Twilight's Dawn (Black Jewels)

This book is going to get mixed reviews no matter what!! No one likes to see the main characters you've grown to like over the years just come to such a human end - death.

But Bishoop does it while keeping true to each character's form, while still leaving a quite dignity to those left behind to move on and continue to grow and hopefully have more stories to tell.

If you've been a fan of the black jewel series - this book provides you with some closure and while some people might prefer to leave it with a sunnier happier ending .... as Jaenelle / Witch told Surreal "Show some b*lls and do this!" - because althought it's bitter sweet - the ending is sweet.

Twilight's Dawn *SPOILER ALERT*

Let's start with the first story:

Winsol's Gift: Your average light hearted holiday story. Mischievous kids, magic presents, holiday cheer and fun had by all. Cute story but not very exciting...

Shades of Honor: I was disappointed with Falonars character development being completely thrown out the window just to create a villain. Yes he was a jerk but it was unnecessary to turn him into a murderous psycho (who is apparently too dumb to live) just to create a foil for Surreal and Lucivar. I never expected him to become bestest buddies with Lucivar what with all their baggage but I didn't want it to end like that. Maybe instead, he could have taken the un-happy Eryians back to Terrielle to rebuild and become a leader to his people there? Oh yeah...Eryian death spell if Lucivar is murdered? I thought Saetan didn't want to genocide anymore people after the whole Zuulaman thing?

Family: Decent story. I was happy that Saetan and Sylvia finally ended up together. He deserved to have someone love him after all he had gone through.

High Lord's Daughter: RUINED FOREVAR!!!11!!!! LOL just kidding. Come on people, we all knew Jaenelle was going to die some day and that she was not going to live as long as Daemon. Witch only appears when she was needed, she can't stay as Jaenelle forever, eventually she will have to be reborn as someone else to fit new dreamers and needs (I wonder if any past Witches are born to any of the long lived races at all because of that or if all that are die an early death). Honestly, I was surprised she came back at all after she was destroyed but I guess both she a Daemon deserved some happiness together for saving the realms. And that's what they got, 70 amazing years. That's more than most people get in their lifetimes.

Saetan had been alive for 50,000 years, the poor old guy deserved to pass on the torch and become a whisper in the darkness now that he had a worthy successor in Daemon. I'm glad he passed easily among friends and family.

On to Surreal and Daemon... Okay. I don't think that getting these two together was a terrible thing. They had a lot in common, understood each other, knew each others quirks...they are best friends who happened to get married. They do love each other, it's just not the same kind of epic romance that existed between Jaenelle and Daemon. But you know, ordinary love is beautiful too and I'm glad that they both found happiness with each other. Jaenelle did not want Daemon to end up like Saetan, trapped in relationships with manipulative women. By the time Surreal dies (part Dea Al Mon) Daemon will be like Saetan was at the end of the trilogy, surrounded by his children (I'm sure they will have more) and family.

This was my favorite story over all and it leaves the series open for the next generation.

Overall the stories were okay and I will read Anne Bishop again. I am looking forward to seeing the Realms in the future, in later books. I am especially interested in the recovery of Terrielle. Maybe with the tainted witches gone the Kindred there can recover as well (I remember Hekatah mentioning how she wiped out most of the Kindred there but I hope that with the tainted witches gone they can make a comeback).

Anne Bishop has created an enthralling world, populated with three dimensional characters that became friends. So when friends die, no matter how expected that death may be, it still hurts. This collection of stories didn't have any huge surprises ... almost everything was intimated in previous books ... but these stories tell us about the death of characters we have loved, so we cry and rail about those deaths and wish everyone lived forever.

I know Ms. Bishop is writing her next book in the Ephemera series and I look forward to reading that when it is released next year, but Black Jewels has my heart, and I hope she intends to continue to let me into that world, to meet my old friends and make new ones.

I love the Black Jewels novels. Every last one of them, up until this point. I laugh with the characters, cry with them, I could go on for hours gushing about their antics and the things that give me goosebumps. Suffice to say, Anne Bishop has written my favorite books and brought to life some of my most loved characters.

Then I picked up this book. I didn't read the first three stories; all I had to do was read the back. Losing the two people most important to Daemon? Oh, who could that be~?

Curious, I skimmed the short story and couldn't believe what I was reading. It was a slap in the face. It invalidated all of the other books, turned Daemon completely against his character, and morphed Surreal into a breeding cow. He waited 1700 years as a virgin for Witch and 1 year later he's humping his cousin? It's bad fanfiction. It was revolting and left such a horrible taste in my mouth.

I ripped The High Lord's Daughter right out of the book and threw it in the trash.

I'm so disappointed in this book and in Anne Bishop as an author.

I purchased the Kindle version of this book just after midnight the day it was released, in eager anticipation of hearing more about the characters I'd come to know and love. This was the only version I purchased for my Kindle - the rest are well-loved books, and almost tattered from many readings. I'd been waiting so long for this to come out!!! More about my beloved SaDiablo family - who could resist?

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased it. To be frank, it seemed that Anne Bishop really "called it in" rather than put the incredible thought, vision, and world-building into it that she has in the past books about the SaDiablo family (I was not a huge fan of the "Lady Cassidy" side books, but they were passable).

What was she thinking? I truly don't understand the leaps in time. It's almost as though she didn't want to bother putting the thought into it to make time pass and just wrote, "Ten years later" or whatever. I am literally heartbroken that there was so little heart put into something I've invested so much time into reading. I really cared about the SaDiablo family - something that is rare in fantasy literature. There is plenty of cliche fantasy out there, but not that much that I LOVE this much and is one-of-a-kind comes out of my favorite genre.

*Spoilers*

I think it was a huge mistake to kill off Jaenelle with no LIFE. Any real life would've had more stories, more adventures, more love and pain and joy in 70 years. But it's just... gone. There was so much more that could have been written! And no children??? She could have even explained it away by the damage Jaenelle suffered to her body during her purge of the realms, but nooooo. It's like the author was tired of writing about Jaenelle, so just killed her. Poof. With Saetan it made more sense, he was QUITE old already and had lived quite a full life even before Jaenelle came along. But even that was done relatively quickly. What touching moments and memories she could have created in a novel - but it's like she couldn't be bothered. I believe the author was simply done with the joy SHE took in the SaDiablo part of the novels and wanted to end it, regardless of whether the fans were done with those characters. It just seemed too trite, the sentences too quick.

And having Surreal become Daemon's one-night-stand then wife?!? And PREGNANT by being so careless?!? What the HECK? Honestly that was the laziest plotline I've read in quite some time. Don't bother introducing a new character that Daemon could slowly come to realize he loves after being exasperated by her innumerable times in some humorous way, just use someone else that is already there and bore the stuffing out of your audience. To be honest, for most of the story I kept thinking it had to be some weird dream Jaenelle was having or something. Imagine my horror when I realized it was not a dream or some other crazy plot twist! I think I get what the author was thinking there - that Daemon would never love another like he loved Jaenelle, but the implication is that he settled for Surreal. Surreal who was fun and angry, sexy and smart... reduced to a grudging substitute? (Not to mention her mini-breakdown before that!)

I gave this novel two stars because it did still contain some of its trademark humor. As far as the writing goes, though... it was certainly lacking and in my opinion, VERY lazily written. After reading the Lady Cassidy stories and now this, I sincerely doubt I will be purchasing any more Black Jewels novels should there be any. My interest, I'm afraid, died with this book after Jaenelle and Saetan did.

In Twilight's Dawn the promise of the Jewels universe is complete. The players who were children, concerned with the business of righting and shaping their world, and with courting, marrying and establishing their households, are now the adults who cherish and shape their universe. Less dark, far less scary than Bishop's earlier books, Twilight's Dawn preserves the sweet charm of a world where Honor is valued, caring people preserve the ecological integrity of their world, and tolerance is taught and valued in the most positive sense of the word. Despite Jaenelle's drastic purging of the Tainted blood, enough baddies remain to remind us that good must have an Adversary to be noticed.

Having read all of Anne Bishop's books that are available through the store, I can state authoritatively that with this book she has matured as an author, and has written that rarest of all things: a series book that brings all the stories together with charm, humor and sensitivity bound together with superb command of the writing craft that brings forth an understanding of the dance of humanity at its very best.

SPOILER ALERT!!

Before I get to the story everyone is most interested in I will say that the first three novellas in this book were good. They gave a wonderful opportunity for us to see the more personal, and family side of the SaDiablo's when death isn't banging on their doors. I thought it was very interesting to watch the progression of Daemon into the High Lord of Hell and how natural it was for him to grow into that position.

Now onto the fourth novella
I thought for sure that I would hate this entire book because of the death of Jaenelle and Saetan that we all knew was coming. Instead this story was a complete healing process for me in regards to the character deaths. Daemon NEVER ONCE said he loved Surreal more than Jaenelle and in his last conversation with her in the Misty Place at the end he even tells her that he can't love anyone again like he did her, and she accepts this and tells him that doesn't mean he can't love someone else enough to be happy. Witch and Daemon had 70 AMAZING years together and, yes I did want to imagine that they lived eternity happy together, but that isn't the way fantasy works. I thought Anne Bishop covered this by putting in the part where Jaenelle tells Daemon she is always there when he is at the level of the Black. Essentially grounding him for as long as he shall live. I feel like a lot of people didn't understand that part because to me that showed that Jaenelle was never truly going to leave Daemon while he was alive. I was pleasantly surprised with how happy I felt at the end of the book that Daemon and Surreal had found happiness. Personally for me I fount Saetan's death to be harder because he was never able to see Daemon have a child, but again he was there for Daemon and Luciver in those 90 years (because he lived another 17 after Jaenelle died) and that is a lot of support and love.

Overall I was happy with this and would now like to hear more about some of the Coven and Boyos and how their lives played out a little bit (with appearances from our favorite characters of course) Just a suggestion Anne Bishop!

This was a wonderful ending to the series. I feel the storylines tied up well and she closed off many character developments without compromising the story. Janelle was NEVER going to live forever, Daemon was NEVER going to remain celibate and unloving after she died, Saetan was NEVER going to live forever, and those storylines had to end somehow and Anne Bishop gave it a wonderful end. You cannot be pissed off at the author because her characters finally developed to the point of closure. It has been amazing reading this world and watching it grow. Great way to end a long lifetime's worth of stories.

