Daughter of the Blood explores a world where the savior is mistaken for a troubled, young girl with issues of instability. Her family sees a troubled girl who makes up stories about far away places, about magical creatures and even darker ones. Those in power, the seat of evil in the world, are blind to her existence and the extent of the power that she already wields. The good guys recognize her instantly but are powerless to protect or aid her, with the exception of the demon dead and the High Lord of Hell. There is a scene between Jaenelle and Daemon in the book where we get a truly insightful glimpse into Jaenelle’s troubled mind when she asks “Why am I different?”

The character Jaenelle, billed as the main character by the book synopsis and jacket treasure, is dull and lacking in charisma that naturally would make the reader like her. There are moments where that charisma shines through but it is dull in comparison to the three males that dominate this novel. What saves this book from following the path of dullness or mediocrity are several things:

1. The three ’supporting’ male characters: Saetan, Lucivar and Daemon.
2. The World, the Mythos, and the gentle build of the back-story to the world, but particularly to the 3 males.

There are several aspects to this book that make it truly chilling and are the backbone to the dark atmosphere that Bishop has created in this world.

1. The evil characters are truly twisted and are evil for the sake of power. These characters, particularly Dorothea and Hekatah, represent a “black” derivative of evil, without any room for redemption.
2. The good guys have been billed as gray (though compassionate) but were a source of fear through most of the Realm. Those in power have attempted to use Lucivar and Daemon to their advantage but their father’s small amount of influence overpowered. Instead they have earned a disturbing reputation amongst the Courts of Terreille. Even so, amongst the people of the Realm the truth of their character has dominated the rumors of their genuine evil. Such as Daemon’s help with the Inn Keeper’s daughter, or his relationship with Manny.
3. Violence is a major theme and way of life for the Blood, especially in Terreille. A primary example of this theme is that murder is not a punishable offense. Though this is also associated with the ability of the Blood to transition to demon dead and extract their own vengeance.

Daughter of the Blood has a strong focus on the back-story more than the present story. At times this makes for an overwhelming presence of the world’s history but it blends directly in with the present to develop the storyline more deeply. There is at least fifty-thousand years of history that is well developed and introduced into the storyline, between the dialogue and anecdotes. It often left me confused on whether I should be more interested in the present story or the past stories.

Even so many of these flashbacks aid in tying the story and aspects together. Her ability to pull many varying aspects together is a strength to her story telling. There are several moments where little things come back to haunt Jaenelle that stood out to me:

1. Not long after learning about Lucivar’s fate in the salt mines of Pruul Jaenelle is visiting Saetan when he suggests presenting the unicorns with a gift of salt licks for Winsol, leaving Jaenelle very distraught in remembering Lucivar’s fate.
2. Jaenelle’s freak-out over being told by Cook that they would be having ‘leg’ for dinner. Later we discover the truth about Briarwood and Jaenelle explains the ghosts to Surreal and explains that Dannie’s leg was served for dinner at Briarwood.

There are some significant issues with the story, characters, world, mythos and the power of the Blood:

1. There is a significant imbalance of power between the factions of good and evil. The good guys severely out power the evil, which in this world is overshadowed by the fact that the evil guys outnumber the good. And those with power to fight back are either indifferent or enslaved.
2. Though there is plenty of setup through the mythos of the Blood to allow for Jaenelle to be emotionally and mentally unstable due to the dangerous bond of Dark Jewels with a young mind. Yet none of this came to fruition and somehow Jaenelle was able to overcome the bond of a set of excessively powerful Jewels. Instead what instability she did face was a product of Briarwood and her family’s inability to see who she truly is.
3. Dorothea and Hekatah too neatly possess the power in Terreille. The opposition is either killed or broken. There is almost nothing known or understood of their rise to power in Hayll and then throughout the Realm. Red is a strong Jewel but not overpowering.
4. The age differential between the short and long lived races is uncomfortable. The eldest character, Saetan, in the story is 50,000 years old (hello caveman!). Daemon and Lucivar were 1,700 and considered to be in their prime. There is such a significant difference between the life span of the long lived races and short lived races
5. As great and well rounded as the world itself is there is a vagueness that cannot be defined about the world’s time period and the technology they do and don’t have. Unlike most other fantasy it does not easily align with history as we know it and because of this it is hard to get a full visual representation of the world.
6. What frustrates me is that Blood Protocol, the veil of civility and culture, can keep Saetan, Daemon and Lucivar in servitude and slavery to people who are destroying the very Protocol that they honor, despite the bad guys no longer adhering to it. There is a sense of irrelevance and complacency that feels like they have given up on the Blood.

