In 2009, Anne Bishop published the next installment in the Black Jewels series, Tangled Webs. It's a story about Surreal, mostly. About her and how she survived a death trap set for her and the SaDiablo family. Synopsis: The invitation was signed Jaenelle Angelline, she who had been both Witch and Queen. Surreal SaDiablo, former courtesan and assassin, is the first to arrive--only to find herself trapped in a nightmare created by the tangled webs of Black Widow witches. And if she uses Craft to defend herself, she risks being sealed in the house forever. But Jaenelle did not send the invitation. Now Jaenelle and her family must rescue Surreal and the others inside without becoming trapped themselves--and they also must discover who designed such an evil place as a way to kill members of the SaDiablo family. Only one of the Blood could have created the trap...
The novel opens with a prologue from the villain. He's an author who's constantly being made fun of by the Blood for his errors about their kind in his books. He's also recently discovered he is one of the Blood. He hatches a plan to study the Blood, in particular, the SaDiablo family. Jaenelle wants to open a spooky house for the children and landen. Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan don't want anything to do with it, but help them because Jaenelle promises that one room in the house will show the landen what it truly means to be Blood. She and Marion have picked the place and are designing it. A few weeks later, Surreal gets an invitation written by Jaenelle to tour the spooky house. She goes with her friend Rainier. At the house, they encounter a group of children and all of them enter. As they explore, the children start dying and the "ghosts" and creatures are actually demon dead Black Widow witches and other deadly traps laced around the house. As they enter the basement to try and exit, they find themselves in the same house, but in another replica with even more deadly surprises. Daemon and Jaenelle arrive and study the place.
A young boy hadn't gone in with Surreal and tells them everything that he knew, even that a half-blood girl had been kidnapped and disappeared. Daemon and Jaenelle suspect the house is spelled once they arrive and it's confirmed by Yuli, the boy. Yuli says a half-sane woman was helping the man who built the place. Daemon suspects his mother and asks her. She says it was a surprise for the boys, an entertainment. Since Tersa walks the Twisted Kingdom, Daemon knows she thought that he was helping Jaenelle. Surreal and Rainier being to suspect the same thing, but must protect the remaining children. Daemon learns from Khary that Jarvis Jenkell found out her was a Blood member when he mimicked going through the Offering. He came away with a Jewel. Khary also tells him that Jenkell built the house that Surreal is trapped in. After Daemon talks to Tersa, Tersa becomes angry at Jarvis for he tried to hurt her boy. Another child dies in the spooky house. Apparently, Jarvis is watching them and finds their hatred for his work to be insulting. Daemon tells Jaenelle that Jarvis is Blood and Witch becomes angry.
Rainier and Surreal are injured and losing blood. Lucivar finds out about the spook house death trap and demands that Daemon and Jaenelle stand aside and let him handle this. He enters and hacks and carves up anything in his path. He meets a young cildru dyathe. The boy, unlike the rest of the dead, is pleasant and tells Lucivar everything. Lucivar threatens Jarvis, promising to "make him pay" for his crimes. Jarvis, watching the whole thing, begins to understand why people fear Lucivar. Tersa heads for Jarvis' spooky house, to make him pay. Jarvis sends everything to kill Surreal and Rainier and the kids. Lucivar arrives and cuts everything up. He uses his Ebon Gray power and blasts a hole in the house and gets the kids and Surreal and Rainier to Daemon and Jaenelle. Lucivar reenters the hole and finds Jarvis and drags him out. Tersa arrives, demanding to kill Jarvis, but Daemon asks her to let him deal with this. Surreal realizes that everything that Daemon is didn't all come from Saetan. Daemon and Jaenelle open the door to the spooky house and toss Jarvis inside, but not before making sure there are only two exits left. Daemon and Jaenelle take Yuli back to SaDiablo Hall and one of the kindred Sceltie claims Yuli is his. Yuli goes back to the orphanage but this time with Lord Socks, the kindred Sceltie, and the owners learn that they'll have regular visits from the rest of the kindred and not all of them canine. Days later, Daemon reenters the spooky house and kills Jenkell, who has been panicking and is now bleeding. Daemon takes the young cildru dyathe to Hell where Saetan welcomes him. Surreal and Rainer, along with several other people visit Jaenelle's spooky house and see everything, including the subtle message she and Daemon leave the landens.
