Tangled Webs (Black Jewels)

Another hit for Anne Bishop. A great Halloween gift. Expands on the Dark Jewels world with all of my favorite characters and new villian you will love to hate.

I read a bad review of this book, but decided to read it anyway. Bishop has a large place on my bookshelf, so I bought it thinking, "If it's horrible, I'll give it to someone." I was done reading the book before I knew it. Bishop has been adding stand-alone books to her Black Jewels series, and this stands true to the writing style of that series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would read it again.

wonderful visit with characters who have been much missed. hope there are more follow ups coming soon.

So I really loved the Black Jewels Trilogy and The Invisible Ring only to be thrown off completely by her next two world-building attempts. The Gaian series and Sebastian/Belladonna were terrible and I was so close to giving up on an author I had considered a favorite... but here she is, incredible again. Although we are revisiting the Blood, the storyline is very different from the previous four stories (plus Surreal's short story that's republished here) that we've seen before from this world. However, having said that, it was incredibly enjoyable, and it was wonderful to return to Kaeleer to see how our favorite characters are doing after the purge. I highly recommend this one, even if you, too, had nearly given up on Anne.

Without a doubt, the Black Jewels trilogy is dark fantasy at its best. After reading the first book alone, it became clear that Bishop excelled in world building and characterization; Daemon and Lucivar are impossible to forget, and the rest of the cast is just as dynamic. But the emphasis is solidly on fantasy elements in the original trilogy. With Tangled Webs Bishop has, to an extent, created a mainstream Black Jewels book that introduces the hook and tension of a suspense novel into the plot. Therefore, a comparison can hardly be drawn, especially since the quality of writing is still present. Speaking for myself, I immediately fell back into the world of the Blood; it was like I had never spent time away. Once I began, there was no putting the book aside. I had to finish it. And I did - in one sitting. Tangled Webs takes a close look at Lucivar and Daemon, and their various relationships; it was a look that I thoroughly enjoyed, and in fact want more of. Surreal takes center stage in "the spooky house" and thus the suspense arc of the plot. She was a good one to throw in there, too, as her sharp tongue and even sharper attitude heightens the tension. My one complaint - and it is a minor one at that - is that their adversary could have been more lethal, more dangerous, without the use of props in the house. There's nothing quite like "watching" Lucivar and/or Daemon stalk their prey. Overall, I was more than satisfied with this offering; in fact, I loved it. And while I think readers unfamiliar with this world would benefit from reading the trilogy first, I also believe that Tangled Webs is accessible, that it's a kinder introduction to a brutal society. As for established fans, well, it's what you make of it. If you go into it expecting the same thing, the same feel, of the original Black Jewels books you may or may not be let down. Tangled Webs is different, not for better or worse, it's just different, but if you love the characters I think you'll enjoy it, as well.