I've heard several times in the past that this was a good book and seen it appear on multiple lists of great Sci-Fi/Fantasy books. I finally picked it up at our local library and gave it a read. For the first third or maybe even the first half of the book, I was continuing to wonder what all the fuss was about.

Yes, some of the characters were interesting but the world seemed a too thinly veiled version of medieval Europe. Then there was the squick factor from Phèdre being effectively sold into slavery while a child and her eventual transformation into a courtesan specializing in BDSM.

If you can get past the squick, then odds are you've gotten sucked into the political intrigue or how vivid the characters are. These two things are undoubtedly why this book is so well regarded by some, including myself. That being said I don't know of a single person I could actually recommend this book to. Additionally it wasn't good enough to make me want to read more of the series, though it was compelling enough that I took the time to write this review.