B is for Black Jewels

            I began the journey when I was in ninth grade, and I finished it near the onset of my baby steps into the real world. The Queen of the Darkness has become a Song in the Darkness, and I was this close to bawling like a baby all over our dining room table.

            Of course, I’m talking about books. The Black Jewels novels by Anne Bishop. Such a gorgeous story, predating in my history as a reader most of what is currently on my shelves. And last night, I finished Twilight’s Dawn, which I did not expect to be such a lovely wrap up to the story that I thought was finished.

            Your one and only warning if you think you might want to read the books in the future: Spoilers ahead.

            My first big foray into the Internet was a forum for this book series, and we used to debate and discuss all kinds of things about the world, the characters, and where they went after the main trilogy ended. We all acknowledged that Jaenelle, Queen of the Darkness, came from a short-lived race. Therefore, Daemon Sadi would outlive her by centuries, how would he deal with this? We all had our theories, I’ll wager, but I think how Anne Bishop wrote it is just as it was meant to be.

            And Saetan? Our favorite Uncle Saetan? The High Lord of Hell, Prince of the Darkness, and the uncle/father/teacher we all wish we could have in the real world? When he became a whisper in the darkness, I nearly lost it. I’d never given it much thought, but he was one of my favorite characters. Stern but loving, giving guidance and a boot to the ass all at the same time, and teaching what matters about family and honor.

            I knew that this was probably what was coming in the last story of the collection that was Twilight’s Dawn, but still. Jaenelle and Saetan passing away, it hit me harder than I thought. They’ve been characters in the back of my mind for nine years at the very least, ones that made me laugh, made me think, and now, have made me cry.

            It’s amazing how much fictional characters can really come to mean to you. The characters of the Black Jewels novels, of the world of the Blood, will be with me forever, the kind of story that you pass down to anyone who has an open heart and loves to read.

            I’m sorry if this addition to the A to Z Challenge doesn’t make much sense. All I can say is go buy Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, and read all the books up to Twilight’s Dawn. Maybe you’ll understand.

            I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes from these amazing stories.

            “Far below me, in the psychic abyss that is part of the Darkness, I hear another howling, one full of joy and pain, rage and celebration.”

                        -Daughter of the Blood