Like with most saviors in the Fantasy world Jaenelle is not chained to the words ‘can’t or ‘impossible’. In Jaenelle this is a refreshing freedom since she is working with such power at a young age there are things she can accomplish that would otherwise be seen as impossible.

The conclusion of the book felt complete and still managed to establish a direction for the rest of the trilogy to go. It left me with plenty of questions as to the possibilities of the future for the characters. Jaenelle is safe at the Keep with Saetan and her demon dead friends, but there is still a need to find resolution in the healing of her chalice. Daemon and Surreal are trapped in Terreille without allies and are left to survive the corruption of Terreille.

The pieces of story that had been created throughout Daughter of the Blood came together in a very neat and tidy way at the climax. All those characters who had become a part of Jaenelle’s life pulled together to save her; Cassandra, Surreal, Saetan, and Daemon. Pulling together these various storylines was a smooth transition for the climax. Starting with Surreal attending the Briarwood Winsol party all the way through Cassandra escaping with Jaenelle through the Dark Gate.

Overall I found Daughter of the Blood to be a consuming novel with a world that will keep you guessing and interested. Bishop’s ability to mesh together a dark world, with some lighthearted scenes and humor, creates a book that will keep you enthralled and chuckling. I highly recommend this read- as long as you can handle the dark themes and taboo topics.

In this book, we only briefly glimpse Perrin, spend a fair amount of time with Rand and Nyneave, get to see a bit of what Mat is up to with his Band of the Red Hand and his new quest to save Moiraine. The main focus of TGS is the conflict between the White Tower and the rebel Aes Sedai—I will save that for last.

Perrin, Faile and company

We only have few glimpses of Perrin’s situation. The first is in the prologue, where we find the Prophet, formerly Masema. I have to say this is one of the few moments I’ve actually like Faile—she usually annoys the blazes out of me with her pushiness and unnecessary jealousy, but at least she finally put down the rabid dog that was threatening both her husband and the Dragon Reborn, something neither one of them had the sense to do.

The next time we see Perrin is in chapter 9, Leaving Malden. Not much movement here. It was basically a touch base, cleaning up a few matters that had not been taken care of in Knife of Dreams, such as the rumors of Perrin being in Berelain’s tent, and the fact that the Aiel protectors of Faile, Alliandre and the others had been killed by Perrin and his forces. I did find myself being more sympathetic to Faile on this occasion—though she didn’t dare tell her husband that he had killed the man that had kept her safe, she still sought to honor him. The scene with Perrin and Faile also helped ease my dislike of her a bit, giving me some understanding on exactly why she behaves the way she does.

All in all, I think the main purpose of this chapter was to remind us of the situation Perrin and his followers were in, and to reintroduce Tam al’Thor to us, who plays a key part in Rand’s story arc much later in the book. Faile has been rescued, the Prophet has been killed and it seems that all that waits for Perrin is whatever roll he must fulfill for Rand in the Last Battle.

Perrin and Faile’s Chance for a Happy Ending: I’m giving this an 80%. I don’t like Faile, and more than once, I wished the Shaido had just killed her. But I guess one of the ta’veren should get a happy ending.

Rand, Nyneave and friends

Rand’s growing instability is particularly disturbing in this novel. I can’t blame him for his anger completely—being tormented in such a way by Semirhage would drive anyone over the edge.

