I struggled to get into this doorstopper – at 1015 pages, it is epic in many senses of the word. Phedre, the protagonist, was annoying and at times I wanted to give her a good slap (not the best solution for someone who is into BDSM!) and tell her to get over herself; and I struggled to keep track of who was doing what to whom. Nonetheless, I kept reading even as I muttered to myself in annoyance. I’m not sure at what point I stopped muttering and became genuinely engrossed but, once hooked, I could not put it down. It certainly passed the midnight test - it was 3.30am the first night when I eventually turned the light off – and then only because I knew I had to get some sleep. I finished it in three days and bought the next two in the trilogy before I was half way though this one.

‘Kushiel’s Dart’ is the first of a trilogy set in an alternate version of Renaissance Europe and Judeo-Christian religion – with just enough parallels for the reader to have a sense of vague, curious familiarity but not too much. It is filled with people, places, and events just as complex as any in the real world - they are believable, they are intriguing and nothing is black/white or good/evil.

Phedre no Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond purchased by Anafiel Delauney (aka The Whoremaster of Spies), who recognises that the spot of blood in her eye marks her as one who is pricked by Kushiel's Dart (she experiences pain and pleasure as one - a masochist). She's trained as a courtesan, but is also taught how to observe and analyse what she sees - the tools of a spy. As Phedre's homeland of Terre d'Ange is drawn ever closer to conflict through treachery and betrayal, it will be up to Phedre to use all of the talents at her disposal to save what she holds dear.

Jacqueline Carey's world-building is amazing. Not only does she bring the myths, culture and beauty of Terre d'Ange to life, she takes us to the wild northern lands of Skaldia with a struggle for survival, and over the sea to the barbarian land of Alba and the battle for a stolen throne. More than anything, though, it is the characters surrounding Phedre who fascinate me - Alcuin, Delaunay, Joscelin, Melisande and Hyacinthe.

Carey tackles three giants of the fantasy realm (political intrigue, religion, and war) in this novel and shines at all of them. I closed the cover of this book and immediately opened the sequel. ( )

A friend of mine recomended by a friend. It was a little hard to get into at first but if you push past it, it gets really good. I absolutely love this book. A great read. ( )

I really love the scope of this story. Its so good. You have to dredge through the first part of the book but once you get passed it, the book gets so much better. I don't like how in depth the politics are because I have always had a bad time grasping them, but the thought out plot line and the just grandiosity of the story makes it an epic. ( )

Excellent, imaginative debut, featuring a fantasy world loosely based on medieval Europe. In the first book in a set of two linked trilogies, Carey creates memorable characters, sexual situations that ought to be off-putting but weren't, suspense, intrigue, and adventure. The heroine is fascinating, resourceful, and flawed. And the chief villain of the story is well-drawn and nuanced, all too seldom the case in otherwise interesting fantasy series. Highly recommended.

I read this book on the recommendation of many people: Cassandra and Annie, especially. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I enjoyed it as much as I could have.

I was warned that the first chapter was written with a real snooty high-fantasy air about it. That was true...it's written from the perspective of Phedre, whose intro prose style lies somewhere between Queen Elizabeth the First and someone who is doing a bad impression of her. She loses the wordiness as the book goes on, but the occasional "mayhap" kept bugging me.

Anyway, Phedre was born with a scarlet mote in her eye. That means that she experiences pleasure and pain as one, making her a fun plaything for the upperclasses of Terre d'Ange (loosely veiled France). She's trained as not only a whore specializing in BDSM, but also to listen carefully and gather information for her patron, Delaunay. Well, she gathers information and suddenly finds herself in a bad situation: she knows too much. Her adventures begin.

It's a pretty straightforward fantasy. I think it seemed a lot more dense to me at the beginning - all of those people, all of those fancy names, all of these alliances...oy! How would one ever keep 'em straight? After a while I just gave up and enjoyed the storytelling. Everything starts to pick up around the middle of the book. Of course, there are lots of horses and court manners and we have the "unlikely group of heroes" that every fantasy has to have (lest it t'were not a true fantasy, mayhap?) but it was a good read. I will probably pick up the rest of the trilogy at some point, but I need a break from it for now. ( )