Naamah's Kiss

Naamah Trilogy #1

by Jacqueline Carey

Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts—the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow.

Moirin has a secret, too. From childhood onward, she senses the presence of unfamiliar gods in her life—the bright lady and the man with a seedling cupped in his palm. Raised in the wilderness by her reclusive mother, Moirin learns only when she comes of age how illustrious, if mixed, her heritage is. The great-granddaughter of Alais the Wise, child of the Maghuin Donn and a cousin of the Cruarch of Alba, Moirin learns her father was a D'Angeline priest dedicated to serving Naamah, goddess of desire.

After Moirin undergoes the rites of adulthood, she finds divine acceptance... on the condition that she fulfill an unknown destiny that lies somewhere beyond the ocean. Or perhaps oceans. Beyond Terre d'Ange, where she finds her father, in the far reaches of distant Ch'in, Moirin's skills will be a true gift when facing the vengeful plans of an ambitious mage, a noble warrior-princess desperate to save her father's throne, and the spirit of a celestial dragon.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Adult

645 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.

She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a work exchange program. While there, she decided to write professionally. After returning she started her writing career while working at the art center of a local college. After ten years, she discovered success with the publication of her first book in 2001.

Currently, Carey lives in western Michigan and is a member of the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in the state.

Reviews

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author so much, and this is an amazing amazing book.

A bisexual druid is a hard character to pull off, but she does it in her classing romantic/fantasy way! Continues to be one of the few authors I buy in hardback.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 stars] I have mixed feelings about this trilogy. You see, it’s really difficult for anything to follow Kushiel’s and Imriel’s stories and, since this one took place a few hundred years in the future, I found myself mourning the fact that we’ve moved on (kind of like when Avatar ended and they brought back Legend of Korra – it’s really good, but I miss the old characters). I also thought the story was a bit inconsistent – the first half was a solid 5-star “I was totally enamored” rating. The second half was a conservative 2.5-star rating because the story elements sort of “jumped the shark” when it came to feasibility. Overall, the parts of this story I liked, I did so with the same ferocity as those which came before. The parts I didn’t amounted to my least favorite experiences with this author so far. The verdict? Worth reading if you’ve read the other trilogies, but moderate your expectations (and take what I say with a grain of salt – I’ve met a few people who claim this as their favorite of Carey’s trilogies). I’ll also add that I really adored Moirin, so there’s no shortage of beautifully written characters.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

[Paul Weimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Naamah's Kiss, Jacqueline Carey, whose reputation has been largely based on the Kushiel world novels, returns to that world.

This time, Carey decides to jump forward in time a few generations, so that she can create a new situation, a new protagonist, and explore new parts of the world. While the Phedre Trilogy and the Imriel Trilogy shared a lot of the same characters and geo-political situation, Naamah's Kiss jumps forward three generations, to a granddaughter of Alais living amongst the Maghuin Dhonn in Alba.

Things have changed for Terre D'Ange. The top-of-the-world D'Angelines are being left in their self-important intrigues and idylls. A new continent has been discovered in the West, Terra Nova. There are emissaries from places as distant as Ch'in. And yet, the D'Angelines are leaving others to mostly reap the benefits of all of this.

And into this decadent version of Terre D'Ange will come our heroine, Moirin. Half Alban and half D'Angeline, we follow her early life as it grows from a solitary existence with her mother in the wilderness, to the meeting with a member of the Dalraida's family. The circle of her existence and her experiences grows as Moirin develops. The tension between the two halves of her life is a constant undercurrent as she undertakes a journey to Terre D'Ange, and into the court of the Queen herself. And then beyond...

And in all of this, she follows Elua's command as filtered through Naamah: Love as thou wilt.

Unlike the previous two sets of novels, the sexual relationships here are not wrapped around tastes in dominance and submission. As a scion of Naamah, Moirin offers herself as she is. For all of that, even without the dominance and submission issues, Moirin's sexual nature draws her into a number of contradictory, and sometimes tragic relationships. Carey comes through with the tragic aspects of Moirin's path in life, as well as growing the sweet innocence of her life into mature adulthood.

While the travelogue aspects of the novel are interesting as always, once again, Carey shows that the strongest part of her fiction is her characterization. We get to see Moirin grow as a character, with a fractally complex path of challenges, advances and retreats. Its not a smooth path of development, just like it isn't in life. Also, too, the secondary characters come alive, with agendas, dreams and thoughts of their own, which intersect with Moirin in complex ways.