Really people? Burn it? Not worth the money? It always amazes me when people get upset because an author did not close the book the way THEY felt the author should close it. The book was great. Granted,the first story was somewhat fluff, but the other two were worthy of praise and did not deserve the catty snipping. The REASON D first fell in love with J was because she loved ALL of him - not just his body, not just his power, not just the color of his jewel. She was able to deal with the Sadist, and the Sadist was a huge part of who he was. Surreal had always cared for him as was obvious in EACH of the previous books. She was the one who saved his life, took care of him when he was insane, and who took him back to his family. Of course he would have to marry again. Only an idiot would expect the man to stay single AND celibate with half of his life still ahead of him. 2000 years without a female companion? Please! And as said before, THIS IS NOT a romance, its fantasy! Lastly, Surreal matches him perfectly because she is strong and can hold her own against him. Any true fan who refused to read the book because they don't like the woman Sadi ends up with is missing a good read.

Also, I think it is really pathetic when people have the right to rewrite the entire book in a review and therefore discourage people from buying a book.

There's some serious spoiler alerts in here, so don't read if you don't want to know.
The first book, Winsol Gifts, was cutesy and gave some insight into Daemon, Lucivar, and Tersa's relationship, but it was really just a fluff piece. So the family all got together for Christmas and had a great time... no real conflict, no real points of interest.
Shades of Honor was my favorite story in the novel, but in the grand scheme of things completely unnecessary. Lucivar gets disrespected one too many times by Falconar. Showdown. Falconar for some unknown reason didn't realize how strong Lucivar was (really? Wasn't he notorious for his ebon-grey jewels and Eeyrian strength?) Falconar loses. Lucivar walks away. Daemon finishes the job. Same old, same old.
Family was just a strange, not fully thought out plotline. So there's an undead warlord who likes to kill small boys. He goes after Sylvias son Mikal and kills Sylvia in the process. Sylvia dies. The SaDiablos adopt Mikal and kill the (unnamed) warlord. End. The story felt like Bishop was trying to make her novel longer and didn't care enough to make an interesting well hashed out plotline.
And here's the clincher for me. The High Lord's Daughter. If this story had been done well I could have forgiven the rest of the many Twilight's Dawn faults. But she butchered it. And I don't state that lightly.
Firstly, Bishop feels the need to mention that Jaenelle and Daemon were still getting it on in the bedroom after she turned ninety (eeeeew). And then she gives the protagonist a suitably noble and creative death scene with... Jaenelle took a nap and didn't wake up. WHAT? Jaenelle? Witch? Keeler's Heart? And then everyone but Saetan's just over it? Lucivar seems unruffled, and Daemon's a wee bit depressed and says he'll never love another like he loved Jaenelle (that's not to say he won't sleep with
them). Saetan withers away and dies (seventeen years later) and Daemon gets it on with Surreal one night because she's lonely. And, oh ya, she gets pregnant. And, oh ya, apparently Daemon really wants a daughter (but not with Jaenelle...?) and baby Jaenelle (yea, that's her name) gets Twilight's Dawn and is like a little mini pointy-eared Jaenelle. Except way less interesting because she's so coddled she'll never go through the struggles her namesake went through. And did anyone else notice that baby Jaenelle accidently getting a peak at cousin Daemonar's family jewels was a weird and unnecessarily drawn out fluff piece that almost makes a mockery of the sexual abuse problems the Trilogy characters faced?
Really, Anne Bishop dropped the ball on this one. Two stars for giving Lucivar a daughter, it's about time.

It seems that Anne Bishop really wanted to end this series.

I read the spoilers before the book even came out so I was mentally prepared for reading this book. Of the four novellas, Shades of Honor was my favorite. Winsol Gifts could've been chopped entirely and Family needed that bite that never really came. However, everyone is disappointed with the High Lord's Daughter and I have to say so am I but for different reasons. We all knew Jaenelle was going to die. It doesn't bother me that Daemon falls in love and remarries but why did it have to be Surreal? The fact that it was Surreal threw the entire series for me. In the previous books, Bishop essentially establishes the familial connection between Surreal and Daemon; their relationship was the equivalent of first cousins. Then in the final book of the series they have a one-night stand, have a kid, and fall in love? WTF. Then of course the daughter is named Jaenelle, attracts kindred, and wears Twilight's Dawn. WTFx2.

I would have much rather enjoyed a novella on Surreal finding true love with someone other than Daemon. I would have equally enjoyed a novella on Daemon finding true love again with someone other than Surreal.

This entire book made it look like Bishop ran out of imagination and creativity; the book was a "Here, take it. I'm done with this series" kind of book.

Warning I can't describe my disgust without spoilers... so BEWARE....

After thousands of pages and years of fans investing in these epic characters and love story, Bishop probably felt no death scene could do them justice so she cowardly skipped it altogether. That's right, Jaenelle, the heart and soul of this universe, received a one line death, after the fact. She grew old and went to sleep one night and never woke up.

Daemon and Jaenelle should have died together. That was their fitting end. Alas, Ms. Bishop sacrificed Daemon's character in her ham-fisted attempt to bring the story full circle, this time with a Witch born of the long-lived races... probably to escape the trap she set for herself by penning Jaenelle as too human in the first place.

I always suspected Surreal was in love with Daemon and Jaenelle knew this, too, so I was not surprised that in death Jaenelle would be ruthless and manipulative in her weaving, trying to anchor Daemon to life somehow. I was also not surprised Daemon and Jaenelle never had children as her body was so badly broken in the purge that it was in character he'd protect her from childbirth, always her well-being came first to him.

So where exactly did Ms. Bishop go so wrong?

She rushed and minimized Daemon's immense love for Jaenelle at every turn of the page and she pit on Daemon's history of fidelity. She forgot how she stressed over and over he waited 1,700 years for Witch, never once being tempted to truly make love to any woman. Sadi the pleasure slave came out to torture women sexually not have one night stands to gain sexual relief. To Daemon Sadi, giving of himself sexually was sacred and reserved for Witch only. He does not do casual sex! Further he resisted women for 1,700 years yet couldn't last more than a few years without it and while mired in deepest grief?!! That rang so false to the character I loved.

Secondly, the author asks me to believe that after waiting 1,700 years for Jaenelle, after descending to the Twist Kingdoms when he lost her, that Daemon would get over losing her so quickly. A year??? Really?? If Bishop had waited centuries before Daemon awoke from his grief, the story would have honored his character and history but a year to a man who has lived 1,700 felt more like 1 week.

In her absurd rush to bring the story full circle by introducing the rebirth of a new Jaenelle, Bishop spit on her own brilliant epic love story and worse took away the needed time for characters AND READERS alike to mourn the great loss of Jaenelle.

We needed a full book for this story shift to be told. Daemon struggling to carry on, struggling to fulfill his Queens last wish but unable. Surreal grieving too and drawn to try and save Daemon. We would grieve with them and slowly come to accept centuries later these two would turn to each other sexually one lonely night. And then a miracle occurs and Jaenelle is reborn in their daughter. Jaenelle's weaving after 100+ years finally coming to fruition and offering these two lonely, sad characters a new lease on life. Daemon finding some joy centuries later as he follows his father's footsteps in living solely for his daughter... his living miracle. Surreal reveling in raising a child free from the rapish nightmares... a little girl who beamed with trust in the world.

I would have respected a well-written sage of two deeply scarred individuals centuries later creating a miracle that shocked them back into life. Alas, I got rushed, shabby novella by an author who just couldn't wait to jump start to the next hot character's story.

Ms. Bishop, no doubt worried at the last minute Daemon and Jaenelle fans would quit the series, tossed in a sop with hope for Misty Place reunions in future books! I hurled the book across the room!

I've listened to the entire Black Jewels series on Audible, and have read the original trilogy in book form. This finale is such a beautiful work, and I'm so grateful that it was written. Its an epic conclusion full of sadness, joy, hope, and loss. I cried several times while listening. I'm the type of reader/listener that loves epic fantasy series. I've lost count of how many times I've gone through the LOTR and HP books, and many others. This series is now on my list. It was dark, sometimes rough material. I originally picked up the first book because I was interested in the unusual take on male/female power dynamics, but ultimately it was the story of family that kept me coming back for more. A lot of stories will sort of leave you with, "And they lived happily ever after". This book takes you through a journey of real, strong emotions that we don't often see. It won't be for everyone. You should have read most/all of the prior books first, and you should be in love with the characters before reading this one. If that describes you, and you are brave, this book is a wonderful treat!

I find it interesting how many people are in particular hashing on the last story in the series. The first two stories take place during the main series, and just add some details to the things that were not fully explained during the novels. The last two stories were both after the main series ended, talking about where the characters move from that point. I gave this book 4 stars because it is just some wrap-up short stories, not really necessary for the series. However, I did feel that they were well written and did add a bit of depth.

Now onto some spoiler information about the last story.

A number of people complained about how quickly the last story went by - including someone who mentioned a "one year" timeframe. The story starts 1 year after Jaenelle has died, and Daemon has spent that 1 year doing NOTHING but grieving. The story starts as he is fulfilling his promise to her to return to living, and stop just getting drunk and hiding from everyone.
After some conversation the story skips ahead 16 years, at which point we find out he had short relationships with 4 women over that time. That is not a lot of relationships, but it shows that he is trying to fulfill his promise to Jaenelle to move on. There are some more family interactions, and you get to see what the impact has been of the shorter lived friends/family passing away on the core SaDiablos.
3 years along, in a moment of grief Daemon and Surreal turn to each other. There is nothing wrong with this, and I thought it was handled very well. This is 20 YEARS (i.e. 2 decades) after Jaenelle died, and even then it was assumed (by both characters) that this would be just a short term thing. However, when things don't go according to plan It also is made very clear that although Daemon is not over Jaenelle, he wants to be a part of his child's life. This child is NOT Jaenelle reborn, they just share a name.
15 years after the child is born (over 35 years since Jaenelle died), Daemon finally has reached the point where he can acknowledge the love for someone other than his first wife (Jaenelle). I don't see anything wrong with being back to living after 35 years.

