Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.5
31 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, Readalong week 5
Today is week five of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. Feel free to join in with the comments and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
This week I’m hosting. Now, to the Q&A:
1. Firstly, what do you make of The Guild and why do you think Anafiel declined to join them. Do you think Imriel should join them?
Well, I liked Anafiel and the fact that he declined to join the Guild makes me wonder whether Imriel’s getting involved in something that he shouldn’t. The jury’s out for me with the Guild so far – I can’t see anything to be gained by Imriel for example. And the whole thing with the student riots was a bit of an eye opener with Claudia telling Imriel to take care before she thought to tell her own brother. I don’t know, I think Imriel wants to be part of something so badly that he maybe isn’t thinking about what’s actually the best thing. The Guild, well, they obviously want to recruit people who are in a position to help them and certainly Imriel could do that. And, they’re literally trying to seduce him into their fold. So far, I can’t say I have an overwhelmingly good impression of them.
2. We have the philosophical debates – how do you think these are going to play a part in the story overall, if at all?
I like this aspect of the story. It’s interesting to see the students, who all come from such different backgrounds, discussing things together. I thought the discussion about war and the impacts that the Skaldi war had on them all was really interesting to read about. Brigitta made an interesting point about the Skaldi just wanting to improve themselves, but it made me think of all our discussions during the Skaldi war – if you want to improve then you have to do it yourself, not just take what somebody else has achieved. It was interesting to see Brigitta try to defend that stance. I thought Eamonn was great during that discussion – in fact he’s really growing on me! I feel a book boyfriend in the making…
3. Claudia – what do you make of her. Do you trust her?
I don’t really trust Claudi to be honest. At the moment it feels like Imriel is very much in lust with her, and I admit I quite like this side of him, he feels like he’s developing, letting out some of his frustration, anger and becoming more comfortable. Things are certainly changing very quickly for him at the moment. I don’t know – this whole Guild is very dodgy and Claudia feels just like the tip of the iceberg. I certainly wouldn’t turn my back on her – I don’t think any of her feelings for others run very deep. She comes across as fickle tbh.
4. We have lots of possible attempts on Imri’s life, even going so far as to start a student riot – and his own attempts to bring these to a stop. What do you make to all of it?
It’s very puzzling for me to be honest and I’m hoping that somebody else can shed some light on it all as the drama and attempts have certainly been stepped up! It feels a little bit as though things are escalating quite quickly now, almost as though whoever is behind the attempts is becoming desperate – I’m not sure what’s behind that desperation, is it because Melisande is out and about? It feels like things are reaching going to reach a head.
5. Two particular characters that I find intriguing are Canis and Piero. What were your first impressions and how do they differ now?
Canis is very intriguing. There feels like there’s a lot more to him than is currently being shared with us. It seems a strange coincidence that his barrel found it’s way to being positioned directly outside their residence. I can’t help wondering whether he’s keeping an eye on Imriel. He’s either protecting him – and certainly somebody seems to be doing so, dispatching bodies with efficiency – or he’s spying on him. I quite like him as a character so I’m hoping that he’s there to help Imri. Piero – I don’t feel like we’re finding out as much about him as I would like to at the moment. I enjoy his time with the students but Imri seems to skip a lot of class doesn’t he! He took a chance on Imri and at the moment I don’t think Imri is quite repaying that.
That’s it for me this week.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.4
24 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, readalong week 4
Today is week four of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. Feel free to join in and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
This week our host is Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow. Now, to the Q&A:
1. The aftermath of Imriel’s night at Valerian House takes a bit of a dark emotional turn… What did you think of what happens between him and Phedre? Did it surprise you at all?
It did surprise me and in fact I’m still thinking it over to be honest. I shall have to return to this aspect because I’m not totally sure what to make of it yet.
2. We go from this scene to Imriel’s decision to leave Terre D’Ange and visit Tiberium, and he doesn’t waste much time arranging the trip – though he does make time to say some goodbyes, and to confront Barquiel L’Envers. Any thoughts about this encounter – or his meeting with Sidonie?
