Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

Considered book five; however, I read Dreams Made Flesh, a collection of four short stories in the Black Jewels world as soon as I finished the original trilogy. Overall, the collection received a five out of five stars rating. I'll talk briefly about each from least favorite to favorite.

In last place is the first and shortest story in the collection, "Weaver of Dreams". What I liked about this story is that it very much an origins. It tells about how the original webs and winds were created. As cool as the story was, it was very short and I didn't feel any massive emotional connection.

In third place is "Zuulaman" which focuses on a time in Saetan's past where he basically goes unspeakably dark. This was the second shortest story and the third in the book. This was both a hard story to read and completely captivating. Anne Bishop does an amazing job at making me hate his wife Hekatah on pretty much every level. I like that you find out about Zuulaman in the previous story and then in the final story you see how Daemon is his father's mirror and is absolutely capable of the same thing.

Anne Bishop

In second place is "Kaeleer's Heart." If you're a die hard Jaenelle and Daemon shipper (which I am, too in most ways) then this is the story for you. It's the final short story in the collection and continues after the end of the third book in the trilogy. This talks about Jaenelle's recovery, the twilight's dawn jewel, and the relationship between her and Daemon. There's also some drama in town that really reveals how much like his father Daemon really is.

My first place winner is "The Prince of Ebon Rih" which is the story of the Warlord Prince, Lucivar Yaslana and the hearth witch, Marian. I remember being shocked in the trilogy that Lucivar was married and out of all possible short stories, this is the one I was most interested in. Well, this one, and a story about Surreal. But alas, that story is in my next book! Lucivar comes into this story with a lot of anger and a lot to learn. Marian comes in very damaged. I love the story of her growth and seeing the arch of where this story started to where it ended. It was the longest, and my most favorite.

Overall, each story was very well done and expanded this world to a point where I cannot wait for more. Lucky for me, the next book, Tangled Webs is sitting right next to me.

Happy Reading!