Sebastian by Anne Bishop

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Roc (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451460960
• ISBN-13: 978-0451460967
• Goodreads.com synopsis: Long ago, to stop the onslaught of the Eater of the World, Ephemera was split into a dizzying number of strange and magical lands connected only by bridges that may take you where you truly belong, rather than where you had intended to go. Now, with the Eater contained and virtually forgotten, the shifting worlds of Ephemera have been kept stable by the magic of the Landscapers. In one such land, where night reigns and demons dwell, the half-incubus Sebastian revels in dark delights. But in dreams she calls to him: a woman who wants only to be safe and loved - a woman he hungers for while knowing he may destroy her. But a more devastating destiny awaits Sebastian, for in the quiet gardens of the Landscapers' School, evil is stirring. The prison of the Eater of the World has weakened - and Sebastian's realm may be the first to fall. 

I loved Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series and was looking forward to reading more of her work. I was certainly not disappointed with this first book of the Ephemera duology. 

I loved so many things about this book, my favorite being the world of Ephemera. Anne Bishop has done such an amazing job of bringing to life the magic of the world itself, Ephemera is created by the feelings and beliefs of the residents, and crossing a bridge will take you to the landscape that reflects the person you truly are inside. 

In order to stop the darkness of human feelings from overwhelming the world, landscapers shape the magic of Ephemera into building different types of landscapes, interweaving the light and the darkness into cities and farmland and everything in between. 

The conflict begins when "The Eater of the World" escapes from where its been confined for centuries and begins trying to influence the minds of everyone toward the darkness, tipping the balance and changing the face of Ephemera. Only one landscaper is powerful enough to stop this from happening, Belladonna, the cousin of Sebastian. Sebastian is a half wizard half incubus who has struggled to find a place where he belongs, that reflect those two very different sides of his nature. Along the way, he meets Lynnea, who is also searching for a place she can feel safe. The romance between them is not overdone, however, I didn't connect with them as much as I would have liked. 

Belladonna is a much more interesting character, escaped from being walled into her garden by the wizards at the landscapers school, Gloriana Belladonna learns what it means to be who she is.

The Den of Iniquity has a variety of fascinating characters, from the bulldemons to the demoncycles, to the pub owner who's specials include Stuffed Tits and Phallic Delights. What keeps me from rating this a 5 star is that I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. However, I still truly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the next.