The meeting with Sidonie almost felt a little less than I suppose I was hoping for – I think I was hoping that they would both actually show a little more feeling – that being said, I suppose it made sense to rein the feelings in a little. The confrontation with Barquiel – it just seemed to blow up out of nowhere didn’t it – I really wasn’t expecting it – surely Barquiel doesn’t think it would be okay to kill Imriel at Court!
3. Next stop is Tiberium, and Imriel quickly catches up with Eamonn! What do you think of the University setting, and Eamonn’s taste for studying philosophy? Do you think it will help Imri in any way?
I love this aspect of the story so far. We’re once again travelling to a different place and it’s something that Carey really excels at writing. Plus, it was great to catch up with Eamonn again. To an extent it feels like Imriel is floundering – why does he want to go down this route – is he simply following in Eamonn’s footsteps, he does admit that he’s almost envious of Eamonn (not in a bad way) so perhaps he wants to emulate him. But, he seems to have chosen the first tutor he happened upon (who coincidentally was also teaching Eamonn) and he also seems a little flippant about putting in appearance or paying attention – which given that he barely got accepted seems a bit odd. I think, more than anything, Imriel simply needs to escape from himself, enjoy being almost anonymous for a little while, and so whether he’s studying or not maybe doesn’t seem the most important aspect – although, as it’s philosophy I hope he picks up a few pearls of wisdom along the way.
4. An old mystery deepens as Imriel searches for information on Anafiel Delaunay – and appears to find more than he bargained for… What did you make of Claudia Fulvia?
She’s somewhat dangerous I think. She lured Imriel in, got him good and tired (ahem) and then sprung a knife on him – and then tried to make out that she wasn’t going to hurt him – time will tell I think. Maybe her and her husband are both playing a game – it does seem very convenient that he was out of town and he does seem to be completely ignorant of the way his wife is behaving which, given he’s an astute politician I find a little difficult to believe. Let’s see!
That’s it this week.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.3
17 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushie's Scion, Readalong week 3
Today is week three of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. Feel free to join in and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
Now, to the Q&A:
1. Maslin says that Imriel’s gift of Lombelon made the estate small by so easily discarding it. Eamonn says it was Maslin that made it small. Who do you think is right?
I suppose you could equally argue for both sides of the discussion, but I think Maslin is in the wrong here. Frankly his behaviour comes across as petty and spoiled. I don’t think he enjoys the feeling of being beholden to be honest and yet Imriel isn’t exactly expecting him to bow and scrape. It just feels like the feelings that Maslin feels are being self inflicted. It boils down to the intent really and if Maslin can’t see that Imriel’s intent was well meant then that particular feeling of resentment is coming from within himself. He just feels a bit bitter and also a little bit spiteful.
2. What do you think of Imriel’s oath to Sidonie? Do you believe him? Would you believe him were you in Sidonie’s position? When he makes this oath, Imriel is still fairly young and doesn’t have a lot of experience in politics. Do you think there’s anything that could change his mind?
I believe that he believes his oath! I also think that he’s been brought up in a family that certainly know enough and have been involved enough in politics so you could argue he’s had a decent grounding in that respect. However, Imriel is still young and I think his own lack of experience was maybe a little bit glaring when he made the oath. These oaths are not just ‘throw away’ things to be made casually and so to an extent I don’t think he realises exactly the full ramifications of what he did. Again, if you look at intentions I think his were well intended but on the face of it it came across more as a gesture – although deep down I’m sure he was trying to make Sidione see that he really isn’t a threat to her.
3. Things change between them during a hunt. What do you think?
In a way you could see this attraction coming along – well, I thought so anyway, so I can’t say it’s a big surprise. It’s that fine line ‘thing’ between love and hate. They seem to have had animosity towards each other for a while – or at least Sidione seems to have had towards Imriel, but it seems that some of that was built on fear. On top of that Imriel seems to want to be liked and so between the two of them they have become fixated on each other. Not sure what else to make of it at the moment.
4. Imriel becomes the unwilling target or subject of potentially a treasonous plot. What do you think of Bertran’s reaction? Of Ysandre’s reaction and advice to Imriel?
