You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
justmolliecate 's review for:
Kushiel's Justice
by Jacqueline Carey
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spoilers:
This book starts where Kushiel's Scion left off - Imriel, Prince of the Blood is back in Terre d’Ange after his hapless adventures in book one. He has accepted his duty to wed Dorelei, Nice of Drustan, the Cruarch of Alba. Due to the rule of succession in Alba, the children of Dorelei and Imriel will inherit the throne of Alba, thus securing a continuing alliance with Terre d'Ange.
I liked Dorelei well enough. She was sweet and steady and she knew without judgement that Imriel would never return her love in the way she desired. I appreciated how Carey used her to show Imriel's growth and maturity as he came to care for and love Dorelei and their unborn child. My issue with Dorelei was that she never felt like she was more than a foil for Imriel, and because of this, her gruesome death and the subsequent events failed to shock me one bit. A moment that could have been akin to the Red Wedding only managed to feel sad but inevitable.
I rated this book highly even in light of the predictability of a pregnant Dorelei's death and Imriel's journey to avenge her and their unborn son. Even when I knew something was going to happen, like when Dorelei died, or when Imriel avenged her by killing the bear man Berlik, I still felt that deep tug of sadness over how the events played out. Sometimes, predictability can be used as a tool to lull us into a false sense of security - like "surely this evil thing that seems so obviously about to happen won't actually happen because it's been hinted at too much to come to pass". But then it does come to pass and that in and of itself is a shock because you somehow expect for your expectations to be subverted.
Jacqueline Carey handled the struggle of duty vs. love beautifully. I really admire the spiritual aspects of all of her books, and Kushiel's Justice was no exception. Some of the negative reviews I've read of this book are furious that Elua and his companions are used an excuse for characters to justify any action under the sun and I don't see that as true. Sure, if you look at things through the lens of what what our society and our world tells us, it casts a different light on everything, particularly Sidonie and Imriel's relationship. But we aren't in the real world. This is fantasy and although it plays as alternate history at parts, the influence of the multitude of deities cannot be forgotten. Within the world Carey created I fully believe that Imriel and Sidonie made a mistake by following duty over love. It did not feel wrong to me that they reunited shortly after Dorelei's death, especially given that they possessed her blessing for the union.
I loved Sidonie. I know that is a somewhat hot take considering many people find her to be bland or boring but I don't. As someone that has always been written off as cold and distant, I adored how Carey showed the dimensionality of that icy demeanor. I couldn't imagine a better match for Imriel than her. She is one of very few characters that allows him to be fully himself and not only does she accept and understand it, but she matches his energy. They truly are mirrors for each other, and through that we see how much she is a healing presence for Imriel.
I agree that this book could have been edited down a bit. I don't mind a slow book when it contributes to character development but there were moments of repetition that went beyond rote to start to feel tedious. This repetition and the predictability knocked Kushiel's Justice from a 5 star read down to a 4.25. Still incredible, still beyond excited to read the conclusion, didn't quite hit as hard as some of her other books in this world.
I liked Dorelei well enough. She was sweet and steady and she knew without judgement that Imriel would never return her love in the way she desired. I appreciated how Carey used her to show Imriel's growth and maturity as he came to care for and love Dorelei and their unborn child. My issue with Dorelei was that she never felt like she was more than a foil for Imriel, and because of this, her gruesome death and the subsequent events failed to shock me one bit. A moment that could have been akin to the Red Wedding only managed to feel sad but inevitable.
I rated this book highly even in light of the predictability of a pregnant Dorelei's death and Imriel's journey to avenge her and their unborn son. Even when I knew something was going to happen, like when Dorelei died, or when Imriel avenged her by killing the bear man Berlik, I still felt that deep tug of sadness over how the events played out. Sometimes, predictability can be used as a tool to lull us into a false sense of security - like "surely this evil thing that seems so obviously about to happen won't actually happen because it's been hinted at too much to come to pass". But then it does come to pass and that in and of itself is a shock because you somehow expect for your expectations to be subverted.
Jacqueline Carey handled the struggle of duty vs. love beautifully. I really admire the spiritual aspects of all of her books, and Kushiel's Justice was no exception. Some of the negative reviews I've read of this book are furious that Elua and his companions are used an excuse for characters to justify any action under the sun and I don't see that as true. Sure, if you look at things through the lens of what what our society and our world tells us, it casts a different light on everything, particularly Sidonie and Imriel's relationship. But we aren't in the real world. This is fantasy and although it plays as alternate history at parts, the influence of the multitude of deities cannot be forgotten. Within the world Carey created I fully believe that Imriel and Sidonie made a mistake by following duty over love. It did not feel wrong to me that they reunited shortly after Dorelei's death, especially given that they possessed her blessing for the union.
I loved Sidonie. I know that is a somewhat hot take considering many people find her to be bland or boring but I don't. As someone that has always been written off as cold and distant, I adored how Carey showed the dimensionality of that icy demeanor. I couldn't imagine a better match for Imriel than her. She is one of very few characters that allows him to be fully himself and not only does she accept and understand it, but she matches his energy. They truly are mirrors for each other, and through that we see how much she is a healing presence for Imriel.
I agree that this book could have been edited down a bit. I don't mind a slow book when it contributes to character development but there were moments of repetition that went beyond rote to start to feel tedious. This repetition and the predictability knocked Kushiel's Justice from a 5 star read down to a 4.25. Still incredible, still beyond excited to read the conclusion, didn't quite hit as hard as some of her other books in this world.