Rating: 
Summary: A great book if you're not easily offended
Review: I really liked this book, but some people may be put off by the S&M scenes. The heroine is an indentured prostitute who enjoys pain mixed with sex, but who is also trained as a spy. The descriptions of her encounters with her "patrons" are a little graphic, but you can always skim over them. It is definitely not your ordinary alternate history story line, which makes it a fresh and intriguing read.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this book and read it!!!
Review: One of the best books I've read this year. Part political intrigue, part fantasy, part erotica, author Carey pulls it all together like an old pro yet this is her first novel. You'll savor each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Rare and compelling
Review: Others have written about the plot, so I'll concentrate on who would probably like this book best, and who should probably avoid it.Fantasy readers who like magic-focused stories---there's not enough magic here, except in the symbolic and vaguely mystical sense, to interest you. This world's magic is all psychological. Anyone looking for standard fantasy or sci-fi---avoid this book. There's nothing standard about it. The story is set in an alternate version of Europe, but this is just a trick to allow the reader to more easily comprehend the cultural and political complexity that Carey has written into this novel. Once the reader figures out that the Skaldi, for example, are basically Scandinavian/Vikings with all the attendant cultural tropes, that saves the necessity for tedious culture-building and lets the author get to the real meat of the story---the characters. Speaking of which, people who like a world-focused story should also avoid this. This story is not about the decadent country of Terre D'Ange and its people and troubles. The story is about a very complex woman who lives in this world, loves it, suffers for it, and ultimately triumphs. A key theme of the novel is, "That which yields is not always weak." And---it must be said---people who have even the slightest unease about reinterpretations of the Christian faith, or people who are even slightly squidged by alternative sexuality of any kind---this is not the book for you. You'll find yourself wondering why the author is spending so much time on the sex, or why she's chosen to reinterpret Christianity in this fashion, and frankly---if you have to ask, you shouldn't be reading this book. Might as well ask why Frank Herbert chose to reinterpret Islam, Catholicism, and gender politics in "Dune". Speculative fiction doesn't always speculate only about science or history or the macabre; sometimes it speculates about human society, and I've personally found this to be the best speculative fiction of all. As for who *should* read this book... Well, the opposite of the above, for starters: fans of religion in fantasy/sci-fi (particularly alternative religions), fans of alternative sexualities, fans of mysticism, fans of avant-garde fantasy. To add to that, fans of star-crossed traditional romance will find something juicy here, too, in the danger-filled relationship of the seductive Phedre and the celibate warrior-monk Joscelin. Fans of excellent writing should definitely read this, just to be treateed to some of the most artful and elegant prose I've read in a long time. Fans of strong female characters--- the strength of this character is far more subtle than what you'll see in most books, but undeniable nevertheless. Fans of mystery and intrigue, a definite recommend, although I found this to be the one weakness of the book. The intrigue is sometimes *too* dense (for this reader to comprehend, at least), and its revelations were sometimes too subtle for me to interpret. I think sometimes Carey forgets that not all readers are trained to this, like Phedre! Not everyone will or can love this book, and if you don't love it you'll probably hate it, with no middle ground. The styles are too unusual and the themes too strong for the least common denominator of fandom. But for those who can appreciate it... this is a real gem.
Rating:
Summary: What a great Book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was very bold and may put some people off, but you need to look beyond the society and actually "see" the characters. I was brought through every emotion..a definite must for any true reader's library.
Rating:
Summary: Passion
Review: How do you describe finding an author who shows you her soul. This story was incredible, its span had me laughing, weeping, and was fully engrossing. I feel I have been released after reading this book, my emotions spent, much like Phedre I feel used. This novel took me from the peaks to the shadows and back again. I found the vivid imagery exciting. I await with anticipation Jacqueline's next book. I purchased this book after a chance encounter with the author on a plane after I relenquished my seat to accomadate a childs wish to sit by her mother. I never dreamed I would be sitting next to a world class writer when I did so. Jacqueline, kudos to you for creating a book with so much depth, and passion. I loved this book so much I am giving it to my mother to read. I put off reading it for a month or so, while I read other novels, I can't even remember what they were about, I think Kushiel's Dart will stick with me for a while. Thanks for talking to me on the airplane Jacqueline, you have enriched my life with your book.
