This is a beautiful book with a lot of intruction on art techniques, writing, and spiritual meditation through writing. Every other page has wonderful artwork including drawings and watercolors. It includes mini-exercises on art and on meditation. I loved it and it has helped me to re-ignite my writing and journaling. It's inspiring and helpful encouraging meditation and art. I love it!

I did read this book many years ago, I did wait, I don't know for what, but after some years I started to get contact to the people of this book in Germany and I was there and I did find, what Jacky Lair describes in this book. What more could someone wish and hope for, when he gets a book in his hands

Jaqueline Carey has presented us with a chef d' oeuvre. Brilliant writing mixed with stunning illustrations made for a remarkable book. Carey takes us on a journey through the lives of not only beneficial angels but also the infamous ones e.g. Azazel, the Nephilem, Lilth, etc. "Angels" is split into four unique chapters, Angels of the Divine, The Eternal Realm, The Material World, & The Infernal Regions. Each chapter provided me with simple yet informative knowledge. The only problem I had with this book is that it was too short. About half the pages are art & I ended up reading this book in less then a day. However this book will still always have a special place on my bookshelf.

Angels...has compiled some of the best reproductions of old master paintings and illuminated manuscripts depicting many in the angelic hierarchy. Better yet (and quite surprisingly) the writing is fresh, fun and accurate. Jacqueline Carey tells the stories of the angels using many diverse religious sources so the perspective is never stale. Her writing and storytelling ability make this a great read from start to finish.

Kushiel's Dart began with difficult imagery, but after the second chapter it became a real page turner. I find myself agreeing with some of the other reviewers about its flaws, but if one isn't particularly judgemental about the character's sexual preferences the story stands well on its own.

It is true that the story is told from Phedre's point of view in such a manner that one can only discover the plot in written word, regardless of how obvious events may be, when the main character herself finds them. Sadly, it's my opinion that this is a limitation of the first-person point of view, not the author's plot design. Generally the story was creative enough that I did not correctly second-guess every turn of event, and I doubt most people would either.

This book, however, was written for a certain type of person. It relies heavily on the worship of forms (Socrates and his belief in a universal beautiful, etc), the idea that the reader hungers to read of a people who are "perfect". In this manner, I found the book to be more high fantasy than most of the reading I've gotten my hands on in the past five years or so. Though this appreciation extends to S&M, which I'm sure causes a great deal of the core revulsion in several readers who cannot fit such things into their value systems as "beautiful", it isn't particularly offensive to the person without prejudice to those types of sexuality. Kushiel's Dart smoothes over literal events in the bedroom and betrays less than 99% of the romance novels I've read.

There are always people who walk into reading a book of this nature with previous feeling that the values presented are fundamentally wrong. For this reason, though the book rates high for an overall read, I would caution anyone who actively disapproves of or dislikes S&M.

KUSHIEL'S DART is an extraordinary epic set in a re-imagined medieval Europe. This is one of those rare books that combines an intricate plot with extremely well developed characters. The story is told through the voice of young Phédre nó Delaunay, a courtesan and spy in the country of Terre d'Ange but the supporting "cast" is given full attention as well-without bogging down in minutia.

Throughout the sweeping epic, Jacqueline Carey never loses sight of the arch of the story so be forewarned: everything she writes is significant. At the end, you will see how she's tied all the pieces together into a tightly woven whole. Oh, but there is a window left open for a sequel. Whether you read this book because the characters are fascinating, the story fun and nerve-wracking, the writing exceptional, or the sense of place and religion so believable, I know you'll be satisfied. This is my new favorite book!

Great epic fantasy is successful when it takes you to places you have never entered before.Authors like George Martin,China Mieville, Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson and Goodkind are examples now add Jacqueline Carey name to this esteem list. "When Love cast me out,it was Cruelty who took pity upon me." These words help start up this dark erotic epic fantasy that will take you to the kingdom of Terre d'Ange, a country born of angels where prostitution is a holy act and court intrigue is most lethal.You will see this through the eyes of unforgettable heroine,Phedre who is sold to the engimatic Delaunay to be trained as a courtesan and schooled in foreign languages and is to become Delaunay's spy.She will learn her nation's darkest secrets and deadiliest conspiracies.Phedre's adventures will take her to the beds of her country's most powerful men, to be sold to slavery to a barbarian king and savior of her homeland from a brutal invasion! This lavish epic fantasy is filled with scenes of disturbing sexuality as Phedre who gets sexual pleasure through use of pain, court intrigue as she uncovers a treasonous plots to overthrow the king.This novel also boasts casts of characters like the warrior priest,Joscelin who vows to protect Phedre as he loses his heart toward her.The Noble Anafiel Delaunay, Phedre's owner who teaches her to become a master spy for his agendas.Hyacinthe,Phedre's kind-hearted friend who is the prince of travelers and to save his homeland will make a heartbreaking sacrifice and the power hungry Skaldian warlord, Waldemar who seeks to conquer Terre d'ange and the brilliant but utterly ruthless villianess, Melisandre who use machivellian manuvers in quest for ultimate power.Carey has the ability to tell scenes of disturbing sensuality and sweeping battle scenes.Carey's world-building abilities are excellent.So pick up this book and enter Phedre's world of dark desire and darker intrigue.You will never forget the journey!

