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318th out of 1,013 books
—
3,204 voters
Belladonna (Ephemera #2)
by
Anne Bishop
The thrilling follow-up to Sebastian.
The Eater of the World continues to spread its dark influence across the realm of Ephemera, corrupting people's souls with doubts and fears. Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, and must stand alone against the encroaching entity.
But she is not alone. In dream...more
The Eater of the World continues to spread its dark influence across the realm of Ephemera, corrupting people's souls with doubts and fears. Only Glorianna Belladonna possesses the ability to thwart the Eater's plans. But she has been branded a rogue, and must stand alone against the encroaching entity.
But she is not alone. In dream...more
Hardcover, 448 pages
Published
March 6th 2007
by Roc Hardcover
(first published March 1st 2007)
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I liked this less than the first book. My main complaint is that the Eater of the World hardly seems a worthy world menace. It may also be that Gloriana/Belladonna and Michael are less empathetic main characters than Sebastian. The whole book felt a bit too cozy and family-type (wholesome?) than one would expect from the premise. The one part where it turns dark is over fairly quickly.
I feel really bad about this rating... I absolutely love Anne Bishop, but this one was just pretty sad all around. It seemed like she spent too much time having her characters chat sarcastically rather than furthering the plot, and what little did happen wasn't anywhere near as interesting as the Anne Bishop I'm used to.
The ending was interesting enough, but the vast majority of the book I found to be fairly boring and concentrated way too much on explaining the magic over and over again (I unde...more
The ending was interesting enough, but the vast majority of the book I found to be fairly boring and concentrated way too much on explaining the magic over and over again (I unde...more
Jun 05, 2007
Deb
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fantasy fans who liked the Black Jewels Trilogy by Ann Bishop
Shelves:
fantasy-sf
I wasn't too thrilled with this book. In comparison to the Black Jewels series, Sebastian and Belladonna come dangerously close to Anthony/Eddings territory: if a plot ain't broke, apply it to a slightly different scenario and sell it again!
Bishop also uses the "let's make everyone friends slowly but surely as we send them on a quest" patch that a lot of authors slap on rather than spending the time to develop intriciate character relationships.
All that said, it was an enjoyable read on a stick...more
Bishop also uses the "let's make everyone friends slowly but surely as we send them on a quest" patch that a lot of authors slap on rather than spending the time to develop intriciate character relationships.
All that said, it was an enjoyable read on a stick...more
Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...
Neste volume regressamos ao tipicamente fantástico worldbuilding característico de Anne Bishop. Ainda mais aprofundado e complexo que no volume anterior, o Mundo Efémera estende-se aqui para além das paisagens demonstradas previamente. Assim, a autora dá-nos a conhecer novas partes deste mundo e novas personagens únicas e complementares ao enredo.
Aguardava com bastante expectativa esta obra, na medida em que a protagonista tinha sido a minh...more
Neste volume regressamos ao tipicamente fantástico worldbuilding característico de Anne Bishop. Ainda mais aprofundado e complexo que no volume anterior, o Mundo Efémera estende-se aqui para além das paisagens demonstradas previamente. Assim, a autora dá-nos a conhecer novas partes deste mundo e novas personagens únicas e complementares ao enredo.
Aguardava com bastante expectativa esta obra, na medida em que a protagonista tinha sido a minh...more
Talvez esta não seja a opinião da maioria dos leitores mas devo confessar que, apesar de muito me ter agradado este segundo e último volume da duologia Efémera, Sebastian está muito melhor conseguido. Isto porque tive a perfeita sensação de que no primeiro volume a autora consegue criar e manter de forma mais eficaz o clima de mistério que nos mantém agarrados ao livro. Ainda assim, esta nova incursão a Efémera não desilude e o desenlace da narrativa deixa o leitor satisfeito.
Os personagens do v...more
Os personagens do v...more
Ephemra is a fascinating and original land where one must be very careful what they wish for.
Highly recommend reading the first book in the series (Sebastian) for greater clarity. Many highly significant events are mentioned that occurred in that first book, plus it would offer more understanding into the character's relationships.
Mostly one liners here:
"It would snuff out the Light in each heart, and this place would change, would fester, and the people would curse and wail at a world turned h...more
Highly recommend reading the first book in the series (Sebastian) for greater clarity. Many highly significant events are mentioned that occurred in that first book, plus it would offer more understanding into the character's relationships.
