Customer Reviews

Kushiel's Mercy

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the second - and please Elua, not final - cycle of the Kushiel's Legacy series comes to a close, the central question most fans will be asking is, Will Imriel and Sidonie live happily ever after? Rest assured, Carey gives us plenty of these two star-crossed lovers (complete with requisite scorching hot bedroom scenes - whee!). But she's not content with just giving us their love story, oh no. She's not even content with giving us another of Imriel's soul-seaching, personal growth quests. In "Kushiel's Mercy," the pattern more closely resembles that of Phedre's trilogy, as Imriel finally gets his chance to save the world, and the woman he loves, from evil magic and the threat of war.

Part of the joy in this book comes from the way Carey skillfully brings everything full circle. In the past, Melisande Shahrizai has been the greatest threat to Terre d'Ange and the one impediment to Imriel and Sidonie's happiness; now she is the realm's, and the princess's, only hope for salvation. In "Avatar," Phedre and Joscelin sought the secret name of God in order to bind an angel; here, Imriel and Sidonie must find the magic word that will free a demon. In "Chosen," a loyal Barquiel l'Envers held the City of Elua while Queen Ysandre raced with her army to avert a coup; in "Mercy".... Well, I'll let you read that one for yourself.

Can I wax rhapsodic for a minute about the fact that one seriously undervalued character, who's been around - and maligned - almost since Day One, finally gets his due? I've had a guilty crush on Barquiel l'Envers for ages now, and it's nice to see my conviction in his wonderfulness finally justified. I love that he steps up here and that he finally gets the recognition he deserves. Terre d'Ange got the better part of the bargain when the l'Envers wed into House Courcel, and not just because of Ysandre. Barquiel has proved himself again and again to be one of her greatest heroes - albeit one of her more prickly, bitter, sarcastic ones. I also love that Alais gets a moment in the sun. She's one of those characters who, no matter how much face time Carey gives her, I want more of. Her ability to stand up for herself and choose her own future - even if it's not the one I would have chosen for her - is one of the happiest outcomes of the entire book.

"Mercy" doesn't quiiiiiite meet the amazingly high bar set by "Justice," in my opinion. Carey leans a little too heavily on a few moments that should just float freely, while not giving enough weight to some other scenes that should be filled with emotional significance. The much-anticipated reappearance of Melisande Shahrizai was rather anticlimactic. And by the 87th time Carey ended a chapter by having Imriel and Sidonie cuddle each other to sleep, I wanted to yell, "We get it! They love each other! So sweet! Get back to the naughty sex!" These are minor quibbles, though, in such a magnificent work.

Meanwhile, one of the most disconcerting - and, I fear that for some fans, disappointing - aspects of this book is that almost all of the major characters spend so much time acting very much out of character. Imriel goes mad and then believes that he's someone else, Sidonie loses a large chunk of her memory, and - most heartbreaking of all - the entire City of Elua falls under a spell that turns them into delusional paranoiacs, barely recognizable to us. I hadn't realized just how much the series still relied on Phedre's resourcefulness, Joscelin's grim determination, Ysandre's wry strength, and Drustan's good humor until they were gone. Terre d'Ange without those beloved characters is a strange and alien place. The madness that haunts the City was, to me, a worse tragedy than any hardship that befell the two young lovers. It really serves to drive home Imriel and Sidonie's despair at what's befallen their homeland, and lends some serious emotional weight to a truly nervewracking climax, but I worry that some readers might not be able to handle it. All I can say is, stick with it! The payoff is well worth the pain (which is pretty much the motto of the entire series, now isn't it?)

Did I mention that I love, love, love this book? Quibbles and nitpicks and worries aside, I simply cannot imagine this series ending any other way. I was torn between racing to see what happened next, and trying to drag out every page to make the experience linger as long as I could. "Kushiel's Mercy" is the perfect conclusion to the Legacy, even if I'm still not ready for it to end!

Well, I've been waiting for nearly 12 months for this book. I really didn't know what to expect so I had no preconceptions about the plot. I was desperate to find out how the problem of Melisande would be resolved and looked forward to finding out what Machiavellian plot Carey would think up. In the previous 5 books this has been what I enjoyed most - the political machinations, the wicked characters who show no remorse when their actions result in thousands of deaths, the roguish characters who turn out to be loyal, brave and trustworthy and help the hero or heroine save the day.

Did I get any of this? Barely. The main plotline regarding the magic spell was cheap and tawdry. If you think back to Darsanga, the 'magic' there was more spiritual in its origin (albeit from an evil source) but the Carthaginian magic is of the Derren Brown variety. It just feels like a cheap stage trick.

Where was the exciting resolution of the problem with Melisande? This felt like a cop-out rather than the ironic twist that it was presented as.

I know Carey has tried to bring in certain incidents and scenarios to 'echo' events in previous books. This is brave but doesn't really work - it just feels like we are getting recycled storylines that are less convincing the second time around.

Although I feel this book falls way short of the standard of the previous 5 books it was still a good read. I loved the bit where Imriel is being someone else - the writing here is exciting and innovative and explores new topics. My favourite character of the whole book is Kratos - he is solid, dependable, calm and surprisingly intelligent.

