Kushiel's Mercy

I find Jacqueline Carey’s work to be addicting and intoxicating, particularly her Kushiel’s Legacy series. KUSHIEL’S MERCY is no exception to this rule, considering I received it yesterday (early, considering it is due out June 12th!) and read most of it in an hours-long marathon read overnight. It is impossible to put down.

Imriel and Sidonie’s love for each other has finally become public, but for it to acknowledged by the Queen of Terre d’Ange, Sidonie’s mother Ysandre, Imriel must find his mother and bring her to justice for the crimes she committed in Carey’s first trilogy. Imriel takes on this challenge to win his love, only to be confronted with even more insurmountable obstacles that endanger everything he holds show more dear.

This is a fabulous book. It is well-plotted, never a dull moment, events popping up that I never would have expected. As I mentioned, I literally could not put it down until I was done. Carey’s writing remains spectacular and her character development proceeds at a running pace. Imriel’s development is absolutely stunning, considering where he came from in KUSHIEL’S SCION, and she has done a wonderful job here as well. Princess Sidonie comes into her own, providing us with another of her very strong females, though she and Phedre are vastly different. Carey excels at creating characters to fall in love with - not only that, but who fall in love (and make love, though it’s never the focal point here) with each other in believable and wondrous ways.

This is a journey to treasure and a book I will read over and over again. I am sad that Carey will be turning away from these characters to set another story generations later in Terre d’Ange, but I will recommend these books whole-heartedly.

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Summary: Imriel de la Courcel, son of Melisande Shahrizai, the greatest traitor Terre d'Ange has ever known, now stands third in line for the throne. That fact makes his relationship with Sidonie, the heir to Queen Ysandre, quite inconvenient. Most people believe that it is a sham, that Imriel is making a bid for power, but Imriel and Sidonie have denied Elua's precept of "love as thou wilt" before, to disastrous consequences, and they are not willing to be separated again. Ysandre has decreed that she sanction their union only if Imriel can find his mother and bring her to justice, otherwise Sidonie risks being disinherited. But once again, circumstances intervene, and an envoy from Carthage comes secretly bearing dire magics that show more leave Imriel mad and Sidonie taken off to foreign lands, believing herself to be the willing bride of another. And now Imriel must sacrifice everything, down to the deepest core of his being, if he wants to rescue her and save his homeland from the delusions that are tearing it apart.

Review: I have said before, many times (many many times), how amazing Jacqueline Carey's writing is, how incredible her characters are, how rich her worldbuilding is, how much I love Phèdre and Joscelin and Imriel and Terre d'Ange and the Kushiel books and just about everything to do with this series. In fact, my saying as much usually takes the form of a very caps-lock-y "OH MY GODS YOU GUYS THESE BOOKS ARE SO AMAZING WHY AM I ONLY READING THEM NOW EVERYONE I KNOW SHOULD BE READING THEM IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE EEEEEEEE! SO GOOD!" And this book didn't let me down on any of those fronts, so rather than spending paragraphs of this review in fangirly squee-ing mode, let's just take all of that as a given, shall we? Splendid.

So, some particular things I liked about this book. Carey's very good about plotting long, epic books that each have satisfying and relatively stand-alone plot arcs but also function as part of a greater whole. This installment, like all of the others, had plenty of twists and turns, and complications, and details that muddy up the waters just when you think you see where things are going to go. This book in particular did a nice job of dealing with the idea of the sins of previous generations being visited upon the next generation, and of having to deal with your past, even when it's not of your own making, before you can embrace your future. I also absolutely loved the way that this book played with the ideas of personality and memory and free will and identity, and how all of those things interact, and the various ways each of those could be subverted, and the effects that it would have. (And although the overriding theme is essentially "true love conquers all", I definitely appreciated that true love didn't conquer all without a fair number of struggles. If all it took was Imriel and Sidonie meeting each other again and they instantly fell into each other's arms with all of the magic dissolved, I'd have been pretty disappointed, but Carey's much more subtle than that.)

Overall, this book does an very nice job with bringing not only Imriel's trilogy, but also the Kushiel series as a whole to a satisfying conclusions. There are a couple of exceptions, and they're the reason I'm docking this book half a star, and they both have to do with my expectations that were fostered in previous books that didn't quite pan out in this one. And those things are: Melisande and the Unseen Guild. Especially in Kushiel's Scion, it's made out to seem like the Unseen Guild is going to have some huge role to play in the climax of the series, and they're mentioned a bit in the beginning of this book, but it winds up sort of fizzling out and becoming a non-starter. Secondly, I was hoping there was going to be a last bit with Melisande. She shows up again in this book, and she's instrumental in driving parts of the plot forward, but - like with the Unseen Guild - I was expecting her to have a more pivotal role in the climax. She also seems to have mellowed a bit since she's gotten older, and to some extent I buy that - there are some nice scenes between her and Imriel involving Elua's precept - but I was expecting her to have at least a little of her old spark, some final scheme or machination that came in to play at the end, but there just... wasn't.