Mostly one liners here:
"It would snuff out the Light in each heart, and this place would change, would fester, and the people would curse and wail at a world turned h...more
Belladona is the sequel and conclusion to Sebastian, which should be read first. I do love Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series--I could find fault with them, sure, but they featured characters and a world I love to return to, and I've read those books more than once with pleasure. The two Ephemera books just don't rise to that level--I can't see ever rereading them.
The world-building is wonderful, and in that regard matches or surpasses in imagination the Black Jewels novels with its shifting lan...more
The world-building is wonderful, and in that regard matches or surpasses in imagination the Black Jewels novels with its shifting lan...more
I truly enjoyed Sebastian (Ephemera, Book 1), but forgot about this sequel since it came out a year after I finished book one. I finally picked it up and found it to be just as good, and I'm sorry I waited so long to read it. Though another book is expected, Bridge of Dreams in March 2012, this book provides enough closure that the series could end here (but I am glad it doesn't!).
A few reviewers felt that Sebastian was more paranormal romance than fantasy. I disagreed. However, I do feel that t...more
A few reviewers felt that Sebastian was more paranormal romance than fantasy. I disagreed. However, I do feel that t...more
Fast-paced page-turner. The storytelling quality is very compelling, a 5 out of 5. Anne Bishop is one of those rare story tellers who draws you away and run away with you that you forget the time. You forget to eat. She draws a reader in so deeply that you can feel and hear the vibration as the demon motorcycles go by... World building is incredible, a 4.5 out of 5. I imagined that it would be difficult to convince readers to believe in a world of shifting geography. I scoffed when I first encou...more
The book was fun. I wasn't as thrilled with it as I was with Sebastian but as a disclaimer that may have been that I had less time to devote to reading it then I did with Sebastian but nor did I feel as drawn to clear my schedule just to read as I did with Sebastian.
It was a nice return to the character base that was established in the first book but I felt like the new characters were much more two dimensional then the ones that had been presented to us previously. I also found it personally g...more
It was a nice return to the character base that was established in the first book but I felt like the new characters were much more two dimensional then the ones that had been presented to us previously. I also found it personally g...more
Okay, this is where the whole phrase, "Anne Bishoping" comes from with me and my friends. Because she seriously has started to just recycle all her stories. Strong female characters that are horribly misunderstood and abused and self sacrificing. I mean, it's good, and it works really, really well... but pleaaaase, some originality would be lovely. Not to mention, that when I was reading this book it was moving along very well - until I hit a certain point in the book and everything just escalat...more
This was the first, and I hope the last, book authored by Anne Bishop that I forced myself to read.
Yes, the beginning was that boring. but things paced up mid-ways and it got interested and was, somewhat, in the same level as other Bishop books.
However, part of the book disgusted me to no ends.
and I'm talking about the book's final. and this contains spoilers.
The story was damn good as it was, with Belladonna sacrificing herself in order to seal the World Eater. and it should have stayed that...more
Yes, the beginning was that boring. but things paced up mid-ways and it got interested and was, somewhat, in the same level as other Bishop books.
However, part of the book disgusted me to no ends.
and I'm talking about the book's final. and this contains spoilers.
The story was damn good as it was, with Belladonna sacrificing herself in order to seal the World Eater. and it should have stayed that...more
Mais um livro que se pudesse dar o 0,5, daria 3,5. Desta vez a decisão pendeu para cima...
O que mais gostei neste livro é o Mundo criado por Bishop. Gostei muito da ideia/conceito paisagens, como funcionam,....
Penso que este é o seu ponto forte (pelo menos para mim) .... os mundos que cria.
No entanto, as personagens já não me cativam tanto. O "mau" - o devorador do mundo - que tem uma concepção que poderia causar muitos estragos e ser uma personagem realmente temível (porque a ideia está lá toda...more
O que mais gostei neste livro é o Mundo criado por Bishop. Gostei muito da ideia/conceito paisagens, como funcionam,....
Penso que este é o seu ponto forte (pelo menos para mim) .... os mundos que cria.
No entanto, as personagens já não me cativam tanto. O "mau" - o devorador do mundo - que tem uma concepção que poderia causar muitos estragos e ser uma personagem realmente temível (porque a ideia está lá toda...more
Second (final) in the Ephemera series. Same characters as the first, but Sebastian, the main character of the first book, takes back-seat in this one.