After Dreams Made Flesh and Tangled Webs it took me a long time getting around to reading this book. In a way I quite liked it, even cried a lot reading the last story, but I always feel that all the sequels lack the intensity, passion and the imaginative force of the original trilogy. It's because of the original that I want to read about all the characters and learn more facets of their lives, but I'm always left feeling like I could almost recapture that magical feeling that I had reading the trilogy, but never quite succeeding. I think part of the problem is that the narrative is not a cohesive whole, but made up of stories of different lenghts that are also temporally disjointed. And although some very bad things happen the stories feel more pedestrian showing vignettes of normal domestic life. Also - though it pains me to say this - with the evil of Dorothea's and Hekatah's taint gone you don't get this feeling of an all-encompassing struggle between good and evil, because, seriously, who is going to stand up to Sadi's power? So the fights seem more like squabbles and many of the villains appear trumped up and not fleshed out very well and the damage they manage to cause in a way seems implausible.

*Spoiler alert*
Winsol Gifts - This is the lightest story in the book. It's about Daemon trying to cope with his responsibilites as the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan and Lucivar trying to keep a handle on his boisterous son. It's about the relationship between a mother and the sons of her heart and a father and the daughter of his soul. And it's about balancing the demands of social functions, the demands of a big and varied family and individual wishes. One of my favorite things in this story was Tersa and seeing her being able to walk the line between the Twisted Kingdom and reality.

Shades of Honour - Surreal and Rainier are still recovering from the injuries they sustained in the House of Illusions and both also carry psychic wounds, though in the case of Rainier they don't seem all that plausibly motivated. I can understand that dealing with these issues Surreal is not quite up to her usual fighting self, but it is a bit difficult to swallow that a woman of her vast experience of what makes males tick could have misjudged Falonar so badly, though love does make blind. There has been some tension between Lucivar and Falonar since the Service Fairs, but nevertheless the reasons for the outbreak of the enmity seem forced. In a way I can relate to Lucivar's uncertainty - after all he does not want to become the kind of ruler that he and Daemon abhorred during their time as slaves - but he should have dealt with Falonar much earlier and more permanently and not let the Sadist take care of it.

Family - This story contains the most unbelievable villain of all. Not only does he have no face, but also no name, no past, no personality and no motivation. The best thing about him is the chilling way Tersa disposes of him. His only purpose is to draw Silvia into a very obvious trap and kill her. She becomes demon dead and ends up in hell where Saetan breaks a lot of his own rules to help her to look out for her boys. Jaenelle and Daemon decide to take the two boys under their wing and Jaenelle accepts the position as Queen of Halaway.

The Highlord's Daughter - This story was very poignant and I cried thru most of it. Daemon has lost the two people he loved most, Jaenelle and his father. The possibility of Jaenelle's death was always there as Witch lived in a body with a limited lifespan. I don't think it is wrong for Daemon to love again but I had to adjust to the idea that it would be Surreal, because they have been friends for such a long time and I viewed their relationship almost as that between a brother and a sister, so it felt a little incestuous. There might have been one or two hints that there was a sexual undercurrent to their relationship, but then Daemon had always used sex as a weapon, even at the very beginning with Jaenelle, when he gets her to return from the abyss and heal her body, though it costs him. Also, the game he and Surreal play out in Dorothea's camp in order to buy Jaenelle the time to gather her power might be seen as a foershadowing.
What bugged me most in this story was that even with all they have gone thru and what they have meant to each other, Daemon still doesn't trust Lucivar completely and is able to entertain for one minute the idea that Lucivar could have exposed his (Daemon's) daughter to male body parts on purpose.
The other thing is that I felt very bad for Surreal because she got shortchanged in her marriage with Daemon. I think she was a good choice as a second wife because Daemon needs somebody strong standing up to him, but she would have deserved somebody that loved her as much as Daemon loved Jaenelle. Even at the very end when Jaenelle appears to him as a Song in the Darkness he would have joined her in the Misty Place or the Abyss, leaving his daughter and his wife behind, if Jaenelle had not commanded him to return to them.
I did like Jaenelle's gift to Daemon and Surreal and all the possibilities it offers for the future.

I was very disappointed in the last story, and like so many other readers; felt betrayed by the story. We understand that Janelle was not going to live forever, but she was "Witch." Why couldn't magic make her live longer at least. I think the marriae/relationship between Daemon and Surreal was like a knife in the back. Surreal was never one of my favorite characters. Entertaining, but not more than that. My suggestion to anyone is don't buy this book, or at least don't read the last story. I'm angry and disappointed. To invest so much into a series - only for the last and final book/installment in the series to flatten you. Gee-talk about the ultimate let down

*Spoilers-
I was leery about reading the book, because I knew that my two favorite characters where going to be killed, however as a reader that is not a reason for me to dislike a book before reading it. The first three stories were short glimpses into small periods of the characters lives-Taken as that and not as books in and of themselves they flowed nicely and let us find out somethings we didn't know before, while still maintaining the world and characters.

Winsol Gifts was a sweet holiday story that let you see into the family side that Daemon was still getting used to, and like her other stories was a bit amusing as the men learn to deal with family battles rather than battlefields.

Shades of Honor was a good look at what was eating at Falonar, and proof that just because the taint was removed didn't mean that everyone who remained was good and pure and honorable, just not as twisted as the ones who were destroyed. It was(to me anyway) a reminder that there are all different levels of good and evil and {haha} different shades of honor. Plus even though we know it, the story reminds us that Daemon 'is his father's mirror' and will be taking over duties not limited to the ones in the Shadow Realm.

With Family I was happy to see Saetan and Sylvie FINALLY get the relationship they both deserved-and further proof that just because the 'big bads' were gone didn't mean that all was light and rainbows in the shadow realm. Would I have liked it if it had been a bit longer? yes. Did it seem kind of abrupt? yes. But, it was a short story and not it's own book, so while it could have been fleshed out, it was still a good story to resolve some questions and gave me a warm fuzzy on Saetan's behalf.

Now the one everyone either loves or hates-The High Lords Daughter. I was dissapointed with this story, but not for the reasons it seems everyone else is. Personally I wanted more details. I would have liked a book about Jaenelle and Daemon's life together(even a different book of short stories). I would have liked more information about why they didn't have children(more than just a comment about it possibly injuring/killing her and Daemon being protective.), and how she handled formally ruling a village. Bishop hasn't shied away from the darker side of the world she created and so I was surprised that two of the most important parts(Jaenelle and Saetan's deaths) seemed to me to be glossed over. Jaenelle was not going to live as long as Daemon. We all knew that. Did I kind of hope along with many others that they would find a way to extend her life with her power of course, but I wasn't holding out that hope as realistic. I do however feel cheated. Four years seems like a very short time to get over someone that Daemon waited 1,700 years to even meet. So Bishop, I feel, really glossed over the parts of the story that I was anticipating reading-I even had a brand new box of tissues for the death scenes that I was certain were going to be there. That being said the last short story, while not great, was still a decent read. It was kind of a collection of shorter stories inside of a short story, giving glimpses into (some) important parts of the family's lives without alot of daily routine stuff. If I forgot about the time line and took it to be many many years between the scenes instead of jsut a few I liked the story better. And I like Daemon and Sureal together. Many, many happy and loving relationships came for widows and widowers, after their first love has passed. The idea that he would spend the rest of his life pining for Jaenelle was a bit ridiculous(cause he could live for thousands of years and I really would have been disappointed and angry in Daemon as a character and Bishop as a writer if he had killed himself to follow her) and the fact that she told him to move on is something many people who know their time is coming tell their spouses to move on and find someone they will be happy with should have come as no surprise from the woman who wants no sacrifices from him, just for him to be happy. I think Bishop bent if not broke her own world's rules a bit with having Witch visit dreams, since I thought that once Blood burned themselves out they were GONE gone, but since Jaenelle broke so many other rules and assumptions I don't think it was really out there. And it left me interested in finding out what will happen with Jaenelle Saetien, and Twilight's Dawn.

I came into Anne Bishop's Black Jewel books pretty late. I only started reading them about three years ago and the moment I did, I was hooked. Since I'm not big into dark fantasy, I wasn't certain if I would enjoy them. I soon became addicted to Anne Bishop's writing, characters and the world she has created. She combines erotic, sensuality, terror, horror and more than a few lighthearted moments so very well. Every Black Jewel book she published I had to get my hands one. When I heard she had written another anthology of short stories with Twilight's Dawn, I was more than excited. I couldn't wait to lose myself with these characters of hers that consumed my every thought.

But then the one story, The High Lord's Daughter is one that has sent shock waves throughout the fans. This is where Anne had decided to end this series by eliminating the only reason for this series, it's heart and soul and every that it is. Knowing this, I was wary of reading because this would be the end for me. Twilight's Dawn is her final goodbye to her fans for staying with her for so long. And if she continues to write this series because of a new character she has introduced, I'm sorry to say I won't go along for the ride. The dreams made flesh, The Witch is no longer, and anything Anne writes after with this world is a former shell of what it once was.

Overall, Twilight's Dawn is not a bad book. It's well written and has those trademark Bishop quirks I look forward to. If I had to grade Twilight's Dawn on the writing and storytelling aspect, it would definitely get an A grade. But the heartbreaking and shocking The High Lord's Daughter is where I can't give this book the grade it deserves. It's better if I grade the individual stories, rather than the combination of them overall.

The first story- Winsol Gifts is a time of celebration for Daemon Sadi and his family. Winsol is a thirteen day celebration in honor of The Witch, the living myth, dreams made flesh. The Witch is Daemon's wife Jaenelle, who he's been waiting over a thousand years to be with. Daemon is more than uncomfortable with the celebration, including his brother, Lucivar, whose young son Daemonar destroys everything he comes in contact with. Daemon prefers a more private and quiet celebration with Jaenelle, while she wants a more open one. Watching Daemon grin and bear it is very funny and adorable.