It seems to me that Carey has learned a lot from her previous novels and has definitely grown as a writer since Kushiel's Dart, in a good way.

The novel does come up with an ending that could end Moirin's story, however I suspect there will be further volumes of her tale, and I would gladly read them.

I also think that this novel might work for those readers who might be curious as to the world of Terre D'Ange and do not find the D/s sexual situations of the other trilogies to be to their liking. There is plenty of sex (and yes there is violence) in this novel, and there is f/f content as well, but as a whole, its not as drenched as the other novels sometimes were.

In addition,with moving ahead three generations, this novel could work as an entry point to readers in the series. I still think that starting at the beginning is a good policy, but sort of like how Erikson's Midnight Tides, book five of the Malazan series, can serve as an alternate entree into that world, I think Naamah's Kiss can also serve in that manner.

Overall, I am very well satisfied with the novel. One criticism sticks out. Ms. Carey, I love the maps in your novels. (My love of maps of all kinds gets a thrill from those). What I think you also need at this point is a timeline of events and people. It took some puzzling to figure out what happened when, but I think your history is complex enough to need one for easy reference.

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about this book, after having read so many romance novels with a chaste/virginal heroine, is the complete and utter abandon of any type of sexual shame. Love is love, sexual in manner or not, with men or women, it's just so freeing to read about the act of love being portrayed in such a (dare I say) innocent and guileless manner.

The storyline is not my favorite, and the plot was wonderful up until Moirin's journey to Ch'in. After that, the storyline of the dragon and the pearl just muddles up in my mind, and I didn't find it as enjoyable as the arc in Terre D'ange. Still, it is a remarkable book, and I look forward to reading the sequel.

I loved the character of Moirin, I love her weakness, her vulnerability, and how she grows more sure of herself. Her experiments with Raphael's group and her growing unease and outright refusal of him was a progression I enjoyed. The love-square between the king, queen Jehanne, Raphael, and Moirin was deeply complex. The relationship between the king and Jehanne was by far my favorite, there's so much confusion and hurt and tiptoeing, it was more realistic than any of the other relationships in the book, most of which started with a romp in the bedroom. Every portrayal of relationships in this book was well-written and believable. The progression between hate to love between Bao and Moirin was authentic and felt true; they weren't my favorite pairing in the book, but I can understand how their feelings towards each other developed.

This is book 7 in Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Universe. I did not read any of the previous books, but I found this one a standalone. The mythology was easy to follow, the storyline made sense, and I was never confused despite being plunged into an alternate high fantasy universe of which I've never experience. It helps that the names and nations made sense, and much of the made-up religion is based on actual recognizable myth.

Even if I didn't enjoy the latter half of the book, the writing more than made up for any sort of dislike I had for the plot. There are certain authors whose writing is easy to read, Jacqueline Carey is one of them.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep holding out hope that Carey will surprise me with another story as beautiful as Kushiel's Dart. This, unfortunately, is another near-miss.

The portions dealing with strict fantasy are actually beautiful. I love the summoning of the different gods and the games they play. I love the dragon and the melding of mythologies that Carey is so skilled at.

The rest, well, I was bored. For one, I do not buy for a second that the main character was raised in a cave without human contact aside from her mother. There is nothing in her character that indicates this, either in her voice or her mannerisms. She sounds like a Phedre that uses "Aye" and "Sea and Stone!" in place of "Yes" and "Elua!". The overabundance of sex is also getting monotonous. Phedre worked for me, but I'm beginning to wonder if Carey is capable of writing a character who solves her problems by a method other than seduction. Seriously, no matter how conservative the character Moirin encounters, she can still win them over with her "gift of desire"? I think not. And don't even get me started on all this Destiny nonsense. Way too neat and way too contrived.

[YouKneeK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naamah’s Kiss is the beginning of the third and final trilogy in the Kushiel’s Universe series. The second trilogy had taken place shortly after the first trilogy and followed a character we’d already met. This one, on the other hand, is set about 100 years later and introduces us to a brand new character, Moirin. Early in the book we learn that she’s the great, great granddaughter of Alais.

I spent the first couple of pages mourning all my favorite characters from the previous two trilogies, but then I became wrapped up in this new character’s story. I think the author’s writing continually improves throughout these books. For the most part I was engrossed, and that was despite not always liking Moirin’s decisions and also finding some of the secondary characters to be a bit annoying. I still liked Moirin herself and cared about what happened to her, and there were other secondary characters that I did like. The story was good, and it made me smile or laugh several times.

