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(More customer reviews)As the second - and please Elua, not final - cycle of the Kushiel's Legacy series comes to a close, the central question most fans will be asking is, Will Imriel and Sidonie live happily ever after? Rest assured, Carey gives us plenty of these two star-crossed lovers (complete with requisite scorching hot bedroom scenes - whee!). But she's not content with just giving us their love story, oh no. She's not even content with giving us another of Imriel's soul-seaching, personal growth quests. In "Kushiel's Mercy," the pattern more closely resembles that of Phedre's trilogy, as Imriel finally gets his chance to save the world, and the woman he loves, from evil magic and the threat of war.
Part of the joy in this book comes from the way Carey skillfully brings everything full circle. In the past, Melisande Shahrizai has been the greatest threat to Terre d'Ange and the one impediment to Imriel and Sidonie's happiness; now she is the realm's, and the princess's, only hope for salvation. In "Avatar," Phedre and Joscelin sought the secret name of God in order to bind an angel; here, Imriel and Sidonie must find the magic word that will free a demon. In "Chosen," a loyal Barquiel l'Envers held the City of Elua while Queen Ysandre raced with her army to avert a coup; in "Mercy".... Well, I'll let you read that one for yourself.
Can I wax rhapsodic for a minute about the fact that one seriously undervalued character, who's been around - and maligned - almost since Day One, finally gets his due? I've had a guilty crush on Barquiel l'Envers for ages now, and it's nice to see my conviction in his wonderfulness finally justified. I love that he steps up here and that he finally gets the recognition he deserves. Terre d'Ange got the better part of the bargain when the l'Envers wed into House Courcel, and not just because of Ysandre. Barquiel has proved himself again and again to be one of her greatest heroes - albeit one of her more prickly, bitter, sarcastic ones. I also love that Alais gets a moment in the sun. She's one of those characters who, no matter how much face time Carey gives her, I want more of. Her ability to stand up for herself and choose her own future - even if it's not the one I would have chosen for her - is one of the happiest outcomes of the entire book.
"Mercy" doesn't quiiiiiite meet the amazingly high bar set by "Justice," in my opinion. Carey leans a little too heavily on a few moments that should just float freely, while not giving enough weight to some other scenes that should be filled with emotional significance. The much-anticipated reappearance of Melisande Shahrizai was rather anticlimactic. And by the 87th time Carey ended a chapter by having Imriel and Sidonie cuddle each other to sleep, I wanted to yell, "We get it! They love each other! So sweet! Get back to the naughty sex!" These are minor quibbles, though, in such a magnificent work.
Meanwhile, one of the most disconcerting - and, I fear that for some fans, disappointing - aspects of this book is that almost all of the major characters spend so much time acting very much out of character. Imriel goes mad and then believes that he's someone else, Sidonie loses a large chunk of her memory, and - most heartbreaking of all - the entire City of Elua falls under a spell that turns them into delusional paranoiacs, barely recognizable to us. I hadn't realized just how much the series still relied on Phedre's resourcefulness, Joscelin's grim determination, Ysandre's wry strength, and Drustan's good humor until they were gone. Terre d'Ange without those beloved characters is a strange and alien place. The madness that haunts the City was, to me, a worse tragedy than any hardship that befell the two young lovers. It really serves to drive home Imriel and Sidonie's despair at what's befallen their homeland, and lends some serious emotional weight to a truly nervewracking climax, but I worry that some readers might not be able to handle it. All I can say is, stick with it! The payoff is well worth the pain (which is pretty much the motto of the entire series, now isn't it?)
Did I mention that I love, love, love this book? Quibbles and nitpicks and worries aside, I simply cannot imagine this series ending any other way. I was torn between racing to see what happened next, and trying to drag out every page to make the experience linger as long as I could. "Kushiel's Mercy" is the perfect conclusion to the Legacy, even if I'm still not ready for it to end!
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