Kushiel's Dart

Rather a good find, especially for a first novel...
I picked up this novel on a sort of whim, it looked detailed and filled with shallow intrigues, the kind of thing I like for light reading. A friend of mine read it about ten years ago he said to give Carey a chance so I did! Carey takes her time in establishing the setting, and at first I wondered if I had picked up a piece of erotica masquerading as fantasy. I read with trepidation through the first 200 pages or so, noting how the author was taking her time and setting up what seemed like several plot strands, prepared to groan when she did not develop them completely. But, much to my pleasant surprise, I was disappointed in that expectation.
The plot follows Phedre, an indentured slave and courtesan, through her training and into the polite society of the D'Angeline court (which claims its bloodlines from the descent of angels), where she becomes embroiled in intrigues while following her own path, that of an anguissette– one born to the spiritual line of Kushiel, her patron god, and one destined to find pleasure in pain. This is the first part of the novel, and I would definitely point out that a large portion of it is set in a boudoir, or “pleasure chamber”– not to the point of being tasteless, but I was at times speculative as to whether or not there was some larger plot at work at all.
But then, somewhat abruptly, there was, and that is where the novel proved interesting, when those intrigues Phedre had been somewhat unwittingly involved in become larger concerns and she is forced to survive and engage herself in a much larger game.
Though the novel is engaging and I recommend it, I will note that one of the most annoying aspects of it is that it is told by Phedre herself, from the vantage point of a later date. Her commentary as a narrator tends to the dramatic and highly romantic– which can be annoying, but as the reader comes to know Phedre through the story, it actually becomes rather endearing. From the comments of other characters we come to realize we are perhaps not the only ones annoyed and amused by her dramatics.
Don't go into this book expecting anything radically different in terms of plot. Yes, there are interesting and unique elements here, particularly the acclaimed celestial heritage of the book's people, and interesting depictions of religion and culture.
I recommend it highly to those who enjoy high fantasy, meaning fantasy including the likes of princes, priests, and courtesans. There is little overt magic in these books, which I missed, but there is ample mythology and intrigue. The structure of the book is solid, and once you get past the first 200 pages or so, it's nearly impossible to put down– each time I got even slightly bored or thought of stopping, something dramatic or particularly twisted would happen and I would be forced to keep on reading– forcing a couple of very late nights, which is always a good sign of a book's enjoy-ability.
Enjoy!