The Queen’s Weapons, by Anne Bishop

The latest in the Black Jewels series sees an ugly threat from the past rear its head in the land of Kaeleer. Early warning signs enable Warlord Princes Daemon Sadi and his brother Lucivar prepare to deal with the growing danger. But how will they combat the manipulation of their own family and train their children to come into their own? The answer is with the help and guidance of their Queen, whose presence still lingers beyond death to meet the needs of those she loves. As ever in Bishop’s books, power comes with a price. The rich and deep worlds she creates have their own idiosyncrasies, but also mirror familiar themes and issues. She deals with complex family relationships; containing the storms and risks of adolescence; and setting and maintaining boundaries. All within a realm of dark fantasy, where sensuality and violence are balanced on a knife’s edge. At the same time she makes you care deeply about her characters and fear for their fates. The Queen’s weapons takes old favourites and new into a different era, with room left for further chapters in the Black Jewels saga as the next generation of the Sa Diablo and Yaslana families matures and faces fresh challenges.