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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A friend recommended the books to me. We both love SF and Fantasy and I found this book good from a storytelling perspective. It reads as a fairy tale and yet manages to maintain a link with reality. The idea of using an alternative history by changing a few events about 2,000 years ago is certainly interesting and a lot of the subplots are well done. The growing up of Phedre over the three books is decent.
Some people found that the book is over the top is using poetic descriptions and difficult words. The latter I found not at all true and the former I actually found a positive feature. It helps to "see" the book As for the people that found the names hard. Most of them are French(ish) with a continuous disrespect for French grammar rules.
You may say why then the 2 stars if you did like it? Well for two reasons.
I found the Melisande character as the really bad girl very very weak. The so-called attraction between her and Phedre is underwhelming. This important plot that goes on for three books is just not believable and at times annoying.
But my main criticism lies in the fact that I found the descriptors used for the various people in Europe extremely condescending to the point of insulting. I know it is supposed to be an alternate reality but really it is over the top.
The Germanic tribes are barbarians as are the people living in the low lands. The people on what we know as the British and Irish isles are considered to be warmongering brutes with a very new age slant on the druidic and Celtic cultures. The face paintings described are worse than any Pict ever wore. The Greek are described mainly as day dreamers who live by what their oracles are stating
Only the French are worth anything as they descent from the angels or so they claim.
The people of Terre d'Ange (French for domain of the angels) are described as if they are the only people in this alternative Europe that have developed a more enlightened society. Certainly the first book as a result gave me a very nasty aftertaste in my mouth.
Some people found that the book is over the top is using poetic descriptions and difficult words. The latter I found not at all true and the former I actually found a positive feature. It helps to "see" the book As for the people that found the names hard. Most of them are French(ish) with a continuous disrespect for French grammar rules.
You may say why then the 2 stars if you did like it? Well for two reasons.
I found the Melisande character as the really bad girl very very weak. The so-called attraction between her and Phedre is underwhelming. This important plot that goes on for three books is just not believable and at times annoying.
But my main criticism lies in the fact that I found the descriptors used for the various people in Europe extremely condescending to the point of insulting. I know it is supposed to be an alternate reality but really it is over the top.
The Germanic tribes are barbarians as are the people living in the low lands. The people on what we know as the British and Irish isles are considered to be warmongering brutes with a very new age slant on the druidic and Celtic cultures. The face paintings described are worse than any Pict ever wore. The Greek are described mainly as day dreamers who live by what their oracles are stating
Only the French are worth anything as they descent from the angels or so they claim.
The people of Terre d'Ange (French for domain of the angels) are described as if they are the only people in this alternative Europe that have developed a more enlightened society. Certainly the first book as a result gave me a very nasty aftertaste in my mouth.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Liked the second half much better! Some really great world building and some unexpectedly hard-hitting emotional moments. A fun cast of characters. Unfortunately a bit drawn out for my taste and one I had to keep reminding myself to pick back up again.
Liked the political intrigue. The cutting - not so much :(