Kushiel's Scion

Kushiel’s Scion- Jacqueline Cary

How I found this book: I just kept following the trail of breadcrumbs that Ms. Cary keeps leaving me…have you figured out I’m addicted to these books?

Setting: Terre D’Ange, starting some 2 years after the end of Kushiel’s Avatar, and ending 4-5 years later.

Main Characters:

Prince Imriel de la Courcel no Montreve: The son of Melisande Sharhazai and Prince Benedicte de la Courcel, he is third in line to the throne of Terre D’Ange. He is also the adopted son of Phedre no Delauney, Comtesse de Montreve, and her consort Joscelin Verrieul. As a boy he had no idea what his parentage was, and was kidnapped and tortured in the lands of the Drujan. Now fourteen, he is dealing with all the pangs of growing up, magnified by the fact that his birth parents are two of the greatest traitors to his homeland, and his adopted parents are two of the lands greatest heroes. Imriel struggles to find himself in all of this, at the same time trying to understand what it means to be ‘good’, unlike his mother, who he abhors. He finds as he grows older that the answer to that question continues to become more and more difficult at the years go by.

Phedre no Delauney, Comtesse de Montreve: The adopted mother of Imriel, she is fiercely protective of her adopted son. She is tries to encourage him to learn more about his mother, but doesn’t force him. She tries as she might to guide Imriel through the tender ‘growing up’ years, made all the more awkward by the fact that she is Kushiel’s Chosen and he is a scion of Kushiel, thus making her all the more attractive to the already confused Imriel. Still, she and Joscelin serve as the rock that Imriel turns to when his life is troubled.

Joscelin Verreuil: Still Phedre’s loving consort, Imriel looks to Joscelin both as a father figure and as a guide through the most difficult years of his life. He sees both Phedre and Joscelin as heroes that he can never be, and is jealous of the seemingly perfect love the two have for each other, causing him to occasionally go to Joscelin on matters of the heart. He trains with Joscelin in the ways of fighting, and while not as good as Joscelin and his legendary skills, can handle himself pretty well thanks to his adopted father’s teaching.

Mavros Sharhazai: One of the many Sharhazai clan, he is slightly older than Imriel, and his cousin through his biological mother’s side. He introduces Imriel to the darker side of his nature and his Sharhazai legacy, but is also his friend and confidant. Mavros proves to Imriel that not all of his mother’s family is evil or scheming.

Eammon mac Grainne: The Son of the Queen of the Dalreida, and Quintillius Rousse, the Queen’s Admiral, Eamonn fosters with Phedre to learn something of his father’s D’Angeline culture. He becomes fast friends with Imriel, almost like a brother, and share’s in Imriel’s secrets, including his time with the Drujani.

Gilot: One of Phedre’s men-at-arms in Montreve, he is one of Imriel’s good friends and keeps an eye on the younger, brasher Prince. He also proves to be a good and loyal friend to Imriel.

Ysandre de la Courcel: The Queen of Terre D’Ange, she tries to make Imriel as welcome as possible, despite the whispered remarks about his parentage.

Drustan mac Necthana: The Cruarch of Alba and husband of Ysandre, he is dealing with succession crises at home that Imriel might be able to help him solve.

Sidonie de la Courcel: The oldest daughter of Ysandre and Drustan, she is as beautiful as her mother, with her father’s dark, Cruithne eyes. She is Ysandre’s heir, and is a very cool, distant person who doesn’t appear to like Imriel much. But as he grows older, he begins to see Sidonie in a new light, as she does him.

Alais de la Courcel: The younger daughter of Ysandre and Drustan, she takes after her father in looks and in spirit. She is a lively girl, and is painfully fond of Imriel who she sees as an older brother. The affection is returned by him, and he tends to tease and spoil Alais when given half the chance.

Dorelei mab Breidaia: The niece of Drustan mab Necthana and sister to his heir, Talorcan, Ysandre wishes Imriel to marry her to secure the Alban line to that of Terre D’Ange

Master Piero: Imriel’s teacher at the University of Tiberium.

Brigitta: A Skaldic woman studying with Master Piero, she seems to have an affection for Eammon.

Lucius: Another of Master Piero’s students, he is a member of an important family in the town of Lucca, and is haunted by the ghost of his grandfather, Gallus Tadius. He later becomes possessed by the old warrior when his town is besieged by a rival noble Caerdicci family.

Claudia Fulvia: Lucius’ sister and the wife of the Tiberian senator Deccus Fulvis, she draws Imriel into a torrid affair as part of the plan of the Unseen Guild to attract Imriel into their ranks and to teach him the art of covertcy.



