books: the queen's bargain by anne bishop

Just finished The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop, the latest installment of the Black Jewels series.

Okay, so.

So you know how in canon, if one half of your OTP gets with another character, even if you previously really liked that character, you sort of hate them, too, and you're conflicted as shit? And then you try to be fair and write fanfic about Member of OTP/Other Person to power through the conflict and as it turns out, your id gives no shits about fair but you don't realize that until you're in too deep but it's so satisfying you just can't stop and then you're writing your OTP again, the other character isn't recognizable even to you, and you just don't care, fuck canon.

Welcome to The Queen's Bargain.
( I still liked it except the parts I didn't at all. Also, incest. Yes, exactly what you've wondered for all those books )

I don't hate it and actually enjoyed it--though you couldn't prove it from this entry--but for the life of me, I can't work out why the hell happened. After I re-read, maybe I'll be less--wtf?--but I just can't get over the primary goddamn plot is one usually posted to AO3 three days after canon fucked your OTP and you had a lot of feelings to express about it and didn't sleep until you expressed them all.

books: the queen's bargain by anne bishop - an addition to earlier review

Okay, so I woke up this morning and didn't remember I'd written a review of The Queen's Bargain until I opened gmail during lunch. I did a quick re-read, as I read the book in five hours and wrote the review in three in a haze of wtf and sleep deprivation aided by coffee and Orange Vanilla Coke and for all I could clearly remember it might have been an entry of screaming and capslocks.

So, it was actually real words in full sentences--that was a genuine relief--and I stand by it, but on re-reading, here's some important information for those who commented in my review of Twilight's Dawn and hated Damon/Surreal like a lot.

I have good news: this book is yours and you should have it.

Amazon link: The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop

It will help to have feelings for Surreal that hover between 'vague neutral' to 'hatred like the heat death of the universe is an understatement' but not necessary.

Go forth and wallow. I can't guarantee it is everything you ever could have dreamed, but I can't think of anything she missed. Usually fanfic is the only place we can punch canon in the face like this and you have been given literally the first ever instance of canon punching itself in the face for you and I think I speak for everyone when I say that you are living the goddamn dream.

I can only hope all of us experience this one day.