Kushiel's Mercy

April 7, 2008
In this vivid conclusion to the second Kushiel trilogy (after 2007's Kushiel's Justice
), young Prince Imriel and his beloved, Sidonie, heir to the Terre D'Ange throne, struggle to come to terms with the deaths of Imriel's wife and unborn son. Queen Ysandre threatens to forbid Imriel's marriage to Sidonie unless he hunts down his traitorous mother, Melisande. Then a spell convinces everyone in Terre D'Ange's capital that Sidonie loves the prince of Carthage, and she sails off to wed him. Only Imriel remembers their romance. He must evade deluded loved ones and work with erstwhile enemies to rescue Sidonie and pull the country back from the brink of war. Carey delivers a heady mix of adventure, power struggles and romance, but fans of the first Kushiel trilogy may be disappointed by the few appearances of Phèdre, Imriel's adoptive mother, and by the relatively tame sexuality, which serves more as a spice than a larger theme.

Starred review from May 15, 2008
Now that he has fulfilled his vow to avenge the death of his wife and unborn son, Imriel nó Montrév de la Courcel returns to Terre d'Ange to be with his true love, Sidonie, the daughter and heir of Queen Ysandre. Despite his determination to be faithful to the will of the god Elua, whose "love as thou wilt" he denied in order to quell the rumors that he coveted the throne of Terre d'Ange like his traitorous mother, Imriel finds that major obstacles lie in the path of his desire to wed Sidonie. To prove his loyalty, he agrees to undertake a dangerous journey to find his fugitive mother and bring her to justice. With unexpected plot twists, Carey concludes her second trilogy ("Kushiel's Scion; Kushiel's Justice"), set in an alternate Renaissance world of subtle yet powerful magic. Sensual prose and graphic eroticism make this fantasy saga particularly appealing to fans of Terry Goodkind and Storm Constantine. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ"3/1/08.]

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.