Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Synopses:
Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phedre no Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, the arts of pleasure. And above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, talented spy... and unlikely heroine. But when Phedre stumbles upon a plot that threatens her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice.

Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia and accompanied only by a disdainful young warrior-priest, Phedre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey to return to her people and deliver a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond.

Phedre no Delaunay is the woman who holds the keys to her realm's deadly secrets, and whose courage will decide the very future of her world.

My Rating: 10/10

My Thoughts:
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's absolutely amazing, and everything I want from a novel. Phedre is the perfect heroine. She is smart and talented without being an over the top sword wielding warrior. She is not only educated in history, languages, and politics, but also as a spy and courtesan, which places her ideally amidst the many court intrigues at the palace. One of my favorite kind of books is one where characters preach the importance of education, learning, and knowledge and this is definitely one of those books.

Ultimately, however, it's the scope and history of the world that Jacqueline Carey has created that amazes me. It has a rich and powerful spiritualism that is well fleshed out and very interesting. I love the connections between actual history and the slightly skewed version in Carey's world. I want to live in Terre d' Ange.

There are many, many characters in this book, and I had a hard time keeping them straight, even with a helpful list in the beginning of the book. However, though there was some slight confusion about who was who with some of the minor characters, it did not detract at all from the overall story, and within a few rereads (yes I've reread this book many times) I had no problem what so ever with characters.

I do have to warn you, this book is for mature audiences. Phedre is after all a courtesan and the descriptions of her assignations leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. I was blushing a bit the first time I read it when I was 19. However, if this isn't a problem for you, absolutely check it out. I highly recommend it.

I'm excited to say that Jacqueline Carey is going to be visiting my home town on a book signing tour tomorrow. I can't wait to meet her!