Rating: 
Summary: All the elements are there, but nothing happens
Review: The most controversial aspect of this novel, and what will most likely determine whether somebody enjoys it, is the main character's sexuality. The red mote in her eye, Kushiel's Dart, marks her in her people's mythos as a born masochist. Sold into indentured servitude at a young age, she grows up to become a beautiful spy-courtesan whose kinkiness gives her access to the top political figures of the country.The concept may sound somewhat tawdry, but Carey takes the story very seriously and the heroine, Phedre, turns out to be a very believable character. For that matter, all the other characters are credible as well, from the warrior-monk Joscelin who provides a foil for Phedre to her mentor Delaunay and her friend Hyacinthe. Where the novel falls short is its plot and the depth of the writing. The character conflicts that develop between Phedre and the others are a little predictable and mechanical. The epic part of the epic fantasy is fine stuff, but Phedre often seems too removed from it. Carey obviously wrestled with the problem of how to involve Phedre more directly in the plot, given that she is eternally a noncombatant. (To her credit, the author does not make Phedre a credible warrioress in addition to her other talents.) An expected confrontation between the heroine and her nemesis never occurs, too transparently postponed until a sequel. Put simply, Phedre's life doesn't seem in very much danger most of the time. This seems a bit odd, given Phedre's nature. Even the sex / s&m scenes seem a bit uninvolved; though Carey seems always conscious of Phedre's masochism, she doesn't delve very much into it. Honestly, she could have told exactly the same story but just making Phedre really good in bed. In this sense, the s&m elements seem a bit artificial. The bottom line is that Jacqueline Carey has some strong characters and an effective setting (a reimagined Europe with just a hint of the fantastic), as well as the willingness to tell a serious story with a controversial edge to it. However, it seems that I will have to wait at least until the second novel to see what she can do with these elements.
Rating: 
Summary: Angelique revisted.
Review: I haven't read anything like this since the Angilique novels of the early 70's. Our heroine is both slave and independent female. She likes both roles. This was not a fantasy, it was a cheap romance with a formulaic plot set in a quasi mideval world. I will pass on the sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: bad porn
Review: I bought this book because it was so heavily hyped, but it turned out to be mess of stilted prose, overly demanding plot details, and bad sadomasochistic porn. Every sentence rings of foolish bombast, the characters have no emotional appeal, and I felt so manipulated I had to throw the book across the room. I have tried to pick up the book again, being a third of the way through, but it repels me again and again. I am no literary snob, I read science fiction and some fantasy all the time, and I am no literary lightweight, enjoying Henry James as much as the next guy, but this piece of marketing mush failed to appeal at any level. The book reads like it was started on an alt.sex newsgroup.
Rating: 
Summary: Kushiel's Dart Hits the Marque
Review: A story well told, wrought with intrigue, betrayal, passion and lust. Don't be daunted by the length of the book. It may take a wee bit to get a feel for who's who, but well worth it. Highly recommended, particularly for those who thrive on the sci fi/fantasy genre.
Rating:
Summary: great characters
Review: I was very surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. It held much old mythology and interplayed it with a twist. I found this book to be written for those with intelligence and imagination. For a book whose main character is a religious prostitute the is sex without the book being about sex more the politic and dynamics of the world this character finds herself. I am working on the next novel Kushiels Choosen and it is as intriguing at the first.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Words cannot describe how truly wonderful this book really was. I have read many books, close to 1,500 if I've kept my tally correct, and not a one, in a long time has affected me quite like Kushiel's Dart did. Every page turned I closed my eyes in anticipation for what was to come, I wept and laughed and got angry with the characters, my two most favorite being Phedre and Joscelin. Being a writer myself, I go through tough times of writer's block or just plain feelings of failure. After reading Kushiel's Dart, the debut high fantasy novel written by a woman, I could only find myself spurred onward to succeed. Superb writing, excellent characters, unbelievable plot. The beginning had me reading with anticipation, the end left me in tears. Thankfully the sequel is my next conquest, but I fear I will go crazy waiting for the finale. If 100 stars could be given, this novel would get them.
Rating: 
Summary: First Impressions
Review: Very Good. I was quite shocked, at first. A young girl with a bit of red pigment in her eye enjoying flagellation? And commonly accepting money for it? It was completely out of place with most of what I've read. But Phedre's story was enrapturing. These bizarre attitudes only augmented my fascination with her character. The Political jargon caught my head in a whirl. Sometimes I found the thought process lacking, and sometimes the dialog seemed shallow, but more often than not I could feel, see, and react to a changing character struggling toward a goal and achieving heroic stations through her own credit. The alternate religion and development of Europe really makes the reader attentive to the details. Words spelled slightly different, customs altered minutley, and language hints created a parrallel but diverse world. Phedre is caught unawares, blessed and burdened with education, she tests her devotions, her loyalties, and her heart on an explosive adventure. And the shocks along the way will only make your heart beat faster.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!!!!!!!
Review: I have read hundreds of fantasy novels...Kushiels Dart springs to the top. Elegant, finely crafted, unique and beautifully written. Rarely is the fantasy genre presented with such a gift. And it's a first book. I am blown away and very eager for her sophomore debut.
Rating:
Summary: Weakened strengths
Review: This is a fascinating portrait of a young woman coming into her strength. From humble beginnings, Phedre no Delaunay is transformed by the meeting of outside forces with her own personal choices into one who is only reluctantly aware of the power she wields over others. The book is a political journey more than a physical one, which probably earned it the comparison to Dune. The Hero's Tale is here, though it lacks Dune's wanderings into areas of contemporary concern. We learn much about Terre D'Ange and its sea of characters, but outside the tale itself, there is little. Alas, this lack is aggravated by the Europe-ish world, with nary an attempt to make it someplace truly unique. That and the overwrought language made for frustrating reading at times. Overall, however, I found I was caught up in the inevitability of events enough that Phedre's journey and her progression of relationships was surprisingly believable. I would recommend this title as a study of personal transformation more than as an adventure novel. While exciting things happen, the pace is never breathless, and one feels (too much) as if it's all in the past anyway, and by the very fact that Phedre is narrating the book, we know she'll never die no matter how close she describes herself having come to it. I will read the following installments with interest.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue and treachery are afoot!
Review: I just finished this book and have to write a review!! I must say that this was easily one of the best books I have read in years.
First I must say that this is not a book for the prudish or squeamish. There is some very strong sexual content and violence, however, it is all very integral to the plot.
The story is seen totally through the eyes of Phedre, a courtesan and spy raised in the Night Courts of the kingdom of Terre D'Ange, a land founded by fallen angels. In this land, the supreme command of their God is "Love as Thou Wilt", and there are 13 houses of courtesans, each with a different attitude towards sex, from Joy to elegance to mysticism, and, yes, even S&M, who support this commandment. Phedre is marked by Kushiel's dart as an anguisette, one who takes pleasure from pain. She is indentured in the service of Anafiel no'Delauny who protects her and teaches her how to use her intelligence and bedskills to extract information from his enemies. Intrigue and treachery are everywhere and Phedre finds herself in the thick of it, when she and Delauney are betrayed by one close to them. Her travels take her from her homeland to the harsh Skaldi northlands to the isles of Alba and back to her beloved Terre D'Ange, accompanied by an ever increasing number of faithful followers, as she races against time to save the land she loves from treacherous betrayers.
This book is beautifully written, the intrigues are direly clever, and Phedre, for all her strange quirks, is a joy to read about. I recommend this book highly!
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