REVIEW: Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Kushiel series Author Website Summary: After experiencing such tragedy in their young lives, Imriel and Sidonie dare not rebel against Blessed Elua's precept "Love as thou wilt" any longer, no matter the upheaval it brings to Terre d'Ange. The older generation who suffered Melisande Shahrizai's treachery couldn't countenance their union, as they believed it Imriel's strategy to gain the throne. To appease her people, Queen Ysandre agrees to consent their union should Imriel bring Melisande to justice. Review: Jacqueline Carey has done it again! She astounds me with her talent and gift for storytelling. I believe this is the story of Imriel's that I love the most and it is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. The Angelines were right in that the love between Imriel and Sidonie does have a purpose, but it is something not one of them could have imagined. New villains, new adventures, new places to explore! Imriel, who has long felt inferior to his foster parents' heroism, has gained a serene contentment in his relationship with Sidonie. Yet, before long, he would be called upon to play a part in saving his beloved Terre d'Ange from evil foreign forces. Ms. Carey's suspense and adventure-ridden fantasy compels me to keep on turning the page long after I should have stopped reading and go to sleep. Here, we also see Imriel succumbing to his dark desires, as he clung to the trust in Sidonie's dark eyes. What I know of BDSM is only in theory, yet I can say that the scenes written here were not gratuitous and were tastefully done. Sometimes, the author places the characters in the situation and let you imagine the rest. So, everything depends on how vivid and creative your imagination can be... With regard to the final treatment of Melissande, I can only applaud the author for thinking of such a solution. BEGIN SPOILER Surely, readers don't expect Imriel to actually bring his mother to Terre d'Ange to be executed. How could he be called human and sleep at night if he actually did that? How could he be fit to be the hero of this novel if he did? Whatever sins Melissande may have committed, she is still his mother who loved him and who cared for him herself when she had a phalanx of servants to do her bidding. If she were to be brought for execution, I believe it should be someone other than Imriel who does it. END SPOILER It's also great to see Sidonie come into her own as a heroine of her own story, that she was as much a match for Imriel as Imriel was for her. I enjoyed this story for the adventure, yes, but more so because of Ms. Carey's great characterization as she shows us the power of love--between lovers, and between a mother and her child. The frailties of human nature are depicted for us to see, balanced by man's capacity to change with the experiences of life. Book Rating: 4.5

REVIEW: Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Kushiel Series (Imriel Trilogy)

Author Website

Summary:

In this second book of the Imriel Trilogy, Imriel is engaged and married to Dorelei, niece of Drustan, the Cruarch of Alba. Imriel agreed to the marriage mainly to stop the rumors that he is eyeing the throne of Terre d'Ange and to pacify the Angelines' disquiet about having a half-Cruithne on the throne once Queen Ysandre steps down in favor of her daughter (with Drustan) Sidonie. This way, his son with Dorelei would become the next Cruarch, after Talorcan, Drustan's nephew, as the line of succession in Alba is matrilineal.

At the same time, Imriel also engages in a forbidden affair with his (distant) cousin Sidonie, but due to many reasons, political and otherwise, both Imriel and Sidonie decide to put this affair aside, thinking that what was between them must only be lust, which would fade with time and distance.

However, when Imriel travels with Dorelei to Alba for his wedding and subsequent marriage life, he comes afoul of Alban magic, which results in tragedy and a need for vengeance.

Review:

In my opinion, this book is better than the first one in the trilogy.

Imriel is still full of angst and confusion, but I feel that it is in this book that he becomes a man. Not when he accepts his royal duty to wed Dorelei, but when he decides to open his heart to his wife and give their marriage a chance. He learns to love Dorelei and his home in Clunderry. I think if events had not turned out the way they did, he would've learned to forget Sidonie and be contented with the life he has made in Alba with Dorelei.

Imriel's story isn't larger than life, but his was a very human story of love, acceptance and vengeance.

And, I have to say, I was surprised at Phedre's actions. I suppose I've always hold her in my mind as a courtesan and anguissette, but here, she acts very much like a mother would when her son is in danger, thereby adding another dimension to her character. It's good to see that she and Joscelin have arrived at an agreement regarding their relationship (Phedre has taken a lover), though, like Imriel, I didn't have to like it.

Ms. Carey has revived my interest in this series, and I'm looking forward to the last book in the trilogy.

Book Rating: 4.0

REVIEW: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey

REVIEW: Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Series: Kushiel Series (Imriel Trilogy)

Author Website

Summary:

Imriel de la Courcel no Montreve, son of traitor Melissande Shahrizai and foster son of the realm's heroine Phedre no Delaunay de Montreve and her consort Joscelin Verreuil, has grown up and is torn between wanting to be good and giving in to his nature--that of his desire for sadistic, violent pleasures. Though many people suspected him of having designs on the throne, Barquiel L'Envers being one of them, Imriel had no such intentions. Wanting to escape the atmosphere at the palace, he sets off for Tiberium for a year of studies, where he was plunged into intrigue, mayhem and war.

