Rating: 
Summary: A Slight Slip in Entertainment
Review: I rated this book five stars, and don't hesitate to buy it. While it wasn't as good as the first book in the series (Kushiel's Dart) it is still worth owning and proudly displaying in any collection.
The book slipped down on the entertainment scale because it feels like a second novel. Our favorite masochist, Phedre, is back with her slew of followers tantalizing our senses with a serving of sorrow, lust, fear, and hope. Once again, I cried throughout the novel at the different plot twists that occured. Once again, there was politics and a fascinating world. However, it seemed as if the plot and the writing merely served as a filler for the third book about Hyacinthe.
I blame Carey for making it imperative in my life to know whether or not Joscelin and Phedre were going to get back together by the end of the book. I couldn't set it down. Read it, and you'll find out yourself. :)
And now... now I must go out and buy the third book and find out the end to this fascinating series. Well, the end until she writes Imriel, that is.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worthy Sequel
Review: I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could. Carey avoids the sophomore slump with Kushiel's Chosen and delivers another fantasy treat.
She picks up where Dart left off, with Phedre and Joscelin still as war with one another and Terre d' Ange finally at peace. Phedre has two quests in this book, to find her former lover and traitor to the crown, Melisande, and to discover a way to free her friend Hyacinthe from his imprisonment. She does this by restarting her career as a courtesan and using her skills to wheedle information out of her clients. It's basically the same sexy, intrigue-laden premise as the last book (political treachery), but with new characters and settings.
This time Carey treats us to her version of Italy, Greece and Crete, complete with her signature and lavish attention to detail. The descriptions are fascinating and colorful and allow the reader to really invision the characters, their homelands, and their cultures.
Phedre and Joscelin do some growing up in this novel, although at times it feels a wee bit forced. More attention is also paid to Ysandre, queen of Terre d' Ange, allowing the reader a more attractive, personal view of her.
Overall this book is an absolute must read for fans of Kushiel's dart. Those who were squeamish about the sex in the first book won't feel anymore comfortable with this one, though. For the rest of us, it's definately a worthy sucessor.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: I wouldn't agree that the novel seems hastily written, I found it cohesive and completely addictive. The development of the characters from Kushiel's Dart is believable, and very enjoyable. Melisande continues to be a formidable adversary and one wickedly enjoyable to read about.
Rating:
Summary: Second Book Even Better
Review: This second in a series of three novels featuring the heroine Phedre is even better than the first. Ms. Carey has come up with a practically seamless story that is complicated, vivid and fascinating. Her writing is so sensual and detailed that the reader becomes lost in her exotic universe. To any complaints about this novel and this series, I would say, "It's a fantasy!" It is exactly what it is supposed to be, and a masterful example, too. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: Some of you may think i'm crazy, but the second one was what got me into this series. Yes, the beginning was a little wordy, but the second half was unbelievable, and the end had me in tears! The first one took me forever to read-it was MORE wordy than the second, despite some of the reviews here. Kushiel's Chosen had more believable characters, though the Phedre/Joscelin relationship was a little forced, and had better writing, though the third book was my favorite. Kushiel's Chosen also developed Phedre's character beautifully and vastly improved her relationship with Melisande. The only thing that annoyed me was that Phedre kept escaping death by seconds-it started to get a little old. But if you are looking for a completely believable, though completely weird-when-you-think-about-it book with wonderfully developed characters and an amazingly detailed fantasy world, then this book, and this series, is for you!
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't believe it got better...
Review: After finishing Kushiel's Dart, I wouldn't have believed the series could get any better. The Kushiel's series, and this book in particular, masterfully blends political intrigue, a believable smart romance and great action. I got goosebumps equally from Phedre and Joscelin's story and Joscelin's serious ass kicking.
The erotica is never forced, but I'd learned to trust that after reading the first book, it serves to further the story and provide insight into the characters' deepest cores.
I'm looking forward to the next book and scared as to what I'll read when it's over, being the last one in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Gods save the Queen
Review: "What you seek you will find in the last place you expect to look." This phrase is told to Phedre at one point during the course of this book, and it seems that there is no better thought to describe all that she encounters. As with "Kushiel's Dart", this book follows the story of the courtesan Phedre no Delaunay de Montreve, now a peer of the realm thanks to her former lord Delaunay's generous inheritance. She has found herself thrust back into Terre d'Ange society and must now learn to cope with her new status as well as the fact that everyone she encounters now knows she is an agent for Ysandre de la Courcel, Queen of Terre d'Ange. She also has found an impossible love with her protector Joscelin, who has sworn himself to the Cassiline brotherhood, and despite the fact that he has broken nearly all of his vows he cannot bring himself to break the last one that would allow him to be Phedre's consort. Added to that, she is also trying desperately to find a way to save her Tsingano childhood friend Hyacinthe, who had given his life to save hers from a geis curse that would enslave him for 800 years.
