Kushiel's Chosen

I put this book down part-way through reading it, because it seemed that what the author had probably intended to be subtle foreshadowing details were really obviously Chekhov's guns. It annoyed me when said guns were deployed well before Act Five.

I'm glad I eventually picked it up again, because the second half of the book contains some solid adventuring, a few good quests, and some decent political maneuvering and intrigue. As with the first book, the writing is incredibly lush and evocative. And anyway, maybe the reader is meant to figure things out before the supposedly clever Phèdre does, and my annoyance was misplaced? It's always hard to judge.

Anyway, although I was less impressed with this second book in the series than the first, I still plan to read book three. There is at least one plot I remain deeply invested in.