Kushiel's Dart

I will start by saying that I almost never re-read books and I don’t read series. There are only two books in my entire library that I have ever re-read, Pride and Prejudice and Siddhartha. My reasoning is that there are way too many new books that I want to read and I have a good memory for things I’ve read before. As for series, I will read the first book of a series but almost never continue on to the next book. Series are a huge time commitment and I tend to have plenty of other books waiting to be read. So when I tell you that I finished Kushiel’s Dart and immediately wanted to re-read the book you’ll understand how significant that is. I’m also debating heavily whether or not I want to continue with the series. I don’t remember the last time I was this seduced by a book.



Seduced is an apt word for this story. Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey, is filled with intrigue, adventure, and romance with some steamy sex scenes. The story follows Phedre, a courtesan/spy who starts the book working for a nobleman to gain political information. Phedre is unique in that she experiences pain as pleasure (a masochistic prostitute), denoted by a mark in one of her eyes called Kushiel’s Dart. She uses her unique seductive skills to learn information which she then passes on to her benefactor. But Phedre and her benefactor are betrayed. He is killed and she is sold (along with her bodyguard Joscelin) to a tribe of barbarians as slaves. While there, she uncovers a plot to overthrow the Queen of Terre D’Ange (her home) and Phedre and Joscelin escape to warn her. The Queen decides that an alliance between Terre D’Ange (France) and Alba (England) would save the country from the invaders, and sends Phedre and Joscelin to Alba to return with the king and his army. On the way they must persuade Dalriada (Scotland) to lend its aid, gain safe passage from the Master of the Straits, and get back to Terre D’Ange before the invaders. I’m leaving out half the book practically with this plot summary but so much happens in this thick book that it would be impossible to list it all.

I want to talk for a moment about the setting before anything else because it affects so much of the rest of the book. The story is set in Terre D’Ange which is an alternative Renaissance France. A religion of sorts dominates the lives of the people, denoting where their position in society will be. Phedre is sold to a benefactor at a young age because her parents cannot take care of her. She is trained as a Servant of Naamah (a goddess of sex) but also follows Kushiel (a god of pain and destruction). Each of the characters has their role in society because of the god they are most aligned with. Joscelin is a Cassiline Brother, a priest who is trained from birth to protect. He is skilled in weapons and lives the ascetic life of a priest. So there is considerable friction between him and Phedre because of their different roles in society. Terre D’Ange is the wealthiest country and also the most beautiful in the invented world. Because of their wealth, they are often focused on politics, fashion, and pleasure.

There are so many characters in the book that at times they are tough to keep track of. Carey provides a detailed character list which helped greatly and the main characters are easy to keep straight. Phedre and Joscelin are the focus of the book and I really felt like I got to know the characters over the course of the book. So much happened and the characters grew so much that when I finished the book I wanted to go back to the beginning to watch the progression again. I wanted to see them again with the knowledge of what they would become. The book jacket gives you very little idea of the plot and when the benefactor was killed I was shocked since it was so early in the book. In fact I was surprised by almost every twist and turn. I had no idea what to expect and each adventure seemed to just breed more adventures. It was hard to put the book down since it seemed that there was a climax every couple of chapters. Speaking of climaxes there is plenty of interesting sex in the book since Phedre works as something of a prostitute for the wealthy. If you are turned off by submissive behavior or pain in sex this may not be the book for you but I found the scenes steamy but understated. This is not a Story of O, and everything is done very tastefully. And the sex is often overshadowed by the political intrigue which fills almost every page of the book.

There is an incredible diversity of characters and places in the book which makes for a very fleshed out setting. Carey creates a complex world, and fills it with interesting characters. It has been years since I loved a character but I loved the character of Joscelin so much that I had to skip to the end to see if he survived. I didn’t want to be surprised by his death. Both he and Phedre are the main focus of the book and Carey breathes life into both of them, creating complex and interesting characters. The relationship between them evolves beautifully after all that they have been through and we see that progression. The dialogue in the book is wonderful, filled with things unsaid and undercurrents. The setting is interesting and beautiful, and the characters are well written. The book was exciting enough to make me ache to know what happens, long enough to make me feel that I knew the characters, and steamy enough to leave me wanting more. A great read and an incredible story. Perhaps I will have to pick up the second.