I didn't realize how much I missed this series till I started reading it again. It was fun to come back to the kids of a series I enjoyed so much, and I like how balanced Bishop is in her writing. Very fun series, and looking forward to the next one.

Visiting the black jewels world again is like wrapping myself in my favorite blanket. I love the characters in this series so much. It an amazing group of characters and watching julian and lucifier having children and discussing things like virgin nights and realizing in there daughter that is ready for that is so fun. I love the part with the windows and the way the whole situation with a queen wanting to slip in orders that are way beyond anything that should of been expected of young queens. It a great series.

When a Black Widow tells Saetien that she can find answers if she finds out about Wilhelmina Benedict, she ends up in Scelt. Deamon has invited a group of young blood to the Hall for training and feels her might be in over his head. Jillian is ready to move on the next romantic stage in her life but she has a few secrets that might prove a little difficult.

I liked this next installment of The Black Jewels series. Saetien is trying to figure out who she is. With all the changes from the last book, she is now even more unsure of where she fits in. When a broken Black Widow witch tells her to find Wilhelmina Benedict it puts Saetien on a crash course with everything she has been avoiding. I liked all the character growth and the questions and it was good to see Saetien achieve something.

The Jillian storyline was fine. I didn't love the hall training with the new queens. It's like a lesser version of Janelle and her coven. I like Deamon and the Hall staff. But I don't find really find any of the young characters interesting except for Deamonar and now Grizande, a new addition. Also Witch is my favorite. So I'm curious to see where this goes.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop is an epic fantasy set in a complex world of jewel-infused magic with a cast of imaginative beings that tell the story of why it's essential to meet the Queen's price. The Queen's price for being a queen and having all that power is always doing what's right, especially when it's a hard choice. How can she protect her people if that is not a price she is willing to pay.
My Reading Experience:
I'm not even going to pretend that jumping into a series starting with book twelve is in any way easy, especially with the creative world-building that Bishop is a master. Still, I did just that because I successfully jumped into her other popular series, The Others, at book six. I know that Bishop provides just enough information to enable me to work my way in and understand what is happening around me.

I love everything about Bishop's writing. However, I recommend starting this series from either the beginning or possibly from book 10, where the focus changes to the characters explored in this story. If I had more time, I would have read book 1 to get a good basic understanding of the world and its magic system, then skipped on to books 10, 11, and then this one, Book 12. Leaving Books 2-9 for future enjoyment.

But that being said, I enjoyed this story very much and loved the underlying message, which is the importance of doing what's right, especially when it's hard. This is one of my favorite messages in coming-of-age stories and one that I have always lived by. The storyline that brings this message home felt very authentic, even in this fantasy world, as the teens are just teens, after all.
Characters:
There are many, many characters in this story. So many that there is a glossary of their names and relationships to each other at the end of the book. They are all very well-developed with a distinct uniqueness that makes them easy to keep straight as I read the story.

My favorite character, though, is easily Saetien. Yes, she can act entitled and thoroughly spoiled, but there is an edge to her and a light in her moral grayness that I found intriguing and wanted to explore more. There would be no persuasion necessary for me to read a book focused solely on Saetien.
Narration & Pacing:
The story is quite long, and the pacing is relatively slow, which was the only drawback for me. The story relies on the strength of the characters, and they are developed enough to carry it. Still, I need more action and adventure for my reading enjoyment. Especially when I am faced with over 500 pages worth of a story.

The narration is in the third-person omniscient style, which is a must considering the broad scope of the story. I found this to be the perfect way to tell it and include enough backstory for crazy readers like me, who aren't afraid to pick this book up without reading the previous 11 books.
Setting:
Primarily, the book is set in SaDiablo Hall, which has been converted into a training ground for young queens and their courts. The school aspect provides some fun in the story, with the young magic wielders getting into mischief regularly. Anne Bishop always takes special care in her world-building, which is extraordinarily complex and expansive with a unique magic system and many different types of beings to give it a depth of flavor uniquely its own.
Read if you like:
Well-developed complex characters
Creative and expansive world-building
Stories that involve magic

Four and a half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑
The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop is the 12th book in her very popular The Black Jewels series, it can be read as a stand-alone, however, it’s best to read this series in order.

Story Recap:
The Queens Price follows Daemon and Surreal's daughter, Zoey as she comes of age and has to face her family.

Meanwhile, Jillian and her family are preparing for her Virgin Night, but, Jillian has been through the ritual before, and has to find a way to tell her family. Also, Saetien, the daughter of the High Lord of Hell has traveled to Scelt to find out about Jaenelle Angelline's sister and herself.

These three women must find their own way and learn who to trust and when to take a stand.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this new installment of the series and I enjoyed seeing the younger characters make their own marks. These three women all need to grow and become stronger, and they accomplish this in different ways.