As for his escape from Semirhage…how? How can Rand access the True Power, the power of the Dark One himself? It saved Rand from being used as a tool for the Dark One—or at least, for Semirhage—but why? Is this an effort to tempt Rand to turn to the Shadow?

I was quite shocked by Rand’s suddenly turning on Cadsuane. Certainly, the woman can be irritating, but you would think Rand would understand that what had happened was none of her fault—the male a’dam could not be destroyed, and she had protected it the best as she could. She could hardly count on the appearance of our bizarre Fade friend, Shaidar Haran. Hopefully Moiraine will show up in the next book and be able to set Rand straight.

I’m wondering if Egwene may summon Rand and his company in the next book, now that the White Tower is whole. After all, Elaida did Foretell that the Dragon would feel the Amyrlin’s wraith (she, of course, interpreted this as her own victory, but now we know it’s going to be Egwene!), and Egwene needs to see that Nyneave takes the Three Oaths, and that the Aes Sedai with Rand are not Black Ajah. Perhaps she’ll send Siuan, Gareth and Leane to go fetch them for her: they would make a good small embassy to Rand, two Aes Sedai and Egwene’s general. They would be relatively low immediate threat, as Siuan and Leane are not very strong anymore, though Gareth’s presence would remind Rand that the White Tower is now a military force to be reckoned with. Visiting Rand’s Asha’man would also give Siuan and Leane a chance to meet up with Damer Flinn and possibly be returned to their former strength prior to the Last Battle. Plus, they are the three people close to Egwene that she trusts the most, so it would make sense that she would send them as her embassy to the Dragon Reborn. However, Rand is sitting right outside Tar Valon itself at the end of TGH, so perhaps she won’t need to send an embassy.

Then there is Callandor.  What does it mean that the three shall become one? Rand has a lot of “threes” going on at present. We have his three women: Avienda, Min and Elayne. Then there’s the three men inside his head: himself, Lews Therin and the third man. And then still is the three Powers: saidin and saidar of course…and Rand somehow touched the True Power during the scene with Semirhage. Could these be the Powers that become one with Callandor? Rand, an Asha’man and an Aes Sedai use Callandor, channeling the three together? I don’t see how the Dark One would end up allowing the True Power to be used in his own defeat, but Rand somehow got access to it in the male a’dam scene.

Rand and the His Three’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 10%. Maybe I’m horribly wrong, but I see Rand having a tragic ending, which will be no less tragic for Elayne, Aviendha and Min. Min’s viewings all seem to point to Rand’s death. Still, I’m giving a small hope for them; perhaps the prophecies seem darker than they really are.

Nyneave and Lan’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 30%. It pains me to write that, but Min’s most recent viewing of Nyneave seems to indicate that Lan won’t survive. I hope that they will have the opportunity to see each other at least one last time before his death. If Nyneave can’t have Lan, she at least deserves his child. I worry she won’t even get that.

Mat, Thom and the Band

I’m quite disappointed we didn’t see more progress with Mat and his gang. I always thought Mat would be one to jump right in without looking—in the past he has been. But I guess experience has taught this character to be a bit more cautious. I can’t blame him; as a reward for his past hastiness he’s been hung, had other men’s memories shoved into his mind and ended up with a wife he didn’t want, but knew he would someday have.

Of course, he’s not exactly too keen on the matter of rescuing Moiraine. I have to wonder what his motives are precisely—I don’t get the impression that even he knows. He does have an extensive history of rescuing Aes Sedai in distress, however. Unlike Rand, Mat still has a soft spot for women—any women, no matter how many headaches they give him. Or perhaps his willingness to rescue Moiraine is simply due to the fact he’s tired of seeing Thom mope about. And maybe, just maybe, he wants a little revenge on the Aelfinn and Eelfinn—and taking their Aes Sedai prisoner would be a nice way to deliver it.

Then there’s the question of Verin’s letter. I’m wondering exactly what her request of him might be. Egwene Dreamed of Mat weighing two Aes Sedai on a balance scale, a choice that would affect the world—could this possibly be that Dream come true? Will Mat open the letter, out of impatient curiosity, and find himself having to choose between following those orders and rescuing Moiraine? Rand needs Moiraine for the Last Battle, according to Min—but Mat doesn’t know this.

