Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

42 reviews

k8teviola's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Don't be fooled, this is not truly a romance but a tale of fierce political intrigue with web upon webs of deceit. It is a beautiful book but also heartwrenching and devastating. Amazingly well written but go into it with the bandwidth to deal with such things. An amazing depth to the story with the layers of fantasy world built on the traditions of many ancient peoples of Europe giving an extra richness to the histories and traditions detailed 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and War

Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Classism

csifbi23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book was pretty average. It has the feel of an older fantasy novel than it is, with flowery language and using a version of our world with some changes as world building. Phèdre is an interesting narrator, and the author relies on some tricks to hand wave away some explanations while going into others in detail.

It's an interesting concept, and the story is truly of an epic scale with various countries and contents, but it's hard for me to really care about any of the characters. 

Additionally, if BDSM, extreme sadomasochism, and barely veiled racism aren't your thing -- steer clear. Though also, if you're a romantasy fan, I didn't find this book to be especially racy sexually either, with the sex barely discussed and the BDSM also usually glazed over, though with some scenes in detail.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape

evgeorge's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

levesc17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a wildly long tale! It could have been two or three books easily. This was on my radar because Sarah J Maas had mentioned in an interview in 2015. You can definitely see some inspo from this book  in Throne Of Glass.

 I had read other reviews about not liking how sex was so central to the book. I wish I had known before I started the origins of this complaint. To be ultra clear, the fantasy place this is set in completely de-stigmatizes sex. The origin of the fictional universe is based loosely on Jesus and Mary Magdalene— except that Mary Magdalene’s role as a prostitute is exemplified as the holiest work you can do. So the whole culture worships sex as a holy activity with no stigmas. Sex work is the primary focus of the first third of the book- the main character is birthed by a sex worker and grows up in the trade. Children as young as ten learn about sex in this fictional world. 

The second third of the book has the MC sold into slavery by a court rival. The final third of the book has no onscreen sex and is about saving their country from invasion. 

I hope this helps you decide to read this book, going in with a better understanding of what the book is about. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, and War

Minor: Abandonment

This book has a lot of sex, but it’s not as graphic as it could be. Mostly, it has the start of a sex scene and then fades to black. There’s some BDSM content as well, but again just the first minutes or so of a liaison and then fades to the next chapter.

rmkg's review against another edition

adventurous

I thought lots of this was really wonderful. First off, I have to say I was impressed with how the sex scenes were necessary to the plot, not just tacked on for fun. Lush descriptions of people, clothes and food, especially in the first part of the book, had me feeling like I was in a fairy tale. And then it gave way to serious adventure, with mythological elements, travel, politics, military strategy, romance—Kushiel’s Dart really has it all. I did think it was a little weird that the world mapped so neatly onto stereotypes of Earth cultures and nations.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

Consensual BDSM is integral to this story. Many explicit descriptions of sexual acts ranging from oral sex to whipping to knife play.

willow1113's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, and Medical trauma

hardbackednooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a really great read, with the exception of about 20-25% of the book. I blitzed through the first 65%ish, then everything came to a screeching halt for the next 20%. The last portion of the book moved pretty quickly, comparatively, though it also got to be much easier to predict at that point.

With the first-person past tense narrative and occasional breaking of the fourth wall, it was hard to feel any tension about Phedre's fate, but my heart was in my throat any time one of the other characters was threatened or involved in some machination. There are some truly shocking parts of this story and I found my jaw hanging open on more than one occasion. 

If you're one for worldbuilding, politicking, and fantasy religions, this might be the perfect fit for you. The layers and maneuvers playing out throughout the world are endless and fascinating; even with all the info now that I'm done, there were still things that surprised me when I was able to piece it all together. Overall, this could've been a 5-star read with more editing towards the middle/later third, but still very deserving of a read. I'll be continuing the series once my hold comes in.

All that being said, this is a very intense book. Definitely NSFW and 18+, and absolutely do not read if you are triggered by pain, abuse, or assault of any kind.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

arnoldrm's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

I love this book. Very intense world building, complicated characters, dense plot. I love the setting and the alt-history feel. This book is long, but it used every page. I’ve never read anything like it. It takes a very dark premise and treats it with respect. When I realized what the book was about, I almost gave up on it - the main character is sold into sex work as a child, although she doesn’t actually have sex with patrons until she’s of age in the world’s culture. The tone and style make it so that as a reader I never felt like a voyeur, or complicit in the things the protagonist faces. Phedre is one of my favorite fantasy protagonists of all time. It’s not for everyone but to me it’s a masterpiece. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

alexalily's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Death, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

hippievamp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Racism