Carey, Jacqueline - Kushiel's Scion

[oyceter]

As several cover flaps note, Imriel no Montreve de la Courcel is the son of the most detested traitors of Terre d'Ange and the adopted son of its greatest heroes.

I can't think of a good plot summary, probably because this book, like Kushiel's Dart, is more an account of how Imriel grows up and less of a straightforward adventure with a goal like the latter two Kushiel books. Mostly this is a recounting of Imriel's life from a year or so after Kushiel's Avatar to when he turns 18: Imriel learning about his own sexuality, coming to terms with his heritage, growing somewhat more comfortable in court.

I feel there is less of the annoying "We are d'Angeline, of course we are beautiful/sexually desireable/loving/the best country EVAR" than there was in the previous trilogy, along with less florid description of clothes, though I may just be remembering wrong.

But that may be partly why I didn't find this book quite as enjoyable. I think Carey knows that nothing can quite live up to the adventures of Phedre, parts 1-3, largely because there's just not that much you can do after you make your heroine nearly divine, along with making her the mostest specialist masochist ever. This book feels like the flip side to the trilogy -- Imriel is already noble, as opposed to making his way up from courtesan-ship; he has troubles with his own sexuality; he has to struggle with duty; his biggest desire is to be Not Special.

Also, he is so emo!

Um, not that this has stopped me from putting a hold on the next book. Hopefully there will be more intrigue and less emo. This book was fairly entertaining when Imriel was at court, but once he left court, I was so bored!

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Those are pretty much the same reasons why I didn't enjoy Scion as much as the original trilogy. (Though much of what I found entertaining about the original trilogy depended a lot on Joscelin.) I found Imri rather dull and boring at points as well as painfully emo.

I have read Justice and in-my-non-spoiling-opinion, I think it's an improvement over Scion. No comment on whether or not he is more emo or less.

A piece of advice: Don't read the B&N.com editorial review for Justice. They might have since taken it down but I was horribly, TERRIBLY spoiled by that review and I think it greatly influenced my enjoyment of the book in a negative way because I knew what was coming.

[oyceter]

Ooo, thanks for the warning.

I'm looking forward to the second one, just because the cover flap seems to indicate that there'll be more court intrigue and therefore more Sidonie and Alais, both of whom I really like.

[keilexandra]

I like Carey's florid clothing descriptions. ;D A personal weakness of mine, if they's a plausible excuse for it. I bought a copy of SCION at Confluence, but it's still sitting in my TBR pile--mainly because nothing can beat Phedre, really.

[oyceter]

I do too, actually ^_^. And the sheer over-the-top-ness of the first trilogy, which is why I'm a little sad about this one. It's giant, but it's not over-the-top, and I feel it should be.

[quivo.livejournal.com]

I *did* hear there was still emo in Justice, which is kind of why I'm not going to bother reading it. Character study-like fanfic is all right, but a whole damn novel? Nah, not really. Especially over Imriel; as interesting as he can be, I was already bored of/annoyed by his issues in Scion. I don't take it personal, I'm just gonna wait for Carey to finish his story and maybe move on to something else instead :D

[oyceter]

Heeee, yeah. Imriel is SO EMO!

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Also, he is so emo! Um, not that this has stopped me from putting a hold on the next book.

For who are we, to deny the pleasures of emo boys? Ye verily, let them go forth and whine about death/sex/some fusion of the two, for they look mightily pretty and pale when doing it.

[oyceter]

Heeee! See, I would be much more enthusiastic about Imriel's emo if he actually did go and have lots of emo sex/death/some fusion of the two instead of just thinking about it. It'd be much more entertaining.

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Aw. I remember being intrigued by the foreshadowing that there would be Things Happening between him and Phedre, since she's Kushiel's Scion and he's Kushiel's line, since that would be an interesting wrench to throw into the family dynamic... But if he's just a Hamlet-esque character I may wait until the entire trilogy is out, just in case.

[oyceter]

Oh huh! I mostly sort of squicked at that, given the parent-child relationship they have, and I feel it would make Joscelin go batshit insane.

... so maybe that last bit is sort of appealing... ;)

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

.. so maybe that last bit is sort of appealing... ;)

Yes, exactly. ;) I was squicked as well but rather morbidly fascinated, especially if it meant Joscelin tearing around in hair shirts working on his self-flagellation, and other guilty monastic habits. (It's possible my idea of monasticism is solely drawn from The Name of the Rose.)

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

I think I didn't mind the whole "We are D'Angeline therefore we are AWESOME" because that's what people do, really. I mean, I'm an American: I know from annoying patriotism. :)

Good to be warned about Imriel. Thanks!

[oyceter]

Hee! It probably bugs me more because in RL, annoying patriotism is one of my pet peeves.

Oh Imriel. Why so uninterestingly emo? Why can you not be interestingly emo instead?

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

Oh Imriel. Why so uninterestingly emo? Why can you not be interestingly emo instead?

Hee!

I have this theory about how woobie-type characters are not really interesting unless they are in deep, defensive denial of their woobieism. (See entries: 'Echolls, Logan' and 'Winchester, Dean'... as opposed to 'Petrelli, Peter')

[oyceter]

It is true! I think it's the wallowing that puts me off. Well, I ended up hating Logan, but that was because I knew he was popular among fans, and I am stubborn and contrary. But he's a pretty interesting character.

[tatterpunk.livejournal.com]

True -- I felt he was a character with squandered potential... actually, his relationship with Veronica was something of an untapped goldmine, as well. I'm not a raving fan of either, (the fandom set my teeth a bit on edge, as well) but any relationship with that much creative screwed-up-ed-ness in it (I'm obsessed with the death of my best friend, and am now involved with the guy she was dating when she died! The same guy who blames me in part for her death! And he's still a potential suspect in her murder!) can delve into issues most TV shows can't, but I felt like the writers got lazy.

[oyceter]

Yeaaaah.... I didn't like it when it got schmoopy. I liked the dysfunctional train wreck of it, but when it got to be more on "Veronica has Issues! With Trust!" and "Logan is wrongly suspected by her!" I got very eye-rolly and wanted to throw things.