And some more Kushiel...

Yup, still on these. I can knock 'em off rather quickly it seems. So book number 37 this year is Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey.

This is interesting as with this book, we switch PoV characters and are now continuing the story of Imriel no Montreve de la Courcel; adopted son of Phedre and Joscelin, blood son of the traitor Melisande. This book is basically Imriel's coming of age. We start off with him as a 13 year old boy and end with him being around 19 I think? He basically goes off to the equivalent of Rome to study and find himself. And of course, there's a lot of sex, intrigue and a few battles along the way. Imriel broods a lot, but this is a noted thing, and the other characters even call him on it. Sometimes I find such a thing in books annoying, other times it works, and here I didn't mind that the brooding teenager is called on it.

It was also interesting to see Phedre and Joscelin through someone else's eyes. Someone who unequivocally loves them, but can actually also see their shortcomings. But loves them anyway.

I'm willing to keep going with Imriel's take on things. I'm not completely fond of him yet, but I also don't mind him.

Another Crop!

Book # 33- Those Terrible Middle Ages by Regine Pernoud - This was an interesting book, written in the mid 70s because Regine Pernoud, a French medivalist, was sick and tired of how the Middle Ages were portrayed constantly (and wrongly) as backwards and violent and barbaric. General perception lumped 1000 years together and neglected to actually examine the changes over the times, in social mobility and advances in art and politics and law... all of it. No of course, the Middle Ages weren't great, but they also gave us a lot of good things that the Renaissance, and it's desire to go back to the Classics took away from us (more rights for women were definitely a part of that). Enjoyable book.

Book # 34- Dear Life by Alice Munro - This could quite possibly be Alice's last book, and a magnificent one as always.

Book # 35- Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey - So looks like I found my popcorn books for the end of the year. As with Kushiel's Dart, I still find Phedre quite... passive as she chases after Melisande and plays her game and nearly dies numerous times. She's a shit to poor, besotted Joscelin most of the time (yes, I know, he can be a prat, but lets face it, hot, blonde, peerless swordsmen who are also a bit of a prat are kind of a weakness of mine...), so yeah, the romantic in me was actually kinda happy the two of them reconciled at the end.

Book # 36 - Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey - Ok, this one, this one was pretty good. Pretty epic and damn dark in some areas, Phedre was definitely, finally, anything but passive and yeah, I ended up liking this one the best so far.