The first book in this series, Kushiel's Dart, was a beautifully written beginning to the Kushiel's Legacy series. It left me eager for her next installment, and I probably built it up too much to have it fulfill what I was hoping for. It moved slowly in the middle, and the intrigues were not nearly as interesting for some reason. I think it was that there were unfamiliar names or that the book began in the relative peace of Ysandre's rule.

It is a mark of how beautiful Carey's writing is that I was disappointed by this book and still give it four stars. Her language is amazing, and the settings she's created are amazingly detailed. The plotting in this book, although just as intricate, was slightly more difficult to follow. Overall, it's my least favorite of the three, but still well worth buying and reading, both of which I have done.

In Kushiel's Chosen, Jacqueline Carey has written a phenomenal successor to Kushiel's Dart. The novel picks up where Kushiel's Dart ends and takes the beautiful, bull-headed, intelligent, vain, patriotic and conflicted heroine, Phèdre nó Delaunay de Montrève, on further adventures to distant, fascinating lands. It begins with a well-executed mystery (where is the captivating Melisande hiding?) and progresses through a wild series of misadventures into a thoughtful story about the consequences of one's actions and the act of redemption. In between, we find ourselves caught up once again in the tumultuous relationship between Phèdre and Joscelin. Stubborn courage and their love for each other are the only things they have in common. Can such opposites remain together? Once again, Carey's characters are complex and deal with issues that we can reflect on in ourselves. Another strength of both books is the artful way that Carey has of creating complex, believable religions. Kushiel's Chosen is a fitting sequel to Carey's first brilliant novel.

Jacueline Carey has done something few writers can attest to:
She wrote a sequel that is just as good as it's predecessor!Carey returns us to the kingdom of Terre D'ange, the land of holy prostitution and lethal intrigue.Kushiel's Chosen leads off where the first book ends, with the mysterious escape of archvillianess, Melisandre.Phedre, our heroine is determined to find out the traitors who helped Melisandre escape from prison and when she gets cloak sent by her enemy as a challenge she takes it upon herself to find Melisandre. Phedre's obession with her enemy will pull her back into her holy order and it will strain her relationship with her lover, Joscelin.Phedre's adventure will take her sun-drenched villas of La Serenissima
where she will uncover Melisandre's sinsiter conspiracy to gain the crown and a deadly assasination plot against queen Ysandre!
This novel has all of the ingredients that made the first one such a smash hit: lyrical prose that sings upon the page; outstanding world-building that makes Phedre's world come alive
sweeping action sequences like daring escape upon island prison that holds our heroine and unforgettable swashbuckling swordfight between Joscelin Queen Ysandre's would be assasin! The characters of this epic novel are also a wonder like blood-cursed pirate Kazan Atrabiades who rescues Phedre and helps her at her cause.I love Phedre and her world of dark desire, darker intrigue and swashbuckling adventure! Bring on Kushiel's Avatar!

This book is a beautifully written story. The language is moderately advanced and the plot itself is very descriptive. There is no trouble picturing the scenes as they occur. However, with the pros comes the cons. Unlike the previous two novels in the trilogy, this one does not really give many of the characters any in depth feelings, with the exceptions of Phedre and her paramour, Joscelin. Sadly, the plot, while being descriptive, turns rambling in many areas that draw out the story painfully. Personally, I expected to see more character finalization in the last novel, particularly of some of the other key characters, and the development of new characters falls short of making the people believable and intriguing. The book itself is a good read if you are going pure leisure, but I do not recommend buying it in hard cover. It simply is not worth the expense.

Of all of the books in the Kushiel's Dart series, this one is definitely the darkest. Phedre's travels take her into territories unknown to her geographically, as well as into the deepest chasms of her soul. Phedra must face the darkest parts of herself in order to fulfill promises not only to Hyacinth, her most beloved friend, but to the traitorous Millisande. It is a story of loyalty and honor as well as of redemption.

What was particularly intriguing about this story was the comparison between Phedre's reluctant acceptance of who and what she is with Imriel's (Millisande's son) ignorance (and later defiance) of his heritage. If Jacqueline Carey chooses to write another Terre D'Ange story, I do hope that it follows Imriel's path and the long road he (no doubt) will have to take in accepting who and what he is.

Overall, this story should be pleasing to anyone who has read the previous books in the Kushiel's Dart series. However, there are times where the story seems to drag, as Phedre and her party stop in and greet everyone she has met both in this book and the previous two (tying up loose ends, I suppose). Carey spends some needless time on characters that do not truly deserve it (and often are simply forgettable). And there are times when readers will probably say "Yes, yes... we know Phedre carries this heavy burden so lets just get on with it already!" But the story itself is beautiful in it's own way, though it does not compare to the first two (hence the 4 star rating rather than 5).

Enjoy.

At last we see the end of Phedre's journeys. After reading the first two books of this saga, I was eager to see the finish. Jacqueline Carey did a fabulous job wrapping up the series, although I hope there is room for more.

AS always, the writing was beautiful and moving. Phedre travels the ends of the earth to set free Hyacinthe and to help an old enemy who holds a key to Hyacinthe's freedom.

I would recommend this book for all who have read the first two of the series. Jumping in at this point could be done, but I think the books should be read in order.