Gotta agree with pretty much everyone, it's not as good as the "Black Jewels" series, but it stands up pretty well. Well thought out universe, interesting characters, good plot. Characters are a bit 'dreamier' than the Black Jewels universe - romantic and occasionally immature/unrealistic because it advances the plot, but *shrug* it's still a good...more
Gotta agree with pretty much everyone, it's not as good as the "Black Jewels" series, but it stands up pretty well. Well thought out universe, interesting characters, good plot. Characters are a bit 'dreamier' than the Black Jewels universe - romantic and occasionally immature/unrealistic because it advances the plot, but *shrug* it's still a good...more
This book I liked a lot better than Sebastian. Then again, I wasn't falling over dead with a fever for this one either, which might have made a big difference in the reading. ^^; Essentially it's a continuation of book 1, only with the focus switched from Sebastian to Belladonna. Semi-sarcastic sum-up of the plot: evil is still out there, rawr bad evil eats people, glum panic omg what to do from heroine, look love interest!, time for heroine to grow as a person, time for love interest to grow as...more
Bishop fails to maintain her story-crafting norm with Belladonna. Bishop falls prey to dialogitus--where characters engage in witty repartee that often does nothing to further the plot or illuminate their personalities.
The "evil" of the book, a rather well-developed and frightening foe in book one, becomes frightened and lost in the ocean and really provides no threat or obstacle for most of the novel. "It" must have taken romantic tension to the middle of the ocean too, as it was sadly missing...more
The "evil" of the book, a rather well-developed and frightening foe in book one, becomes frightened and lost in the ocean and really provides no threat or obstacle for most of the novel. "It" must have taken romantic tension to the middle of the ocean too, as it was sadly missing...more
Belladonna é a continuação e conclusão da história iniciada em Sebastian. Voltamos a encontrar mais um dos mundos originais inventado por Anne Bishop, desta vez um composto por diferentes paisagens, ligadas entre elas por pontes, que são mantidas em equilíbrio por Paisagistas e que respondem aos seus desejos e emoções.
Estava com bastante expectativa em relação a este livro, em especial porque a sua protagonista tinha sido uma das minhas personagens preferidas do livro anterior e tinha muita curi...more
Estava com bastante expectativa em relação a este livro, em especial porque a sua protagonista tinha sido uma das minhas personagens preferidas do livro anterior e tinha muita curi...more
Sometimes this book was amazing, sometimes it was too long. Maybe because I read it right after Sebastian and had payed so much attention to the «rules» of Ephemera that I didn’t need to read about them all over again. Maybe that stuff was written to appease some skeptical readers, but to me was quite unnecessary. I don’t ask many questions about fantastic worlds, I don’t try to make them more «real». What would be the fun in that?
That said, this book is about love. While the others always had a...more
That said, this book is about love. While the others always had a...more
Now we talk about Belladonna, who gets her own love interest who can conveniently help her kill the Eater of the World.
I still adore the world Bishop lays out with landscapers and bridges, and like how the characters are learning more and more about the world, such as how it used to be whole, like real life is, without necessary bridges to get around.
Some more magic is added with luckbringers/illwishers, but the description was a little too flighty and vague for my taste. Still, I enjoyed the b...more
I still adore the world Bishop lays out with landscapers and bridges, and like how the characters are learning more and more about the world, such as how it used to be whole, like real life is, without necessary bridges to get around.
Some more magic is added with luckbringers/illwishers, but the description was a little too flighty and vague for my taste. Still, I enjoyed the b...more
Michael has been travelling through towns trying to make the world a better place through his music but his heart yearns for something or someone else. "Heart's hope lies within belladonna" is both a riddle and an answer that Michael must resolve if he is ever to find out where he belongs in the world of Ephemera.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one in the series. I put it down several times and read other books which is a good indication that it just wasn't cutting it. Hope the ne...more
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one in the series. I put it down several times and read other books which is a good indication that it just wasn't cutting it. Hope the ne...more
A gripping sequel to Sebastian, Anne Bishop continues the story of the characters who inhabit Ephemera, a fantasy land where the land reflects the hearts of those who influence it. The powerful Landscaper Glorianna Belladonna, cast out during her training from her fellow Landscapers, struggles with her mission to cast out the Eater of the World and to protect the places of Light. She finds help from her family and from two siblings who find their way into Glorianna's landscapes. With her signatu...more
I finished Belladonna, the second book of the Ephemera series today. I really enjoyed reading the book. There were a lot of great parts, fun parts, and the bad stuff was more distant then in the first book. Belladonna kept my interest throughout the book and the last half I had a hard time putting it down.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the main characters (family & friends), such as Nadia, Sebastian, Lynnea, Yoshani, Teaser, Caitlan, Bridget. The main characters in this book...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the main characters (family & friends), such as Nadia, Sebastian, Lynnea, Yoshani, Teaser, Caitlan, Bridget. The main characters in this book...more
Quando acabei de ler o "Sebastian", o livro anterior a este, achei que tinha acabado de uma forma suficientemente boa para não necessitar de uma continuação (embora raramente alguém se queixe de ter Anne Bishop para ler), por isso acabei por adiar de certa forma a leitura deste, devido à minha falta de curiosidade. Mas passados alguns capítulos já estava envolvida na história novamente!
