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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
medium-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
I have never been more grateful for my kindle dictionary as I have in this book. It’s giving some thesaurus overuse but then again, it’s a purely fictional universe, so who am I to question their vocab preferences? Ex: there was one instance listing 5 colors and I had to look up 4 of them to figure out which they were actually referring to.
It’s a dense and complex place, this world. At 10% I barely had a grasp at what was happening; at 25% I couldn’t fathom how there was this much happening and I was only a quarter of the way through the book.
There’s a lot of chatter about the amount of sex in this book but I’d challenge that most mentions, although definitely detailing a specific (and dark) kink, are not all that extensive. Descriptions are more often paragraphs, not pages. She’s a niche courtesan, so she’s just talking about her work day, you know? If that’s not something you’re comfortable with, it’s probably easy enough to skim over those interactions and just pay attention to how those they’re important to the story. Because it’s a good one.
It’s a dense and complex place, this world. At 10% I barely had a grasp at what was happening; at 25% I couldn’t fathom how there was this much happening and I was only a quarter of the way through the book.
There’s a lot of chatter about the amount of sex in this book but I’d challenge that most mentions, although definitely detailing a specific (and dark) kink, are not all that extensive. Descriptions are more often paragraphs, not pages. She’s a niche courtesan, so she’s just talking about her work day, you know? If that’s not something you’re comfortable with, it’s probably easy enough to skim over those interactions and just pay attention to how those they’re important to the story. Because it’s a good one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Death
This book started off really well - it was the first time I had ever read "chic-lit" (or "vaginal fantasy" - thanks Felicia Day) that featured a masochistic prostitute! Or masochism at all!
It was refreshingly different! However, about halfway through the book it degenerated into a typical chick-lit romance novel. Disappointing - it really didn't need to go down that route.
It was refreshingly different! However, about halfway through the book it degenerated into a typical chick-lit romance novel. Disappointing - it really didn't need to go down that route.
If you can get past the first part of the book where children are being trained to be courtesans, the story certainly picks up, with many interesting characters and a plot full of intrigue. However, after the climax of the story, I also felt the ending dragged on for a little too long.
Something may be wrong with me as I didn't actually find the story to be unreasonably graphic, and I really appreciated the twist on how her role as Kushiel's Dart became central to the plot.
Something may be wrong with me as I didn't actually find the story to be unreasonably graphic, and I really appreciated the twist on how her role as Kushiel's Dart became central to the plot.
I don't think I'm going to finish this.
It's fine, and if I were at a point in my life where I was reading a LOT of books, I'd follow it through, but I'm not, so I won't.
The sexy parts were sexy, and I enjoyed them. The worldbuilding was interesting, if a little too . . . overtly sensual. Like, the whole thing is set up to be e-rotic, with a capital E. Super exclusive prostitutes, most of whom love their jobs! Trained since they were tiny tots to be sexy in weirdly specific ways! Everyone is so beautiful! And like I said, it is very nice or whatever, for those purposes, but everything else just bored me. It's an alternate earth, which was potentially pretty interesting at first. But all the names are vaguely French, and I'm not good with French, so I couldn't remember who anyone was and why I should care. I guess there were politics and wars and people vying for the throne but I wasn't taking notes, and without a list of important people at the end OR a map in the beginning (I feel like a book this size should have had both) I couldn't really follow it. There's no sense in me slogging through 700 pages of this nonsense just to get to a few jill-off scenes, so it's back to the library with this one.
And the characters were pretty trite. Masochist MC who loves getting mauled (SOP for a S&M E-rotic story); best friend from the other side of the tracks; male prostitute dude who's oh so beautiful and precious but doesn't like being a whore like the MC does; sexy beautiful mentor with a mysterious past. Yawn.
(P.S. Haha, I just added an "erotic" bookshelf.)
(P.P.S. Also I put this on the "fantasy" bookshelf but it is it one, really? I feel like fantasy has to have magic and/or a dragon and/or a sword that has a name. And this didn't have any of that. So I guess it's just "alternate earth.")
It's fine, and if I were at a point in my life where I was reading a LOT of books, I'd follow it through, but I'm not, so I won't.
The sexy parts were sexy, and I enjoyed them. The worldbuilding was interesting, if a little too . . . overtly sensual. Like, the whole thing is set up to be e-rotic, with a capital E. Super exclusive prostitutes, most of whom love their jobs! Trained since they were tiny tots to be sexy in weirdly specific ways! Everyone is so beautiful! And like I said, it is very nice or whatever, for those purposes, but everything else just bored me. It's an alternate earth, which was potentially pretty interesting at first. But all the names are vaguely French, and I'm not good with French, so I couldn't remember who anyone was and why I should care. I guess there were politics and wars and people vying for the throne but I wasn't taking notes, and without a list of important people at the end OR a map in the beginning (I feel like a book this size should have had both) I couldn't really follow it. There's no sense in me slogging through 700 pages of this nonsense just to get to a few jill-off scenes, so it's back to the library with this one.
And the characters were pretty trite. Masochist MC who loves getting mauled (SOP for a S&M E-rotic story); best friend from the other side of the tracks; male prostitute dude who's oh so beautiful and precious but doesn't like being a whore like the MC does; sexy beautiful mentor with a mysterious past. Yawn.
(P.S. Haha, I just added an "erotic" bookshelf.)
(P.P.S. Also I put this on the "fantasy" bookshelf but it is it one, really? I feel like fantasy has to have magic and/or a dragon and/or a sword that has a name. And this didn't have any of that. So I guess it's just "alternate earth.")
adventurous
challenging
