This book is pretty far outside of my comfort zone because I’ve been trying to experience new genres this year, but I think Kushiel’s Dart may have been the farthest I’ll delve into high fantasy. I did enjoy large parts of it, but I probably won’t be reading the sequels. Committing my time to this 901 page brick filled my epic fantasy quota for a few years.
Kushiel’s Dart takes place in the land of Terre d’Ange, where all the descendents of angels live (making them the most beautiful and graceful naturally). Phédre was born to a prostitute aka “servant of Naamah”, but sold into indentured servitude. People aren’t sure what to make of the blood-red mote in her eye until Anafiel Delaunay realized she’s an anguisette, someone who experiences pain as pleasure. He purchases her servitude and she grows up in his house learning many skills along with her adopted brother, Alcuin. They are servants of Naamah, but also spies for Delaunay who is entangled in the politics of the kingdom and has motivations few people know.
I have to say I enjoyed the first half of the novel when Phédre is learning spycraft and how to get information out of her clients way more than the second half when she ends up embroiled in the politics of the kingdom. Maybe that also had something to do with the long length. If a book is longer than 500 pages, there better be a good reason and there hardly ever is. Authors need to ruthlessly edit out the boring stuff. Personal opinion. Anyway, I did enjoy this one more than I thought I would, so if you’re super into fantasy, this is probably a must read. I will warn people that the sex scenes veer from dubiously consensual to nonexistent at times, so use caution if that bothers you.
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