Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey, Readalong week No.8 (conclusion)
21 February 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, Readalong conclusion
Today is the final chapter of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
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 Emily at Emma Wolf is our lovely host. The participants are listed below. Go check them out. Now, to the Q&A:
1. Canis—did anyone come close to guessing his true identity or allegiance (to the extent to which we know of it)?
Well, I figured that Canis was keeping an eye out for Imriel, there were just too many coincidences and the only people who have a real interest in protecting him are either Phedre and Joscelin or Melisande. I figured it was more Melisande’s style and also have the reasoning that she may still be thinking of using Imriel in her future plans somehow so if anything happens to him that would scupper her machinations! Plus, I just don’t think it’s Phedre and Joscelin’s style. They agreed to let him go and do his thing and I can’t imagine them seeking somebody to spy on him – even if it is to look out for his safety – I think they would respect his decision more than that.
2. There are lots of returns and leave takings in this portion. What do you think? Does anything stand out or strike you?
There is a lot going on in these chapters in that respect. I suppose the first one was Lucius returning to his self. It was interesting to hear his thoughts on what took place. I was curious if all along he had any cognizance of what was going on and it was interesting that not only was he aware but he knew what Gallus was planning. Gallus might not have been the nicest of characters but he certainly pulled out all the stops to protect the City.
Eamonn and Imriel leaving Lucca felt almost like an overwhelming relief. Imriel keen to go home, Eamonn keen to reunite with his wife. What it really brought home to me was the fact that this wasn’t their fight and yet they’d been entangled in it.
I really enjoyed Imriel’s homecoming – I almost felt as giddy as he must have been feeling to reunite with Phedre and Joscelin. I guess I haven’t quite let go in that respect yet or maybe just not fully moved on. It’s an odd feeling – I keep expecting the two of them to take over or make a dashing rescue. I think the end of the story finally brought it home to me that these are truly going to be Imriel’s stories – which sounds kind of silly because of course I’m aware of that, it just hadn’t really struck home I guess. I was thinking as we were reading that this book hasn’t been my favourite of the four we’ve read so far but then I realised that not only has Carey had to gently ease Imriel into the story, given his previous experiences, but she’s also had to gently move us, the readers, on as well so in that respect I think she’s done a great job. I think this was very cleverly achieved to be honest. I feel like by the end of the story I’ve finally come to terms with moving on and accepting that Imriel is now taking the story forward but always with the awareness that Phedre and Joscelin will be there in the background – it’s a bit like moving out of your parents home isn’t it!
3. Lots of upcoming weddings (Lucius and Helena, Imriel and Dorelei, Alais and Talorcan) and the (potential) reunion of Brigitta and Eamonn. Any thoughts on these?
I’m interested to meet Dorelei and Talorcan – I’m hoping that we’ll be returning to Alba for that and maybe as a separate storyline perhaps we’ll follow a little in Eamonn’s footsteps and have a return to Skaldia. Those are my hopes. Not really got any more thoughts on that at the moment though. It will be interesting to see how Melisande reacts – she might not want Imriel to marry Dorelei, she could have other plans completely after all!
4. How has Imriel changed and grown through the book?
On reflection this really did have a ‘coming of age’ type of feel to it. We’ve seen Imriel go through so much and it does feel like he’s matured such a lot during this story. He seems to finally be able to laugh a little at his own broodiness which is good I feel because it means he also recognises that he does brood! I thought his homecoming was quite revealing, not only that he stood up for himself in the face of Ysandre and politely declined to rush to her door but also that he recognises that not all of the people he has come to know are necessarily friends – or at least they’re fair weather friends. He seemed less sulky or stubborn somehow. I think he also realises how lucky he is to have Phedre and Joscelin to fall back on and seek advice from.
As I said above, I wouldn’t say that this was my favourite book in some respects. It felt a little slow to me at the start and I guess the action didn’t seem to have the same impact as the first series – let’s face it Joscelin always made a great impression with his fearsome fighting style not to mention Phedre and her clever way of manipulating a situation – the two of them together were/are a force to be reckoned with. It’s a heavy mantle to take over and at first I wasn’t sure that Imriel was going to be able to do it but then I kind of stepped back a little and realised that I wasn’t, in fact, really giving him a chance. I think I wasn’t giving him time to grow into their shoes – in fact at first I was kind of hankering to have them back in the story! I guess what I’m trying to say is that at the beginning of the story I wasn’t really ready to move on myself and so perhaps I wasn’t really giving Imriel a proper chance. I think that’s now changed though and I’m really looking forward to reading the next chapter in his story.
And, in that respect we’re planning a readalong of the next book (to start mid March(ish)). So, if you’re interested in jumping in at this point in the series then keep your eye out for the notification and let me know in the comments so we can add you to the list.
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.7
14 February 2016
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Scion, Readalong
Today is week seven of our readalong for Kushiel’s Scion.
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 Allie at Tethyan Books is our lovely host. The schedule and other participants are listed below. Go check them out. To the Q&A:
1) We begin this section with a slightly happier topic, Eamonn and Brigitta’s wedding. Do you think this was a good idea, for Eamonn and Brigitta as well as for the people of Lucca? Assuming they both survive, how do you think it will go for them when they break the news to their families?
This reminded me of so many books that I’ve read during war time where people, well, rush into marriage. To be honest, I can see this working out for Eamonn and Brigitta because they seem well matched – but, it was very quickly realised and time will tell. On top of that, they’re both from very different backgrounds and I wonder whether they’ve forgotten about their family expectations (not that I would judge them for doing so). I like Eamonn though, i don’t feel like I know Brigitta enough yet, but I hope it works out. As to whether this will be good for the people of Lucca – it will be in terms of Eamonn fighting hard to return to his wife!
2) Firestorm! Do you think this action was worth the sacrifices? In the words of Deccus Fulvius, do you think it is worth destroying something to save it?
Well, it seems like a contradiction in terms doesn’t it – destroying something to save it. But I can see the thinking behind it. At the end of the day if an enemy is outside your gates and you’re under siege you have to lessen their chances somehow and that’s going to be less easy with them being unable to eat the spoils of your labour.
3) The d’Angeline delegation makes a deal for Imriel’s friends. Do you agree with the characters’ decisions on who would go and who would stay?
Well, I could see it coming and the deal was no surprise. If I was Imriel I would have chosen the same. It was sort of obvious who would stay behind to a certain extent – and what I mean by that is the opportunity for Eamonn and Imriel to fight side by side.
4) Do you think that Gallus Tadius knew that his plan to funnel the water to the underworld would require him to also depart? Was that an act of self-sacrifice, or was it unintentional?
I’m not sure what to make of this yet – maybe only Gallus has departed – by which I mean that Lucius will return. That does seem a bit fantastical but it’s kind of what I’m hoping for.
5) Any new thoughts on Canis? Do you think he was involved in informing the d’Angeline delegation, and do you think he’s a part of (or in opposition to) the Unseen Guild?
I’ve thought all along that Canis was looking out for Imriel. At first I wondered if Phedre and Joscelin had sought somebody out for this purpose but now having thought about it I think that’s more Melisande’s style. I don’t think he is a part of the Guild – but, now I’ve said that I’m probably going to be wrong! If he is working for Melisande it would still make sense for him to inform the D’Angelines – because his mission would be to protect.
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.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.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
Books and travelling with Lynn 