Winsol Gifts is the lightest story of the bunch. It's about the importance of family and the acceptance of love. Watching Daemon's reaction to Lucivar when he admits he may make another baby with his wife Marian is a hoot. Winsol Gifts was a total winner. (A Grade)

Shade of Honor takes place before The Shadow Queen. This was my favorite story out of the four because it stars Lucivar, who always seems second fiddle to Daemon. A traitor is among the Eyrien people Lucivar rules over who wants to get rid of him. Also, Surreal, the former prostitute and close friend of Daemon and Lucivar is recovering from a horrible event that has scarred her emotionally where young children were killed and she places their deaths on her shoulders. Both Lucivar and Surreal must work through their issues before they are consumed by grief and anger.

Lucivar, how I adore you. I've always found Lucivar playful and it really shows here, especially when dealing with his rowdy son and pleasing his wife. But when those he loves is threatened, he'll take anyone out who forces his hand. There's a big twist in regards Lucivar if he's murdered. My jaw dropped when I read it. A very exciting, on the edge of your seat read. (A+ Grade)

Family is the darkest of the four. Jaenelle is turning thirty-seven and she and Daemon are still so very much in love and established in their community. Daemon's father, Saetan's lover is brutally murdered and her two boys are marked for rape and death. Daemon and Saetan will try to find the psychopath where Daemon will trick the madman and hopefully put an end to his terror.

Family is heavy reading because innocent children are tortured and killed. But there is some light and happiness as Saetan welcomes a new woman as his wife. This is a small taste of the morbid darkness that Bishop excels writing at. (B+ Grade)

**spoiler alert!**

The High Lord's Daughter is very difficult reading. I never thought it would come to this, but it has. The story starts a year after Jaenelle's death. She and Daemon had seventy years together and now he must move on after a year of mourning ordered to him by his queen. This story takes place over twenty years where Daemon tries his best to move on without his beloved wife. Not only has he lost Jaenelle, but someone else special to him and very important to this series as a whole. Then twenty years after Jaenelle's death, Daemon acts in a way with Surreal that isn't planned. From this event, Surreal gives Daemon something he never had with Jaenelle, a daughter who they name Jaenelle in honor of his first wife, his own dreams made flesh.

The High Lord's Daughter is well written, at least I can give Anne that. If Daemon had to go through life with another woman by his side, I'm glad it's with Surreal. Some may pity Surreal because Daemon will never love her like he loved Jaenelle. But Surreal doesn't walk blindly into this and understands what her role is. Daemon's love for Surreal is very different from his love for Jaenelle. Life and death go hand in hand, even if these characters' ages spans centuries.

There are two things that I couldn't get behind. I find it very disturbing that you would name your daughter after your first wife you worshiped. Talk about your daughter having a lot to live up to. Also The fact that Daemon was a virgin for over a thousand year as he waited for Jaenelle, and then a few years after she dies, he ends up sleeping with women that disgust him, has me more than confused. This doesn't make sense to me. Sex never interested Daemon unless it was with Jaenelle. I'm more accepting of him being intimate with Surreal because they have a connection, but for him to have sex with other women when he had no interest before unless it was Jaenelle isn't believable. This is a big slap in the face of the amazing relationship Daemon had with Jaenelle. I felt betrayed and empty because The High Lord's Daughter just doesn't embody what the Black Jewel Books are about. With Jaenelle no longer in the picture, this world ceases to exist.

I really can't grade The High Lord's Daughter. It wounds me too deeply.

Twilight's Dawn will be a heavy blow for Anne's fans. It was a blow for me. All I can say now is thank you Anne for introducing me to a world that consumed me from the start as I turn my back on any future books you may have planned in this word. This is my final goodbye.

RIP Black Jewels. I'll miss you so very much.

Katiebabs

I love Anne Bishop, I have been reading her books for over half of my life. This was by far the worst book I have ever read from her. All of the reviews and the comments about the book before purchasing made it sound like Janelle and Daemon were finally having a family. Two of the stories were great and amazing, but the last two just fell so short. I've spent most of my life in these books with the stories she's created. I was so disappointed I've been crying for 10 minutes.

Anne Bishop's newest addition to the Black Jewels series is a collection of four novellas that fill in a few gaps in the growing storyline, as well as answering the question of what happens after certain central characters are gone from the series.
The first story, "Winsol Gifts", takes place a year after Daemon Sadi and Jaenelle Angelline have been married and after the events in Tangled Webs (Black Jewels, Book 6). It is a sweet story that explores Daemon's new roles as the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, as well as Tersa's relationship with both Daemon and Lucivar. The question of whether Jaenelle can ever take back the Ebony - and if she will - is also answered, which was very satisfying for me.
The second story, "Shades of Honor", centers on Prince Falonar and the on-going damage he causes from his own prejudices. Surreal and Rainier's recoveries from injuries sustained from the evil haunted house are also central to the story. It also answers the question of how Rainier came to work for Daemon Sadi. Lucivar is also forced to learn how to better run Ebon Rih, which allows the reader to learn a bit more about Eyriens. This story also sparked my curiosity about the Dea al Mon, Surreal's heritage, since the story ended with her going to stay with them.
The third story, "Family", is about what happens to Sylvia, Saetan's lover and wife, and her sons. Through her story, the reader gets a clearer picture of what life is like for the demon-dead, as well as a glimpse of the kind of power that Tersa can wield. The reader also gets to find out if Jaenelle will ever take on the role of a Queen again, as well as how Daemon and Jaenelle deal with the issue of no children.
The final story, "The High Lord's Daughter", spans a period of decades in the telling. This story is both the most tragic and the most promising of the four novellas, as two main characters pass on, while the next generation of the SaDiablo family opens up brand-new story lines for Bishop to explore, should she decide to do so. While it was pretty obvious from the cover description that Jaenelle would die in this story, I was not satisfied with the explanation as to why she could not become demon-dead. I did find it both believable and realistic that Daemon would need to marry again, despite his own grief and stubbornness, and I was very happy that he married the woman he did, as I saw their unique bond long before this book came along. Their daughter also made me quite happy, as I can see how she could continue the magic of "dreams made flesh". I was also happy for Marian and Lucivar, as they finally got their daughter. Of course, now I have a new question that will drive me nuts until the next book - if a person's Birthright Jewel is Twilight's Dawn, then what stone does she descend to?

References to earlier books and their storylines in this review:

For anyone who has read Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series, these four stories are amazingly heart-wrenching. Each book takes a period of time among the previous books, and while the cast of characters remains the same, what happens is enough to shake the Realms.

Winsol Gifts starts not long after Dreams Made Flesh, with Janelle still recovering from her transformative purging of the Realms, and Daemon starting to learn how much of his father's mirror he truly is.

Shades of Honor takes up after Tangled Webs. As Surreal and Rainier have survived the spooky house that left so many children dead, Lucivar takes them back to Ebon Rih to begin to heal the physical wounds left on both of them. However, with Falonar still living close by, Surreal finds she has more poison still lurking in her body and in her heart.

Family brings back a favorite of mine: Sylvia. Death strikes too close, and a child predator is discovered to be roaming Little Terrielle. The family races to catch him before he strikes again, and bring a retribution that only a witch know how to offer.

The High Lord's Daughter finds us jumping through decades in the future. As Daemon finds himself lost without those who anchored him, can a new dream find a way to spin its web around his heart?

First off, I am a complete fangirl when it comes to Anne Bishop and her books, so needless to say I loved this one as much as the others. I cannot say that where these books have led to surprises me that much. I have heard grumblings from those who were shocked, especially by The High Lord's Daughter, but it was established from the beginning that Daemon has been around for over 1700 years, has centuries more to go, and Janelle would live a "normal" lifespan. Clues were planted by Bishop through previous books, like Dreams Made Flesh and Tangled Webs. As hard as it is to see beloved characters die, as some did in these novellas, stories eventually come to an end.

While mostly chronological, the previous books still left enough unanswered questions at times to present the stories here in Twilight's Dawn. Bishop has a masterful way with world-building and introducing plot lines that carry through more than one book. None were done in a hurried and trite way, either. The pain that Surreal and Rainier suffered in Tangled Webs was started on the road to healing in Shades of Honor, but details from there still carried through decades later to The High Lord's Daughter. The stark beauty of the Realms has always captured me: from the superficial Terrielle to strong, wild Kaleer to the untamed depths of Hell. There were witches and Princes and Queens and kindred and demon-dead. There was good and evil and a whole spectrum of choices to dance upon in between. The Realms are an amazing world, and the characters Bishop has created are imperfectly perfect.

There is certainly room for secondary stories, as The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady brought characters tied, but not central, to the other books. However, Twilight's Dawn feels like an ending to the saga of the Queen of Ebon Askavi, and it was a fitting one.

Audio read by John Sharian (same narrator throughout series). Narration and production values for this audio are good and you shouldn't be surprised or upset if you've listened to the other books in this series.

Anthology of short stories for The Black Jewels series. Descriptions of the shorts come from Anne Bishop's site. Blurbs and my review contain SPOILERS. There was a lot of furor over this anthology when the story blurbs were released on Ms. Bishop's site and then some additional spoilers hit. I think that if a reader never wants to go where the short The High Lord's Daughter takes us, there are still 3 shorts in the collection that are worth getting this for IMHO.

Winsol Gifts (2 Hours, 48 Minutes) - The Black Jewels 5.5 - 3.75 *
Daemon, the Black Jeweled Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, is settling into his first year of married life with his Witch Queen Jaenelle. But as the thirteen-day celebration of Winsol draws near, Daemon finds himself being pulled in too many directions as he plays host to his formidable family...

This novella is about the SaDiablo family preparing for Winsol soon after the events that took place in The Tangled Webs. I found it delightful to just see the family interaction and caring for one another. There was nothing really new in the story, more like a sneak peak on the family happenings. I'd think fellow fanatics of the series will enjoy this novella.

Shades of Honor (6 Hours, 51 minutes) - The Black Jewels 5.6 - 4.5*
Still recovering from the ordeal that left her wounded and angry, Surreal returns to Ebon Rih on the orders of Prince Lucivar. And when her former lover Falonar ruthlessly challenges the rule of her family, Surreal may finally succumb to the darkness burning inside her...

