Final decision on Kushiel's Dart: A base story worthy of Guy Gavriel Kay, told with little of his skill. (I like to think he would have shunned the sensationalist sex that did nothing to add to the plot, as well.) That aside, it was a good story, with moments especially in the finale of the sort of noble tragedy in the face of inevitability that Dee likes so much. I really could have done without the first third of the book. I'm sorry, I just don't care about her training as a prostitute, and frankly, the details of it weren't important to the rest of the story.

Oh, and I still hate first-person fantasy. For a very clear and simple reason - it removes what I love about the genre. I live for the epic story, for the scope and the sweep. Read: Multiple POVs. Can't do that with first-person.

I'm reading Kerry Greenwood now. Phryne Fisher. How I love smart, sassy 1920s girls.