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A review by erothoniel
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
After the second read through I’m quite happy that the story still holds up surprisingly well. It’s very well plotted out high fantasy with lovely flowing prose.
The MC is sometimes quite obnoxious and it’s annoying how everything falls into places for her to save the day, but at the same time it’s all with support of not only the plot, but also the world building in general. Another point in favor: MC as a narrator is very, very good. Prose is very high fantasy posh medieval, but Phedre doesn’t shy from saying she sometimes forgets things and gives her recounting of info nuanced. Some contemporaries writing first person narrative should take some serious notes.
All in all, despite having some questionable worldbuilding baselines, it’s still one of my favorite fantasy stories.
The MC is sometimes quite obnoxious and it’s annoying how everything falls into places for her to save the day, but at the same time it’s all with support of not only the plot, but also the world building in general. Another point in favor: MC as a narrator is very, very good. Prose is very high fantasy posh medieval, but Phedre doesn’t shy from saying she sometimes forgets things and gives her recounting of info nuanced. Some contemporaries writing first person narrative should take some serious notes.
All in all, despite having some questionable worldbuilding baselines, it’s still one of my favorite fantasy stories.