This is the story I've been DYING to read since hearing in The Shadow's Queen that Falonar had crossed the line. OK, this was a very satisfying listen for me. This comes a month or so after end of novella Winsol Gifts. We finally see Falonar's true colors and I really hated him, slimy bast.... I was happy with him being dumped in Hell! It was heartbreaking to see Sureal break after being forced into babysitting the little beast (Daemonar). We also get to see a little more of the other Eyrians that Lucivar had brought into his service. Liked seeing Nurian and Gillian and Hallevar. Again, satisfying story for me.

Family (2 Hours, 33 Minutes) - The Black Jewels - 4*
When someone lays a vicious trap for Queen Sylvia and her sons, the fallout completely disrupts the lives of the ruling family of Dhemlan. Now, they have to uncover the identity of the warlord known only as No Face, before he returns to finish what he started...

Short story that takes place 10 years after the events of Shades of Honor. This was a bit darker than the earlier novellas in the collection and a lot of big changes / events happen in TBJ world. I always liked Sylvia from her first interaction with Saetan and her caring support of the young Jaenelle. There is another child predator on the loose and this time he's targeting Sylvia's son Michael. It was slightly shocking to see Sylvia cut down and become demon-dead. Sylvia's oldest son is hurt in the same incident while Michael manages to get away with the help of his sceltie companion. Most of the short deals with the saDiablo family getting to the bottom of who has been preying on young boys and dealing with him in their time-honored way. After that, the rest of the short slaps a bit of HEA, or as much as possible. Saetan and Sylvia get married and plan on staying mostly at the Manor in the Dark Realm along with some cildru dyathe (one of whom is the one that Daemon took to Saetan before destroying the spooky house in Tangled Webs). Jaenelle ends up accepting the position of Queen of Halaway and it fades to black on Daemon reading Sceltie Saves the Day to some pups as he reflects on family.

The High Lord's Daughter (4 Hours, 14 Minutes) - The Black Jewels 9.9 - ?*
After losing the two most important people in his life, Daemon has assumed his father Saetan's role as High Lord of Hell and built a wall around his heart. But when he inadvertently forges a new connection, will it be enough to break him free from his loveless life?

Still haven't decided if I'm going to read this one

There have already been so many reviews posted with the storylines, I won't go into it. This is definitely not a book I'd read if you haven't read the other books in the series because of all the references made to backstories. I liked this book overall because it filled in some gaps, and fleshed out the Black Jewels world a bit. I would have liked to have seen more of Surreal and Rainier's relationship, but Bishop didn't develop it. The last story wasn't the greatest, but I'm not that upset over it. I thought the union was logical. But the child? A little weird, not really believable.
Probably what bothered me the most were some of the repetitive phrases. I know every author ends up with pet phrases, but I'm getting tired of witches snarling and huffing because the person annoying them has balls or "pees through a pipe". At first the differences between witch/male thinking were cute, but it's starting to seem like the females in this world have constant PMS. Where's the respect the Blood are supposed to show for each other?
Another niggling detail is that some of the timelines don't seem to add up. Beron and Jaenelle went to school together, yet he's still an adolescent while she's 37?
If the author's not sick of this world, I'd love to see more characters loosely or unconnected to the SaDiablos a la Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. The first story was a bit of a miss for me, but it began to set a lot of things up that would follow.

Shades of Honor was great, hands down. Family was even better. It definitely could have been longer, but it did a lot toward setting up Daemon as the future High Lord of Hell, and I love what it did for Saetan and Sylvia's relationship. And then comes The High Lord's Daughter. Protip: Spoilers abound after this point in the review.

I have to say, after reading this myself, I think all the spazzing about The High Lord's Daughter was, and is, completely unnecessary. First, on a genre basis: the Black Jewels series is fantasy, not romance; you don't always get a happy ending in fantasy. Second, based on the book canon: Daemon was deeply in love with Jaenelle. She was, in a lot of ways, his soul mate. But people can love again, and because she loved him just as much, she gave him the opportunity to do that. Everyone knew she would die before him, so being upset that there is no "Happily Ever After" seems ridiculous. There is a happily ever after: he loved her right until the last. That is a beautiful and wonderful thing. And even happier is that he got to move on and find another person.

And it takes him at least four years after her death to even remotely move on. Part of that moving on included multiple sexual partners. Since when is there something wrong with that? Especially in this particular fantasy world. It seems like anyone who goes "There is no happily ever after! Jaenelle doesn't live forever with her One True Love! It's broken forever" is viewing this book in a vacuum, or throwing out all the world-building Anne Bishop has done. People in this world have sex a lot - their society is very sexual. Is having sex with a few partners (because my impression from Daemon's narration, and other narration, is that he has only a handful of sexual partners, no more than ten in four years, which isn't a lot at all) the best way to deal with some of your grief? No, probably not. But everyone copes differently.

A second wife might not be loved in the same manner as the first, but that doesn't mean she isn't loved. I've known many men who, after being widowed, have taken a second wife, and they love that second wife just as much, if not more, but there is always going to be a part of them that loves their first wife. That's not wrong. Why does it have to be black and white? Why can't Daemon find another love, and in this case, be Surreal's? He doesn't have to wax poetic about her for the reader to realize he does love her. But their love isn't the all-consuming love Daemon and Jaenelle had. It's a much more platonic, a kind of on-the-level love. His love for Jaenelle fixed a really deep hole and wound inside him. His love for Surreal made him human.

And frankly, who better than Surreal to be his second wife? Everyone would be pitching a huge fit if Bishop didn't answer the question "What happens when Jaenelle died?" Would fans assume he remained celibate for another four thousand-odd years, not even considering the time he'll probably spends as the High Lord? That's ridiculous. Of course he'd find love again. Perhaps 4 years is too short a time when you're as long-lived as they are, but I've known widowers who moved on in less. And narration brings up an excellent point: someone who loves Daemon needs to know, and love, the Sadist as well. Surreal is the only one immediately capable of that in his life. Had it been any other woman, everyone would be up in arms screaming "Mary Sue!" even louder than they often do at Jaenelle.

Having met men who have remarried after losing the love of their life, I think this was a very realistic, well-done portrayal of that. The best? Maybe not. But I think people are kidding themselves if they say there's no chance in hell Surreal didn't carry a flame for Daemon. They had many hundreds of years to become very good friends, something that I think is very obvious throughout the trilogy. For Surreal, that friendship-love clearly became a romantic-love, likely the most when she was trying to help Daemon through the grief of losing Jaenelle. So, no, I don't think this breaks the books. I thought this was a really lovely way to wrap everything up, and in some ways come full circle. Out of all the stories, this was definitely my favorite.

After reading so many negative reviews, I was honestly hesitant about buying Twilight's Dawn. When I finally did purchase it, I put off reading it for two weeks, convinced I was going to be disappointed. Pleasantly, I was not and I enjoyed all four stories. It was like visiting old friends, sitting around a table and sharing a cup of coffee while we caught up. I know a lot of people were pissed that Jaenelle didn't get her dying death scene- I am so not one of those people (and I think I'm in the minority of actually liking her character). To me Saetan has always been the one we needed to be with when he left the world; he had waited and sacrificed so much for Witch. I especially loved how Daemon made the ultimate sacrifice of letting Saetan go with what dignity he could, a fitting ending for one such as he. And as for the Daemon/Surreal love story- with the exception of being a reverse Luke/Leia Star Wars deal, I had no problem with it. The sad truth is that sometimes people are deeply in love, one of them dies, the other does not think they'll ever love again, and yet they do. You can say what you want about Daemon living for Witch, but it's human nature to want that again, even if it is never quite at that level again. What's the point of living to be an empty shell?

That being said, I really couldn't give this collection of stories higher than a three. The annoyances of previous books were just as present(if I had to read about another character "snarling" or another Eyrien spreading his/her "dark membranous wings", I was going to kick a puppy). There were also odd personality changes in characters, simply to suit the storyline. It's like, "I know Surreal was a total badass, but I need her to be weepy for this story to work", or "Falonar seemed slightly a jerk, but let's make him a total psycho believer because I need conflict." And maybe because it's supposedly the last of The Black Jewels, but I was really hoping for more. I know, I know, this ties up loose ends nicely and Witch and her boys were always supposed to be the main ones. That doesn't change the fact that there were more stories I wanted to hear (sadly, I think I was a little bored with our main characters). I think we all wanted the Dorothea/Heketah story. I also wanted more kindred beyond the Scelties, whose act has worn paper thin. I wanted more Karla dammit (my personal fave). I wanted more Kalush, Aaron, Khardeen, Chaosti, Gabrielle. I wanted how Jaenelle met everyone. I wanted Cassandra's story. I wanted Saetan's youth. I wanted so much more for the characters that were in the background, for they were the ones I greedily looked for mentions of in stories.

Pretty good, and I'll read it again, but to be the last I needed it to be the best. It wasn't, but that does not ruin the series for me like it seems to for some.

All of these stories were pretty much blah. I just finished reading the book today and already i can't really tell you what most of them were about except for the one about Falonar vs Lucivar one and the last one (for all the wrong reasons). I was hoping to see something of Cassie and Gray because i enjoyed their story but alas they were nowhere to be seen.

I agree that the way that Lucivar's character was written would never have accepted Falonar's opposition the way he did in this short story. It was like i was reading a fan fic version of Lucivar not the man that we knew from the rest of the series.

And yes boys and girls, i do have major issues with the last story. I have one piece of advice if you haven't read them already, leave the last story alone because it is just too upsetting to what we as readers have invested in during the series.

HERE BE SOME SPOILERS

I have been waiting for Surreal to find the right guy for ever so long now and that man was NEVER Daemon because like everyone else i agreed that Jaenelle was it for him.

If she had to write a story set after J's death then why couldn't Daemon find some stranger or better yet some kind of reincarnation because if they could weave a new web with dreams made flesh why on earth can't that dream be reborn using the Twilight stone or something? Seriously what was the point of that stone anyway? Yeah yeah we know that she had a short life span now but the girl could have at least had a baby or something that became Deamon's world after she died.

BUT SURREAL?? ... COME ON REALLY? She deserved so much better than being the fill in. She deserved her own damn story and her own damn life mate! I am so angry on her behalf. I will admit that i didn't finish this short story because it really unsettled me and i wish that i could just write it off as a bad fan fic because like everyone else i feel it was a betrayal of the characters we already knew and loved and i really didn't want to see Daemon fall in love again with someone else. And if he had to fall in love with someone why did it have to be someone he already knew?