Aquilo de que mais gostei neste livro foi o facto de podermos conhecer outras partes de Efémera, o mundo formad...more
Aquilo de que mais gostei neste livro foi o facto de podermos conhecer outras partes de Efémera, o mundo formad...more
The landscapes of Ephemera are falling to the Eater of the World. It's causing discord and tainting everything with doubts and fears. The dark emotions of the people of Ephemera are slowly overtaking the light. Glorianna Belladonna is the only one who has the ability to stop the Eater from destroying everything. For years, Belladonna has dreamed of a fantasy lover, when she meets Michael, they discover that he holds the key to unlocking the secret of stopping the Eater and only by giving up ever...more
This book is all about discovering your strengths and who you are and who you are meant to be. Belladonna has always known she is the only one who can take on the Eater of the World. She is the only Guide of the Heart and Landscaper with the power and the connection to Ephemera to take It out of the world and stop it from destroying the Light. She thought when the Eater destroyed the Landscapers school (in book 1--Sebastian) that she was the only Landscaper left holding Ephemera together, but wh...more
Um aspecto muito positivo neste livro é que, Anne Bishop vai-nos lembrando ao longo da história de certos acontecimentos e personagens de Sebastian, que já estariam esquecidos, evitando assim uma certa confusão no leitor ao longo da sua leitura.
Somos presenteados uma vez mais com o humor de certas personagens como o Provocador, que faz jus ao seu nome, e com certas situações como as discussões entre irmãos e alguns mal entendidos. Também nos podemos deliciar com aquelas típicas expressões a que...more
Somos presenteados uma vez mais com o humor de certas personagens como o Provocador, que faz jus ao seu nome, e com certas situações como as discussões entre irmãos e alguns mal entendidos. Também nos podemos deliciar com aquelas típicas expressões a que...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Not my normal review format. Pulling the LJ entry I made for this, long before I joined Goodreads.
Combined review of both "Sebastian" and "Belladonna".
Interesting enough, I just finished a book, or rather series of two books that had water horses in it. Only they were demons who looked like horses. If you went for a ride on them, they would drag you into the closest body of water and hold you under till you drowned. Nice, huh? Can't say they were absolute "bad guys", cause these were books by A...more
Combined review of both "Sebastian" and "Belladonna".
Interesting enough, I just finished a book, or rather series of two books that had water horses in it. Only they were demons who looked like horses. If you went for a ride on them, they would drag you into the closest body of water and hold you under till you drowned. Nice, huh? Can't say they were absolute "bad guys", cause these were books by A...more
Apr 11, 2008
Amber
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Bishop's other books looking for a nostalgic read.
Recommended to Amber by:
Sebastian by Anne Bishop
Shelves:
fantasy
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In some ways not as good as the first book, in some ways better. I really liked Michael, and I even liked Glorianna/Belladonna. I'm liking the world better, the more I get used to it. It seems a lot more...I don't know, more. Anyway, I was feeling the characters really well in this one. I liked the end, right up to the finale, the very, very end. I wanted something a bit more defined with Belladonna.
This book felt like a finale. I imagine the next book will be about Lee, but this one felt like...more
This book felt like a finale. I imagine the next book will be about Lee, but this one felt like...more
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Anne Bishop lives in upstate New York where she enjoys gardening, music, and writing dark, romantic stories. She is the author of fourteen novels, including the award-winning Black Jewels Trilogy. Her most recent novel,Twilight’s Dawn, made the New York Times bestsellers list. She is currently working on a new series, which is an urban dark fantasy with a bit of a twist.
Crawford Award (2000)
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Crawford Award (2000)
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Bjs e Boas leituras.
Dec 02, 2009 01:32pm