I did think Moirin adapted to the changes in her life too easily to be believable considering her past, so that sometimes pulled me out of the story to scoff, but I was mostly able to overlook it. I also like how the author has made each trilogy's main character and story distinct, with different types of magic and different types of problems. Sometimes things start to feel repetitive or recycled in a long series, especially if it has subseries that each focus on later generations, but I haven’t had that feeling with this one.

I’m giving this 4.5 stars and rounding up to 5 on Goodreads.

[Phoenixfalls · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world Jacqueline Carey has created with this series continues to have a great deal of beauty and grace about it in this seventh novel. Her characters are still fully-fleshed and wondrous, each one unique and each one worthy. Like the first books in the other two trilogies, this one starts at the beginning of its heroine's tale, and many people may find it slow going at first, for Moirin's journey to her destiny does not really start until she leaves for Ch'in 2/3 of the way through. More than the others, this one feels like the first book in a trilogy, despite its excellent resolution. Nonetheless, Carey remains one of the strongest authors in the fantasy genre today.

I must admit, however, that I begin to suspect she has already created the greatest protagonist she has in her in Phedre. Imriel and Moirin are both beautiful souls, and I follow their journeys breathlessly, continually delighted by their passion, their integrity, and the myriad ways they are nothing at all alike and yet still equally worthwhile as fantasy protagonists. But both fall far, far short of Phedre in one important respect: Phedre, even as a child, was always thinking about her situation and moving in ways to make what she wanted happen. Even when she was an unwitting tool of another character, she was the one performing the actions and in that way always ended up with the upper hand. Both Imriel and Moirin, admirable though they are, are not always the active movers of the plot. Imri is driven by his haunted past; Moirin is driven by her diadh-anam, and while both have plenty of their own will, they spend much of their novels trying to glean what they should do. Phedre always knew what she should do, even though the way to do it might be obscured, for she carried her moral compass within herself rather than looking outward for it.

Perhaps this makes Imri and Moirin more realistic or approachable as characters, but they are not quite so romantically heroic as Phedre was, and that leaves me wanting just the tiniest bit more.

[Férial · Rating 1 out of 5]

Moirin a insatiable man (and women)-eater girl blessed by Namah's gift (Namah being the god of sex love) leaves Alba, the place of her birth, and crosses the sea to Terre d'Ange where she supposedly has a destiny to fulfill. This destiny being jumping from one's bed to another's not very clear.

From her arrival in Terre d'Ange until where I stopped reading (because, really, I couldn't take it anymore), Moirin's primary activity is sex. For that matter, the second and third activities are also sex.

Everything revolves around sex.

I'm not against sex, mind you but sex is like a good chocolate cake. If you eat too much of it, you get nauseous.

If only there had been an interesting backstory (hidden behind the buttocks, namah's pearl and other such body places) *sigh* (not Moirin ecstatic sighs)

[Chy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. I was a little depressed when I found out this was set generations after the Kushiel books, but it turned out to work very, very well. If it weren't, then when Moirin goes to the City of Elua, I would have stopped paying attention to her and done nothing but look for characters I knew, thus forgetting her story.

As it was, while she was on her way there, I was eager to get there to see what it was like, now. Then we were both outsiders, though in different ways. It was a really great experience.

Beyond that, Moirin is a naive girl, with wisdom of a sort that does her no good in the strange land she comes to. Okay, it does her a bad sort of good, but she learns and we learn with her, and it is good.

This book is much more spiritual than the first two trilogies in this world, with none of the crazy-to-keep-up-with political intrigue of the first trilogy. Plus, it mixes the mythos of Elua's companions in with the bear goddess Moirin's people worship in a deep and intriguing way.

Also, we finally get to travel to Chi'in, which is something I've been waiting for since the final book of the first trilogy. And I wasn't disappointed.

A great journey, inside and out.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars
This companion sequel was decent but I'd probably only recommend this one to mega fans of the series. I'm hoping the next book works better for me.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naamah's Kiss is set generations after the last Kushiel book. When I first heard this, I was a little disappointed. The jump forward in time does make sense. It allows for a "happily ever after" for the first six books and allows for Carey to further explore her world. We are given more of a world view, including this world's version of the "New World". I love the alternate world that Carey has created.