Couldn't AB scratch her imagination for another character that she had to rewrite the ones she already had and smoosh them into moulds that they previously wouldn't fit into? At the end of the day this is her baby and she can do with it what she wants to, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us have to like it or pay for it with our hard earned money.

**This review contains spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet, be warned**

I bought 'Twilight's Dawn' yesterday and finished it this afternoon. I'm going to read it again because it's that good. Few writers these days can keep me spellbound like that to where getting a good night's sleep is totally unimportant. The world of the Black Jewels has come to mean as much to me as Pern, Valdemar and Middle Earth.

I bought Twilight's Dawn yesterday and finished it this afternoon. I'm going to read it again because it's that good. Few writers these days can keep me spellbound like that to where getting a good night's sleep is totally unimportant. The world of the Black Jewels has come to mean as much to me as Pern, Valdemar and Middle Earth.

Twilight's Dawn is a collection of four stories chronicling the time after Tangled Webs and The Shadow Queen. The first one, Winsol Gifts is downright domestic as Daemon Sadi learnes just how hard it is to play host to his powerful and eccentric family, especially his rough and tumble nephew Daemonar. Shades of Honor finally reveals the fate of Surreal's Eyrien ex-lover Falonar (and it's not a pretty one)as well as the aftermath of the events from Tangled Webs as Surreal and Rainier learn to live with the tragedy. Family brings back Saetan's lover Sylvia, the Queen of Halloway as she and the SaDiablo family save her sons and other young boys from a twisted child predator. The last tale, The High Lord's Daughter is about endings and new beginnings.

Yes, Saetan and Jaenelle die here. Daemon marries Surreal. They have a child together. Daemon becomes the High Lord of Hell. I'm okay with all of this because character deaths and other tragic/life-changing events do happen in fantasy. Anne McCaffrey did the same to Masterharper Robinton and Mercedes Lackey had Vanyel die a hero's death. A lot of readers who are complaining about this to the point where they aren't going to read the book have obviously forgotten that the Black Jewels series is Dark Fantasy, NOT romance, and if they cannot handle character death, then this is a genre they really shouldn't be reading. Yes, it does hurt a little because these characters were such an integral part of the story and they became real to me. Still, I can accept Saetan's passing because he lived for 50,000 years and it was very clear (if one actually read the books) that he was tired. He saw no need to continue living since the realms were in the best hands possible--Jaenelle, Daemon and Lucivar--as well as the Queens and their circles he guided. Also most of his family and friends had long since became a whisper in the Darkness and the man was lonely. Jaenelle's death was also foreshadowed (a fact that a lot of people obviously missed) since she wasn't a part of the long-lived races. She also expended a lot of power when she cleansed the realms of Dorothea and Heketah's taint. It only stood to reason that she would age and pass before Daemon did. Of course, Bishop could have cheated and given Jaenelle some sort of magical reprieve, but that would have been lame. Yes, theirs was a wonderful love story, but it was never meant to last.

Besides, I'd always hoped that Daemon and Surreal would find their way to each other. They shared similar backgrounds--she was a whore and and assassin; he was a pleasure slave and a killer. Over the years, they'd developed a close relationship and she was one of the few women he could trust and that he could just be himself around. If any woman could dance with The Sadist and meet him on his own terms, it was most definitely Surreal. Not to mention, they'd been friends for many years and personally I'd known that the tart-tongued Dea al Mon witch had it bad for Daemon Sadi (who didn't). Surreal wasn't trying to replace Jaenelle, because she loved her too. I need to point out something that was obvious to anyone who actually bothered to READ the books, rather than swoon over Daemon or Lucivar--Surreal was NOT RELATED to Daemon by blood. Just like Jaenelle, she was adopted by Saetan, a child of his heart. It is not unusual for friends who turn into lovers, which is exactly what happened here. And hating Daemon because he got a second chance at love? Allow me to refresh the limited memory of those who got blinded by the spoilers:

"You're only eighteen hundred years old, Daemon. You are not going to spend the rest of your life celibate."

"You don't think I can," he crooned.

"I know you can. That's why I want you to promise me that you won't. No one will think you're being unfaithful if you find another lover after the year of mourning. You're not going to spend the rest of your life without that kind of companionship or comfort. If you're not comfortable accepting that as a request from your wife, consider it a command from your Queen." Page 353, Twilight's Dawn

Twilight's Dawn isn't action-packed or full of mortal peril. The overall theme of this novel is family and how family is not always tied by blood. Saetan SaDiablo might have an aristocratic bloodline (and he actually doesn't), but none of that stopped him from adopting the powerful yet wounded Jaenelle or claiming an assassin/courtesan as his children. The incredibly strong bonds between brothers Daemon and Lucivar are so tight, and it shows after Daemon takes care of Lucivar after the Eyrien Warlord Prince comes back from the killing field. What I love is that these two alpha males do not mind showing physical affection for each other--in fact it's kind of sexy that they do. It's also funny how flustered they can get when it comes to their wives, children and even the formidable Mrs. Beale.

So much has happened to the SaDiablo family through the course of eight books--triumph, tragedy, love and sacrifice--but throughout it all, they love each other. Now, that's enough to make me tear up. Thank you Anne Bishop, LOL.

P.S. Can I have a longer Prince Rainier story? I'd always hoped he'd find a good man to settle down with.

I had high hopes for the Black Jewels series after reading "Daughter of the Blood." It was just so dark and different from anything I had read before. However, as I continued with the trilogy, something was missing. I always felt as though Bishop only scratched the surface of the Black Jewels world and its characters. The world building left much to be desired. I wanted a much more epic series with more details about how the evil queens originally perverted the matriarchal society to oppress men, as well as Daemon and Lucivar's early years as slaves. I also was disappointed that the books and stories where told in third person by all the major characters but Jaenelle. You only learn about Jaenelle through the others' impressions of her, though I suspect it was a narrative device. After all, who can really know Witch?

I had started losing interest in the series after "Tangled Webs" (I didn't read "The Shadow Queen" or "Shalador's Lady" since I was more interested in the SaDiablo clan). So I came to this book without high expectations but I was still so stunningly disappointed.

In a word: boring. The repetition of certain phrases and mannerisms was grating: Everyone "huffs out a laugh" or chokes when they are startled by something humorous or frightened by a character's potential fury. Everything hurts like a "wicked bitch." Surreal and Lucivar are constantly snarling at each other. Daemon shows his rage by speaking "too softly" or crooning. Enough already!

The novellas were also so slow. I think the plodding pace definitely has to do with the fact that life just isn't at difficult as in the original trilogy. The evil queens have been purged, so the main conflict is between family members or the occasional rogue like Falonar and No Face; none of it was all that compelling. And Surreal and Daemon ... don't get me started. There was absolutely no setup for their relationship. I never doubted that they loved each other, but it always seemed like familial love, between a brother and sister. It would have helped if Bishop gave even a hint that Surreal had sexual feelings for him in the earlier novellas (and the "feather in her cap" incident from the original trilogy didn't count; she was clearly young and naive and learned very quickly that no one toys with the Sadist). It almost would have made more sense for Surreal to end up with Rainier; at least he was a devoted companion. I hated that Surreal had to settle for second wife, where the strength of Daemon's love was in doubt. And she was so cowed and fearful of Daemon that I wondered where the no-nonsense assassin of old had gone.

So unless Bishop plans to write a tightly plotted prequel about Daemon and Lucivar's early days at Court, long before Jaenelle arrived, I will have to say farewell to The Black Jewels world.

WINSOL GIFTS
This story is a brief, light-hearted glimpse into the SaDiablo family at Winson, and doesn't offer a lot beyond an opportunity to spend time with the characters. (Although, given what it is, I suppose it doesn't NEED to.) B

SHADES OF HONOR
I quite liked this story and would consider it my favorite of the series. It's quite lengthy, for one thing, and - like the Prince of Ebon Rih - fills in some blanks between books. In this story (so aptly titled!), the reader is finally told what happened to Falonar. He was first introduced as a character in the third book of the original trilogy, and it was clear from the very beginning that he had his hatred on for Lucivar. We also know from that third book that Falonar and Surreal begin to mix it up in a romantic sense, but then in Tangled Webs - the only book of the entire series I've read just once - he and Surreal are well on the outs. Shades of Honor takes place after the events of Tangled Webs.

Two years of Falonar's original 5-year contract to Lucivar have passed, and even though he is ostensibly Lucivar's 2nd in command, he still has no respect for the more powerful Warlord Prince, and he chafes at the differences between this new Eyrian community in Kaeleer and the one he had known in Terreille. Basically, Falonar is a bigot, a snob, and a misogynist, and he longs for the good-old days when Eyrians killed anything that looked at them wrong (especially if those anythings were any race other than Eyrian), women were kept in the kitchens or flat on their backs, and Lucivar had no standing in the world. Living as they do in Ebon Rih, Falonar believes, is a smear on the Eyrians' collective and racial honor. Falonar sows seeds of discontent, which forces Lucivar to make some necessary decisions he'd been putting off for too long, and the Eyrians are divided into two camps: those who want to stay and live by Lucivar's code of honor, and those who seek to supplant him. When Lucivar doesn't act definitively enough to suit him, Daemon Sadi steps in and dispenses justice that suits his OWN shade of honor. A

FAMILY
This is another brief story (taking place 10 years after Shades of Honor), but unlike Winsol Gifts, I think this one could have benefited from a bit more development. The main characters here are Sylvia and her sons, Saetan (and his sons, of course!), Tersa, and a bad guy who remains rather abstract throughout the story. I don't think the point of this story was the story itself, but rather what it revealed about the position of the High Lord of Hell (which has a bearing on the next story), and the man (and his heir) who fulfill that role. For me this was perhaps the weakest of the stories, simply because I think it was too sketchy. C

THE HIGH LORD'S DAUGHTER
And now we come to the story that has some fans in an uproar.... Several months ago, I read a spoilerific review of this collection of stories, and in particular THIS story. The reviewer was full of outrage over the decisions the author made: the bloggy equivalent of throwing rotten tomatoes. I have to say that having read the story, I do understand why some fans will be upset, but I can't honestly count myself among them.

