Publisher's Weekly Review
Bishop adds a third chapter (after Sebastian and Belladonna) to the story of the living world Ephemera. Protagonist Lee is a Bridge, able to join disparate chunks of the fractured world. Still dealing with his disquiet over the deep changes in his sister, Glorianna Belladonna, whose act of self-sacrifice saved Ephemera but split her personality, Lee is taken prisoner by evil wizards who want to use him to get to his family. Blinded and imprisoned in an asylum in the distant city of Vision, Lee finds an unlikely ally in the asylum's Keeper, a shaman named Danyal, and an even less likely romance with his caretaker, Zhahar. Together, they must face the threat that ambushed Lee and now looms over Vision, even as Zhahar's magical secrets add a new complication. Strong on world-building but light on action, Bishop's romantic fantasy focuses more on character interaction than on exploring the possibilities set up by its premise. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, the Donald Maass Agency. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Ephemera is a world of landscapes connected by bridges that have the power to take you where your heart belongs. Lee is a Bridge, who can make connections between pieces of the world. Just coming from a visit to Glorianna Belladonna (his sister), he runs into a group of wizards out to wreck his sister's work. In a desperate attempt to keep them from her, he creates a bridge to a place disconnected from any of his family's landscapes the city of Vision and takes the wizards with him. In Vision, he is taken to an Asylum, a raving madman. Vision has its own problems: a darkness is hiding its streets, baffling the Shamans who watch over it. Fortunately, one of those Shamans has been assigned to oversee the Asylum Lee is sent to. Between Danyal, the Shaman, and Zhahar, a Handler at the Asylum, Lee recovers and discovers that the threat to Vision is not just to the city. With a well-paced mystery, likable characters, and fascinating world building, this is a fun read.--Schroeder, Regina Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Bishop's fantasy story is set in a world broken into pieces. Lee and his family are charged with connecting the pieces and maintaining a balance within them, guiding the childlike spirit of the world called Ephemera. But darkness threatens, and it's focused on Lee's sister. To protect his family, Lee hurls himself into a disconnected piece of the world, where he is brutally attacked. There he encounters Daniel and Zhahar, who are threatened by darkness in their own way. Will the three of them be able to fend off the darkness and find a way home for Lee? Only if they can learn to trust themselves and one another. A story of fantasy, filled with intricate details, danger, conflict, love, and family creates a landscape well worth visiting. VERDICT The ninth book in the "Black Jewels" series provides something of a steep learning curve for newcomers, but enough detail is provided for the work to stand alone. Narrator Holter Graham takes on a large cast of characters with ease. Recommended for readers of fantasy who prefer an immersive, alternative reality such as those created by Mercedes Lackey, Christopher Paolini, and James Owen.-Lisa Anderson, Metropolitan Community Coll. Lib., Omaha (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.