Kushiel’s Dart

Kushiel’s Dart is a rags to riches High Fantasy story about a young girl cast aside by her parents and sold into the services of Naamah to be raised in a church that raises people to become prostitutes, where she is later taken in by a well respected former court bard where she learns to navigate high society in the Kingdom of Terre d’Ange. This is a story about a courtesan that searches for the means to raise a great army, protect her Queen, Kingdom, and find justice for her former mentor. Though at its core, I believe the story is about two people who learn to grow and respect one another for their differences. I’ll note here that if you’re squeamish about homosexual relationships between men or women, or erotic BDSM then this book is not for you as it does feature a fair amount.

At the front of the book is a list of cast and households within the story along with a map of the terrain, which I find to be very useful given the size and scope of the story. I wouldn’t suggest reading it out of the gate, but it’s good to know that it’s there if you need to reference it and think that at times it can be missed when placed in the back of the book. The story is told from the first-person, giving us the most intimate connection to the character that is possible. The prose are(I know it’s ‘is’ but that just sounds weird so I said are) a bit purple, but I like how they seem to juxtapose some of the darker elements with the plot.   

The opening begins when Phédre is a young girl still living with her parents and is about to be sold into the services of Naamah. It is here where she is raised until the day that she becomes of age, and will be placed into the appropriate household to further develop her skills to help her navigate the world. Her fate is decided by the fact that she bears the mark of Kushiel’s Dart, so it is within the House of Kushiel where she will go to be trained. Each house varies in its degree and service to Naamah, and this one is no different. What sets the House of Kushiel apart from the others is that their service is focused more on punishment. This is where she is purchased by her new mentor the poet Anafiel Delaunay.  

From here the setup for the greater part of the story comes to completion as continues to learn more skill from Delaunay that she will use to navigate the higher society found within Terre d’Ange. She is introduced to court royals and learns about a secret involving her new master that is said to be based upon the death, and possible murder of a noblewoman. Phédre then learns that the politics of high society is a deadly place to maneuver, as she finds herself in the middle of a treacherous plot aimed at the crown.

Phédre’s mentor Delaunay is one of the main supporting characters of this story, being that the secret that Phédre finds herself searching for involves him at its center. Delaunay had been known at the royal court as a bawd who wrote bawdy music and had been whispered that he was once the paramour of someone very powerful and that some fear him. 

Hyacinthe is definitely my favorite character, and it becomes no wonder why he is called the Prince of Travellers. As a messenger boy, Hyacinthe grew up passing information for a copper centime where he would watch, listen, and report back about what others had to say and were planning. He comes for a nomadic group of travellers that tells fortunes and wears lots of jewelry. He’s Phédre’s best friend and always has the word on the street. He’s her go-to person when it comes to any information that she needs. 

Another major play in this story is Melisande Shahrizai who is described by Phédre as having a mind as subtle as Delaunay and a far colder heart. She is a courtesan that has been known within the high society of Terre d’Ange for some time now, though one could seemingly never tell by looking at her as time has not seemed to touch her. Phédre spends more than one occasion within Melisande’s great house, where dubious plots seemingly begin to unfold. There is a game that goes on between Melisande and Delaunay, and it is said that Melisande was to have taught Delaunay everything he knew.

I also want to mention Joscelin here. As a servant of the god Cassiel, Joscelin takes the vows and honor that he has pledged to him seriously, and it is with Joscelin where a great amount of tension within the story comes from. The relationship between the two of them can be described to evolve as they come to understand one another. Whereas Josceline starts as a smug priest that is hired by Delaunay to protect Phédre. He looks down at her. And the same can be said for Phédre as they have difficulty understanding one another.

Other notable characters within this story are: Alcuin—one of Phédre’s peers within Delaunay’s House, Guy—another servant of Delaunay who looks after Phédre as she spends some nights running off into town, and lastly Waldemar Selig of the Skaldi—a barbaric warlord that becomes involved with the plot to overthrow the crown.

Some of my favorite parts of Kushiel’s Dart come from the incredible world-building that has been done for this story. It is incredibly developed and is set in the Kingdom of Terre d’Ange. The story is rich with stories, myths, and lore about the gods and angels of this land. I love these parts of storytelling especially when they foreshadow key events as if they were written in the stars. They are well connected to the story and provide an enchanting backdrop into the world where the story unfolds. One of the many notable aspects of this world are the many different houses when it comes to the service of Naamah. Each of them is rich with their own culture and history about how they came to be which affects their place in the world, how they conduct themselves, and ultimately the services that they offer into the Night Court. 

I enjoyed this story as it was well written, and placed in a world that is rich with lore and mythology, and involves a tale of political intrigue, secret rumors, and well-defined characters that grow and learn to respect one another. 

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