Mat and Tuon’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 50%. I can’t decide what will happen to them. I think Mat has a fairly good chance of survival, but Tuon still has the Dragon Reborn as her enemy, and he still has to “bind the Nine Moons to him”. Tuon can act as a sul’dam—I’m wondering if she may end up on the wrong end of an a’dam controlled one of Rand’s sworn Aes Sedai. If this were to happen, I’m wondering if this could lead to a confrontation between Rand and Mat, which has yet to happen. Mat seems to have a severe aversion to the a’dam, despite his general distrust of Aes Sedai. I doubt if he would be pleased to see his wife leashed.

Moiraine and Thom’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 70%. The only reason I’ve put it that low is because Moiraine has not yet been rescued. I believe she will be—Rand needs her. Still, there’s nothing to say Thom couldn’t die in the attempt. But Moiraine has worked as hard and has sacrificed as much as Siuan to see the Dragon Reborn victorious—I believe she will be rewarded. I can’t really see Thom as a Warder, however, so maybe they’ll skip that bit.

The White Tower and the Rebels

I have to say this was my favorite in all of it, which was a good thing, because it was really what most of the book was about. In truth, this was two story arcs that were waiting to converge; Egwene and the White Tower Aes Sedai, and Siuan, Gareth Byrne and the rebel Aes Sedai. They often intermixed even before their convergences, with Siuan and Egwene holding their meetings in the World of Dreams, and a Forsaken (apparently Mesaana) now playing with both factions.

Siuan and Gareth

Forgive me if I go on about this one for a bit. They’ve been my favorite pairing since Lord of Chaos, encroaching on Nyneave and Lan’s place in my fan girl heart. One word I have to say about their role in TGS: FINALLY! Though I would not have missed Siuan’s amusing angst over the situation—that was what made them so entertaining in the first place, and it was obvious it would not have been in the nature of either character to yield quickly to the other. Siuan’s rants are wonderfully entertaining, and I can’t help recite them aloud to myself from time to time while reading, and seeing Egwene’s reactions to Siuan’s dilemma with the man whose service she refused to leave never failed to get a good chuckle out of me.

While they have provided comic relief as the series continued darken, their relationship has also given insight to many aspects of Siuan’s character that were hidden away in her role as Amyrlin, and might have not come out otherwise even as Egwene’s mentor. Her persona of the prankster Accepted, touched on in New Spring, comes back to haunt Gareth as she works to pay her debt to him. Thankfully, he takes things much better than Elaida did!

Interesting to note is that I don’t think Egwene’s the only one whose been picking up some of Siuan’s shadier habits: Gareth managed to nicely trump his oath to Egwene by demanding that Siuan bond him as her Warder before he agreed to come along. Neither Egwene nor the Hall can really argue with his actions as Siuan’s Warder, even if they wanted to.  Thankfully Egwene isn’t hardhearted enough to punish Siuan in a formal manner; hopefully she will soon recognize that Siuan’s actions were solely out of a wish to protect one of her few remaining friends, not out of willful disobedience.

Siuan and Gareth’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 95%. It would be very cruel if Siuan lost another Warder, especially one she plans to marry. I don’t see her dying in the Last Battle either: she already once lost as much as it was possible to lose without dying. Besides, Min’s viewing almost seemed to promise the two of them would live—as long as they stay close to each other. If they don’t get a happy ending, I’m going to call it fictional character abuse. Besides, there’s just too much foreshadowing in regards to the two of them starting a family to ignore.

Gawyn

I have to say there is one thing that really bugs me about this arc. As all of us who have read this novel know, Gawyn shows up at Gareth Bryne’s camp after deciding to abandon his Younglings and the White Tower Aes Sedai. He manages to convince the general to allow him to stay, despite formerly being an enemy commander. Don’t get me wrong, the two conversations between Gawyn and Gareth were interesting and necessary–but there is something missing here.