Review:

I have to be honest. I initially picked up this book because I wanted to read more about Phedre and Joscelin. Therefore, I was a bit disappointed when there were only bits and pieces about this dynamic duo (especially Joscelin!), especially when Imriel left Terre d'Ange for his year at Tiberium.

This book is very different from Phedre's larger than life tale, because from the start, Phedre already knew what she was and what she wanted. Even when she was young, Phedre has the self-assurance of mature young woman, and her loyalty and her heroism were at her core. Imriel, however, was a confused young man, brought about by his heritage and his childhood experiences. Hence, this first book in the trilogy can be said to be a coming-of-age story where Imriel tries to search for his identity.

When Imriel sets off for university, he is actually setting off for an adventure, as in Tiberium, he comes into contact with the Unseen Guild and even receives the same offer as Anafiel Delaunay, Phedre's patron. He dives into an affair with a married woman and learns about the arts of covertcy from her. He thwarts an attempt on his life, survives a riot, and eventually helps his friend Lucius wins a war in his hometown. In the process, he grows up.

It's a good start to the trilogy, but I can't say I like this book very much. Though it was interesting to off on a journey with Imriel, yes, I miss Phedre and Joscelin. Somehow, this book didn't have the same awe-inspiring wonder as the Phedre trilogy.

Book Rating: 3.0

REVIEW: Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Kushiel series (Phedre trilogy) Author Website Summary: Book 3 in the Phedre trilogy Cloistered in the sanctuary in La Serenissima, Melisande asked for Phedre's help to find her young son Imriel, who has gone missing. Meanwhile, Phedre still searched for the one name that would enable her to free her best friend Hyacinthe from his prison. Review: Here, we see a mature Phedre, who is contented with her life with Joscelin. They have also come to a compromise each can live with regarding their relationship. Yet, Joscelin will be tested once again as the Perfect Companion, whose love will drive him to follow Phedre to the ends of the earth, wherever she may choose to go. If ever Phedre has a weakness, I don't know if Melissande would stand a greater percentage or Joscelin. Certainly, Phedre loved Joscelin, yet, she's obsessed with Melissande, and it seems Melissande is able to get Phedre to respond to her sexually in a manner that Joscelin couldn't (or didn't even want to, because violence isn't in his nature). Perhaps, it's because they're mirrors of one another, Melissande the person who doles out the violence while Phedre is the receiver, as she craves such and without which her body wouldn't be satisfied. That aside, Phedre and Joscelin embark on another exciting and oft-times scary adventure into new lands, after Phedre's insistence and Joscelin's anguished but willing compliance, to rescue Imriel so that they could have the lead Melissande promised her in order to seek the name of the One God to free Hyacinthe. Phedre's loyalty and friendship to Hyacinthe is to be commended, as she had studied for ten long years to save her friend. Perhaps there was even a measure of guilt that drove her to go to such lengths, for if Hyacinthe hadn't spoken up, Phedre would have been the one to serve as apprentice to the Master of the Straits. I can't imagine how she or Joscelin managed to stay sane after Phedre's ordeal with the Mahrkagir in Darsanga. If you think Phedre suffered when Waldemar Selig tried to skin her alive, read this book and you'll be shocked anew. Yet it was Imri, whose trust Phedre has gained slowly and who thirsts for a family, that drew Phedre and Joscelin together again. At first, I was ready to hate Imriel, not because of his heritage, but because of the way he treated Phedre in Darsanga, when he still distrusted her. But like all of Ms. Carey's characters, he slowly wormed his way into my heart and I couldn't wait to read his story. This is a fantastic story and not to be missed. Book Rating: 4.5

REVIEW: Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Kushiel series (Phedre trilogy)

Author Website

Summary:

This is book 2, comes after Kushiel's Dart.

When word came that reeked of Melisande, Phedre re-emerged from her one year reprieve at Montreve to seek her out in order to bring her to justice. In La Serrenissima, she uncovered a plot to assassinate Queen Ysandre.

Review:

I don't know how she did it, but Jacqueline Carey has me tied up in knots. Did I say I absolutely love Joscelin Verreuil? And I hurt when he's hurt. I had to remind myself a lot of times that this is just a story. These people don't exist. But it is a testament to Ms. Carey's talent that she could engage my emotions this way.

In this book, I initially disliked Phedre because she hurt Joscelin, (see Joscelin's hurt in above paragraph) so much that at times I wanted to throw the book across the room. If I could just leave her in whatever place and let her languish while I read on about Joscelin, I would. Unfortunately, it's her POV the author has taken and I have to go along for the ride if I want to know what happens to Joscelin.

Phedre is headstrong and stubborn, and I didn't like it when her anguissette yearnings rose up again or the way she used pillow talk to find leads on Melisande. Oh, I suppose I should be used to it, after all, that's the premise of the first book, that she was trained in the arts of a courtesan and covertcy mainly to uncover secrets in the bedroom. But whereas before she was free to do as she wished, now there's Joscelin! If she loved him, she shouldn't hurt him.

