I liked this one. It picks up the events on Dena Nehale about 300 year after the Gray Lady story and is about 2-3 years after the purge of Dorothea SaDiablo.
It's a really nice book to get the timeline strait.

After my second reading, at this point in the story I want more Daemonar... ( )

Great! I was rather disappointed by nr.5 and 6, but fortunately nr.7 was again a delight. The story takes place after the witch storm, and has both new and old characters. Considering the beauty of the world, and the appealing characters, it doesn't take much of a story to create a satisfying read. And I admit, it's not the most intricate story in the world, plus half the story line is only some extra background and insight into the (old) characters. I don't care though; as long as the story is not a complete flop like in nr. 6, just being in Kaeleer or Terreille makes up for it... ( )

Anne Bishop never fails to write a story that grabs me right way and does not let me go until the very last page. The Black Jewels series is definitely my favorite of all her books. All of the books set in this world have intriguing story lines and characters who fascinate me. Even the characters I loathe are still well written. Any book by Anne Bishop is a must read and this series is no exception. ( )

So far, all of the Black Jewels books after the original trilogy have fallen short where I'm concerned, and this one -- while better and more satisfying than "Tangled Webs" is still a bit of a disappointment.

Bishop has been trying to tell stories about other people in this world while continuing the stories of Jaenelle, Daemon, and their family, but the weaving together of the threads is sometimes awkward. Cassidy is a likeable heroine, but her conflict with Theran is frustrating because he is so relentlessly obtuse. Both of them are principled but ignorant, and their clashes remain frustratingly one-dimensional.

I also thought it was ironic that the publisher evidently insisted on making the woman on the cover utterly gorgeous, despite the fact that one of the main conflicts in the story is about Cassidy not being conventionally beautiful.

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reread 1/27/17 ( )