I think Bertram acted foolishly. The way he responded made him look as though he’s never really trusted Imriel but was friends with him only with the ethos of ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ in mind. I didn’t like the way he acted and the way he virtually ran to Ysandre – and, now I think about it some more, he lied and said that Imriel had hampered the chase when in actual fact he had been the one to get in Imriel’s way! Now that just makes me think he was involved in it all along – plus he picked up the hat so he could have placed something in it – very suspicious. In terms of Ysandre – she has a lot of experience doesn’t she, I thought her advice was sound in one way. I was surprised to see that she was scared of starting something – at the end of the day whether you want problems or not you can’t stop them from coming along. It feels a little like she’s taking the ostrich approach and I don’t think that’s going to make her problems go away as we’ve learnt in the past.
5. What do you think of Talorcan and Dorelei and the idea of the betrothals?
I felt a little bit sad for Imriel to be honest. I mean, yes, I sort of expected the idea of politics and arranged marriages to creep into his life but he’s only just come of age and already he’s a pawn on the royal board! I don’t think he’s maybe given Dorelei a chance but then I also don’t think he’s ready for it all. And, it must be difficult for him, coming from the home of Phedre and Joscelin, who chose each other for love.
6. Mavros takes Imriel to Valerian House and forces him to confront…less vanilla sex, if nothing else, and Imriel eventually gives in. What do you think of this? Was Mavros too pushy? Why did Imriel give Sephira her own signale?
To be honest I’m not totally comfortable with it all. It’s almost as though everybody just naturally assumes that this is who Imriel is – and perhaps it is – but for me it feels very forced. I think he gave Sephira’s signale because in actual fact it was too much for him – and he doesn’t have a signale!
That’s it this week.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.2
10 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, Readalong week 2
Today is week two of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. Feel free to join in and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
Now, to the Q&A:
1) In this chapter, Katherine and Roshana introduce Imriel to some innocent regional courtship games. What do you think of the differences between the two games? Do you remember anything similar from when you were a teen?
The difference in the two games seemed to be that Roshana’s game was more what you would expect from a member of House Shahrizai with a little bit of spice added in the form of punishment (albeit very gentle) whereas Katherine’s game was quite innocent. I was kind of glad that Imriel didn’t make the choice to be honest – it would have been difficult to choose between the two I think. I don’t think we particularly had any games like this – I think the closest was spin the bottle and whoever the bottle pointed to either chose truth or dare.
2) How do you think Imriel’s ideas of love and sex affected by the model set by Joscelin and Phedre? Do you think they’re doing a good job getting him through these awkward years?
I think they’re doing an excellent job of bringing Imriel up in a very loving and trusting environment. However, their lives are very entangled with a number of people in quite intimate ways and Phedre has definitely led a very interesting life so with Imri coming to that painfully embarrassed age where blushing is almost as common as breathing I guess with such a famous mother it’s probably a little more difficult for him. Not to mention half his friends and acquaintances being attracted to either Phedre or Josceline must also be tough – but that’s got very little to do with how they’re bringing him up and more to do with how he feels about things. Plus, as we’ve seen Imri and his friends are at that age where they can be thoughtless or even cruel and so taunting Imri with Phedre’s past is an easy thing to do. Like I said though, this is to do with Imriel and his feelings and how he comes to terms with things.
3) Imriel is getting a lot happier and easier at court these days. Is there anything that was particularly notable for you in this period, during the apple-picking party or on the Longest Night?
Imri is definitely becoming more comfortable which to me demonstrates he’s starting to feel more at ease with himself and his identity. In fact I would say he’s almost starting to enjoy his time at court enough that he might start to desire being there more often than not. The apple picking party seemed to be a bit of a turnaround for him. He had a really enjoyable time and was actually quite gracious to Ysandre for what seems to be the first time which feels a bit like a turning point. He has his own group of friends now and his friendship with Alais seems to provide them both with a lot of fun. I liked when he took the puppy to court, it made everything less formal. It was really nice that he remembered his promise to Alais and took such a lot of time and effort with making sure the dog would recognise her scent.
4) Imriel comes of age in this section, and spends his first night in the Night Court, at Balm House. What do you think about his experience with Emmeline?
It was a very touching scene and perfect for Imri in that it was a very gentle introduction. I must say I would have been overcome with embarrassment at his age to even contemplate such a thing! I think Phedre made a very wise choice with Balm House and Imriel maybe won’t be as concerned about future trysts.
