Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey (Book Review by Melissa A. Bartell)
Kushiel’s Justice
by Jacqueline Carey
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There are few tales more compelling than those which boil down to “how do we get back home?” While Jacqueline Carey’s sixth installment in the Kushiel’s Legacy series, Kushiel’s Mercy, is many things – a fantasy adventure, a love story, a war story – the driving premise of the book is about Imriel, fully-grown up in both body and mind now, trying not only to get back home, but to make sure home is there when he arrives.
The novel opens just after its predecessor, Kushiel’s Justice ended, with Prince Imriel and Princess Sidonie, having mourned the death of Imriel’s wife Dorelei, finally “go public” with their love for each other, beseeching Queen Ysandre and her consort, King Drustan to let them explore the relationship they denied, and in so doing, ignored the most core precept of D’Angeline society: Love as thou wilt.
Of course, a queen telling her daughter and her daughter’s suitor, “Sure, go for it, be happy,” would make a poor (and short) novel, so Ysandre sets a condition. She will do nothing to stop their romance, but in order for her to fully accept it, Imriel must bring his mother, Melisande, back to Terre d’Ange to face execution for her traitorous deeds in past novels.
Imriel agrees, but before he can set off on his quest, there is a state ball, at which a foreign leader approaches Sidonie with an offer of marriage and political alliances. She declines, of course, and tells Imriel about it, and they enjoy the rest of the party, except that Imriel is accosted on his way back to his rooms, and stabbed with a needle. When he wakes up, a month has passed, Terre d’Ange has celebrated Sidonie’s marriage to the “enemy” leader, and no one has any recollection of the real state of affairs.
His quest is now doubled: bring his mother home, and find a way to restore Terre d’Ange to it’s right self. What follows is an adventure that leads us all over this version of Europe, and involves spying on Sidonie, wooing her again, and leading forces against her husband. As well, he must keep other D’Angelines from returning home and losing their memories of the “real” world, and help Sidonie’s little sister take command (Alais having been in Avalon, and not mind-clouded).
If it all seems implausible, rest assured that under Jacqueline Carey’s deft hand, these threads are woven into a satisfying tapestry of a novel, that includes love in all forms from the filial to the romantic, sex, humor, and fantastic action sequences. As well, typically for a Carey novel, while the book makes more sense if you’ve read the previous five, it can stand alone.
Kushiel’s Mercy is being officially released on June 12th, though some booksellers may already have it. For more on Jacqueline Carey, see our interview with her in this issue.
Melissa A. Bartell left her heart in San Francisco, because her books took up too much room in her luggage. She is a freelance writer living and working in the Dallas, TX metroplex, and generally reads 2-3 books a week. She is the Senior Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can find her at her blog as well as other places here and there.