But, to be fair, on the whole, I was so busy enjoying all of the elements that *were* there that I didn't really bother too much over the few that I thought there should have been but weren't. This series was amazing, and I'm already torn between picking up Carey's newer books, or starting a re-read of the Phèdre books. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don't start with the last book, but the Kushiel books (either the Imriel books or the series as a whole) are so amazingly good, and rich, and absorbing, and wonderfully written, and full of amazing characters, that if you like grown-up epic fantasy, you should definitely be reading them. show less

In this last part of the Imriel trilogy, Imriel and Sidonie are as in love as ever but face tremendous difficulty from the court. No one in Terre D’Ange can forget Imriel’s mother’s treachery. However, Imriel and Sidonie’s relationship becomes the least of anyone’s worries when an emissary from Carthage bewitches the City of Elua, causing Sidonie to forget Imriel. Imriel must then unravel the spell to restore Sidonie and his country, but the answers may lead him back to an unlikely source: his mother.

I thought Kushiel’s Mercy was a solid conclusion to the trilogy. Certainly, it isn’t perfect. Now that Sidonie and Imriel are officially lovers, many scenes are dedicated to them being together, having sex, or declaring their show more undying love. It gets a little purple and wearying at times. I also thought the middle of the book lagged a bit with the war of independence in Euskerria.

However, Kushiel’s Mercy rolls with many of the same strengths that has made the series so popular: political intrigue, sensuality, travels to exotic lands, and interesting characters. Carey knows how to use preexisting mythology to build a world with details in every corner. Mercy is also trickier. Magic has a much larger role this time around, and Carey plays games with the narrative. I enjoyed the Imriel/Leander switch a lot. Many old characters return, new characters emerge, and my personal favourite character Barquiel L’Envers gets the recognition he deserves. Kushiel’s Mercy isn’t the best in the series but it continues its tradition and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. show less

Jacqueline Carey's talent as an author has grown considerably over the six novels of her Kushiel series. She makes page after page fly by so easily that her novels feel half as long as their page count. She is a master (mistress?) of characterization; I often feel even her most briefly encountered characters have a spark of life to them that other authors can't achieve over hundreds of pages. As a further display of her talent, a third of the way through this novel she does something very risky with her point of view narrator that could have been a disaster, but she pulls it off very well and kept me invested.

I like how Kushiel's Avatar has been continuously referenced throughout this second trilogy, unlike the way many series seem to show more dismiss the long-term effects of past events. This trilogy doesn't suffer from the comparison, and what's completed here is a potentially stronger overarching story than was constructed for the original trilogy: the growth and redemption of Imriel.

Political intrigue, military strategem, dark magic - these fantasy elements are again all present, layered over with fascinating world-building that's easily among my favourites. I'm hoping for many more return journeys to Terre d'Ange in future. show less

A wonderful ending to a wonderful trilogy. I had my doubts when the point of view in this trilogy changed to Imriel (from Phedre of the first trilogy). I mean, a woman writing from a man's POV? But I think she pulled it off! I guess it would take a guy to confirm that. The magic in this book is inventive and original. And once gain, Carey had me reading way past my bedtime on a work night because I was so enthralled I couldn't put it down. I'm sure my boss is happy I've run out of Kushiel's books to read till the next series starts next year!

This book concludes the second Kushiel trilogy by Jacqueline Carey which features Imriel as the lead character. This book was a perfect conclusion to this trilogy. It's a long book, very long. Imriel's journey in this book is just as immense as in the last book. This book felt like it encompassed more than one story, it could have (again) been more than one book. Unlike the last book, I feel that that worked for this book. This book wasn't a struggle to get through. It flowed beautifully, was action packed, and had you holding your breath until the very end.

