Perusing the shelves at the library, I overlooked this book on at least four occasions before finally deciding to read it. For me, the turn off was the use of names like Lucivar & Daemon. But I did eventually read the book and discovered that I like Anne Bishop novels.
Bishop has an ability to write characters that come alive off the page. The first book in a trilogy, Daughter of the Blood is about two brothers of a long-lived race who have been tormented and enslaved by the current queen & witch in Terreille. They are in the room serving lords and ladies when a broken witch tells of the coming of the Queen of the Dark Realm.
The Queen of Darkness turns out to be a true heroine and a compassionate person. While none of the main characters are tame, in the moral code of right and wrong, they actually represent good. The whole realm is dark, and the brothers murder in self-defense. The enemy of the brothers and the coming queen is a pair of deranged women whose power enslaves the brothers for hundreds of years.
One of my favorite elements of the book is the introduction of the kindred. They are animals with the power to communicate and provide comic relief and joy to the story.
I'm not one to like incredibly dark topics, and this book does deal with some very harsh topics and sensitive issues including rape which would not be suitable for a younger audience. This is probably the darkest book I've read that I can say I liked reading.
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