Plot: Imriel de la Courcel no Montreve is the adopted son of two of Terre D’Ange’s greatest heroes, but he’s the biological son of two of its greatest traitors as well. As third in line to the D’Angeline thrown, Imriel must grow in the hotbed of political intrigue, knowing he is not trusted thanks to the legacy of his scheming mother. But his only desire is to be good and to be left out of the politics that seems to want to keep drawing him in. As he grows, he feels the need to go beyond the confines of his homeland to Tiberium to study with his closest friend Eammon and to learn what it is he must do to be good and to escape his mother’s treachery. What he finds is that you can’t ever escape the ghosts of your past, but you must learn how to face the responsibilities and trials of your present.

Themes:

The nature of good and evil: Imriel is obsessed with the idea of what it takes for him to ‘be good’. It’s a small wonder, knowing who is mother is and the horrors he had to witness in Darsanga. All he wants out of his life is to not be thought evil because of Melisande, and to never succumb to that evil himself. In many ways it’s that same journey all young people take, learning how to define one’s self away from one’s parents. For Imriel, it is a processing of understanding and accepting who he is personally away from the image of his mother, and realizing that no matter what others think of the matter, he is not made up of his mother’s crimes.

The ghosts of one’s past: No one understands being haunted by the ghosts of ones past more than Imriel. He struggles daily with the terrors and abuse he suffered in Darsanga, so much so that even the most intimate acts, considered sacred in D’Angeline society, are difficult for him. They are demons that he must overcome and understand before he can move on. Perhaps he learns this lesson best with Lucius, who is literally haunted by the ghost of his long-dead, tyrannical grandfather. As Lucius becomes possessed by his grandfather’s spirit while in defense of his hometown, Lucius must learn to deal with that aspect of his family’s heritage, and learn that despite his own differences from his grandfather, he is as capable and worthy as the old man ever was. Everyone must learn to deal with the ghosts of their past somehow.

Sometimes it just sucks being a teenager: Let’s face it, being a teenager was not any of our best periods in life. We were at once a child wanting to please everyone and we were an adult wanting to do what we wanted…if only we could figure out what that was. We are casting ourselves around looking for answers, and at the same time so certain about particular things that we throw temper tantrums when those are questioned. Being a teenager usually just sucks…and for Imriel he is no exception. It’s a hard thing going through this stage, even for a D’Angeline prince. Carey seems to capture this rough period with sensitivity and eloquence.

Ysandre’s court looks so much different when not from Phedre’s angle: One of the delightful things about this book and it’s change of perspective is a look at the D’Angeline court from Imriel’s eyes rather than Phedre’s. Phedre is much more forgiving of the foibles of the court around the Queen, mostly as many of them are her patrons or formers patrons. Imriel makes no bones about his likes and dislikes, and is blatant in his hatred for Barquiel L’Envers, as Barquiel hates him. This shift is fun to see as it shows us that not is sunshine and daisies in the rule of Ysandre de la Courcel, and that there are real political shifts and undercurrents that in many ways Imriel, in his position as a Prince of the Blood, is much more aware of than Phedre.


Every book sucks somewhere: I had one complaint, and that was that this book seemed never ending. Not only did it span five years, (less than Kushiel’s Dart, but not as cleanly done), but it didn’t ever seem to just finish. Imriel is wandering all about, making one adventure after another, and at one point, I just said ‘screw it’, I’m skipping to the end. The entire battle in Lucca seemed superfluous and drawn out, and I wasn’t certain what the purpose of it was, outside of Lucius’s story, much of that I skipped through.

The Unseen Guild and Claudia Fulvia seemed awkward as well, more of a plot device to keep Melisande’s presence in the story and to give Imriel intrigue rather than anything substantive. I rolled my eyes at the idea, here we go, another secret, Illuminati out to control the world with secrets and lies! Gah….I guess it’s just me, between having a co-worker who bought into the ‘Masons are out to rule the world’ theories, and myself once having been a rabid White Wolf gamer dork, I think I’m a bit tired or that sort of plot thread. But I will admit that it does keep Melisande around in the readers minds effectively whenever it comes up.

What did I like: I loved seeing Imriel grow up. He was such a wounded soul when Phedre first found him in Kushiel’s Avatar, this scared, damaged little boy who had done nothing to get himself there, except having a twist of fate occur. And it was no easier for him to find out the truth of his heritage than it was to deal with his torture. I love this book lets us see Imriel grow up and out of that situation, to thrive and improve, and to learn to love himself on his own terms. It made Imriel a wonderful, interesting character in his own right, a person struggling with what it means to be Melisande’s son as well as Phedre’s son, and still trying to be himself.

How would I rate this wormy book: I would rate this book as a FAT WORM, perhaps not a MONSTER because I really did feel the book was getting far too long. I think it could have benefited a bit from condensing a bit more. But otherwise, I loved this book, I think it was a great way to introduce Imriel and still keeping the feel of the first three books, and I loved seeing what adventures Melisande’s son would have in his own right.