After their second conversation, the next time we see Gawyn is when Siuan decides to solicit his help in rescuing Egwene from the White Tower. But it seems it’s been forgotten that the last time Gawyn and Siuan met, Gawyn held a sword to her neck!

Considering this, it seems a little unreal that Siuan would have dared rush to Gawyn for help, or that Gawyn would promptly agree to assist her (even to save Egwene) without some sort of reconciliation. In fact, I’m left wondering when Gawyn became aware of Siuan’s presence and reclaimed station as Aes Sedai. Gareth never mentioned her by name in either of their conversations—in fact, he almost seemed to avoid doing so both times.

Taking a peek back at The Shadow Rising, I read the account of Siuan’s disposal and her confrontation with Gawyn. Given the level of hatred and bitterness Gawyn held against her at the time, and how it controlled his path between that scene and his appearance at the rebel camp, I think a discussion between the two deserved some screen time, or at the very least, recognition by Siuan, Gawyn or Gareth that the situation had been dealt with.

Egwene               

Egwene shows admirable resiliency to Elaida’s ploys to try to break her. She has truly seemed to learn Siuan’s political skills, and mixed a few of her own into it—and her nerves of steel made her a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, she’s also getting a bit pompous, which is annoying. I think she doesn’t know quite how to pull off the same authority that Siuan managed during her time as Amyrlin without it sounding that way; hopefully Siuan will take some time out to give her some lessons in not sounding like she’s one of the aristocrats that kept bothering Rand during earlier books…otherwise, I’m not going to blame Rand if he attempts to throttle her with his bare hands the next time he sees her. I was a little surprised the Aes Sedai listened to her as much as they did—I understand her refusal to behave like a novice, but I would think even a prisoner would need to show a bit more respect than she did.

I don’t blame her for her attitude around Elaida, however. Elaida could out pompous Egwene with half her brain tied behind her back (which is saying something, considering she only seems to have half a one in the first place). Elaida behaves beyond foolishly, beating Egwene with the Power, who is by her own declaration a novice.

I was a disappointed, but not shocked, that Siuan’s prediction about Egwene being unhappy with her and Gawyn for rescuing her (or “kidnapping” as Egwene called it) became reality. Egwene needs to understand that asking someone who is experiencing a whole other set of circumstances than you are may have a great deal of trouble obeying your orders absolutely when extenuating circumstances come up . Perhaps she will discover this for herself at the Last Battle. As for Gawyn, she’s just going to have to realize that he swore no oath to obey her and was acting only on his love for her.

Egwene and Gawyn’s Chance for a Happy Ending: 80%. Gawyn’s finally back on the right track, it seems. Egwene just needs to get off of her Amyrlin’s Seat for a moment and remember she’s still human and a woman in love. Still, we must remember Egwene’s Dream regarding Gawyn—we don’t know if the road that involved him marrying Egwene was the one where he would live a long life or not. She could bond him and marry him, and he could still die defending her in the Last Battle. I don’t imagine Egwene being anywhere but the front lines, Amrylin or not.

What’s Next?

I predict that Mat and Tuon will be the two main focus of The Towers of Midnight. Mat needs to rescue Moiraine before Tarmon Gai’din, and Rand still needs to bind the Nine Moons to him. What form that latter will take remains to be seen.

While I think this will be the main focus, I am hoping the Egwene and her newly reunited Tower will not be ignored. Rand still needs to feel her wraith and the situation with Gawyn needs to be resolved. Unlike Perrin, I doubt if Egwene and the White Tower will stand for only one or two chapters in the second the last book. There’s far too much to be done, and they have a large, unspoiled army that will likely be key in the Last Battle, something Rand may be grateful for if the Asha’man don’t work out as planned.

Hopefully, we’ll find out the answers to a few more of our unanswered questions soon. If you enjoyed The Gathering Storm as much as I did, I’m sure you’re as eagerly anticipating its release. Light send it is not delayed!