I like the balance in this author’s writing. Yes, there are evil and dark themes in her books, but she has a talent for adding just enough humor to keep things from becoming too dark and depressing. Also, the author has a talent for writing sympathetic and compelling characters who all have their own personalities and backstories.

I believe that all fans of the Black Jewels series will enjoy this latest book, and find that, like me, they can’t wait for the next book.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Queen’s Price to anyone who enjoys fantasy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Anne Bishop returns to the Black Jewels world with The Queen's Price, a novel that continues the stories of Daemon (who is opening the Hall back up as a learning grounds with some issues), Satien (who is trying to find her place in the world by researching Wilhelmina), Daemonar (who is still growing into the Warlord Prince he is meant to be), and Lucivar (who is dealing with all of his children growing up).

This novel is a clear continuation of the world, but none of the plots shone through as the main one. Queen's Bargain was mainly about Daemon's mental state, and Queen's Warriors centered on Jeanelle Satien's choices, but this story just seemed to serve to keep the plot lines alive. It was a fun read and had more humor than the past two books, but it lacked focus.

Overall, Queen's Price was a nice read, but it isn't a favorite in the series.

Returning to Kaeleer is always a pleasure. The Queen's Price is all about teaching the new generation of the Blood what it means to be a Queen and what it might cost them when they have to make the very difficult choices. The past when Jaenelle lived at the Hall and what happened with her sister, Wilhelmina, play a distinct role in the plot for Saetien and Daemon learning to deal with adolescent Blood in a positive way he didn't get to learn as a pleasure slave in Terille. The dark, sensual nature of the original books is not present, but all the characters and the lessons they need to learn are solid, layered, and hit very close to the heart. For fans of the series, dive right in. For new readers, start at the beginning and work you're way to this book. So much history and world-building is important to truly enjoy the story, but it would be well worth it. I cannot wait for the next book to see where things go.

The Queen’s Price by Anne Bishop is the 12th book in her fantastic Black Jewels series. I am a huge fan of Anne Bishop, as I have read all her series. Black Jewels has always been one of my favorite all time series, and every time Anne gives us a new book, I cannot wait to savor it. The Queen’s Price was a fantastic read, I could not put the book down, as this was a masterpiece.

The Queen’s Price focuses on Daemon & Surreal’s daughter, Saetien’s for a major part of the story, with the rest of the story centering on the training at SaDiablo Hall. Daemon, Lucifier and staff offer training for young Queens, Black Widows, as well as the boys who would be part of the first circle courts.

I did not like Saetien in the previous book, even at the start of this book, as she was not likeable and deserved her punishment from the previous book, but in the last half of the book I did begin to like her. She went to Scelt on a heart quest to learn more about Jaenelle’s sister and discover truths about herself. As Saetien meets Prince Butler, he will teach her the truths about the past, and along the way she begins to change. I loved the past stories, as we learn more and more about Jaenelle, the purge, and her terrible recovery.

Zoey is considered one the best young Queens, and very close to Titian; when someone new comes to the hall, she over steps herself, not listening to those in control, such as Daemonar. After Zoey is reprimanded, she loses her confidence, and begins to struggle; not to mention a separate group of Queens, who do not like Zoey, were mean, jealous and manipulative to her. Zoey’s group of friends, such as Titian, Jhett, Kathleen, Grizande, were all loyal and great friends. Zoey will need to step up and convince the Queens that they need to pay the price, required by Jaenelle.

I also got a kick of Jillian facing Virgin Night, and Brenda’s help explaining things…this was funny. I also enjoyed seeing Surreal, who continues to be Daemon’s second hand. Karla once again was fun in her short appearance; and loved spending time with Jaenelle (Witch), which was always great.

The entire book was fantastic, exciting, intense, dangerous, with heartwarming moments that do not allow you to put the book down, as you become totally enthralled. I will say I absolutely loved seeing our favorites Daemon, Lucivar, Surreal, Daemonar, Marion, Karla and of course, my favorite heroine, Jaenelle. And as always, I love the Kindred.

Anne Bishop not only creates such wonderful leading characters; her secondary characters continue to be to be equally memorable. Black Jewels has always been one of my top favorites, especially all those people we loved, and Anne Bishop continues to bring joy to our lives with these fantastic characters. The Queen’s Price was another masterpiece from Anne Bishop. I want more.

This is another solid addition to Anne Bishops Black Jewels Series. Her books for me are always an automatic pick up and I’m always interested in the expansion to the world. The story does get a little thin at times and sometimes Anne Bishops writing style where she repeats the phrases over and over again get slightly annoying but all in all if you enjoyed her previous books you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you to Netgalley and PRH for an e-arc of this book!

First off -- I was so ridiculously excited to be approved for this that I squealed. The Black Jewels Trilogy has been a series I've read from the time I was a teen -- 15 years ago. In a way I've grown up with this series. Sometimes when authors bring in children it becomes awkward and doesn't work. And then sometimes they feel like copy and paste characters of their parents.