Into this mix enters Melisande Shahrizai, the only patron who Phedre has ever loved, and also the woman who betrayed her for her own personal gains. A challenge comes to Phedre in the form of her sangoire cloak, a gift that was given to Phedre when she entered into the service of Naamah. Phedre knows that Melisande is tempting her. If she reenters the service of Naamah she may lose Joscelin in the process, but it may be the only way to unearth the plot that still threatens the Queen, and in return discover just where Melisande has fled to. It is a hard choice, but despite all she has to risk Phedre still makes the decision that will provide all of the answers she seeks to save Terre d'Ange.
This is a worthy follow up to "Kushiel's Dart." It continues the masterfully concieved saga that Carey has created with a vengence. I found it to be more satisgying than the first, and was engrossed from the beginning to the very end, which frankly brought tears to my eyes. Phedre is a wonderfully flawed heroine, flawed in the fact that she cannot forgive the one who has brought her the most grief, but she cannot bring herself to forget her either, and this nearly becomes her downfall at several points in this book. There are also several moments that test her indomitable will as her travels take her to La Serenissima, Illyria, Kriti (the better part of Europa for that matter) and even to the brink of insanity as she festers in a jail cell on a lone island and endures the theatalos ceremony of Kriti which shows her all of the despair she has caused during her life. Phedre is constantly tested and challenged throughout this book and comes through the challenges scarred and in pain. But through it all she still knows that the fate of Terre d'Ange once again is in her hands, and only she can thwart what Melisande had already set in motion.
If you have read "Kushiel's Dart" and loved it, there is no way you cannot pick this one up. This book draws you in right from the beginning and constantly sucks you back in with all of its plot turns and new characters. I could not imagine anyone not reading these books who is a fan of the genre. For me, it was a treasure, and i cannot wait to read them again.
Rating:
Summary: As Wonderful as "Dart"
Review: I was so excited reading this book after "Dart" and enjoyed it almost as much. Characters and politics that were a struggle at first in the earlier book are so much more familiar here and a good thing too as Ms. Carey takes her characters and us on a thrilling "road trip". The narrative prose is as strong and the first person method just as satisfying as it was before. The only flaw for me was that the quarrel between Phedre and Joscelin seemed to go on a bit too long as once you gain a certain understanding of who/what the characters are and their relationship to one another, as so carefully entertwined and divulged by Ms. Cary, a resolution is an envitable and it is almost frustrating waiting. So, the book can be not only thought provoking but perhaps an emotional one as well ;) This book is not as much of a sensual read as the earlier one but maintains the overall nature of the first book. This is still an excellent read, an excellent journey and I would highly recommend this second book to the trilogy as a "must".
Rating:
Summary: Phedre's next adventure
Review: Kushiel's Chosen begins soon after Kushiel's Dart ends. Phedre, now the Countess of Montreve makes a difficult decision to return to the service of Naamah, much to the dismay of her lover the Cassiel guard Joscelin. But she has her reasons to returning to her past life as a prostitute, Melisande Shahrizai, a woman who betrayed the Queen Ysandre to the Skaldi, has escaped from her imprisonment and only Phedre can find her. Phedre, who still feels intense love and desire for Melisande, finds herself traveling to La Serenissima to search for the traitorous woman. Her only companions are Joscelin and the final three members of Phedre's boys. Unfortunately things are not what they seem in La Serenissima. Phedre soon finds herself involved in a large plot of assassination that has infiltrated even the temples of the Goddess Asaharat-of-the-Sea. Just when Phedre thinks she has everything found out she is kidnapped and taken away, separated from her protector Joscelin and utterly alone. Can she get back to Terre D'Ange soon enough to save her queen?Kushiel's Chosen has all of the attractive elements found in Kushiel's Dart, wonderful storytelling, attractive settings, and complex characters. Phedre has learned a lot from her previous adventures and has matured quite a bit but still finds herself coming up against problems. You find yourself wishing that she and Joscelin would just throw away there differences and make up again, despite both of their stubbornness. Although this book is quite amazing it does not live up to its groundbreaking predecessor. There is a rather long lull in the text starting when Phedre travels to La Serenissima. But don't give up on this book! Once you get further into it, the novel turns into the exciting page turner. This book has many new things that the first novel lacked. We get to see new countries, all which exist along southern Europe. Also we get our first pirate characters, something that fans are sure to appreciate. So if you're in the mood for a sexy fantasy novel with plenty of plot twists and turns read this book! Although it isn't quite as good as the first in the series it's an amazing novel that you'll be sure to love.
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