The central character of this book is Moirin who is likable and has an innocence that was wholly lacking in Phedre. Overall Carey does a good job of building Moirin's character; however, during parts of the last third of the book, Moirin sounds very much like Phedre. She has the same spark for learning languages; her tone shifts slightly. The voice isn't totally Phedre's, but it is no longer wholly Moirin's. It's a slight shift, barely noticeable but there. This is the reason why I am giving the book four stars instead of five.

For me, the best drawn character in the book was Queen Jehanne. With her, Carey gives an excellent picture of a layered character. Instead of simply being a flightily "loose" women, Jehanne becomes a nicely developed and rounded character. In fact, Moirin is not the sole strong woman here, and Carey does an excellent job with tackling stereotypes, for instance in the two ladies who accompany Moirin on her coach journey.

I also found Carey's use of the "twilight" interesting. It is strongly reminiscent of Sergei Lukyanenko and his watch books. It is nice to see an author empower a character but to also show the costs of such power, and this theme runs the course of the novel.

For a reader who has avoided Carey due to the S&M in her previous books, there is none of that here. Moirin follows Naamah, so her tastes are far different. It is also not necessary to have read the first six books to understand this one. For the long time fan, Carey does let readers know about well loved characters from the earlier books, not just the royals but some minor characters as well.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the trilogy of Imriel that things somehow changed, the writer returns to the recipe of the first three books of this cycle. In this new trilogy we again have a woman in the leading role, which because of her origins has the blessing of the goddess of desire, which makes her have intense sexuality and engage in adventures. As in the case of the first book of the Phèdre's trilogy, at first we observe the sexual maturation of the heroine, her inclusion in the particularly sexually charged society of the Terre d'Ange, and its involvement in dangerous games of the aristocracy. Then we reach the climax that is a long journey to a country with equally strange customs, which is a fantastic version of China. There, our heroine encounters a great challenge that, in order to overcome it, she must understand this unknown culture, make people trust her and build a plan that will surprise the opponent. There are, however, several variations, our heroine also comes from the wild tribes of the north who know how to use magic by drawing power from nature. This is why magic and mysticism play a much larger role throughout the story, as this origin and lifestyle gives the writer the opportunity to think about the contrast between civilisation and life beside nature, with the particular rituals elements it requires.

In other words, this book has everything I appreciate in this author's books. There is an intense sensuality that culminates in some very well-written erotic scenes, with the fact of the female perspective gives them a greater dose of tenderness, which is reinforced by the form of the story and perhaps by the writer's mood making them more emotional, more "womanly" if you prefer, without of course implying that we are reading something cheap to them. There is a lot of reflection on some issues, with the first of course being love - if we can share it, if it is something exclusively carnal - and the desire but also others, mainly the overwhelming ambition that, even if it has noble motives, can to lead to destruction. There is exploration of the fantastic world, for which we learn more things, with its connection to reality giving very charming details. There is, finally, the adventurous turning that leads this first part into a staggering and particularly moving finale where the writer's usual gorgeous writing manages to do miracles, making it difficult for me to put a lower rate than the best. Of course, to be honest, although I liked this book very much and certainly leaves me with a lot of expectations for the sequel, I can not put it on the same level as the first book of the Phèdre's trilogy, but that does not mean that I can't also put 5 stars in it.

Μετά από την τριλογία του Imriel που τα πράγματα κάπως διαφοροποιήθηκαν η συγγραφέας επιστρέφει στη συνταγή των τριών πρώτων βιβλίων αυτού του κύκλου. Σε αυτή τη νέα τριλογία έχουμε ξανά μία γυναίκα στον πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο, η οποία εξαιτίας της καταγωγής της έχει την ευλογία της θεάς της επιθυμίας, κάτι που την κάνει να έχει έντονη σεξουαλικότητα και να μπλέκει σε περιπέτειες. Όπως και στην περίπτωση του πρώτου βιβλίου της τριλογίας της Φαίδρας, στην αρχή παρακολουθούμε την σεξουαλική ωρίμανση της ηρωίδας, την ένταξη της στην ιδιαίτερα σεξουαλικά φορτισμένη κοινωνία της γης των αγγέλων και την εμπλοκή της σε επικίνδυνα παιχνίδια της αριστοκρατίας. Μετά φτάνουμε στο αποκορύφωμα που είναι ένα μεγάλο ταξίδι σε μία χώρα με εξίσου περίεργα έθιμα, η οποία είναι μία φανταστική εκδοχή της Κίνας. Εκεί συναντάει η ηρωίδα μας μία μεγάλη πρόκληση που για να μπορέσει να την ξεπεράσει πρέπει να κατανοήσει αυτήν την άγνωστη κουλτούρα, να κάνει τους ανθρώπους να την εμπιστευτούν και να καταστρώσει ένα σχέδιο που θα αιφνιδιάσει τον αντίπαλο. Υπάρχουν, όμως, και αρκετές διαφοροποιήσεις, η ηρωίδα μας κατάγεται επίσης από τις άγριες φυλές του βορρά που ξέρουν να χρησιμοποιούν την μαγεία, αντλώντας δύναμη από τη φύση. Για αυτό η μαγεία και ο μυστικισμός παίζουν πολύ μεγαλύτερο ρόλο σε όλη την ιστορία την ώρα που αυτή η καταγωγή και ο τρόπος ζωής δίνει την ευκαιρία στη συγγραφέα να κάνεις σκέψεις για την αντίθεση ανάμεσα στον πολιτισμό και τη ζωή δίπλα στη φύση, με τα ιδιαίτερα τελετουργικά στοιχεία που επιβάλλει.

