Imriel de la Courcel's birth parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood; third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies—and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his mother, Melisande, who nearly destroyed the entire realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother's irresistible allure—and her dangerous gifts. As he comes of age, plagued by unwanted desires, Imriel shares their fears. When a simple act of friendship traps Imriel in a besieged city where the infamous Melisande is worshiped as a goddess and where a dead man leads an army, the prince must face his greatest test: to find his true self.
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"I am again blown away by Jacqueline Carey's incredible story-telling! I am so thoroughly involved in the milieu she creates that it seems to be reality while real life pales in comparison. Carey is masterful with her vignettes of the seemingly uneventful but profound moments of everyday life that unknowingly shape the future with their consequences. It is sheer joy to experience it unfolding with such skill. Her ability to subtly foreshadow plot lines without giving anything away makes for constant surprises. It is so satisfying to not be able to figure out what's coming but still have your mind challenged about what is to come. Carey shows the human condition in all its facets and is amazing with revealing the ways that relationships are formed and develop over time. She captures all the ways we bond, how trust is betrayed and forgiven and how we learn, grow and gain wisdom from our experiences, all in incredible true-to-life fashion. I also love how she continues to emphasize certain themes throughout this series: "Love as thou wilt." "All knowledge is worth having." And avoid ill thoughts, ill words, ill deeds. I am midway through the 5th book in the series and I am already dreading the moment I finish the 6th and final book of Kushiel's Legacy."
— Shelley (5 out of 5 stars)
“The specter of Imriel’s sinister, absent mother, Melisande Shahrizai, looms over the action. Credible and gripping, this is heroic fantasy at its finest.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Evoking the same stunned awe that the tryptych of Kushiel’s Dart, Kushiel’s Chosen, and Kushiel’s Avatar did, the Imriel trilogy is off to a smashing start…Intelligent, sexy, heartbreakingly human, Carey at her intoxicating best.”
— Booklist (starred review)Intelligent, sexy, heartbreakingly human.... Carey at her intoxicating best.
— Booklist Starred Review" Just not as gripping as the trilogy about Phedre, although I do enjoy Imriel as a narrator. The whole section in Tiberium became quite nonsensical! Won't stop me reading the rest of the trilogy - Carey's prose is still exquisite :-) "
— Amanda, 2/16/2014" Not as good as the first three books in the series. I miss Phedre. Still, worth reading if you've read the others. Hopeing the next one is better. "
— Lula, 1/23/2014" It's been years since I read a book in Jacqueline Carey's Kusheil universe, and I was not disappointed. Her writing is as sexy and well crafted as ever, her characters are realisitic, and the new protaganist, Imriel, is likable. I will cerainly read the other two books in this second trilogy! "
— Willow, 1/19/2014" This was my least favorite book in the series. I liked entering the world again, but the story is weak and I found myself being annoyed a lot. I'll definitely read the rest of the series because I love the characters, but I'm hoping the excitement in the next book picks up significantly. "
— Jessica, 1/5/2014" Imriel is a little booding for me, but as long as you can handle the story told from someone else's perspective then from Phedre's you should be ok. It's a good read in it's own right. I really love the word of Terre D'Ange. "
— Kimberly, 12/27/2013" Still a fun read though we're spinning away from the main heroine so not as interesting in my book. "
— Juliet, 12/11/2013" The only reason I gave the second Kushiel trilogy 4 stars and not 5 is because I feel Phedre's story is much more powerful and original than Imriel's, although Imriel was a very interesting and complex character in his own right. "
— Julie, 12/8/2013" i could feel myself age . . .needed to be edited down "
— Terri, 11/10/2013" Loved the book and have started the second one in the trology. Carey weaves a wonferful story. "
— Joanna, 2/17/2013" Entertaining but a lot of inappropriate stuff. I do not reccomend it to readers who do not want to read about sexual situations. "
— Annette, 8/22/2012Jacqueline Carey is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Kushiel’s Legacy series of historical fantasy novels; the Sundering series, an epic fantasy duology; and the postmodern fables Santa Olivia and Saints Astray, among others.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.