Kushiel's Dart

Rating:
Summary: Amazing story
Review: Serving over here in Kuwait I purchased this novel last year and only just read it. I was so impressed with the writing and character development, as well as the protaganist herself, that I quickly lost myself. I am eagerly anticipating the next novels which I plan to purchase ASAP.

Rating:
Summary: "Kushiel's Dart" a by-the-numbers entertainment
Review: Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel's Dart" is set in fictional Terre d'Ange, populated by a race descended from the Son of God. That's an interesting concept in itself. But the conceit this book turns upon is its protagonist, Phedre no Delaunay, a young woman born with a scarlet mote in her eye--"Kushiel's Dart," a mark designating her as one who experiences pain as pleasure.

Before you think this book is soft-core S&M porn, consider the editorial praise Carey has earned. They don't hand that out for Gor-like novels.

"Kushiel's Dart" opens with a phrase that was either lifted from Mary Renault's "The Persian Boy" or a deliberate homage to it. But it works in drawing you into this story that is easy to predict but delightful to read. Phedre is sold into slavery in childhood, only to be redeemed by her strange imperfection; taught the erotic arts and educated, she is unleashed on several political figures as a player in a game of intrigue that touches on Terre d'Ange's royal line. Of course, she soon runs up against Melisandre Shahrizai, a major if shadowy player on the political stage. Melisandre gets Phedre exiled and sold into slavery to the enemy Skaldi, whose leaders plan to take Terre d'Ange for their own.

Although the book is written along familiar lines, the writing is paced quickly enough to keep you reading, and the characters are likable. One of Carey's strengths is that she never loses her narrator's "voice" in anachronisms, be they idioms, metaphors, or syntactical structures. Her villain Melisandre just skirts the edge of excess, but exudes a charm and charisma when she's on the page. Phedre's uncertainty and regretfulness are annoying at times, but at least she never drops into mawkish sentiment. And Carey's dialogue is quite eloquent, a cut above most romantic fantasy where the characters usually express themselves in Hallmark-ian language.

It's always good to see fantasy go in a direction that's not all about elves, dragons, and McGuffins. For this and for the book's other qualities, I heartily recommend "Kushiel's Dart." It's as familiar, and enchanting, as a fairytale.

Rating:
Summary: It should have been 300 pages shorter..........
Review: As many reviewers have remarked, the last three hundred pages are so painful to get through. Absolutely painful,mind numbing rubbish. Watch as our perfect heroine saves the world and displays an array of talents and skills a super hero in a comic book universe wouldn't even have ! This is too bad because for the first part of the book we see Phedre develop in her training, master some of her demons, and show just how fallible she is as a human. Her interaction with Joscelin I really enjoyed. Out of all the characters I enjoyed Joscelin the most actually. The sexual content of this book is mentioned by many who have read the book. It's there in varying degrees, especially in the first part of the book. The author did a good job of making such scenes interesting, though erotic is not the word I would use to describe them. Apparently many people would. I finished this book out of determination and not much else, and I have no intention of reading the rest of the series. Where the sterling reviews come from I can't say. Though Phedre starts off as a unique and interesting character, by the end of the book she is similar to so many others: perfect, beautiful and destined for both glory and self sacrifice.

Rating:
Summary: Painful...
Review: This book was one of the greatest disappointments of the year for me. I had read good things about it and bookreaders I respect had recommended it to me. Unfortunately this book is plagued with "made up word syndrome¨ where about a third of the nouns are words that have no etiology in this universe. This is further compounded by the use of ridiculous names such as the hero "Phedre no Delaunay". Yes this is the heroine's name.
Now that my personal gripe has been dealt with I should say that the outlined premise of the book is unique... a concubine uses her special "ability" to withstand pain and other deviant acts inflicted on her from her "johns¨ during sexual encounters. She has "Kushiels Dart¨ - a fleck in her eye that is symbolic of this unique trait allowing her to turn pain into pleasure. She uses this method to get close to politicians to gather secrets and the game begins. Unfortunately this tuned into one of those 800+ page books that you just keep reading because at some point it must get good -It didn't. I don't use this phrase very often -but this was clearly a "chick book". And no, that has nothing to do with the fact the lead character is female. (Steal the Dragon and Game of Thrones both have female leads and they are outstanding) No, I call this a "chick book¨ because it seemed to read as a soft-core porn/romance novel. I enjoy reading about sex as much as the next guy, but there is no need for an eight page sex scene in a fantasy novel. Make it two pages and get on with the espionage. The weak writing and the made up words and dreadful sex scenes made this book a chore to finish. I am not impressed that there is a sequel for this and I (unlike Phedre) take no pleasure in needless pain, and will not be reading the next book.

Rating:
Summary: Love as thou wilt
Review: After reading the summary at the back cover, I decided to buy it. From the first page I was hooked. Not a boring moment despite the political intrigues and the building up of the alternate world, Terre D'Ange (situated about France nowadays). The culture society is described well, given little by little along the way, not in a full history lesson, except for explaining the religion foundation of The Blessed Elua and His Companions. The story about who was Elua itself is a new thing for me and close related with crucifixion tale.

Against the strong religion and political background, Phaedré, a whore's unwanted get, adopted by Anafiel Delaunay and raised as the rarest scion of Kushiel, in other word, an anguisette, the right hand of the Punisher Angel and also as a spy. In the end of her lessons, she found herself in the mist of political turmoil, with the Princes of Blood trying to take the throne from a very old King and his young granddaughter by way of marriage or force.

Who was Anafiel? Why was he so interested in political game and using Phaedre and Alcuin, his other student, both as pawn and spy? Befriended from childhood by Hyacinthe, a Tsingano boy who could see the future, Phaedre tried to find out the truth which only made her rue the day she found it out.

Spiced with 'chaste' romantic relationship between Phaedre and a Cassiline brother (though I'm sure will develop in the next book), this dark romance novel is a hard-put to be put down. A sensually engrossing story.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning and Sensual
Review: When I first picked up the book in Half Price Bookstore on the recommendation of a friend of mine, I rolled my eyes. "Not another badly done erotica slash fantasy." I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and the actual knowledge that went in to the book on the premise of pain-turning-pleasure. Carey doesn't make it sound lewd -- instead, it is just a part of Phedre. She makes the encounters sensual and delightful to anyone -- not just people into S&M.

I was nervous when I read about the politics through reviews and such. I'm not into politics at all. Luckily, Carey makes the politics fascinating by making them intrinsic to the plot. Instead of seeming like a chore -- it is fascinating to learn about the twists and turns of Phedre's world.

Carey does a good job of having her readers fall in love with her characters. I love Delauney. I love Alcuin. I was jealous when they hooked up. I cried at Hyacinthe's fate. I cried many times throughout the book. I've already started the second, and I'm crying through it as well

I've always enjoyed the stories where the author has the balls to kill off main characters. It makes the stories more like real life, and yes, a little more heart-breaking.

Rating:
Summary: Kushiel's Dart- GREAT!
Review: This books weaves an impeccably believable world, a world charged with everything that makes a great epic. The main character, Phedre, is extremely flawed, extremely believable and extremely sympathetic because of it. Kushiel's Dart draws you in and doesn't let you out until the final page (and even then, you are waiting with baited breath for the sequal).

Rating:
Summary: loved it
Review: The world she creates is very detailed and sensual. If you can survive past the first few chapeters with all their background you will be throughly pleased. Once you get into it, you won't be able to put it down.