Kushiel's Scion
by Jacqueline Carey
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jacqueline CareyEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2006-06-12
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 768
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of Kushiel's Scion
Book Review: A disappointment
Summary: 3 Stars
Having read--and ultimately enjoyed--the original three books in this universe at the suggestion of my wife, I was hoping to find this new series as enjoyable. Sadly, if this first book is any indication, it won't be.
First, let me say that the book was not terrible. Jacqueline Carry writes very well and creates a cast of characters that are rather three-dimensional. Her odd, alternate-history universe continues to be an interesting blend of early Renaissance and Classical cultures.
But without rehashing the plot as many reviewers have, I will simply say that I found Imriel to be a less than compelling narrator and the story itself similar underwhelming. While I want to feel sympathy for Imriel given his plight in the last book, I instead find myself rather bored by his incessant angst and quasi-adventures.
The book starts rather well. I found Imriel's initial development to be interesting enough. But by the time he heads off to Tiberium (Rome), the book takes a turn. The entire second act was rather uninteresting to me. Not awful, mind you--just not enormously interesting. I rarely felt compelled to read the book--only obligated.
The third act is better than the second, but not what I would call "gripping." Kudos to Carrey for at least making some attempt at portraying a siege a bit more realistically than the (largely ahistorical) "army shows up, army assaults town" strategy that most fantasy authors prefer. Still, the siege does end with an assault of sorts, so I'm not sure how far to extend my appreciation for her attempt to break the mould here. Renaissance siege engines weren't good enough?
I'm hoping the series improves. I found the original series did so: books two and three of the first series were a good bit better than the first, in my opinion. But the Imriel trilogy has a lot more to improve upon than the first trilogy did after Kushiel's Dart. Because Carry's mastery of the English language alone will not be sufficient to carry two more books at this rate.
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