Overall, I liked the story. I had no problems with what happens - the events, the people, the emotions. In a way, I'd say I'm even glad, because as much as I enjoy these books and the construct of the Realms, I've been feeling for a while that Anne Bishop, if she wanted to continue telling Black Jewels stories, needed to move things along. Jeanelle's Witch-storm at the end of the 3rd book was so effective that Bishop hobbled herself a bit. Hard to come up with a villain who can compare to the evil duo of Dorothea and Hekatah. And all the stories that followed the original trilogy followed too closely on the witch-storm's heels, time-wise. There needs to be a break...time for evil and unease to grow again (as such things do; the SaDiablos are powerful and have a long reach, but they're not gods, and they're not omnipresent).

My complaint about the story - my only disappointment -- is that, like Sylvia's story, this one was TOO sketchy...too rushed. The author tells us that the story spans decades. The first 5 or 6 pages covers almost 20 years. Then we jump forward a few months...then nearly a year...then a couple more years...then several more years. The story is over 100 pages long, but I wished I'd had another 100 pages or so to fill in some of the blanks and solve some of the mysteries. (Then again, maybe the author wanted to leave blanks and mysteries so that if she chose to develop them in the future with future books, she'd not have locked herself into any particular details.) The High Lord's Daughter reads like both an epilogue to a beloved series, and - possibly - a prologue as well. (What is the quote? "What's past is prologue.") It's a little tough to assign a grade to this one because emotionally I liked it, but I'd have liked the story MORE if there'd been more of it: more explanation, more interactions, more exposition. C+

(Since the store doesn't allow "half-star" ratings, I'm gonna go with 4 stars for this one. When you scroll over the stars as you make your rating selection, the store prompts you by saying that 3 stars means "OK" and 4 stars means "I like it." So I'll pick 4 stars as my rating, because honestly I liked this book...I just thing there are parts that could have been better developed.)

The Black Jewels were introduced to me at a pivotal point in my life. This book continued the story of some beloved characters. I have read it many times and it still evokes strong moments of laughter and tears.

The latest offering from Anne Bishop's Black Jewels world consists of four novellas (no, really, there are four... it's not just The Highlord's Daughter- really!). As I'm sure everyone has already read the spoilers from the other reviews, I'll just put my 0.02 in the pot, so I can vent my spleen and try to put this book to bed.

I enjoyed Winsol Gifts. I'm a sucker for holiday themed books and who doesn't like a 'behind the scene' look at their favorite SaDiablo family, right? In some ways, this was my favorite of the four, due to the rapport between the family.

I didn't really expect Falonar to be BFFs with Luciver, but I admit, after reading what really happened in Twilight's Dawn... just wow. But still... the story felt forced. I tell my students for every assignment I give them: "If you don't like your topic, your words will convey that. Write what you know, what you want and your paper will flow a lot more smoothly." Sadly, I don't think that Bishop was following those guidelines with Twilight's Dawn.

The dark angst that I was expecting just wasn't there. I expected a lot from Falonar's and Sylvia's stories and it just wasn't there. Falonar seemed like a petulant three year old while Sylvia's story had this huge potential and then we're left with fluffy bunnies. Disappointing.

Which brings me to The Highlord's Daughter. Did I see it coming? No. Was there foreshadowing? Yes, to an extent. Surreal always had Daemon's back- can't argue that. My overall feeling? Bishop jumped the shark. For thousands of pages, Daemon loved- nay, lived- Jaenelle Angelline. Now we're told that she set up her successor, she helped weave the web for the Jaenelle the second, and has to have a "Coming to Witch" meeting with Daemon to say "look, I know you love me, but you need to get over it and tell Surreal you love her." Um... yeah. This is the guy who spent 1700 years as a pleasure slave. This is the guy who's mind shattered and he went to the Twisted Kingdom, rather than live without you. This is the guy who killed for you (well, okay, he killed Lektra because she was a threat to his marriage). It's inconceivable that he is suddenly going to say- after a YEAR of mourning?!- "Ok, time to move on!" And then he hooks up with Dorothea-lite types? Yeah, that was the way that stage is set for Surreal and Daemon to *have* to be together, I guess... but wow... really?

But the real kicker? The cardboard version of Surreal. Yes, she snarls, she threatens and she is still handy with the crossbow threats... but this one cries, worries that Daemon is going back to Witch, worries that Daemon is going to leave her once he is acknowledged as Jaenelle's father. The Surreal from several books ago would have grabbed him by the delicate bits, said "here's how it is, DEAL." This one... hm. Maybe Bishop introduced pod people into the realms and I just missed it, because Surreal was completely out of character.

<sigh> I just don't get it. Hopefully Bishop will go back to the precept that you write what you enjoy. It's pretty evident from Twilight's Dawn that she's burnt out on the series.

"Winsol Gifts". The Black-Jeweled Warlord Prince of Dhelan Daemon Sadi prepares for the gala celebrating his first anniversary with his spouse Jaenelle the Witch Queen; as family and friends arrive.

"Shades of Honor". Daemon's brother Prince Lucivar Yaslana struggles to escape a traitor's trap at a time when Surreal of Ebon Rich learns her former lover Prince Faloner claims he is the ruler.

"Family". The vicious warlord No Face threatens the lives of Queen Sylvia and her sons Beron and Mikal.

"The High Lord's Daughter". Daemon has lost his heart and soul with the deaths of his beloved wife and father Saetan. As the High Lord of Hell he meets and marries Surreal, and they have a daughter named after his late first spouse. However, the two women in his life may not be enough to get over his broken heart.

This is a super Black Jewels dark fantasy anthology containing four strong entries due to Anne Bishop's ability to make her characters seem real as life is a struggle from birth to death, but joyfully with loved ones at your side.

Harriet Klausner

Plenty of people have dissected the stories themselves so I'll stick to an overall review. I enjoyed getting more glimpses of the inner workings of Blood society and culture, as well as more of the intimate family moments between the SaDiablo family. I liked that the stories followed each other chronollogically. I'm happy we were given closure, and things were brought full circle. I find some of it a little weird, but also sweet and I think a lot of it was realistically done and in keeping with characters. Perfect? No, but I'll take it! As I said, bittersweet...I'm sad to see it end.

Spoiler alert-

I wish I had read some reviews before reading this book. Had I known Jaenelle and Saetan would die in this one, I would certainly not have bought it or read it. That story was a horrible disappointment and really overshadowed any good in the others for me. It annoys me when other readers say "we all wanted to know xxx". I know I didn't want to read about the demise of my favorite characters and there were dozens of other stories that could have been written about this universe instead. There are those who say this is fantasy and not romance and people die in real life and I point out that prolonging Jaenelle's life through the power of Witch or Lorn or the dream webs would have been in keeping with fantasy and made a wonderful story besides. Furthermore, for those people touting reality, these realms are magic, remember? There be witches and unicorns and winged people here.

The author could have just left the story where it was and I would have been agreeable. I had always liked Surreal's spirited attitude also and to have her made into a second best, lukewarm, and whiny partner was an extreme irritation. Daemon's second marriage was so anti-climactic that, from my perspective, the story should just not have been written. Having a Jaenelle II who would be wrapped in cotton wool does not an interesting story make. I invested money and time in this series, rereading the books over and over. Certainly it's the author's prerogative to write as she pleases and, as an avid reader who still buys many books, it's mine to strike her off my book lists.

Twilight's Dawn is a wonderful collection of stories set in the beloved world of the Black Jewels series. These stories are heartbreaking, heartwarming, romantic, compelling, imaginative, and wonderful, very much in keeping with the rest of the series. Love, honor, loyalty, sorrow, vengeance, justice, family, friendship-- these are all themes found in Anne Bishop's world, and all are present in this latest anthology.

The Black Jewels books are by far the best books I have ever read, with a world that is so unique and so vividly and clearly drawn that each time I read these books, I'm immediately immersed, and can picture everything from the Eyrie to SaDiablo Hall, to Saetan's study in Hell. The characters, especially those of Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar are unforgettable, and reading their stories is like reading about my oldest and dearest friends.

If Ms. Bishop doesn't return to the Realms, I'll be very sad, but at least I'll have this wonderful conclusion to her epic series. I'm hopeful, because the stories leave room for more to come, and satisfied with the way things turned out.

I just finished both reading and listening to Twilight's Dawn. (First I read a text version, then listened to the audio.) After several reviews have scolded the Author for the direction of the last story in this collection I can only say "I disagree." I thought the final story, The High Lord's Daughter, was a wonderful conclusion to the existing series. I felt it fit with the rest of the series and gave a poignant ending to a story we had known would end. In fact my only objections is that it did not give more detail, and did to proceed to tell more of J.S. life. For those who are debating if they should buy the book, ask yourself these questions: Have I enjoyed the rest of the series? Do I accept that the dark themes of these books are not unrealistic within the world created? Do I want an adult conclusion to the story? If your answer is yes, then you shall enjoy the Twilight's Dawn. If you prefer a fairy tale, a story that does not allow for character development even after sorrow, then no you will not like this book. But as for me, I loved the narrative, and the theme of hope for more.

Finally, Anne Bishop grew up. The foundation trilogy was whiz bang action! romance! & AD-VENTURE! Teeth were gritted, wings were unfurled with or without menace,sexual hazes abounded for good or ill. The characters had extremes of emotion, rather like overgrown high-schoolers. OK writing, but not the best. Then came a few novellas, a new story arc, and this final collection. I can finally say the characters have finally matured, and the age really suits them. Janelle's death is handled very well. Bishop had written herself into a corner: how to handle a main character's death without losing momentum? Instead of hanky wringing maudlin pages of death scenes, the reader learns of it as an explanation of Sadi's depression. When Saetan dies a few pages later, the reader is given crucial information, namely that Saetan could allow himself to die. Logically therefore, Jaenelle allowed herself to die- after all, she was vibrant and healthy until she lay down to nap. Which, combined with her lessons to Surreal, seems to indicate the possibility. The hookup with Sadi is equally plausable, given that Witch likely was meddling from the Misty Place. Nothing really OOC, and very much the best of the non-foundation bunch.