I guess the reason I was so affected is because at my core, I'm a romantic. And I'm reading about her story and her exploits with my own bias on the concept of faithfulness.

That aside, it was a spectacular adventure with even more fantastic swordplay. Phedre formed new allies and traveled to more exotic lands in her quest for justice. We also get to see Joscelin in action toward the end of the book, and we see Melisande's shocking revelation and all the things that she dared for her ambition. Circumstances in the story caused them to be apart for awhile amid their own misunderstandings, and when they finally came together...sigh. I reread that scene for what seemed like a million times.

Phedre grew up over the course of the book, and Joscelin as well. For all his "hotness", Joscelin has his faults, that of being narrow-minded, and here, he was broadened and his experiences enabled him to accept Phedre for what she was. Too often, we read about a couple's relationship from the courtship stage up to the time of their declaration of love. Here, Ms. Carey brought us beyond that, and we see how Phedre's and Joscelin's relationship grew and how they come to a compromise, and how they learned things about themselves and each other.

Book Rating: 4.0

REVIEW: Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Series: Kushiel Series 1st trilogy

Author's Website

Summary:

Book One of the trilogy

The heroine of this novel, Phedre no Delaunay, is a courtesan and an anguissette, one who finds pleasure in pain. Adopted into Anafiel Delaunay's household, she was also trained as a spy. Treachery and treason followed her as she was sold into slavery, and she became an unlikely heroine who was instrumental in saving her country. Constantly at her side was the skilled priest-fighter, Joscelin Verreuil, whose fate was to stand at the crossroads and to choose again and again.

Comments:

Jacqueline Carey's prose is lush and evocative, which makes the book a pleasure to read. Almost sensuous, the imagery quite vivid. For example, Phedre describes herself as a "night-blooming flower that wilts under the sun".

Tere d'Ange is different from our world in that its people live by the precept given by their main god Elua "Love as thou wilt". Hence, though they may marry to set up a family and a household, it is permissible for them to have lovers, i.e. virtually anyone they fancy. I have to admit that I have a hard time swallowing this at first, as I believe in loyalty in marriage.

Aside from lovers with which one can attain bodily pleasures, there are also thirteen night courts or pleasure houses, with each house catering to a different need: for example, Gentian - the courtesans there know how to divine the meaning from dreams (after they have shared your body to relax you), Valerian - to satisfy the need of masochists, Mandrake - to satisfy the need of sadists, etc. These houses serve the goddess of desire -- Naamah, who lay down with kings that Elua might have food.

Another thing about the people is that, as they are descended from angels, they are all very beautiful. Even the most ugly among them is beautiful by our standards. Oh, yes, forgive me. No one is ugly. Everyone is beautiful. When Phedre and Joscelin went to foreign lands, they are stared at precisely because of their beauty. Even when Phedre was forty (in book 3), she was still very beautiful. If I weren't sensible, I'd be eaten up with envy by the time I finish the series.

As a heroine, Phedre is incomparable. I don't know if it's because I haven't met quite a heroine like her, one who delights in her sensuality and who seeks pain as a means of pleasure. Actually, Phedre is more than that. If she didn't experience pain every now and then, she practically wilts. She couldn't take it. She needs pain. She is also unwavering in her loyalty to Anafiel, her patron with whom she was infatuated. She works for him as a spy and a courtesan, prying secrets from the lips of her clients while they lay resting in bed. Pillow talk, so to speak. But Phedre soon rises above being a mere courtesan. Cunning and patriotic, she would go to great lengths to save the country that she loves, using all her skills to achieve it.

Joscelin Verreuil is a Cassiline brother, the middle son who was sent for training as a warrior-priest. I forgot how, but he was requested by Anafiel from the Cassiline brotherhood to protect Phedre when she goes on her assignments. A Cassiline brother makes the vow of celibacy. In this instance, Jacqueline Carey is an absolute genius when she paired a courtesan with a monk. At first, Joscelin despises Phedre for what she is, especially when she slept in enemy beds. Later on, when he realizes that she does this to survive, so that they can escape to return the news of an impending invasion to Tere d'Ange, he came to respect her.

The pacing of the book is just right, with action and adventure and romance and sex neatly spaced out. Right, I can't not mention the sex, because it's part and parcel of what Tere d'Ange is. I have to say though, that none of the sex scenes is gratuitous and that they are graphic up to a certain point. Mostly, the author hints at things and leaves the rest to the readers' imaginations. I have to admit I don't much understand the BDSM part of the story, but I derive guilty pleasure from reading it.

I have to say though, that sometimes, I don't understand why Phedre did this or that. The author didn't give us a peek into Phedre's thoughts, so I'm left wondering. Or maybe I just didn't catch some of the hints she had given throughout the book. That said, I feel for Phedre and Joscelin and I kept rooting for their happy-ever-after. I was so into the book that I have to keep reminding myself this is only a story created by a woman's vivid imagination.

This book is also a huge tome at almost 1,000 pages (depends on the edition you're holding), but the action propels me onward. I keep turning the page. At one sitting, I consumed about 300 or so pages.

Book Ratings: 4.5