Kushiel's Mercy

By: Jacqueline Carey

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 24 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Having learned a lesson about thwarting the will of the gods, Imriel and Sidonie publicly confess their affair, only to see the country boil over in turmoil. Younger generations, infatuated by their heart-twisting, star-crossed romance, defend the couple. Many others cannot forget the betrayals of Imriel's mother, Melisande, who plunged their country into a bloody war that cost the lives of their fathers, brothers, and sons.

To quell the unrest, Ysandre, the queen, sets her decree. She will not divide the lovers, yet neither will she acknowledge them. If they marry, Sidonie will be disinherited, losing her claim on the throne.

There's only one way they can truly be together. Imriel must perform an act of faith: search the world for his infamous mother and bring her back to Terre d'Ange to be executed for treason.

Facing a terrible choice, Imriel and Sidonie prepare ruefully for another long separation. But when a dark foreign force casts a shadow over Terre d'Ange and all the surrounding countries, their world is turned upside down, alliances of the unlikeliest kind are made, and Imriel and Sidonie learn that the god Elua always puts hearts together apurpose.

©2008 Jacqueline Carey (P)2008 Tantor

Could not stop listening

It is not easy to listen to a novel after working for 13 hours but I somehow managed! This is the last of Phedre and Imriel's stories. I am saddened but Carey certainly ended the series with a bang. I just couldn't stop till the end.
Imriel and Sidone were brilliant. There were answers to some people's whereabouts from the previous novels. (Sorry, not trying to be vague but don't want to give anything away.)
Much stronger feelings than before and their consequences. As Imriel and Sidone said in the novel "It is not wise to meddle with D'Angelines in matters of love". Hah!
Hope Carey writes more about this family and soon.
From here I am off to Naamah's Kiss and Naamah's Curse.
It is truly difficult to know which book is first so here it is: Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Avatar, Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Justice, and Kushiel's Mercy.

Fantasy that almost seems real.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book and all the others in the series. They take place in a completely different world and they are brought to life in your mind. I keep wishing that a movie or TV series could give us the kind of visual that the minds eye brings up. The stories and the plots or storylines that Ms. Carey gives us are so very engrossing. I was trying to figure how the plot would go and so I hurried to finish each book but when I was done I wanted it to go on.

What other book might you compare Kushiel's Mercy to and why?

Nhama series

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

I liked his performance but he seemed to make too many men sound like they were older than they should be.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I wanted to spread it out over a few days.

A roller-coaster.

I feel like my heart was on a roller-coaster and when I stepped off the ride I was grinning ear to ear.

Wonderful conclusion to a great Trilogy

There are dire magics involved in this conclusion to the story of Imreal. To win the hand of the princess he loves he must bring his mother to justice. Yet it is his mother he must seek help from when the city of Eloa is enchanted and memory of his relationship with the princess been forgotten by all including the princess herself. Can he save his love and his country from dire delusions.

great

love all these books but this may well be the best if you have made it this far don't miss this one

LOVE!

Loved Reading The Kushiel series years ago, and have enjoyed every moment of listening to it!

Epic Ending to the Imriel Saga

This is a long book to prepare yourself for an adventure with a lot of twists and turns. The audio performance and quality was five stars. I definitely see myself listening to this book again in the future. It was an epic ending to the story of Kushiel's Scions.

Beware the narrator

I loved the story overall. The narrator killed me though. All the accents would change and some character would one moment be his vampire accent then change to some kind of scott. It really started bugging me by the end. No doubt he did a good job of portraying emotions though.

loved this series

Sad to see this series end. From the very first book, Kushiel's Dart I was hooked. It's hard to find really good story lines, characters and world building in one place, but Jacqueline has done it all.

Fantastic

This was always one of my favorites with the magic and illusions. I enjoyed hearing it which is a completely different experience than reading it.