Carey, Jacqueline - Kushiel's Mercy

[oyceter]

Overall, I'd say the Imriel trilogy is not bad if you liked the first Kushiel trilogy, but definitely nowhere near as fun.

Spoilers for Kushiel's Scion and Kushiel's Justice

Imriel is finally back in Terre d'Ange, with his beloved Sidonie. But the furor they've caused is still going on, and Ysandre declares that she will not allow them to marry unless Sidonie relinquishes her position as heir, or unless Imriel brings his mother Melisande back for execution.

I was curious to see how Carey would handle the long-dangling thread of Melisande, especially since she seems to like the character too much to kill. Let's just say that while I thought this book would go down one path, it ended up going down another one entirely. Although the switch-and-bait felt a little artificial at first, particularly because it wasn't foreshadowed, it comes early enough to not be too startling. Plus, I was more inclined to like it because it meant Imriel and Sidonie actually got to interact for more than a few chapters, which may not have happened had the book gone as I thought.

I did think that what ended up happening with Melisande was very anticlimactic, but oh well.

Spoilers for this book

The mindwipe was so odd! I was expecting this book to be all about Imriel tracking down Melisande, much like how Phedre's trilogy was all about her tracking down Melisande. And then in swoops Carthage!

I still dislike the way Carey writes about non-European-analogues, particularly since we've also gotten Darsanga and not much else of a non-white world. But the sheer mind candy quality of the books keeps me reading them. Also, I adore Sidonie to pieces. It is Imriel's book, but I felt that Sidonie held her own. The only quibble I had was that I wanted Sidonie to be the one to kill Astegal, and not as a gift from Imriel. But I am glad that Carey had Sidonie's hand on the sword; I've read so many romance novels that any time a heroine gets to act vengefully and violently, I cheer.

Also, it was nice to be in a non-Imriel POV (even though it was Imriel POV, but that's complicated) for a bit, and I laughed and laughed as everyone basically told Imriel he was totally emo.

Comments

[anatomiste.livejournal.com]

Haha, Imriel is so emo.

[oyceter]

I know! It is so funny.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

It was refreshing to read through a POV that wasn't nearly as emo, wasn't it? Ha!

[oyceter]

I know! I found it hugely funny! Although I did like bits of Imriel's emo creeping through Leander's devil-may-care attitude; it gave the emo more weight than it usually has when it's turned on full force. And since I love Sidonie and Imriel, it was really fun watching them get to know each other again.

[sajia.livejournal.com]

The Leander section was my favorite bit of the novel. The Carthage bit made me loathe Carey with a vengeance, especially since she got all high and mighty about Tolkien being a racist in her Sundering diptych. I felt the second half of the novel after they flee Carthage was basically a snoozefest.
I did like Kushiel's Mercy, though, because she was more willing to be cruel to characters the reader had come to like.

[oyceter]

I loved the Leander bits! I didn't mind them fleeing Carthage when they were together, largely because it meant Sidonie politicking, which I like, but it definitely got much more boring once Imriel was by himself again.

Also, urgh to the portrayal of POC! Siiiiiigh. I also wanted to yell at the Aragonians for their treatment of what I took as the equivalent of the Basques.