Well, after reading Queen of Shadows for the second time (and then The Invisible Ring yet another time), I’ve got to say that it is definitely Anne Bishop’s strongest book for a little while. It’s much, much better than The Invisible Ring, despite drawing on that book for some of its resonances.
One of the truly exceptional things about Queen of Shadows is that in her Black Jewels trilogy, Anne Bishop told the story of a fight against corruption that is eventually successful. Dreams Made Flesh and Tangled Webs have explored the healing of some of the main characters after the war. Queen of Shadows looks at what it means to the rest of the world. And it does this with characters that I found really interesting.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the main character never really connects with the Queen of the title; despite her being the person needed, he doesn’t feel it in his heart. I so hope this is explored further in the next book. I’m really pleased with this book and greatly recommend it. Mind you, I’d advise reading the Black Jewels series before you read this one, as Anne Bishop doesn’t waste time explaining the basic facts of life in the world to you.