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angelgrrl 's review for:
Kushiel's Dart
by Jacqueline Carey
2.5 stars
What a slog... =\
I would have given the first third of the book alone a 4-star rating. It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of her narration; I had to reread sections multiple times to parse what was being said. Once I fell into it, the beginning of the book drew me in. I tore through that first part.
Then major-plot-point happened (Phédre is sent away), and suddenly I lost the desire to continue reading. I can't pinpoint what exactly it was. I got tired of her describing all not of Terre d'Ange as barbarians. Then there was the dissonance of her being furious at becoming a bed slave, because before she never had to serve anyone she didn't want... except later on she sweetly thinks of someone as the first she chose for herself. Now I don't recall her refusing anyone that Delaunay chose for her, though she was convinced she could have – and by Elua did she want Melisande – and she certainly seemed to enjoy those assignations; but if she could recognize that she hadn't been picking her lovers up to that point, how was this the point where it went too far? It's all fun and games until you end up with someone who isn't angel-spawn?
And for the entire book, I kept reading "Melisande" as "Melisandre", which to be honest kind of works. Still grated on me though.
Joscelin was such an annoying bundle of clichés.
I think the fact that her style of speaking made her sound much older made it easier to forget that she was recounting her sexual experiences starting at 14. It's interesting to think about what a much more sexually open society might think about age-of-consent.
I thought the alternate religious history was pretty neat.
What a slog... =\
I would have given the first third of the book alone a 4-star rating. It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of her narration; I had to reread sections multiple times to parse what was being said. Once I fell into it, the beginning of the book drew me in. I tore through that first part.
Then major-plot-point happened (Phédre is sent away), and suddenly I lost the desire to continue reading. I can't pinpoint what exactly it was. I got tired of her describing all not of Terre d'Ange as barbarians. Then there was the dissonance of her being furious at becoming a bed slave, because before she never had to serve anyone she didn't want... except later on she sweetly thinks of someone as the first she chose for herself. Now I don't recall her refusing anyone that Delaunay chose for her, though she was convinced she could have – and by Elua did she want Melisande – and she certainly seemed to enjoy those assignations; but if she could recognize that she hadn't been picking her lovers up to that point, how was this the point where it went too far? It's all fun and games until you end up with someone who isn't angel-spawn?
And for the entire book, I kept reading "Melisande" as "Melisandre", which to be honest kind of works. Still grated on me though.
Joscelin was such an annoying bundle of clichés.
I think the fact that her style of speaking made her sound much older made it easier to forget that she was recounting her sexual experiences starting at 14. It's interesting to think about what a much more sexually open society might think about age-of-consent.
I thought the alternate religious history was pretty neat.