Since I read the first two books from the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey, I am a huge fan of hers. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, prepared me for this book! “Kushiel’s Avatar” is by far the best book I have ever read! For the first time in my life, I thought I was living in a book. A couple of times, I found myself not to continue reading because I was afraid of what will happen to the characters! I fell in love with them, fought beside them, cried for them, I lost hope as they did and, finally, I found my way like they did. I think that I walked the Lungo Drom with them.This book is not just another story of Phedre and her beloved Joscelin. And if you think that you’ll read another adventure, you will be very surprised. It starts like one, but at the end you can see the greater purpose of this adventure. From the land of Terre d’Ange and the great beauty, Phedre and Joscelin, ten years after the events of the second book are beginning a long journey. It all begins with the search of the name of the one true god in order to help Hyacinthe, Phedre’s childhood friend who is cursed after the events of the first book. But soon, another quest in important. The child of Phedre’s worst enemy and darkest passion is missing and in order to find him, they have to go the most cruel and mad place in their world.Phedre isn’t anymore a young woman, new to the game of thrones. She has experience and she is clever. Her life the last ten years was very good. She has wealth but the most important is that the man who loves deeply against all odds, is with her and they have found a balance between them. I can’t say that I don’t understand that she had to make the most difficult decisions in this book and it wasn’t easy for her, but sometimes it was hard to read it. In this story, Phedre make a journey to the darkest place in her world but it was also a journey to the darkest place in her soul. She found her limits and I don’t think that she liked the answer. Joscelin found his limits too. He is one of my favorite male characters and it was too hard for to watch him suffer. Because, he suffered a lot. Loyal to his promise to protect and serve Phedre into damnation and beyond, he followed her in his worst nightmare. He watched her, doing things beyond his imagination but his love was always there. Because, although sometimes his actions are violent, he has pure soul and his love is undying. Sometimes I was thinking that he’s a victim of Phedre, because she asks so much from him and he is giving her everything, but at the end of the book I realize that this is my mistake. Because, Josceline isn’t her victim but her balance.Both of them, walked the Lungo Drom, not only for Hyacinthe but for themselves also. They found their limits, the fought their demons and at the end they found their truth.Another character that I absolutely loved in this book is Imriel. He is the son of Melisande, a traitor and an enemy to the crown. He didn’t knew anything about his mother and he was living a nightmare until Phedre and Josceline saved him from a cruel fate. I don’t want to say more about him because I won’t avoid spoilers. He is clever and stubborn, but he is also loyal and kind. I can’t wait to read more about him!Of course, many more characters were important in this book both old and new ones, but I won’t write for all because it will be a huge review! You just have to know that this is an amazing book and I’m glad that I’m reading this series!
The conclusion to Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel trilogy featuring Phedre no Delaunay leads us to Phedre’s darkest hour. Torn between two loyalties, Phedre starts a new journey to save the missing child, Imriel de la Courcel. Imriel is no ordinary child; born of Phedre’s betrayer, Melisandre Shahrizai, he is of two lines. From his father’s side, he is in the direct line to Terre d’Ange’s throne. From his mother’s blood, he is bequeathed the darker aspects of Kushiel’s legacy.In Phedre’s quest to find the lost boy, she must yield and endure the worst her gods ask of her. If she refuses the quest, she may lose the favours of her gods. Her trials do not end at finding the boy. It is merely a painful step in her ultimate goal, to free her childhood friend, Hyacinthe. Accompanying and watching her suffer through the sadistic tortures is her loyal and loving warrior-priest, Joscelin. This book truly demonstrates Elua’s sacred concept, “Love as thou wilt”.J. Carey’s provocative writing lures me to read and reread her books. The fantastic multifaceted and culturally enriched world she creates is a feast for the starving. In a time where most authors provide a “fast food story”, Carey caters for a 12 course gourmet meal. Each scene is designed to interlock and enhance a plot further along in her story. Her main characters are endearing, neither completely evil nor good. For each Evil person, she redeems them with acts of kindness. For each Good person, when an unspeakable act is committed, motives are explained in such a way that forces the reader to empathize.J. Carey is a true artist who paints exquisite scenery and erotic situations. The interactions between Phedre, Joscelin, Imirel and Melisandre invoke strong passionate emotions. Several of her sex scenes build and stroke desires to a feverous peak before it explodes in a fiery climax. In the Kushiel Trilogy, she built an entire civilization which embodies the BDSM society openly. Her anguissette portrays the ultimate submissive BDSM persona. Definitely not for the bland or timid; no sexual limit is taboo in this book. I eagerly wait for her next trilogy into the world of Terre d’Ange.