I loved the black jewel books. I started reading them just after Queen of the Darkness came out and always rush to the bookstore whenever a new one comes out. This bitterly disappointed me. The first three stories were okay. I didn't love them but they were fine. I would have liked to have seen a happier ending for Rainier but could cope. The last story, The High Lord's Daughter ruined the series for me. As readers we knew that Jaenelle wasn't going to live as long as the Daemon but it could have been handled in a better way. Other reviewers have said what I want to say and better so I'll leave it. I am tempted to cut out the Highlord's Daughter from the book. I will say this. I will no longer be rushing to pick up anymore of Anne Bishop's books. I won't be reading them at all anymore.

Luckily, I managed to avoid the reviews and spoilers which some die-hard fans had chosen to post on the Internet before I got to read the book myself. And luckily I paid no heed to their warnings, either. Generally, these fans were very negative and recommending that one should NOT buy this book let alone read it. They claimed that Anne Bishop had more or less ruined the entire Blood universe.

Well, first of all: This is Anne Bishop's universe. It doesn't belong to us, no matter how much we love the previous books and no matter what we feel would be "right" for our favorite characters to do or say.

Honestly, in my oppinion, those fans over stepped the border of what can be considered acceptable behaviour. Personally, I am glad that I bought and read the book! Yes, I was surprised when I read the story called "The High Lord's Daughter" but not in a disbelieving or disgusted way. I agree with the author about what would be the only natural development in Daemon's life - and, quite frankly, I also understand Bishop's choices in that regard. But here is my review:

The first story "Winsol Gifts" was a bit too sweet for my taste but it was wellwritten and in sync with the special relationship between Jaenelle and Saetan.

I enjoyed "Shades of Honour" - alright, we had to accept that a somewhat likable character turned out to be not so likable after all but he was not out of character and I was thoroughly enjoying the feel of the story - like I always do when I'm in Anne Bishop's universe.

"Family" was a hoot - funny, sad and sweet - just the right mix.

"The High Lord's Daughter could have been a much longer story - but I would guess and hope that Anne Bishop will return to this particular time in the Blood Saga later on. I enjoyed the story - again it was sad and yes, one of the characters seemed a bit more skittish and afraid than usual but I can live with that as well. What happened in this story did not in any means ruin the previous books or any romantic notions. I thought the idea was clever and mature.

I didn't feel that this was the end of the Blood books at all. There is bound to be more to be told about Hell, and Kaeleer. And certainly about Terreille. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Anne Bishop's stories.

What can I say - go buy it and read it. Remember to think realistically - this is not a fairy tale - we all knew that the setup is bound to lead to unhappy events as well as happy ones.

About Daemon: Personally, I am married to my best friend whom I'm also attracted to. But he is not my fantasy lover - few, if any of us, get to be married to a beautiful for ever breath-taking dream but that's not a disaster - that's just Life! ;-)

Loved how Bishop tidied the series. The age and race difference between janelle and daemon (and the rest of her family) was answered. I am really glad daemon didn't just fade out when his wife passed on. I loved the book and thanks!

I'm surprised by the negative reviews about the stories not being fleshed out well enough....given that they are all novellas.

I picked this up because I'm a really big fan of the BJ trilogy and have read all of the other books that have come out as well.

If you are looking for an epic - novellas aren't the way to go in the first place.

But the stories are all good, and the last one is sooooooo bittersweet.....

Do yourself a favor, if you liked the first three actual books in this series, and accepted the badly written fluff of the next handful of short little whatever-they-weres, DO NOT pick up, read the back of, or in any way acknowledge the existence of this book. This exhausted, joyless, pointless drivel horse is so dead, you are beating a pile of rotting mush. I CANNOT believe an editor read this, and thought it was a good idea, not to MENTION the fact that the author of the first three books of the dark jewels trilogy produced this Arcerian cat-poo. It is a betrayal and a mockery of everything the original series stood for. I have never, in my life, been more disappointed in or betrayed by anyone Anne Bishop. You owe it to yourself NOT to read this trash.

Twilight's Dawn, the latest offering from Anne Bishop in the Black Jewels series, is an anthology of novellas that does more than just fills in a few gaps in the series arc but also moves it along. The four stories string together in linear fashion, each one setting up the next and spanning almost a hundred years in the saga of the SaDiablo family. Typical of Bishop's storytelling, there are moments of blazing brilliance offset by ham-handed plot progression. It's entertaining as a whole but comes up short in areas.

Winsol Gifts (Takes place after Tangled Webs): Daemon gets more and more settled into both married life and being the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan. This particular holiday season finds him being pulled in several different directions at once due to the obligations of his position and family, and he's not very happy about it. The subplots concern Surreal and Prince Rainier, both on the slow path to recovery from the injuries they've suffered, and are due to spend some time with Lucivar getting their strength back. Saetan is beginning to feel his age and wants a singular gift from everyone this year- solitude. Daemon, of course, won't stand for it and looks for a way to include him in the festivities without breaking his word. Feeling intrigued yet?

This one is only interesting for the revelations of some events during Daemon and Lucivar's childhood when they were still with Tersa and Luthvian. But those events feel forced and there's too much info-dumping involved: hey- did you know Lucivar and Daemon are half-brothers? And they wear the darkest jewels any male's ever had? Plus eyriens have wings, Tersa's crazy, Surreal used to be a whore... oh sorry, did I ruin it for you?

Shades of Honor (Takes place after The Shadow Queen): Falonar returns to Riada, still chafing at the way Lucivar runs things- especially during the time Witch was incapacitated. In his eyes Lucivar will never be more than a half-breed bastard, ignorant of their culture and traditions. There's also his relationship with Surreal, who not only didn't know her place as a woman- and a half-breed whore, at that- but also carried the unwelcome burden of the SaDiablo name (I see a pattern developing here). The evidence is clear to him: as long as Lucivar controls Ebon Rih his taint will spread to all the eyriens living there. Surreal and Rainier are both in their own way haunted by what happened in Dreams Made Flesh, and must find a way to come to terms with it and rebuild their lives.

Falonar's fate was implied in DMF, and here we get the sordid details. This also feels a little flat because Falonar had never been fleshed out in any way before; all we had was some brief exposition about his character. From the outset of the story he's portrayed as a full-blown racist, elitist and sexist, barely above a knuckle-dragger- though there's been a strong argument for this being standard Eyrien male behavior. Bishop's worldbuilding has always been weak, and the picture she paints of Eyrien culture seems unsustainable. Falonar is our window into it which leads to some half-baked explanations and nonsensical actions which only underscores his function as the fall guy. Surreal and Rainier gain pivotal roles as events unfold, but you can already tell how their story arcs are going to play out, and seeds are planted for Daemon as his father's heir. As the longest story in the book it takes a while for things to unfold, and could have used some paring down.

Family (Ten Years Later): While visiting an aristo family in Little Terreille with her two boys, Sylvia is attacked by a mysterious masked warlord. The savagery of the assault alters her life forever as well as bringing the questions of who is this man and what does he want? There's been a spate of missing children in the area, coinciding with several new arrivals in Hell. A masked molester known as No Face is believed responsible, but why does he hold Sylvia responsible for the ruination of his looks?

Seems like Bishop realized things were stagnating and used these two stories to increase the drama and tension. The attack on Sylvia is pretty brutal and drives her into the arms of the High Lord, and they make a decision about their relationship. There's even a very darkly amusing scene involving Tersa as Daemon sets a trap for the man which makes for a classic Anne Bishop moment and helps to save it from being just another soap-opera story.

And finally...**Spoiler Alerts**
The High Lord's Daughter (Spanning the Decades): They'd had seventy years together, seventy glorious years. At the last Winsol they shared she'd made him promise that when her time came he'd take one year to grieve and then move on with his life... and now it's time to do so. Not surprisingly Saetan is resolved to follow the daughter of his soul into the Darkness, and begins the long process of letting himself slip away. In the wake of Saetan's passing Daemon begins to cocoon himself in the mantles of the High Lord of Hell and Warlord Prince of Dhemlan but finds solace and companionship in someone who's always provided it for him- Surreal, who becomes pregnant. The opportunity is too much for Daemon to pass up, and Surreal has her own reasons for agreeing to his marriage proposal. Together they begin the journey of sharing their lives and healing the wounds within their spirits as they raise their daughter, Jaenelle Saetien, whose life seems to fall into a pattern that while different, is eerily familiar.

The title could have a double meaning as there's no subtlety involved here- there's no reason to think it doesn't refer to both Jaenelles. And once things get underway there no mystery to them- there's no way to misinterpret young Jaenelle's constant references to her secret friend that visits her in her dreams. This is one of Bishop's failings- always relying on the lure of the characters and subtleties of life among the Blood to make up for obviousness of the plot. But that's why you keep reading; the characters have ensnared you in a tangled web. Unfortunately the biggest disappointments were the handling of the passing of both Jaenelle and Saetan. Without going into details, both scenes could've deliver an emotional gut punch but whiffed big time.

Twilight's Dawn is slow to pick up speed, gains some momentum and then eases back into tedium. Soap opera dramas aside the plotlines are as nicely woven and layered as we've come to expect. The advantage it has over other anthologies is there's no filler here; every story advances the mythology of the series and resolves many smaller issues and loose ends while still ignoring many others- Jaenelle's family, for one. Overall I liked it because things move forward, but the fact remains that there's no longer any real threats to be faced other than the day-to-day ones and who doesn't have enough of their own? If this is the bookend to the series, all that remains is the story we need to see- Dorothea and Hekatah.

Others have written that it was just a realistic ending for Janelle to die and Damon and Surreal to become a couple. I don't read Anne Bishop's books for reality I read them for a diversion from reality. With the countries job market, gas prices, and life in general I have enough reality every day. With these stories I could take some time and loose myself in Janelle and Damon's world. I really wish Ms. Bishop had waited to make this change to the story, I know it is the authors choice what to write but I am a little upset one of my little pleasures has been taken away. Some have written that there maybe other books telling of Janelle and Damon's life but for me the story is finished, the ending has been written. I now must find another story line and author to give a little relief from the day to day stress. Well it was a good story while it lasted.