Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 384 pages
- Published by: Roc Hardcover March 4, 2008
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0451461606
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0451461605
-
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
- Weighs: 1.3 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In Bishop's bewitching latest Black Jewels adventure (after 2005's
Dreams Made Flesh), a tour of an old house becomes a hellish matter of life and death. lady Surreal SaDiablo receives an invitation to preview the silly, spooky house that Queen Jaenelle Angelline has created to parody myths about the magically gifted Bloods, and she persuades her friend and fellow magic user Warlord Prince Rainier to join her. The only snag is that Jaenelle didn't send the invitation. Crazed, jealous novelist Jarvis Jenkell has discovered his Blood heritage and developed his own haunted house with the goal of trapping other Bloods and using their travails to inspire his fiction. As Surreal, Rainer and several local children struggle to escape Jenkell's deadly snare, Jaenelle's husband, Daemon Sadi, and Sadi's half-brother, Lucivar, must call upon all their Craft skills to free the trapped. With feverish pacing and terrifying twists, Bishop's surefire spell craft will leave readers' hearts pounding.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
The invitation is signed "Jaenelle Angelline," and it summons her family to an entertainment she had specially prepared. Surreal SaDiablo, former courtesan and assassin, arrives first. But when she enters the house, Surreal finds herself trapped in a living nightmare created by the tangled webs of Black Widow witchesand if she uses Craft to defend herself, she risks being sealed in the house forever.
But Jaenelle did not send the invitation. And now Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreal and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves-and then discover who has created such a place, and why
Reader Reviews
I was deeply disappointed in this. Though the story centered around Surreal, many of the usual characters made appearances -- Daemon, the High Lord, Jaenelle, Tersa, Marion, the kindred -- their involvement was fairly limited and superficial, despite the book's description implying that the entire family will come together to help one of their own. The plot itself seemed very shallow and contrived, with Surreal being tricked into arriving at this "Haunted House", then appearing to be fairly helpless within, which is out of character for Surreal. Jaenelle appeared particularly insipid and, in general, the story lacked credibility and was dreadfully predictable. I loved the original Blood trilogy, as well as the volume of short stories, and re-read them frequently, but this has no "re-read" value at all. The one bright spot was a previously published short story about one of Surreal's assassination jobs which was included at the end. It was much more in the flavor of the original stories and very enjoyable, though short.
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