What do You think about Kushiel's Avatar (2004)?
How can a series with prose this purple and a premise this absurd be so gripping? All three of these books have kept me up reading late into the night. Purple or no, Carey’s writing is engaging; and somehow I completely buy into the idea that a prostitute with a heart of gold can use her astonishing beauty and hardcore masochism to save the world.In this conclusion to the trilogy, Phèdre seeks nothing less than the Name of God, which she needs to free her friend who was trapped on an island by an angry angel in the first book. She travels the world looking for it (a significant part of these books is travelogue, giving us a glance at Carey's intriguing alternate history) and along the way she undertakes to rescue the child of her greatest enemy.The section in the middle where she’s imprisoned in the hellish harem is absolutely nauseating, and I’m grateful the author skimmed over most of the details.The next trilogy focuses on the rescued child, Imriel, and I hope those books are as good as these first three.
—Jamie
This is my second time reading through the Kushiel's Legacy series and I remember why I loved the books the first time I read them. Carey is a brilliant story teller and I came to love her characters but not just Phedre and Joscelin, but Hyacinthe, Queen Ysandre, and others as well. I would read and read and before I knew it, I'd read through half the book and it was the wee hours of the morning. I did this on the second read through also. The books for me, are timeless and the story is intricately woven with fantastic prose, art, and finesse. I'm glad to have them in my book collection, gracing my book shelves, for they tell a magnificent story.
—Lorrie
This is and always will be my favourite out of the entire Kushiel's Legacy series - I haven't even read all of the books yet and I can already say without a doubt that this one is my favourite - that should tell you a lot about how much I love it, especially if you've heard me rave about previous books in the series.Jacqueline Carey truly outdid herself here. The story of this particular novel is compelling beyond compelling, amazing almost to a fault, and frankly, addictive. Being in the process of reading this book is like being a victim of substance abuse - you simply can't stop. Even if you do have finals to study for and coursework to do and money to make - you simply can't stop. So I strongly advise you to read this during your summer vacation or something. Here's the story; Phedre and her wonderful lover Joscelin, after having been given ten years of peace by fate, are once again swept up in the current of Carey; that mix of destiny and intrigue and a hint of random occurence that makes for such a great story. They set out to find Imriel, the lost son of Melisande Shahrizai, traitor to the crown. What I love about this novel in particular, among all of them, is that in this one Phedre (the main character) feels more mature - and more herself. In the first two, she was always doing other people's work, finding out their secrets, trying to save their countries - noble, but not particularly fulfilling. Kushiel's Avatar starts out that way, but halfway through the novel Phedre grows a little more rebellious; it's like she starts fighting for herself for once, instead of being swept along by the current and making the best of it. She fights - makes some life-altering decisions, some terrible, terrible sacrifices, but there is a lovely message of hope in the book in that no matter how much she, Joscelin and Imriel suffer in captivity (because they are once again captured, in an even worse way than before), there is a streak of hope that runs through the entire thing. Like, in captivity, Phedre somehow convinces her fellow prisoner to help her break a way into a closed off courtyard where they can finally see the sun again after months of darkness, both physical and emotional darkness; and as that happens, you can just feel this incredible vibe of human strength course through the people present. Also, in this book, Carey takes that everything-is-connected-ness, that humanity-in-her-characters-ness, that my-novels-are-speckled-with-little-moments-and-sentences-so-profound-they-will-leave-you-reeling-ness that is her own and takes it to a whole nother level. In short - fantastic novel, everyone who is even remotely into fantasy should read it. And even those that aren't. It might change your life.
—Susan