Rating:
Summary: Another great read I enjoyed!
Review: I purchased this book and "Enemy Glory" by Karen Michalson and have been rivited to both of them, a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, But I have no choice
Review: I have literally been excited to read this book now for quite some time and finally this weekend I went and purchased the book at a local bookstore. I have read the first one hundred pages of this thing thinking.....what the hell is going on here. I mean I understand the dialogue but the book is literally making me fall asleep. I know that many people have rated this with 5 stars and that is another reason why I thought I would give it a try, but I have been severely disappointed. I thought this was going to be book with strong female characters and possibly even something with a religious overtone, but the whole thing falls way short. Sure there is something of a theological aspect with the correlation to Christ but you ask yourself why. Maybe that's the problem with the book is that there is absolutely no reason for anything the author is writing about and she gives you no explanation as to what the things are that she is talking about. It's like walking into a 2 hour movie 15 minutes before the thing ends. Personally I would save the money and if you were looking for something fantastic with more of an edge and definitely easier to understand an apply then try Ayn Rand. RECOMMENDATION: WASTE OF MONEY
Rating: 
Summary: Readable, but not great literature
Review: Well, the sex is definitely the gimmick in this book. The main character has been marked by an angel (per the theology as described in the story), which makes her an *anguisette*, or female masochist. I didn't find the sex or the concepts especially offensive, but I also didn't find them wildly original. It's reasonably standard S&M stuff. When Phedre's emotions get involved, as with her bete noire Melisande, things become somewhat more engaging. The world in which this story is set is a pastiche of early-medieval Europe. It's reasonably well done, but could have been much better developed. I found the concept of the physically beautiful, genetically "pure" d'Angelines boring and verging on offensive. The theology which allows d'Angeline culture to embrace sex in multiple forms seems a bit scantily founded. Personally, I would rather read a book set either in medieval Europe as it was, or in a world of original fantasy. The editing is appalling, with "mendicant" consistently misspelled and "brethren" treated as a singular noun. And I'm not sure if comments on cover art really belong here, but the woman pictured on the cover of the hardback edition is strangely proportioned indeed -- look at the length of her upper arms. Having said that, I found this novel essentially fun and readable. The characters are appealing enough to keep the pages turning, and the political twists and turns, while not very well developed, keep things moving outside the bedroom. Occasionally lush imagery isn't anything Tanith Lee hasn't done better, but lifts the text above the mundane level.
Rating:
Summary: One hell of a trip
Review: I absolutely fell i love with this book. From the day i bought it until i turned the last page i could not put it down. It is so nice to see a fantasy writer, writing political intruige at such a mature level. Kushiels Dart is also many other things; a coming of age story, a love story, a war story, historical fiction, and an interesting look at human sexuality. This book had me guessing until the end, and thats another rarity in fantasy. After finishing this novel i wanted to run out of the house and tell everyone i knew to read it...instead i used the phone.
Rating:
Summary: Praise for Kushiel's Dart
Review: I was quite prepared not to enjoy Kushiel's Dart once I realized where the author was heading on the S&M theme -- I tend not to enjoy graphic descriptions of sexual-related violence. Yet somehow Ms. Carey pulled me in spite of my reservations. The parts that could have upset me were brief, and were required for the plot. The book is not perfect -- I got lost quite a few times with the intricate conspiracy because of so many names and titles. Sometimes you'd hear a first name, a family name, or a title. I am usually quite good at keeping up with complicated plots, but a few places I missed important things that I usually wouldn't miss. Yet in spite of these flaws, I still give this book 5 stars, which I rarely give out in my reviews ... -- the book was compelling, unique, and I in particular enjoyed the alternative history of the scion's of half-fallen Angels.
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