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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Finished chapter forty-three and never picked it up again. The names are so hard to follow, the flechettes were a step too far, and i am well and truly bored. So drawn out, got tired of waiting for any payoff, no reason for me to keep reading..
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have way too many books to consume these days. A thousand page book needs to really justify the time I’m going to put into it, and this just wasn’t doing anything I was interested in, though I did like the prose and thought it had good flow, overall. I don’t think it had gotten to introduce a theme, not much had happened after 3 hours of listening time, and it feels like another chonker fantasy book that, with maybe no exceptions I’ve yet to experience?, continue to feel self indulgent to the point of being masturbatory.
I just have way too many books to read. It’s becoming clear that epic fantasy probably just isn’t to my taste.
I just have way too many books to read. It’s becoming clear that epic fantasy probably just isn’t to my taste.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
what a stellar novel... need to read the others eventually i just got intimidated by the ladies on the covers as they looked more like typical romance novels than this ones cover
I was told there would be romance. And there was some ... just that it paled in comparison to the epic political machinations that took place. It's honestly laughable that people tag this book as "erotica" when the best parts are how people betray each other Game of Thrones style.
Sex in this book is a societal and religious construct that is built into the world of Terre d'Ange. It's described with such matter-of-factness and reverence that it's pretty un-sexy (except, when it matters!). If anything, the world building shows so much of its strength here. Terre d'Ange is fascinating. It is a living, breathing world that I can believe in and I can't get enough of it.
Phedre is one of the most consistent and intelligent FMCs I've had the pleasure of reading. She's no superhero, but works within her limitations to outsmart foes who are stronger and higher ranked than her. Her narration stays fairly clinical throughout. She describes events in a way that stays consistent with her ever observant and analytical nature. It was a little hard for me to get used to, and I almost dropped the book at the start, but ultimately I'm glad to have stayed with it.
I'm excited to dive into the rest of the series. This book has been a formative experience, like when I picked up Lord of the Rings for the first time. So good and underrated.
Sex in this book is a societal and religious construct that is built into the world of Terre d'Ange. It's described with such matter-of-factness and reverence that it's pretty un-sexy (except, when it matters!). If anything, the world building shows so much of its strength here. Terre d'Ange is fascinating. It is a living, breathing world that I can believe in and I can't get enough of it.
Phedre is one of the most consistent and intelligent FMCs I've had the pleasure of reading. She's no superhero, but works within her limitations to outsmart foes who are stronger and higher ranked than her. Her narration stays fairly clinical throughout. She describes events in a way that stays consistent with her ever observant and analytical nature. It was a little hard for me to get used to, and I almost dropped the book at the start, but ultimately I'm glad to have stayed with it.
I'm excited to dive into the rest of the series. This book has been a formative experience, like when I picked up Lord of the Rings for the first time. So good and underrated.
I don't read much science fiction/fantasy literature. Sure, I loved The Chronicles of Narnia as a child. The Giver was published when I was in grade school and I thrilled with horror at the history- and decision-less community. I managed to enjoy Tolkien's terse writing style after I saw the first film and could see the world his prose didn't suggest to me. So when I discovered that Jacqueline Carey had written a masochistic heroine serving as a kind of religious prostitute and spy, I thought, 'If there's kink, I can get through it.'
As other reviewers have noted, Carey's heavy-handed foreshadowing and ponderous prose can be tedious. The repetition of 'fluid Cassiline bow' and 'but then, we are D'Angeline and appreciate beauty' made me want to scream. I was caught up in the action, though, and found myself stealing away idle moments to read the book. The setting, an alternative medieval Europe, is full of interesting tribes, nations, and religious faiths with well-described customs. Phedre, as skilled at languages as she is the art of love, is a wonderful guide through this world. If the charge at Troyes-les-Mont doesn't hold a candle to the one at Hornburg (Helm's Deep), well, Kushiel's Dart is still an enjoyable journey nonetheless.
I know this is a fantasy novel. However, my major qualm is that while so many other aspects of BDSM and kinky sexuality are explained well (creating a signale or safe word; drawing up a contract about the scene; having others know where and whith whom you have an assignation; etc), the depiction of Phedre as a woman without limits or boundaries was jarring. As a point of pride she refuses to use her signale. Situations involving rape (like being a sexual slave to captors) are explained away by the fact Phedre has been struck by Kushiel's Dart and experiences pleasure and pain together. That was more difficult for me to stomach than bad prose.
As other reviewers have noted, Carey's heavy-handed foreshadowing and ponderous prose can be tedious. The repetition of 'fluid Cassiline bow' and 'but then, we are D'Angeline and appreciate beauty' made me want to scream. I was caught up in the action, though, and found myself stealing away idle moments to read the book. The setting, an alternative medieval Europe, is full of interesting tribes, nations, and religious faiths with well-described customs. Phedre, as skilled at languages as she is the art of love, is a wonderful guide through this world. If the charge at Troyes-les-Mont doesn't hold a candle to the one at Hornburg (Helm's Deep), well, Kushiel's Dart is still an enjoyable journey nonetheless.
I know this is a fantasy novel. However, my major qualm is that while so many other aspects of BDSM and kinky sexuality are explained well (creating a signale or safe word; drawing up a contract about the scene; having others know where and whith whom you have an assignation; etc), the depiction of Phedre as a woman without limits or boundaries was jarring. As a point of pride she refuses to use her signale. Situations involving rape (like being a sexual slave to captors) are explained away by the fact Phedre has been struck by Kushiel's Dart and experiences pleasure and pain together. That was more difficult for me to stomach than bad prose.
This book was fascinating. I love the tension, the alternate history, the magic, the adventure and intrigue! I thought the style was similar to the Name of the Wind, in that there is a bit of a story-telling vibe, where the narrator already knows what goes wrong and threads hints throughout.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes