Kushiel's Chosen

· Kushiel's Legacy Book 2 · Macmillan
4.7
106 reviews
Ebook
704
Pages
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About this ebook

Following hard on the heels of Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey's spectacular debut novel, comes Kushiel's Chosen, a glittering and riveting historical fantasy.

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It is said that the angels found the land and saw it was good, and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye and sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very special mission--and the first to recognize her for who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.
Phèdre has trained in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Having stumbled upon a plot that threatened the very foundations of her homeland, she gave up almost everything she held dear to save it. She survived, and lived to have others tell her story, and if they embellished the tale with fabric of mythical splendor, they weren't far off the mark.

The hands of the gods weigh heavily upon Phèdre's brow, and they are not yet done with their charge--for while the young queen who sits upon the throne is well loved by the people, there are those who believe that other heads should wear the crown. And those who escaped the wrath of the mighty are not yet done with their schemes for power and revenge. To protect and serve, Phèdre will once again leave her beloved homeland.

From the sun-drenched villas of La Serenissima to the wilds of old Hellas, from a prison designed to drive the very gods mad to an island of immutable joy. Phèdre will meet old friends and new enemies and discover a plot so dreadful as to make the earth tremble, masterminded by the one person she cannot turn away from.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
106 reviews
Claire Miller Skriletz
September 18, 2015
My first recommendation is: if you haven't read the first book in the series, Kushiel's Dart, this book may still be enjoyable for you, but not nearly as much. Each book in the series builds on the events of the ones before it, and I can't imagine reading this one without having read the first one. After the escape of Melisande Shahrizai from Troyes-le-Mont in Kushiel's Dart, Phedre is uneasy. The Skaldi have been defeated - thanks in no small part to Phedre and Joscelin - and peace restored in Terre d'Ange. Phedre has unexpectedly inherited Anafiel Delaunay's title and holdings in south western Terre d'Ange, the estate of Montreve in Siovale, and has been elevated to a peer of the realm. Now the Comtesse de Montreve, Phedre must decide if she returns to Naamah's service - something quite uncommon among the nobility. Upon receiving her sangoire cloak in a parcel from Melisande and a cryptic note, Phedre decides she must find Melisande, even if it means playing Melisande's game. Much to Joscelin's dismay (and at times, disgust), Phedre returns to Naamah's service hoping to pick up enough information to discover Melisande's whereabouts. When all signs point to La Serinissima, Queen Ysandre reluctantly grants permission for Phedre, Joscelin, and her three former-sailors-turned-guardsmen to depart. The major storylines in this book revolve around Phedre's ongoing battle of wits with Melisande - which given that it's Melisande, involves the rulers of Terre d'Ange and La Serenissima and the fates of those nations - the relationship between Phedre and Joscelin, and the undercurrent surrounding the Yeshuites in Terre d'Ange and La Serenissima. This book is just as well written as Kushiel's Dart. The characters are incredibly vivid, new and recurring characters alike. The strife between Phedre and Joscelin is heartbreakingly written; you can't help but feel for both of them. Their irritation with each other's choices and actions, Joscelin's despair over Phedre's actions regarding Severio Stregazza and Melisande, and then Phedre's imprisonment...Carey certainly knows how to write a suspenseful plot! Phedre's desperation to get back to La Serenissima rolls off the pages, Joscelin's fight in the temple of Asherat-by-the-sea is indeed epic, and Ysandre's courage shines in the final sequence. Equally wonderful are all the little touches and minor plot points: when Phedre sees Benedicte de la Courcel's bride and infant son from a distance during a visit to a friend of Allegra Stregazza's at the Little Court; all the little instances where the gods or spirits make their presence known to Phedre and other mortals; the reunion of Kazan and his mother once the curse has been broken; the alteration in behavior of Severio Stregazza over the course of the book; Phedre planting the seeds for improved working conditions for the courtesans in La Serenissima; the realities of the desperate ride of Ysandre and her retinue from La Serenissima back to Terre d'Ange versus the romanticization the story takes on later; the intricacies of Melisande's schemes (although I suppose I can't really consider that a "minor" plot point or "little" touch); and finally, the richness of detail in every new place Phedre visits. Some readers may find certain situations in this book uncomfortable. Phedre discovers how poorly courtesans are treated in La Serenissima. Also, Phedre is taken prisoner by a pirate, and while he does not force her into his bed, it is unclear if he would if Phedre not a servant of Naamah (and therefore able to make the best of her situation). This is not something I'd even thought of until this most recent reading - my recent exposure to feminist and gender studies has made me more sensitive to situations of rape and sexual violence. {Review first published on bookreviews.skriletz.net}
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Skithetrees C
February 5, 2015
This story is amazing! Love aside, enchantments, war, fighting, webs of deceit, and more. Absolutely thrilling! My second time through and I know I will read again and again
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Tommi
August 11, 2016
Beautifully written. Intricately woven with danger, romance and sensuality. The heroine is one of the most admirable characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
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About the author

Jacqueline Carey is the author of the bestselling Kushiel trilogy (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar) and her epic fantasy duology, The Sundering (Banewreaker and Godslayer). She has won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Her books have been listed on many booksellers' top ten fantasy books lists. Always an avid reader, Carey began writing fiction as a hobby in high school. After graduating from Lake Forest College, she worked for six months at a bookstore in London, and returned to the United States with a driving passion to write professionally. She resides in western Michigan.

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