What I really loved about this series is our main young characters are not copy and pasted from their parents. While they may share similar traits they are their own people with their own stories. I think it's very interesting to juxtapose Daemonar and Saeti and who they are and how they are or not interested in their parents stories and lives. Saeti's story arc is wonderful in this book, and while I hated her in the previous and think she was justifiably punished, I liked her in this one. I felt that there was a lot of character growth for her.

Zoey and Titian are also great characters, they remind me of Jaenelle and her friends (which clearly is supposed to) but to show how quickly good things can go bad. It isn't all that subtle in terms of how Bishop presents it.

Jillian and Brenda were breaths of fresh air in this book, and I will admit it was nice to have them around to question why things are done certain ways.

Bishop intersperses humor with the darker aspects of this novel, and it works so well. It is very amusing humor, and humor we've seen before in previous books, but still works in this one.

Witch has always been one of my favorite characters, and one huge point in Bishop's favor is that while Witch is important, she isn't the sole focus in this book. I sitll love her, and I love who she has become. Her and Daemon's story still makes my heart hurt.

We have old favorites back too -- Lucivar, Marian, Surreal, Karla...it was great.

Then there was some more backstory to Jaenelle and her sister after the purge.

Honestly, I was supremely impressed with this book. I am so eager to see where Bishop takes this story next.

Coming of age is never easy, and when you have power to harm yourself and others, special care is needed. SaDiablo Hall has offered sanctuary to adolescent girls before, and is once again becoming a training ground for young Queens and their courts. Zoey's training includes the recovery of her confidence. Jillian is marking a rite of passage, and struggling to tell her family that she's already completed the ceremony without their knowledge. And Saetien, is on a heart quest in Scelt to find out about Jaenelle Angelline's sister--and perhaps to discover truths about herself. This story weaves these three lives, and their lethal families into a satisfying conclusion of power, growth and found family.

Why I started this book: Bishop is one of my top favorite authors and I love returning to the Black Jewels world she has created. I jumped at the chance of an ARC.

Why I finished it: Familiar, favorite characters growing, a deepening understanding of the cost of power... and who should pay the price. Interesting interpretation of found family from the viewpoint of the family members left behind, so that a child could flourish and thrive. This book inspired me to go back and reread the whole series.

I love love love this series. Every time I get to return to this world and characters makes my heart happy.

Anne Bishop writes characters who I fall in love with then want to devour every word she writes about them. She makes me care SO much about her characters that I’m all in. In the latest book, she uses her oft-visited theme of evil and manipulative characters preying on the innocent and then getting their comeuppance.

She uses Saetien’s search for information as a way to fill in the backstory about Jaenelle as well as a self-discovery opportunity for Saetien. And the author balances the serious and grim with plenty of lightheartedness with bossy Scelties and kindred horses plus a tiger cub.

This is a chance to settle in and cozy up with the original characters of Jaenelle, Daemon, and Lucivar and catch up with their lives.

This was a really good installment of the series and seems to be setting up a possible new plot line! The last several books have been lovely, I'm always glad to spend time with her characters, but they haven't really had much at stake. Definitely looking forward to more.

I've been lukewarm on the last couple of Black Jewels and Others books, so I'm happy to say that The Queen's Price is my favorite Bishop book of the last several years. I had major issues with the previous two Black Jewels novels. In this book, it looks to me as if Anne Bishop decided after writing the short story Twilight's Dawn that she actually wasn't done with these characters, and that in order to tell a further story she needed a different status quo then what she had set up. It feels like several of the choices in the last couple of books that I disliked were perhaps in service of moving the pieces into place for a new story. I'm still disappointed with a few things (like the way Surreal has been treated), but overall this book felt much more steady and able to tell a new story.

The Queen's Price follows Daemon and Surreal's daughter as she attempts to figure out what she actually wants from life. I liked her more as the story went on and gave her room to discover herself outside of her family's heavy shadow. There was also a side story about Jilllian, and a longer story about the teenagers who are currently training at the Hall. Readers will recognize some of Anne Bishop's frequent tropes (characters either being selfish and manipulative to stupid degrees, or naive and innocent), but overall Bishop uses more subtlety in this book then she has managed before (I mean, it's still Anne Bishop so it's still pretty in your face, but it does feel a bit more measured). I also felt like Bishop has perhaps listened to some criticisms of previous books and made attempts to address them. My biggest problem is still Surreal. She is treated far better in this book then in the previous one, with her characterization basically reverting to what it was several books ago. However, her relationship to her daughter is still very weird to me. For some reason the book focuses heavily on the father/daughter relationship, but ignores the mother as important at all. It's an odd blind spot.

I have no idea where this series is headed next, but for the first time in awhile I find that I'm interested in the journey.