First and foremost, this is another anthology of short stories. It is not one novel with one focus. Secondly, there is no way I can talk about this book without severe spoilers. So I am just going to trudge on.
In Winsol Gifts we are treated to the family setting during their holiday. It is set in the third year since Daemon came to Kaeleer and had been mentioned previously in passing. It is adorable and there are moments that made me laugh out loud. But mostly, there is a connection finally made between brothers and a mother who is blood and is not blood but still a mother. It is a very tender story and I couldn’t stop smiling stupidly.
In Shades of Honor, we see what happened between Tangled Webs and The Shadow Queen. The focus is upon Lucivar and Surreal with very different reasons but everything is tied together. And everything has a price, as we are constantly reminded. The only disappointment I had in this was the ending for Falonar. It is no secret that he meets his end by the time Cassidy’s story is told; I simply thought there would be more to it.
We roll into Family and find the action that wasn’t simply a filler/in-between story. While it was a short story, the plot moved forward too swiftly in regards to the enemy. The biggest saving grace was Tersa’s actions in protecting the boy as well as the marriage that comes at the end. Silvia and Saetan tie the knot because Silvia is now demon-dead. Just a piece of the puzzle that is the story, though a puzzle is not the best way to describe it. Maybe another portion of a ‘color by numbers’ poster was filled in? Is that a better description. But Saetan deserves this bit of happiness after his many, many years.
The High Lord’s Daughter is named in such a way that we are instantly led to believe that the story is about Jaenelle. It is. But not the Jaenelle we assume at first. This is where the spoiler alert comes in. Stop reading now if you don’t want it spoiled.
Jaenelle has lived a long life and died in her sleep one afternoon with no warning by this point in the timeline. Daemon was given one year to mourn her, as per a promise she made him make earlier in the year. And then events were to unfurl as only Witch and the Queen/Healer/Black Widow could have ever known. When Saetan becomes a whisper in the Darkness, Daemon steps into his role as the High Lord. By this point, he has already begun to shut himself off emotionally and was neither Sadi nor the Sadist but something in between. The two spend a night together (I know, random… right? Weird!) and have several more romps before the next morning has rolled over into afternoon. Surreal becomes pregnant with his child, completely unintentionally, and chaos ensues. The pair marry and Surreal births a girl–whom they name Jaenelle Saetien. Oh-ho! We see what you did there! She is the High Lord’s daughter. And she was born on Jaenelle Angelline’s birthday. Wait. What? That’s about as far as I can get into the spoiler without making the book unreadable.
But I actually raged. This series has long been scoffed at by many for being a bad fanfic, Jaenelle being the prime example of a Mary Sue. When you look at the world that was created, it made perfect sense why Jaenelle was who she was in every sense. But this last story crossed a line I had never known that I had drawn for this series. Jaenelle was supposed to be her own special little snowflake and this story spiraled quickly out of control and I found myself reading with an eyebrow raised. I felt like I was reading something on fanfiction.net and I felt… cheated.
Piled on top of that, the only two characters from the first circle who even get a mention in the entire book were Karla (briefly and not even necessary) and Chaosti. The Dea al Mon Warlord Prince’s appearance made sense and was fluid enough (though it could have been done better) that it didn’t feel like he was thrown in for fun. Not even Gabrielle has made an appearance since Queen of the Darkness even though she was part of the supposedly powerful and tight trio of Queen/Healer/Black Widows that was Jaenelle, Karla, and Gabrielle. No appearance from Khardeen or Aaron or Kalush or anyone who wasn’t in the immediate family outside of the two mentioned. I felt cheated again. Hell even Cassidy was mentioned in passing!
The worst part is that it feels like this is the last book. Which leaves me feeling very empty. I demand another book, so that I am not left with just this!
Favorite Part:
Daemon and Lucivar going to Tersa for help with their Winsol gifts. While Lucivar’s was for his young, rambunctious son… Daemon’s was just as ridiculous and for Lucivar! I giggled. A lot.
Favorite Quote/Line:
The dresser exploded. She couldn’t tell whether Daemon had expected her to lash out or if his reflexes were that fast, but the Black shield prevented injuries–and minimized the damage to the rest of the room.
“He’s an arrogant prick who thinks he’s invulnerable!” she shouted. “The only reason I’d want to see him right now is to rip off his balls and stuff them up his nose!”
Daemon blinked.
[Surreal] looked at the chucks of dresser now scattered on the floor and shrieked. “And look what he did! My clothes were still in that dresser!”
“It’s not his fault you killed the dresser,” Daemon said mildly.
from Shades of Honor; Twilight’s Dawn
Would I Recommend?
Honestly? Not unless you’re a big fan of the series. It’s too much of a disappointment otherwise.
