La prescelta e l'erede

I was waffling between 3 & 4 stars on this one, but since the second book in this series was a marked improvement for me on the first book, 4 stars it is. our intrepid heroine Phèdre - courtesan supreme with a very special talent for transmuting pain into pleasure - makes her debut redux as a titled Leggi tutto

*** 4.35 ***A Buddy Read with the FBR group! This second book in the Phedre Trilogy was, in my opinion, better than the first. The pacing was much better and it kept you on your toes throughout. It had some lull moments, but they were well spaced and gave the main heroine time for some angst and goi Leggi tutto

With the expectations Kushiel's Dart gave me, I might have been worried that Kushiel's Chosen wouldn't match up. I wasn't, but I wouldn't have needed to be anyway. I loved this book just as much as the first one. Everything I've said about how it's not for everyone still stands (see my first review ) Leggi tutto

Perhaps some day I will read one of these BDSM courtesan-spy epic fantasy doorstops and actually be able to talk about it afterwards, but today is not that day. Because right now, I am just so fucking grateful to this book, it has eclipsed the book itself – unintentionally hilarious, strangely unpro Leggi tutto

4.5 Stars This was such a wonderfully immersive fantasy novel. I liked the first novel, but I really fell in love with the characters and the story in this second book. The worldbuilding is incredibly rich and the character work is equally as deep. I really appreciated the nuanced conversation surrou Leggi tutto

It's funny what the years can do to your taste in books - and I'm talking about something deeper, something more profound than those books that just don't stand up to being revisited. Instead, I'm talking about those books that you appreciated back in the day, but somehow knew you weren't quite read Leggi tutto

I think Jacqueline Carey was channeling Mary Renault and Guy Gavriel Kay while she was writing this novel. The fantasy setting is recognizable as a version of historical Renaissance Europe, altered to accommodate Carey's plotline. Straight historical fantasy would be too limiting, so she makes adjus Leggi tutto

Another beautifully written epic fantasy. Kushiel's Chosen picks up where Kushiel's Dart left off. But whereas Phedre is initially drawn into intrigue for the sake of her murdered mentor & foster-brother, the tragedies & travails in this second installment are a product of Phedre's own impetus. She d Leggi tutto

Screw magic. Give me some political fantasy any day, and I'm a happy reader. I liked Kushiel's Dart . I'm not sure if there's a definite quality improvement or if I'm going too easy on this one, but I loved Kushiel's Chosen . The Kushiel's Legacy series takes place in a sort of Fantasy Counterpart Cultu Leggi tutto

There is a wild and piercing sweetness in celebrating life after a long sorrow; all of us felt it that night. Spring is ever a time of renewal, and it seemed fit, after so long, to rediscover pure, unalloyed happiness. I love this book as much in 2021 as I did in 2015. Perfection. ----------------