Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Kushiel's Dart

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

54 reviews

willow1113's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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hardbackednooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

This was a really great read, with the exception of about 20-25% of the book. I blitzed through the first 65%ish, then everything came to a screeching halt for the next 20%. The last portion of the book moved pretty quickly, comparatively, though it also got to be much easier to predict at that point.

With the first-person past tense narrative and occasional breaking of the fourth wall, it was hard to feel any tension about Phedre's fate, but my heart was in my throat any time one of the other characters was threatened or involved in some machination. There are some truly shocking parts of this story and I found my jaw hanging open on more than one occasion.

If you're one for worldbuilding, politicking, and fantasy religions, this might be the perfect fit for you. The layers and maneuvers playing out throughout the world are endless and fascinating; even with all the info now that I'm done, there were still things that surprised me when I was able to piece it all together. Overall, this could've been a 5-star read with more editing towards the middle/later third, but still very deserving of a read. I'll be continuing the series once my hold comes in.

All that being said, this is a very intense book. Definitely NSFW and 18+, and absolutely do not read if you are triggered by pain, abuse, or assault of any kind.

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alexalily's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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hippievamp's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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bickleyhouse's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was recommended to me by one of my good librarian friends at the library where I work.

The world that Jacqueline Carey has built in this series is phenomenal. The further I got into this book, the better it got. It's kind of like if Song of Fire and Ice had a love child with Lord of the Rings. Call me crazy (and I'm sure some will), but it is that epic!

The story is all told in first-person perspective from Phedre, who is around seven years old when the tale begins. She is sold into servitude by her mother. She was "house-born," a full-blooded D'Angeline, and should have been able to be raised in one of the Thirteen Houses. However, she had this perceived flaw, which was a miniscule crimson spot in one of her eyes. For that reason, she was, as mentioned, sold into servitude to the Dowayne of Cereus House, who believed that the girl could fetch a hefty bond price.

I'm going to interject something here. Many reactions to this book include words like child sex trafficking, child molestation, child abuse, and things like that. The problem with those assessments is that these people are looking at it from a 21st century Western perspective. You simply cannot do that. It is not truly any of those things. And, while this book is most definitely "spicy" (and that's putting it mildly), the "spice" takes up, in my guesstimation, no more than 5% of the 912 pages. That 5% is pretty extreme, I'll give you that. But that's not at all the main theme of this tale.

Phedre's spot in her eye turns out to be Kushiel's Dart, for which the book is titled, and it turns out to be something quite special. Anafiel Dulounay recognizes this, and pays her bond price, and she becomes his student. From the time she is seven years old until she comes "of age" (in this world, that appears to be around sixteen or seventeen), she is educated in the best ways, the standard subjects. Eventually, though, she becomes educated in the ways of, well, pleasure. And pain. And this becomes the way in which she serves her master, not with him, but gaining information for him. All of this is done quite willingly. Again, one simply has to embrace the philosphy of the world that has been constructed, and if one is not willing to do this, one shouldn't bother trying to read this tale.

There is a lot of politics in this story, but there is also much daring adventure, betrayal, intrigue, and a whole lot of other stuff. At some point, the book almost becomes unputdownable for me. And I might also note that it is not the kind of fantasy that has dragons and sorcerers and the like. The closest thing to any of that is an encounter with one who is known as the Master of the Straits, who can somehow manifest himself in the waters of the ocean. Otherwise, there is nothing like magic or anything like that.

I simply loved this book, and definitely plan on continuing in the series, as this one ends wide-opened to be continued in the sequel, Kushiel's Chosen.

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