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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised by how great this book was. It was recommended to me by a friend, who lent me her copy, and I can't thank her enough; having never heard of the title before borrowing it, I encountered three separate friends who saw me reading it and exclaimed how much they loved it and how much they knew I'd enjoy it, and the rest of the series.
They were right; I'm excited to read the next one!
As with many epic fantasies in which whole new worlds are described, the politics can be a bit hard to follow at first. However, the character development is brilliant throughout and any confusing references about allies, lands and family trees are well-documented and explained. It had its erotic moments without taking away from the story at hand, and without putting this novel in the "guilty pleasure" section. Far from it - it's a great fantasy novel and its heroine is brilliant, flawed and admirable.
My sole peeve was the cover art - while it displays Phedre's marque (barbed rose tattoo) beautifully, the woman depicted looks nothing at all like she's described in the story. What's with the Xena-Warrior-Princess straight hair and bangs? I see her with long, sable pre-Raphaelite curls. And so did the author (cover artists should always, ALWAYS read the book.) End of rant.
I had a great time reading Kushiel's Dart, and I'll be purchasing Kushiel's Chosen for my Kindle when I get paid on Friday.
Thanks for the loan, Cat! Much appreciated :-D
They were right; I'm excited to read the next one!
As with many epic fantasies in which whole new worlds are described, the politics can be a bit hard to follow at first. However, the character development is brilliant throughout and any confusing references about allies, lands and family trees are well-documented and explained. It had its erotic moments without taking away from the story at hand, and without putting this novel in the "guilty pleasure" section. Far from it - it's a great fantasy novel and its heroine is brilliant, flawed and admirable.
My sole peeve was the cover art - while it displays Phedre's marque (barbed rose tattoo) beautifully, the woman depicted looks nothing at all like she's described in the story. What's with the Xena-Warrior-Princess straight hair and bangs? I see her with long, sable pre-Raphaelite curls. And so did the author (cover artists should always, ALWAYS read the book.) End of rant.
I had a great time reading Kushiel's Dart, and I'll be purchasing Kushiel's Chosen for my Kindle when I get paid on Friday.
Thanks for the loan, Cat! Much appreciated :-D
And exhale... I have been holding my breath for the last 200 pages. a job well done. The characters are so human. All the facets to them and their depth and growth is just amazingly written. I felt the searing pain of being skinned alive with Phedre. I experience her sorrow alongside her and gasped for joy too. Beautiful.
Heard good things about this book but I just couldn't get into it. The writing and prose is just off to me and really hard for me to understand which is weird, usually I can stick it out a bit longer.
Maybe I'll try to reread at another time.
Maybe I'll try to reread at another time.
Oh man I really like this book. Outside of the sex scenes (which, frankly, Carey does a way better job with when she's writing from a sub's perspective), the heroine is a courtesan who is also coincidentally a linguist, spy, and...well, like 50 other things that make it seem like the whole sex thing is just a happy addition to a well rounded person. The narrative is satisfying, too...the romance isn't nearly as random as some other books I may have accidentally read in the past.
Beautifully written, and a bit too racy to recommend to most, but I think I will anyway.
After receiving new information regarding how the Goodreads algorithm works and how it can punish authors if they drop below 5 stars, I am only rating on a 5 or 1 scale now until it's fixed and there's room for nuanced discussion and reviews.
More information:
https://twitter.com/KitEverlasting/status/1734049836981219732?t=qmvlLkJyknfEMR5F8OIDjw&s=19
More information:
https://twitter.com/KitEverlasting/status/1734049836981219732?t=qmvlLkJyknfEMR5F8OIDjw&s=19
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
One of my all time favorite books.
I'm not a big romance fan, but it's so well written and so well balanced with the fantasy and political intrigue.
The sex scenes will be shocking if you don't general ready spicy books. They'll be relatively tame if you read very spicy books, like the Sleeping Quartet, but with a refreshing dose of consent.
The world building and backstory is extensive, but I find it a lot more enjoyable to read and easier to get through than Tolkien (who I cannot get through at all).
I'm not a big romance fan, but it's so well written and so well balanced with the fantasy and political intrigue.
The sex scenes will be shocking if you don't general ready spicy books. They'll be relatively tame if you read very spicy books, like the Sleeping Quartet, but with a refreshing dose of consent.
The world building and backstory is extensive, but I find it a lot more enjoyable to read and easier to get through than Tolkien (who I cannot get through at all).
This was a tough book for me to rate. My initial feeling as I read through the first third of the book was that I disliked it and wouldn't finish it. I would have rated it two stars at that point. The book is almost entirely narrated, so it breaks the modern writing dictate of telling rather than showing. But in the end it proves that when done well, even a book that is almost all exposition can be a pretty decent story. There are still elements of this book that I dislike, and I'll probably not read it again as I do with my favorite books, but I can't deny it's a good read.
adventurous
dark
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:
No
Very intricate worldbuilding, as well as very flowing prose.
The style, however, wasn't very much to my taste. I'm not tending towards reading the next books in the series.
The style, however, wasn't very much to my taste. I'm not tending towards reading the next books in the series.