Kushiel's Legacy
#1124.20 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 9 books Status Complete 2001–2011 Reading commitment High Jacqueline Carey Last reviewed 2026-08-06
Overview
Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy (2001-2011, plus a 2023 retelling) is a historical-fantasy/alternate-history saga set in Terre d'Ange, a medieval Western European-inspired world descended from Blessed Elua and fallen angels. Three sequential trilogies follow three generations of protagonists across the same continuity: Phèdre nó Delaunay, her adopted son Imriel, and, a century later, Moirin. The opening trilogy follows Phèdre, a courtesan's indentured, unwanted daughter marked as an anguissette -- one who experiences pain as pleasure -- as she is trained as a spy and courtesan within a nation whose founding precept, "Love as thou wilt," shapes its politics, religion and court intrigue alike; Terre d'Ange's geography and rival nations closely mirror France and its historical neighbors. Kushiel's Dart won the 2002 Locus Award for Best First Novel and the 2001 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Fantasy Novel, with Publishers Weekly praising Carey's ability to turn familiar genre components into an engaging, fully realized novel, and the book placed on multiple retailers' top ten fantasy lists in the years following its release.
Romantasy, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (9 works) counts toward ranking
The Phèdre Trilogy Jacqueline Carey
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kushiel's Dart | 2001 | 1 | core | 4.02 (86,503 ratings) |
 | Kushiel's Chosen | 2002 | 2 | core | 4.30 (42,485 ratings) |
 | Kushiel's Avatar | 2003 | 3 | core | 4.38 (38,386 ratings) |
The flagship trilogy, following Phèdre nó Delaunay, a courtesan and spy marked as Kushiel's Chosen, in Terre d'Ange, a medieval Western European-inspired fantasy world descended from Blessed Elua and fallen angels -- historical fantasy/alternate history.
The Imriel Trilogy Jacqueline Carey
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kushiel's Scion | 2006 | 4 | core | 4.22 (23,056 ratings) |
 | Kushiel's Justice | 2007 | 5 | core | 4.28 (20,014 ratings) |
 | Kushiel's Mercy | 2008 | 6 | core | 4.34 (18,408 ratings) |
Direct continuation following Imriel nó Montrève, Phèdre's adopted son. UK title: Treason's Heir.
The Moirin Trilogy Jacqueline Carey
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Naamah's Kiss | 2009 | 7 | core | 4.14 (15,050 ratings) |
 | Naamah's Curse | 2010 | 8 | core | 4.16 (11,532 ratings) |
 | Naamah's Blessing | 2011 | 9 | core | 4.25 (10,668 ratings) |
Set 100+ years after the Phèdre/Imriel trilogies, following a new protagonist, Moirin, in the same continuity/world.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Cassiel's Servant (2023) ; A retelling of Kushiel's Dart's own events from Joscelin Verreuil's perspective -- not new plot content, so registered as Expanded rather than Core (it would double-count Phèdre Trilogy content if counted as Core).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Kushiel's Legacy? Kushiel's Legacy's Core Canon is 9 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Kushiel's Legacy? Publication order, starting with Kushiel's Dart. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Kushiel's Legacy finished? Complete (2001–2011).
- How much reading does Kushiel's Legacy take? High reading commitment (estimated from 9 Core Canon books).
- How is Kushiel's Legacy ranked? #112 in this site's official ranking, based on 266,102 reader ratings across 9 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #112?
Ranked #112 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.20 across 9 core books.
- Backed by 266k reader ratings.
- 0.02 behind #111, The Steerswoman.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 9 books · Complete · 266k ratings · Ranks #112 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running romantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (9 Core Canon books)
- Kushiel's Dart (2001)
- Kushiel's Chosen (2002)
- Kushiel's Avatar (2003)
- Kushiel's Scion (2006)
- Kushiel's Justice (2007)
- Kushiel's Mercy (2008)
- Naamah's Kiss (2009)
- Naamah's Curse (2010)
- Naamah's Blessing (2011)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 2002: won: Kushiel's Dart
- Gaylactic Spectrum Award, 2002: nominated: Kushiel's Dart
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- The Condor Trilogy Historical fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.18
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.20 across 266,102 ratings on 9 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Kushiel's Legacy admitted as a single-author universe accepted 2026-08-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Kushiel's Legacy (Wikipedia) Tier 2
- Jacqueline Carey (Wikipedia) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: Core = 9 novels across 3 sequential trilogies forming one continuous multi-generational saga (same treatment as this database's other multi-series single-author universes, e.g. Realm of the Elderlings, Dragonlance): the Phèdre Trilogy, the Imriel Trilogy (UK title: Treason's Heir), and the Moirin Trilogy. Expanded = Cassiel's Servant (2023), a retelling of Kushiel's Dart's own events from a different character's perspective; not new plot content, so kept out of Core to avoid double-counting.