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A review by emvdw
Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed this book.
The first act (Joscelin's training in the Cassiline brotherhood) is great, and I had been looking forward to it, knowing at how awesome Carey wrote about Khai's training in Starless (from the blurb: Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect). And, in my opinion, this did not disappoint.
From the point he meets Phèdre, there's very little knew things we learn. Even though we're *in* Joscelin 's mind, I think his character, thoughts and motivations are sufficiently developed in the Kushiel trilogies so no real revelations about his inner life are made.
I read a review saying that this would have worked better as a prequel novella, with just Josclin's training and that his perspective of the events of Kushiel's Dart did not warrant a full re-telling. I do not disagree: Phèdre's side of the story is just more interesting (and not because of the sex). For me however, that didn't really matter. I happily revisit old favourites and so I was happy to go over old ground again. And learning when exactly Josclin falls in love with her and what exactly Hyacinthe told him when their ways parted during the crossing of he Strait made missing out on Phèdre's glitz and glamour in Dart worth it. However, on future re-reads I may actually just read Jossclin's training, stopping at where he joins Delaunay's household and then continue with Kushiel's Dart.
Some other thoughts:
- I did think Carey did a good job at slipping in "new" background information about Josclin into the known storyline without anything feeling forced.
- I think this really is not a book for people who don't already love and know the world of Terre d'Ange. The political intrigue especially would be quite difficult to follow for a newcomer (I had trouble keeping everything straight, and Storygraph informs me I've read Dart four times....)
I think you're enjoyment of Cassiel's Servant will largely depend on how you felt about Kushiel's Dart and whether or not you mind that there's only a few tidbits of newness once Phèdre and Josclin meet.
The first act (Joscelin's training in the Cassiline brotherhood) is great, and I had been looking forward to it, knowing at how awesome Carey wrote about Khai's training in Starless (from the blurb: Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect). And, in my opinion, this did not disappoint.
From the point he meets Phèdre, there's very little knew things we learn. Even though we're *in* Joscelin 's mind, I think his character, thoughts and motivations are sufficiently developed in the Kushiel trilogies so no real revelations about his inner life are made.
I read a review saying that this would have worked better as a prequel novella, with just Josclin's training and that his perspective of the events of Kushiel's Dart did not warrant a full re-telling. I do not disagree: Phèdre's side of the story is just more interesting (and not because of the sex). For me however, that didn't really matter. I happily revisit old favourites and so I was happy to go over old ground again. And learning when exactly Josclin falls in love with her and what exactly Hyacinthe told him when their ways parted during the crossing of he Strait made missing out on Phèdre's glitz and glamour in Dart worth it. However, on future re-reads I may actually just read Jossclin's training, stopping at where he joins Delaunay's household and then continue with Kushiel's Dart.
Some other thoughts:
- I did think Carey did a good job at slipping in "new" background information about Josclin into the known storyline without anything feeling forced.
- I think this really is not a book for people who don't already love and know the world of Terre d'Ange. The political intrigue especially would be quite difficult to follow for a newcomer (I had trouble keeping everything straight, and Storygraph informs me I've read Dart four times....)
I think you're enjoyment of Cassiel's Servant will largely depend on how you felt about Kushiel's Dart and whether or not you mind that there's only a few tidbits of newness once Phèdre and Josclin meet.