So, I know a lot of you will disagree with my comments but I felt I had to offer an alternative view in the midst of the glowing praise as my experience was less wonderful. I too would enjoy a new series on Terre D'Ange set a few hundred years later - I feel sure that new characters would revitalise Carey's view of this world.

The third installment of Imriel's story promises to be an epic adventure and it is. After Kushiel's Justice, there were questions to be answered: Will Imriel earn the Queen's and the realm's approval to marry Sidonie, the Dauphine? What about Melisande, Imriel's mother and traitor of Terre d'Ange? And, will the mystery of the Unseen Guild be unraveled?

For those new to the Kushiel series, it brings to us great adventures full of horror, surprise, tenderness, betrayal, hope, and love. It should also be noted that although part of the plot, it does contain adult sexual material. Throughout the two trilogies, the main theme is love leads to courage. Descended from angels, the D'Angelines hold a mystery of their own: They are touched by their gods. Where other cultures hold empty rituals for their gods, the D'Angelines are guided, blessed, and cursed by theirs. Like Phedre, who is Kushiel's tool and the main character of the first trilogy, Imriel is a scion of Kushiel and a wielder of his justice...whether he likes it or not. But he's a kind person, who loves deeply and strives to be a man untainted by his mother's plots. However, throughout the world, the children of Elua are accepted by some, yet there are others who are jealous and would exploit them.

Not to ruin the story, in this one Imriel and Sidonie will try to keep their promise to not break Blessed Elua's precept, "love as thou wilt," for in the end it could be what saves them. How can the traitor's spawn find acceptance when the realm see he's doing exactly what they feared: seducing the Dauphine to gain the throne? How can a son bring his own mother to her execution? And, can Terre d'Ange survive the political schemes of their neighbors? Imriel's quest takes him across the world to Cythera (Cypress), Carthage (Africa), and Argonia (Spain), through sea voyages, battles, and foreign cities and cultures. Previous characters make appearances and youngsters blossom into the leaders they were meant to be. In the end all the loose ends are tied up with a hint to more tales from other character's perspectives, which would be a welcome addition penned from such an imaginative writer.

Finally, what does the series endeavor to show us? For all things in life, we need great adventures whether to amuse us or to show us what's deep down in our souls...to prove our worth. The Kushiel series laments on a deeper journey, finding love and acceptance in the balance of life: from deep sorrow comes great love, from unerring deception comes enduring trust.

Book number six in Kushiel's Legacy concludes (?) Imriel's story where he is finally with his love, Sidonie, but despite all the previous challenges of Imriel's love, the Queen gives one more challenge in order to allow the two to marry. Imriel is given the challenge of finding his mother, Melisande and bringing her back to Terre d'Ange to meet justice. However, this isn't going to be a straight up quest for his mother - that's been done before, after all. The plot twist that Carey presents is a stroke of pure heartbreaking genius that turns everything that we know about the characters upside down - the details of which I hope no future reviewers spoil.

This is one of the few fantasy series I have read where every book stands on its own as an individual work that does not rely on the previous book for its success. That being said, you are going to be really confused if you have not read the previous books. Start with Kushiel's Dart, the beginning of Phedre's story. At the very least, start with Kushiel's Scion. This is not the book to start with, for part of its success lies in the connection that has developed between the readers and the characters in the past few books.

One of the weaknesses of the book is that there are times where things suddenly go from detailed, drawn out tension to solved in comparatively few pages. There are also some character tensions that could have been explored more and some that could have been not focused on as much. But those are minor weaknesses. Over all, the book is well written and a very creative way to wrap up the series. I highly recommend this book, particularly if you have been following the previous books.

I quote Yeats with Melisande Shahrizai firmly in mind. For the last two books I've waited to see the perilous beauty again, knowing she'd have to appear again at some point. Her machinations and her legacy have always been at the heart of the series, even when she was unseen.

At the beginning of _Kushiel's Mercy_, Melisande's shadow lies heavily over her estranged son, Imriel de la Courcel. Imriel is in love with the Dauphine, Sidonie, but Sidonie's mother the Queen does not fully trust Imriel. And, too, there are many other D'Angelines who are suspicious of Imriel as a result of Melisande's crimes. The Queen forbids Imriel and Sidonie to wed unless Imriel finds his mother and brings her to justice.

Before Imriel can do that, though, a terrible enchantment falls upon the City of Elua, and Imriel is the only one who can save both Sidonie and Terre d'Ange. And the only people he can trust to help him in his quest are two of his greatest enemies.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed the previous five. It has it all: dire magic, forbidden love, transcendent spirituality, devastating war--and yes, sex. There is not as much sex as there is in some of the previous installments, but what's here is beautiful, lit as it is with Imriel and Sidonie's love. If you liked the waterfall scene between Phedre and Joscelin in _Avatar_, you will like the love scenes in _Mercy_.

I can't say much more without ruining the plot, but I will say that when I turned the last page, I cheered Jacqueline Carey for a job well done.