All in all, a very fast-paced novel and a great read on Halloween. Anne Bishop still has it when t comes to magic and fantasy. Recommended for any fan of fantasy and the series.
The novel opens with a prologue from the villain. He's an author who's constantly being made fun of by the Blood for his errors about their kind in his books. He's also recently discovered he is one of the Blood. He hatches a plan to study the Blood, in particular, the SaDiablo family. Jaenelle wants to open a spooky house for the children and landen. Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan don't want anything to do with it, but help them because Jaenelle promises that one room in the house will show the landen what it truly means to be Blood. She and Marion have picked the place and are designing it. A few weeks later, Surreal gets an invitation written by Jaenelle to tour the spooky house. She goes with her friend Rainier. At the house, they encounter a group of children and all of them enter. As they explore, the children start dying and the "ghosts" and creatures are actually demon dead Black Widow witches and other deadly traps laced around the house. As they enter the basement to try and exit, they find themselves in the same house, but in another replica with even more deadly surprises. Daemon and Jaenelle arrive and study the place.
A young boy hadn't gone in with Surreal and tells them everything that he knew, even that a half-blood girl had been kidnapped and disappeared. Daemon and Jaenelle suspect the house is spelled once they arrive and it's confirmed by Yuli, the boy. Yuli says a half-sane woman was helping the man who built the place. Daemon suspects his mother and asks her. She says it was a surprise for the boys, an entertainment. Since Tersa walks the Twisted Kingdom, Daemon knows she thought that he was helping Jaenelle. Surreal and Rainier being to suspect the same thing, but must protect the remaining children. Daemon learns from Khary that Jarvis Jenkell found out her was a Blood member when he mimicked going through the Offering. He came away with a Jewel. Khary also tells him that Jenkell built the house that Surreal is trapped in. After Daemon talks to Tersa, Tersa becomes angry at Jarvis for he tried to hurt her boy. Another child dies in the spooky house. Apparently, Jarvis is watching them and finds their hatred for his work to be insulting. Daemon tells Jaenelle that Jarvis is Blood and Witch becomes angry.
Rainier and Surreal are injured and losing blood. Lucivar finds out about the spook house death trap and demands that Daemon and Jaenelle stand aside and let him handle this. He enters and hacks and carves up anything in his path. He meets a young cildru dyathe. The boy, unlike the rest of the dead, is pleasant and tells Lucivar everything. Lucivar threatens Jarvis, promising to "make him pay" for his crimes. Jarvis, watching the whole thing, begins to understand why people fear Lucivar. Tersa heads for Jarvis' spooky house, to make him pay. Jarvis sends everything to kill Surreal and Rainier and the kids. Lucivar arrives and cuts everything up. He uses his Ebon Gray power and blasts a hole in the house and gets the kids and Surreal and Rainier to Daemon and Jaenelle. Lucivar reenters the hole and finds Jarvis and drags him out. Tersa arrives, demanding to kill Jarvis, but Daemon asks her to let him deal with this. Surreal realizes that everything that Daemon is didn't all come from Saetan. Daemon and Jaenelle open the door to the spooky house and toss Jarvis inside, but not before making sure there are only two exits left. Daemon and Jaenelle take Yuli back to SaDiablo Hall and one of the kindred Sceltie claims Yuli is his. Yuli goes back to the orphanage but this time with Lord Socks, the kindred Sceltie, and the owners learn that they'll have regular visits from the rest of the kindred and not all of them canine. Days later, Daemon reenters the spooky house and kills Jenkell, who has been panicking and is now bleeding. Daemon takes the young cildru dyathe to Hell where Saetan welcomes him. Surreal and Rainer, along with several other people visit Jaenelle's spooky house and see everything, including the subtle message she and Daemon leave the landens.
All in all, a very fast-paced novel and a great read on Halloween. Anne Bishop still has it when t comes to magic and fantasy. Recommended for any fan of fantasy and the series.