Imriel and Sidonie confront Ysandre about their relationship; which threatens to tear the realm apart. Sidonie stands to inherit the throne and her relationship with Imriel is less show more than appreciated considering his mother was a traitor to the crown. When confronted Ysandre says only one thing will sway her into allowing their relationship; Imriel must find his traitorous mother and bring her back to Terre d'Ange for execution. As Imriel starts this difficult task, there is an unexpected entourage from Carthage. The visit from Carthage sets events into motion that no one could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this book. I was sad that the characters were put through so much torment. There is no one in this book who is left unscathed in the end. As usual Imriel and Sidonie take the brunt of it. One again Carey does an excellent job of character development. We really see Imriel and Sidonie grow into adults and it is wonderful to watch them become comfortable with who they are.

The writing is beautiful and perfect, as with the rest of this series. I thought that the pacing of this book was much better than the last book. The action stays consistent throughout. The only point at which I found myself wanting something to happen was when Leander and Sidonie were spending time in Carthage together. I think this was done for a purpose though and did a good job in conveying the helplessness of their situation there.

Some wonderful new characters were introduced in the way of Leander and Kratos. I am always amazed at Carey's skill in making even minor characters have depth and history.

SPOILER ALERT*********
I have to mention this because the skill with which it was executed amazed me! When Imriel took on Leander's self, the style of writing totally changed to reflect Leander's thoughts and actions. Then as Imriel's love begins to break down the spell that makes him Leander, you slowly see Imriel's personality revert back to Imriel's. I thought it was very cool that Carey could make this personality change so subtle and realistic.
SPOILER ENDED************

I really did love this book. Even though it was lengthy, I was a bit sad when it was over. Then ending was perfect and beautiful as it the rest of the book. I am beginning to wonder if we will see a trilogy focused around Sidonie's sister Alais next. Carey seemed to be hinting that Alais is going to go through some struggles in the future. Hopefully the two catch phrases in that book "Love as thou wilt" and "All knowledge is worth having" will carry on to any future work she does. show less

Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey is the third volume of the trilogy featuring Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel as the protagonist. Or, depending on how you want to count it, the novel is the sixth volume in Carey's series Kushiel's Legacy. Regardless, it is an ending point. I've been reading Kushiel's Legacy from the beginning and I love the books. The series has gained a devoted following and many of the individual volumes have been nominated for and have won various awards and honors. Kushiel's Mercy was first published in 2008, so I'm a few years behind in my reading. I've been taking my time with the series. The books are fairly lengthy, and while the second trilogy's style is less flowery than the first's, there is still quite show more a bit going on. It was only a matter of time before I got around to reading Kushiel's Mercy, and now I have.

After taking revenge on the person responsible for his wife Dorelei's murder in Alba, Imriel is able to return to Terre d'Ange and the woman he loves with all his soul--Sidonie, the heir to the throne. There are many people in the realm who are unhappy with this situation. Because Imriel is the son of Terre d'Ange's greatest traitor, many suspect his motivations and believe his desire to be impure. Imriel and Sidonie know better. However, in order to prove his intentions to the Queen and the peerage, and in order to be officially recognized as Sidonie's husband, Imriel is ordered to bring his mother to justice. Imriel has not had much happiness in his life, and he is willing to do what he must in order to keep it and the woman he loves. But before he can, Terre d'Ange falls victim to the schemes of Carthage and he must confront a foe even more dangerous than his mother.

It has been wonderful to watch Imriel grow and change ever since his introduction in Kushiel's Avatar and as the protagonist of his own trilogy (Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Justice, Kushiel's Mercy). He used to be defined by those around him--his traitorous mother, his heroic foster parents--but in Kushiel's Mercy he has finally become his own person. Imriel has matured greatly throughout Kushiel's Legacy; he now knows who he is and what he wants, and he is willing to fight for his own sake. One of the things that I love about Carey's Kushiel books is that the characters' sexuality is integral to who they are as people and is important to their development. The sex isn't just there to be there (although I'm okay with that, too) but it's an important part of the story for a reason.

I'll admit, there were some aspects of Kushiel's Mercy that I was hesitant about, particularly the prominence of arcane magic in the story. Honestly, I felt a little cheated. At least at first. Terre d'Ange doesn't really have a tradition of arcane magic. Although divine gifts and abilities have always played a part in Kushiel's Legacy, arcane magic's role has always been fairly limited up until now. But by the end of Kushiel's Mercy, Carey had convinced me that the incorporation of arcane magic into her world was the correct one. The story that she wanted to tell couldn't have been told in any other way. However, what probably impressed me most about Kushiel's Mercy, was how skillfully Carey not only ties together Imriel's trilogy but the entire Kushiel cycle as a whole. I found Kushiel's Mercy to be an extremely satisfying ending, but I still look forward to reading the next trilogy as well.

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