Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy) by Jacqueline Carey Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Kushiel's Chosen (Kushiel's Legacy)
Book Review: Kushiel's Chosen... great followup to the first book
Summary: 5 Stars
A good adventure/fantasy read from Jacqueline Carey.
I've decided to do a review of all three "Kushiel" books,(that being "Kushiel's Dart', "Kushiel's Chosen" and "Kushiel's Avatar") as one review; all three books are connected with the same ongoing story line, quality of prose and a consistent level of interest and intrigue.
This is a story of Phedre, a heroine who is blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with some special talents and skills; she rises from obscure beginnings to queens' favorite over the course of the three novels.
The books were well written and gripped one's interest from early on. There is travel, love, betrayals, unexpected enemies and friends, and a few situations where magical qualities are displayed; but my favorite scenes were those of the battles and escapes. You should also be aware that there are some very intense, sexually explicit encounters in these books.
All in all, I enjoyed this trilogy very much; while not deep or philosophical it was easy to read and found myself looking forward to finding time to return to these books when the opportunity arose. The only negative, (and this is purely a subjective, personal opinion) was that I found the areas involving travel within the book a little long and dragged out; but this is a minor complaint compared to the overall quality of the entire trilogy. 4 1/2 stars.
Book Review: Mixed feelings....
Summary: 3 Stars
I absolutely enjoyed Kushiel's Dart!!! Even though I didn't enjoy Joscelin's character in the beginning of it I began to like him towards the end. In Kushiel's Chosen I didn't get enough of what he was feeling, there are a lot of things that just seemed unbelievable (Like him being oath sworn and so damn ready to be by her side, then distancing himself because he was hurt, and then forgetting all of that and loving her fully when she was gone and captured) I am hoping that maybe Kushiel's Avatar will be better, when I enjoy a book I try and space it out so I can get the full feeling of it... with this book I was finished in two days because I was trying to get through most of it, I wasn't really interested in soaking up the whole experience and reflecting on it.
At times I grew tired of Phedre and her choices, and I towards the middle when pirates magically rescued her I was bored. The characters didn't seem to be as defined as they were in Kushiel's Dart... I found myself guessing what their feelings were. I was hoping she would have more encounters with Melisande, unfortunately that didn't happen either, and with all of Phedre's spying ability she seemed to be as dumb as doornails when it came to matters of the heart.
I give this book a 3 because I didn't stop reading it, but this book could have been much shorter and it could have had more character development instead of filling it with a bunch of nonsense that didn't get to the heart of the people who were in it. All in all it is an ok read, ok plot, but nothing compared to Kushiel's Dart, I will set my standards lower so that maybe when I read Kushiel's Avatar I will be slightly surprised.
Book Review: an instant fan of Jacqueline Carey
Summary: 5 Stars
I initially did not know this was a book in a trilogy and read this book first, and had to go back and read the first one. I immediately loved Phedre and Joscelin, but did not quite understand the entire Hyacinthe thing (obviously since I didn't read the first book first). I love the story and the relation of the map to Europe, and how each group is portrayed but under different names. The plot is intricate, and there are many erotic parts, as well as suspense and action. Melisande remains ever a part of the story as I learned her relationship to Phedre, of the Stregazza family, and Ti-Phillipe and Remy. Joscelin is awesome, and I wish I had a Cassiline brother of my own just like him :) I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, as this trilogy has become one of my favorite sets of all time (it's on my favorite-books bookshelf)Book Review: My darling hero Phedre
Summary: 5 Stars
My early reaction, not too far into the story, was that this second book in the Kushiel trilogy was not as captivating as the first because it isn't as interesting to read about an adult prostitute starring in a sequel of "more of the same" than it is to read about a child growing up and having her first adventures.
Further on into the book, the story took over. And it is a very good story. My darling Phedre is just as active in this one as she is in the first.
This book's villain is Melisande Shahrizai, but she isn't nearly as captivating a villain as she is in Kushiel's Dart, and that is a bit of a weakness here. Melisande doesn't do a whole hell of a lot in this second book. She quietly plays arch-villain, mostly in the background.
There is a strong cast of characters, and a strong storyline. This is an excellent book worthy of the highest rating.
As I read it, I wanted very much to see the movie, and to have something to do with the making of the movie. This book, like the first, is just begging for a film version, and a high budget one, carefully done and true to the book, along the lines of Lord of the Rings.
This series has achieved excellence. It is action packed, emotional, intelligent, and imaginative.
Book Review: Great book...
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved the first book and this second one is a great sequel, dealing with Melisande's spinning web of politics and betrayal and Phedre and Joscelin's rocky relationship. Rocky is one word for it, they spent most of the book fighting in the most bitter manner and yet you know these 2 can't live with out each other despite their natures pulling them in different directions. But when they finally come together at the end its just to short giving how much of the book they were being so hurtful to each other I needed more time given to them to understand why Joscelin changed so much its implied but that isn't enough. I understand Phedre it's written in her point of view so I know how she reached her decisions regarding him in the end. They could have talked more it wouldn't have stopped the pacing of the book if they had and it was necessary given how nasty they both were. But oh well what's done is done and I still liked this book very much.