Kushiel series: Phedre's Trilogy

Title: Phedre's Trilogy: Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Avatar
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Publishing store: USA: Macmillan; Poland: Mag
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Plot: 10/10
Style: 9/10
Cover: 6/10
Final: 10/10

Yes, that's right. You don't have to blink. Ten points out of ten. Simple as that.

I firstly saw the novel in a bookstore when I was waiting for my extra English class. For a 16-year-old girl the cover was simultaneously intimidating and fascinating. I looked around to make sure that nobody was looking at my bizarre choice of literature, squatted and tentatively reached out to get the book. Then I sat down in a corner with a strong intent to spend the next few hours before my evening class on reading.

First pages are even more intimidating. The plot reveals itself very slowly, and the descriptions of the world may seem too long. A small girl growing up in a brothel may seem gross... But then you realise that the brothel is not really a brothel. That a prostitute is so much more in the land of Elua. And before you draw it all in, the heroine becomes an adult. And then the real plot begins.

Phedre is a prostitute, the Kushiel's chosen, one in generations. At the same time she's a trained spy and linguist. Her bodyguard, a stiff Cassiline brother, is not glad with the assignment, but he's duty is to protect. Even in the cold winters of Skaldia, where the court intrigues soon send them to slavery.

Through hardships and joys, their adventures continue in three parts. Phedre and Joscelin's lives are not easy ones, the gods having special plans for their actions. But Elua's blessing is always with them, even in the darkest corners of Darsanga, where the very evil is embodied.

Who's Elua? - you might ask. The unwanted child of Yeshua ben Yosef, the son of Yahweh. From the Messiah blood and the tears of Magdalen, a new god was born, though not acknowledge. He traveled through the lands, and some of the angels decided to accompany him. Finally they settled in the land later called Terre D'Ange - the Land of Angels. And all of D'Angelines descend from the angels, have some celestial blood in their veins.

The research for the book is excellently conducted - the universe is based on the real world, though countries differ in their historical stages: Celtic Albion, Roman Empire, France, Viking Scandinavia... The religion follows the Judeo-Christian mythology until the new original stage - the birth of Elua. Even the Gypsies have a skillfully wavered history, necessary for the plot.

Let's not forget that the heroine is the Kushiel's chosen. Which is a synonym to being a masochist. There are plenty of sexual scenes, including strong BDSM and SM. With such a description you could expect tough hardcore sex, vulgar and primitive. Especially if you had the misfortune to get to know The Fifty Shades of Grey earlier. And here comes the surprise! The scenes are beautiful. Dark when needed, sometimes even terrifying (especially in Kushiel's Avatar), but never simplified, never awkward. Never disgusting or repulsive.

Some of my friends say that the Kushiel series is a typical example of feminine literature. I disagree. You can find there everything: political intrigues, battles and duels, sex and violence. I strongly encourage everybody to read the novels. They are definitely worth your time!

Cover:
The only weak point in this marvellous series. The heroine is supposed to look feminine and attractive, while the body (especially the muscles) is definitely male. On the other hand, it could be a usual "harlequin" style: cute, boring and superficial.