Imriel de la Courcel's birth parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phedre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions. Stolen, tortured and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood; third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies...and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his mother, Melisande, who nearly destroyed the entire realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother's irresistible allure...and her dangerous gifts. As he comes of age, plagued by unwanted desires, Imriel shares their fears. When a simple act of friendship traps Imriel in a besieged city where the infamous Melisande is worshiped as a goddess and where a dead man leads an army, the Prince must face his greatest test: to find his true self.
Kushiel's Scion: Imriel Trilogy, Book 1 (Kushiel's Legacy)
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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The magnificent fourth book in Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series marks the start of a new trilogy set in Terre d'Ange, the author's reimagined Renaissance world. The story picks up where volume three, Kushiel's Avator (2003), left off, though Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel, a prince of the blood, now narrates in place of the unforgettable heroine of the previous books, Phèdre nó Delauney. As a boy, Imriel is abandoned by his treasonous parents and subjected to terrible indignities by pirates. Later rescued and adopted by Phèdre, he grows into a position of authority and learns many skills, including sexual prowess. He has a torrid affair with a married woman, and finally survives a terrible siege at a walled city he courageously defends. The specter of Imriel's sinister, absent mother, Melisande Shahrizai, looms over the action. Credible and gripping, this is heroic fantasy at its finest. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Traitorous parents, the curse of Kushiel's blood in his veins, and the unspeakable crimes he endured while a child slave severely damaged Imriel. Feeling tainted and incapable of goodness, he fears he will misuse Kushiel's gift. Yet he is compelled to overcome the dark forces that shaped him. The love of Phedre and Joscelin, his beloved adoptive parents and Terre d'Ange's greatest champions, has helped him heal. He does an excellent job of comporting himself as a prince of the blood, third in line from the throne, until he turns 18. Then the conflicts raging within threaten to overwhelm him. Pushed beyond his limits by his first visit to Valerian House with his Shahrizai cousins and angry with the powerful, twisted desire that is Kushiel's legacy, in an impulsive moment he flashes up at Phedre--and changes his world irrevocably. He is now on his path to adulthood, first stop Tiberium. Traveling and living simply, he hopes to find himself. Evoking the same stunned awe that the tryptych of Kushiel's Dart (2001), Kushiel's Chosen (2002), and Kushiel's Avatar (2003) did, the Imriel trilogy is off to a smashing start. Uncommonly self-aware, young Imriel, in his maturing thoughts and emotions, is a tremendously believable, sympathetic character. Meanwhile, Carey continues thoughtfully and respectfully re-envisioning S&M in images of beauty, power, and eroticism firmly rooted in the sacred. Intelligent, sexy, heartbreakingly human, Carey at her intoxicating best. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
By Kelly
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just started reading it and already I love it!! I can't wait to finish this series and see where she takes phedre joscelin and imriel next!
By Natalie
Format:Hardcover
...as the previous trilogy. I felt that this time around, Carey put a lot more thought into the actual crafting of the book; the prose had a different vibe, her style seems to have matured. Compared with Kushiel's Avatar, this book is much less perverse! Thankfully, there are fewer incidents of "Ladida! But we're D'Angeline!" being used to write off just about anything. There are some strong new characters (Eamonn and Lucius were favourites of mine) but also some completely one-dimensional additions (Brigitta springs to mind). Also be prepared for previous favourites Phedre and Joscelin to take a back seat, as Imriel comes to the fore.
Plot-wise, I felt I was waiting the entire book for something to happen, and when I turned the final page, was left thinking "that's it?" The promised climax, the central antagonism hinted at the beginning of the book, never materialises. Carey is very much laying the foundation of the next in the series (at least I hope so; if this is the end that it will certainly be a lame one). This isn't terrible, per se, but next to Kushiel's Dart, the first in the series and thus the book that lays down the framework for the trilogy, Kushiel's Scion doesn't stand up.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Carey and the Kushiel series. New fans, I would strongly suggest starting with the trilogy than plunging in here: Scion is a good read in the context of Carey's world and mythology, less good as a stand-alone novel.
Plot-wise, I felt I was waiting the entire book for something to happen, and when I turned the final page, was left thinking "that's it?" The promised climax, the central antagonism hinted at the beginning of the book, never materialises. Carey is very much laying the foundation of the next in the series (at least I hope so; if this is the end that it will certainly be a lame one). This isn't terrible, per se, but next to Kushiel's Dart, the first in the series and thus the book that lays down the framework for the trilogy, Kushiel's Scion doesn't stand up.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Carey and the Kushiel series. New fans, I would strongly suggest starting with the trilogy than plunging in here: Scion is a good read in the context of Carey's world and mythology, less good as a stand-alone novel.
Format:Hardcover
Carey goes back to the intricate world of Terre d'Ange, but this time the hero is Imriel, not Phedre and the story is told from his point of view. It's a good read and I enjoyed it, but it just doesn't have the same wonderful sense of epic as the first trilogy. This is definitely a coming of age story and I have the sense Carey spent most of the novel carefully laying the ground work for the next book by creating strong bonds of friendship and tension between all the characters. I had a bit of trouble connecting and identifying with Imriel, which is why I couldn't give this novel 5 stars. I found the character of Claudia repulsive and couldn't see what appeal she might have for Imriel, other than sexual. The secrets Claudia hints at never really come to light and I found that irritating and a bit of a waste of my time as a reader. The promise of true, terrible danger is merely hinted at, and though Imriel does manage to get himself into a bit of a mess, you know that nothing particularly terrible will befall him. There is no great spiritual awakening here that will forever alter his life or view of the world. Another problem was I couldn't help but compare it to Carey's earlier trilogy. That's my fault, not Carey's, so I shouldn't complain. Still, this story just felt smaller, a bit confined, and less fantastic in comparison. There's also no core relationship here; nothing I could secretly hope might blossom into more, as was the case with Phedre and Joscelin (by the way, it was great to see those two again, although in a smaller, less dramatic capacity). With that being said, the promise of a deeper story and more complex plots still remains. The unseen enemy who pulls all the strings will reveal his or herself soon and no doubt cause a world of trouble for Imriel. Here's hoping Carey delivers on that promise in the next installment.
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