but I was also deeply uncomfortable with some of the more graphic violence, including sexual violence. But sometimes books that don’t work for us in one era of our lives end up being treasured years later, and Daughter of the Blood was definitely one of them.
I’ll start with the setting. Daughter of the Blood is set in a drow-like society that’s dominated by women. People can have magical powers, and the strength of those powers is measured in part by the type of jewel that comes with them. The darker the jewel, the greater the power. So in this society where gender norms are flipped from our usual expectations, the normal order of things is that women rule and men serve. And it’s supposed to be a balance where both parties get something out of it, where the women are good and benevolent leaders, and the men are proud to serve their queens. But this society has become corrupted. Women enslave the men, often through the use of magical cock-rings. Men who break from their control commit violence against young women. Powerful women destroy their rivals. There used to be another way, but it’s a distant memory. But there’s a prophecy that one day a particularly powerful Witch will come, and there will be a reckoning.
But even Witch is born as a child. A little girl named Jaenelle is born, and she has incomprehensibly strong powers. But because her powers are so strong, they don’t look like anybody else’s, and her family thinks she’s powerless. Jaenelle is a great character because she’s a child with god-like powers, and the story explores what that might be like as she slowly learns how to use and control them. And Jaenelle really is too pure for the world that she’s born into.
Jaenelle can wander between worlds, including the realms of life and death. She befriends Saetan, the lord of the underworld, and he becomes a father figure to her, teaching her bits of magic, but also being exasperated by her antics.
And then there’s Daemon, Saetan’s son. Daemon has spent most of his live as a pleasure slave to a cruel woman named Dorothea SaDiablo. He’s been hurt both physically and emotionally, and Dorothea uses Daemon’s feelings for his brother to control him and keep him in compliance. And through the centuries, Daemon has built up a simmering rage against everyone who has caused him to suffer. After he loses his temper, Dorothea sends him away to another noble woman, and in that household, he meets Jaenelle, and he sees her as she truly is, and as the coming of Witch. And through her kindness and playfulness, she teaches him that there is more to life than his rage, and starts to break down some of the walls he’s put up to protect himself. He swears to do everything in his power to protect her.
When I first read Daughter of the Blood, I wasn’t jaded enough to appreciate Daemon. Now he’s one of my favorite characters. And I think it’s because Anne Bishop deliberately plays with what structural inequalities will do to people over time. And by flipping the gender norms in the book, you see everything with fresh eyes. The message resonates even more today than it did before, because Daemon’s rage is at it’s heart the same rage that’s behind #MeToo. Despite being written in the late 90s, the book feels like it could have been written yesterday.
I’m so glad that I picked up Daughter of the Blood for a reread. I breezed through it, staying up past my bedtime on more than one evening so that I could finish it. I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy and to see how Jaenelle will adapt to and change the world around her.
Daughter of the Blood is a dark fantasy novel by Anne Bishop. And I do mean dark. I started reading this book around a decade ago. There were things I loved about it, but I was also deeply uncomfortable with some of the more graphic violence, including sexual violence. But sometimes books that don’t work for us in one era of our lives end up being treasured years later, and Daughter of the Blood was definitely one of them.
I’ll start with the setting. Daughter of the Blood is set in a drow-like society that’s dominated by women. People can have magical powers, and the strength of those powers is measured in part by the type of jewel that comes with them. The darker the jewel, the greater the power. So in this society where gender norms are flipped from our usual expectations, the normal order of things is that women rule and men serve. And it’s supposed to be a balance where both parties get something out of it, where the women are good and benevolent leaders, and the men are proud to serve their queens. But this society has become corrupted. Women enslave the men, often through the use of magical cock-rings. Men who break from their control commit violence against young women. Powerful women destroy their rivals. There used to be another way, but it’s a distant memory. But there’s a prophecy that one day a particularly powerful Witch will come, and there will be a reckoning.
But even Witch is born as a child. A little girl named Jaenelle is born, and she has incomprehensibly strong powers. But because her powers are so strong, they don’t look like anybody else’s, and her family thinks she’s powerless. Jaenelle is a great character because she’s a child with god-like powers, and the story explores what that might be like as she slowly learns how to use and control them. And Jaenelle really is too pure for the world that she’s born into.
Jaenelle can wander between worlds, including the realms of life and death. She befriends Saetan, the lord of the underworld, and he becomes a father figure to her, teaching her bits of magic, but also being exasperated by her antics.
And then there’s Daemon, Saetan’s son. Daemon has spent most of his live as a pleasure slave to a cruel woman named Dorothea SaDiablo. He’s been hurt both physically and emotionally, and Dorothea uses Daemon’s feelings for his brother to control him and keep him in compliance. And through the centuries, Daemon has built up a simmering rage against everyone who has caused him to suffer. After he loses his temper, Dorothea sends him away to another noble woman, and in that household, he meets Jaenelle, and he sees her as she truly is, and as the coming of Witch. And through her kindness and playfulness, she teaches him that there is more to life than his rage, and starts to break down some of the walls he’s put up to protect himself. He swears to do everything in his power to protect her.
When I first read Daughter of the Blood, I wasn’t jaded enough to appreciate Daemon. Now he’s one of my favorite characters. And I think it’s because Anne Bishop deliberately plays with what structural inequalities will do to people over time. And by flipping the gender norms in the book, you see everything with fresh eyes. The message resonates even more today than it did before, because Daemon’s rage is at it’s heart the same rage that’s behind #MeToo. Despite being written in the late 90s, the book feels like it could have been written yesterday.
I’m so glad that I picked up Daughter of the Blood for a reread. I breezed through it, staying up past my bedtime on more than one evening so that I could finish it. I’m excited to read the rest of the trilogy and to see how Jaenelle will adapt to and change the world around her.
pandapjays's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
xxturtlepower's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture
raemarie23's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
missgab721's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cancourtneyread's review against another edition
1.0
Nowhere near as good as her other book [bc:Written in Red|15711341|Written in Red (The Others #1)|Anne Bishop|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342193270s/15711341.jpg|21378102]. I was so excited when I read Written in Red and discovered one of my new favorite books of all time so I figured Anne Bishops other books must be as good as her other one. NOPE! This book was disgusting! There was lots of rape, child molestation, and nearly all the characters were forced into sexual slavery at some point. Our heroine, a 12 year old girl, and the object of our 3 heroes love/lust was tied down and "ripped open" with a knife...and YEAH HER VAGINA WAS RIPPED OPEN! I'm so disgusted and I need to go take a shower, I feel dirty. This is probably one of the worst books I've ever read. Don't get me wrong i read lots of taboo and although I don't agree with the topics I can still find the books well written and enjoyable. This book, however, I just cannot.
laughterbynight's review against another edition
2.0
To this day I don’t know how this book ended up in my school library but dear lord
jms26050's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0