Kushiel's Dart (Kushiel's Legacy)

Made it to page 234 or a third of the way through before DNFing this one. I finally lost steam.

Many readers object to the institution of sex work as it exists in this fantasy world, but it feels like many people are taking depiction of a system as agreement with and support of a system. I think readers can see the problems with it without a character in the book getting on a soapbox about it.

Other readers suggest this book is full of sex - it’s truly not, at least not up through page 234. I don’t think there’s ever a scene that lasts more than 1 or 2 pages, if that. Maybe 10 pages of the 234 I read depicted sex. There’s far, far more political intrigue. The sex is also often vaguely described. Anyone who reads spicy romance would be confused by this book’s reputation upon reading it.

What made me DNF the book is the execution of the concept. Phedre’s role as a spy and courtesan should be exciting and suspenseful. Instead she does very little and understands very little. The political intrigue is communicated so much through characters telling other characters what’s going on. I desperately needed more POVs to work with or for Phedre to be able to do more.

I liked some of the characters - Phedre, Alcuin, Delauney, Joscelin. They had dynamics that I found compelling. But none of that takes up much page time. I would have loved for them to have more scenes which did not include more political intrigue. Scenes where I got to know them as characters and care about them. Hyacinthe I didn’t care about at all because his relationship to Phedre felt told more than shown.

Disappointed this one didn’t work for me! It got close.

I did not realize that it is a 900 page book! I generally read a 300 page book in a week, depending on how fast the book itself moves and how much time I have for reading. I had less time than usual to read this book and it took me 2 weeks to read.

The plot is intricate, not hard to follow. I laughed out loud, I cried. It truly is an excellent story. You'll either love or hate Phedre, the main character, who is raised as a spy and prostitute. This is a sort of alnernate history of earth. It takes place in Terre D'Ange and surrounding countries, which is basically Europe, the UK, and Ireland. You'll recognize Yeshua, who died on the cross, and the followers are Yeshuites. Phedre's people are from a descendant of Magdalene and the Earth. This could be seen as terribly sacrilegious, but is done in good taste. I found this alternate history universe intriguing.

I enjoy stories of politics and subterfuge. This book is choc-ful of politics and subterfuge.