I had fallen in love with Phedra and her consort in the first three books of the series. When Imriel's story came out I was nervous because Phedra and I connected on a character/reader level. I shouldn't have worried though because Jacqueline Carey once again proved to the literary world just how brillant of a writer she is.

This is the third book from Imriel's perspective and by far the best. As he struggles to prove his loyalties to the Dauphine as well as to Blessed Elua he fights against himself, the Unseen guild and everyone who denies his love for Sidonie while he struggles to bring his mother to justice.

This is a very difficult task Sidonie's mother has asked him to do, but the right one from the 'Queen's' perspective. Imriel once again journies across land and sea and he as well as the reader uncovers startling discoveries about other characters as well as himself.

This book is not to be missed and I can only hope that Carey continues the story with another characater's perspective. She has shown what few writers have: the ability to transition to younger characters while still maintaining the integrity of the storyline and plot.

I would give this book, like her other books, perfect scores. Her imagery and depth is breathtaking and sucks the readers into her world.

I had a strong preference for the earlier trilogy before reading this last offering. The first Imriel book (Kushiel's Scion) was interesting but lacked the driving back story that Phedra's storyline had provided. The second (Kushiel's Justice) started well enough but nearly two-thirds of it becomes Imriel treking through the wilderness alone; it got boring. This one looked like it might go the same way til the wicked plot twist created maybe the best adventure of the whole series. I agree with an earlier reviewer that the resolution of each portion was disappointing in the face of the build up to it, but life is like that (6 months of planning for a 15 minute wedding ceremony). I was expecting some new difficulty at each turn to ruin the flow but that didn't happen much (with one glaring exception involving an entirely new plotline that wasted pages, time and a lot of lives).

In reading and reviewing Kushiel's Mercy, I feel it best to keep in mind that I knew full well when I picked up this book the constant problems in Jacqueline Carey's writing -- her annoying tendency to catch a word or phrase and repeat it ad nauseum, her overwrought plots with a cast of characters big enough to sell out Madison Square Garden. I knew this and bought it anyway, paying full price and staying up until 2am for more than one night, tackling its over 600 pages, just as I had done with the other books in the two Kushiel trilogies. And, so, the question must be asked -- why? What makes these books so appealing?

The answer, of course, is epic fantasy, espionage, and lots of sex. Jacqueline Carey knows what I want out of a guilty read and is prepared to contrive elaborate quest plots in order to provide/sell it to me. Kushiel's Mercy stays true enough to its roots to make for a compelling book. Having announced their love to the realm, Imriel and Sidonie de la Courcel face the challenge of bringing Imriel's traitorous mother to justice, but, before this can happen, a new threat... okay. Seriously, does the plot even matter? Suffice to say, it follows the theme of Imriel's long and complicated story, that he will find love and lose it, again and again.

Carey keeps the adventure going until the end, and there are enough spies and sex to satisfy the kind of itch that the Kushiel books traditionally relieve. Those looking for more about Phèdre and Joscelin would be better off rereading Kushiel's Dart, the original and still the best novel in this series. While the Imriel stories lack some of the steam and excitement of the Night Court, they bulge with swordplay and political intrigue. And although I wonder at the sheer number of people wandering around this book, Carey's new supporting characters, particularly Kratos, are welcome additions. All in all, Kushiel's Mercy is an entertaining end to the Imriel trilogy and will doubtless provide many hours of escapist pleasure for readers who have come to seek their thrills in Terre d'Ange.

I'm so grateful to be able to read reviews of books such as the Kushiel series that no one in my circle of friends nor my book club would be interested in at all. And I've enjoyed reading the reviews of the latest Kushiel book, which I finished last night. The overriding feeling I had throughout most of the book was disbelief that JC would use this weird spell to further the plotline. As I read along, I could definitely understand the need she had to come up with "something" to allow Imre and Sidonie a chance to fall in love all over again, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed what happened to both starcrossed lovers as a result of the spell. And I thoroughly enjoyed the ending. But I never did shake the astoundment I had when the spell was first introduced and when it didn't work but oh yes once they came back to Terre d'Ange it worked again blah blah blah. I just wish JC could've come up with another way to created the storyline without stretching my sensibilities so much.

That being said, I still yo-yo'ed between wanting to see what happened next and slowing down so the adventure could be drawn out a bit longer. I almost read the last chapter at a couple of points, something I NEVER do, just to make sure everything turned out ok @ the end. This book is definitely worth the ride, though I do agree with some other reviewers that I enjoyed the Phaedre part of the Terre d'Ange saga more.

I love this series. But, I really miss Phedre & Joscelin. I'm sorry, but niether Imriel or Sidonie are even remotely as complex and make for a less compelling story. I realize Carey can't write about Phedre forever, but the previous 5 books gave the reader such a wild ride full of intrigue and often gut wrenching character growth, that it's hard to expect anything less. I'll continue to read much of what Carey publishes because she is incredibly talanted, but I'm hoping she'll put out something that will more reflect her vehemence for the story and characters.