Book Review: Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

Dreams Made Flesh
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: Black Jewels, Book 5
Publication: Roc; Reprint edition (February 7, 2006)

Description: The Black Jewels Trilogy established Anne Bishop as an author whose “sublime skill...blend[s] the darkly macabre with spine-tingling emotional intensity”(SF Site). Now, the saga continues in this collection that includes four more adventures of Jaenelle and her kindred…

Jaenelle is the most powerful Witch ever known, centuries of hopes and dreams made flesh at last. She has forged ties with three of the realm’s mightiest Blood warriors: Saetan, the High Lord of Hell, who trains Jaenelle in magic and adopts her as his daughter; Lucivar, the winged Eyrien warlord who becomes her protector; and the near-immortal Daemon, born to be Witch’s lover. Jaenelle has assumed her rightful place as Queen of the Darkness and restored order and peace to the realms, but at a terrible cost.

Collected here are the beguiling stories about the origin of the mystical Jewels, the forbidden passion between Lucivar and a simple hearth witch, the clash between Saetan and a Priestess, and the choice Jaenelle must make, between her magic and happiness with Daemon...

My Thoughts: This anthology contains four stories set in the Black Jewels universe.

Weaver of Dreams tells how spiders learned from a dying dragon how to weave webs that can hold or create lives.

The Prince of Ebon Rih takes place after the events of Heir to the Shadows and tells the story of Lucivar's courtship of Marian.

Zuulaman tells a story from Saetan's past when he was married to Hekatah and the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan. A country called Zuulaman tries to get the best of his country, aided by the 100 families of Hyall and Hekatah, and Saetan shows them just what a black-jeweled warlord prince can do.

Kaeleer's Heart tells what happens after the events of Queen of the Darkness when Jaenelle heals quite changed and Daemon wonders if she doesn't love him anymore. Their relationship is complicated by someone who wants to ruin Daemon's reputation and wreck his relationship with Jaenelle so that he will turn to her. He shows everyone why he was nicknamed the Sadist while he was a pleasure slave in Terreille.

All of these stories were great at providing more about the fascinating Black Jewels world. The Prince of Ebon Rih and Kaeleer's Heart were also wonderful romances.

Favorite Quote:

"Moon's blood only throws me offstride three days out of a month. A cock makes a man potentially stupid at any hour of any day."

"You have such faith in the male gender," he said blandly.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.