5) Imriel has also made a new close friend, Eamonn mac Grainne! What did you think of their fight? How do you think their closeness will affect his image at court?
I thought the fight scene was so well done and I was just really pleased that one of them didn’t have to lose! Eamonn is a great character. I really like his directness and I also like the fact that he’s not all puffed up with self importance and swagger. I hadn’t really considered whether Eamonn’s friendship would affect Imriel’s court image to be honest. I suppose some of the more underhand characters could use it as a tool to undermine him.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.1
3 January 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, Readalong week no.1
Today is week one of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
If you’re interested in joining the readalong the details and other participants are below. This is a nice gentle readalong and as this is the start of a new series I don’t believe it’s necessary to have read the first three books by this author – so, if you want to read some Jacqueline Carey this could be just the incentive and time for you to jump on board. Feel free to join in and obviously, if you haven’t read this series but are intending to do so please be aware of spoilers – because they’re running amok below
I think he remembered it all very well to be honest and it made for a really very good recap. I found it odd at first that Imriel was narrating – even though I knew that was going to be the case – so at first it was a bit jolting to hear him say things about Phedre or Joscelin. I needed to shake myself to bring me out of it. I thought it was really intriguing to hear his side of things too. His earlier years spent in innocence before he was abducted and then the horrible time afterwards. If nothing else being in Imriel’s head also reinforced the fact that he was completely unaware of his mother’s plans and schemes and also blissfully unaware of his own inheritance. I was also intrigued about his thoughts on Ysandre. It was only a fleeting thought but I would say he doesn’t seem too enamoured of her which I found rather intriguing.
2) What do you think is in Melisande’s letters? How did she escape and who do you think assisted her this time?
I worry about these letters and also about the fact that they’re still being kept. I just find it very difficult to believe anything Melisande says or does and so can’t help wondering if there will be some secret subtext hidden amongst the seemingly innocent. As to how she escaped. Well, she doesn’t seem to find it difficult to bend people to her will. Plus, she had a following all of her very own! It wouldn’t surprise me if there was something larger going on though. Her disappearing at a time when Imriel is almost of an age – she’s clearly still plotting to put him on the throne and there are plenty amongst her former house who would benefit if she succeeds.
3) What do think about how Imriel handled Maslin of Lombelon? Has he made an ally or a foe for the future?
I’d like to think he’d made a friend by acting so kindly and thoughtfully. The other side of me though thinks that it would be very easy for somebody – a certain somebody – to manipulate that situation and misuse Imriel’s obvious liking for Maslin to encourage a friendship between the two. A friendship that was actually a bit duplicitous. We’ll see.
4) There’s a few moments of foreshadowing in this section: Elua’s priest’s words concerning finding and losing love over and over again; Alais’s dream concerning a man with two faces. Are you intrigued or just happy to zoom along at this point?
Yeah, that priest was a real bundle of laughs wasn’t he – thanks for that, very cheerful! I’m happy to zoom along at this point although obviously my mind is racing a little bit. There are a number of possibilities already on the horizon for Imriel so it’s going to be interesting watching it all pan out.
5) Imriel’s Shahrizai cousins (Mavros, Roshana, Baptiste) have come to visit for a summer. What are your impressions so far?
I’m not sure I trust any of them. They all seem to be playing a game of wait and see who Imriel takes to and confides in. They’re a bit pushy to say the least and just a bit overly curious – I can’t help wondering if those letters are going to go missing! Of course they could be totally innocent and just purely wanting to get to know another member of their family. I really do wonder though at the reasons for them being there at all and I’m sort of with Joscelin on the whole affair. It smells suspicious to me and the timing of it all is too much of a coincidence.
What a great start – there was a bit of recapping but I found it really enjoyable especially as we were getting the story from another narrator. I really liked gaining an insight into Imriel and his thoughts, fears and wishes.
I also thought it was great to see the family dynamic that Phedre, Joscelin and Imriel share – I really liked that and the fact that they gave him such a happy stable home.
Here is the current schedule:
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow
Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Emily at Emma Wolf
Susan at Dab of Darkness
Books and travelling with Lynn 