Με άλλα λόγια αυτό το βιβλίο έχει όλα όσα εκτιμώ στα βιβλία της συγγραφέως. Υπάρχει ένας έντονος αισθησιασμός που κορυφώνεται σε μερικές πολύ καλογραμμένες ερωτικές σκηνές, με το γεγονός της θηλυκής προοπτικής να τις προσδίδει μία μεγαλύτερη δόση τρυφερότητας, η οποία ενισχύεται από τη μορφή της ιστορίας και ίσως από τη διάθεση της συγγραφέως που τις κάνει περισσότερο συναισθηματικές, περισσότερο "γυναικείες" αν προτιμάτε, χωρίς αυτό φυσικά να σημαίνει ότι διαβάζουμε κάτι φτηνό σε αυτές. Υπάρχει αρκετός προβληματισμός πάνω σε κάποια ζητήματα, με πρώτο φυσικά αυτό του έρωτα - αν μπορούμε να τον μοιράσουμε, αν είναι κάτι αποκλειστικά σαρκικό - και της επιθυμίας αλλά και άλλα, με κυριότερο την υπερβολική φιλοδοξία, που, ακόμα και αν έχει ευγενή κίνητρα, μπορεί να οδηγήσει στην καταστροφή. Υπάρχει η εξερεύνηση του φανταστικού κόσμου, για τον οποίο μαθαίνουμε περισσότερα πράγματα, με την σύνδεση του με την πραγματικότητα να προσδίδει πολύ γοητευτικές λεπτομέρειες. Υπάρχει, τέλος, η περιπετειώδης στροφή πού οδηγεί αυτό το πρώτο μέρος σε ένα συγκλονιστικό και ιδιαίτερα συγκινητικό φινάλε, όπου η συνηθισμένη πανέμορφη γραφή της συγγραφέως καταφέρνει να κάνει θαύματα, κάνοντας μου δύσκολη οποιαδήποτε απόφαση για μία βαθμολόγηση χαμηλότερη από την άριστη. Βέβαια, για να είμαι ειλικρινής, παρόλο που μου άρεσε πολύ αυτό το βιβλίο και σίγουρα μου αφήνει αρκετές προσδοκίες για τη συνέχεια, δεν μπορώ να το βάλω στο ίδιο επίπεδο με το πρώτο βιβλίο της τριλογίας της Φαίδρας, αυτό, όμως, δεν σημαίνει ότι δεν μπορώ να βάλω και σε αυτό 5 αστεράκια.

[Ellen Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ambition untempered by caution is like a river in flood. It leaps from its natural channels to forge the shortest course, and it sweeps away all in its path. Do not get swept away, Moirin."

I love this series so damn much. I don't even know how it's this consistently good.

First, some background. Naamah's Kiss is the first book in the Moirin Trilogy, but it's the 7th book in Kushiel's Universe, which is comprised of three trilogies linked together in a larger story. Each trilogy stands on it's own, but they fit together in a larger sense beautifully.

You could jump right in with this book and enjoy it with no previous history, but I can't recommend starting with Kushiel's Dart enough. Phèdre's trilogy is one of my favorite things I've ever read and I will recommend it till the day I die. There's also a lot of beautiful history and context added to this story when you know the background.

I think Naamah's Kiss made a really smart decision in skipping forward several generations. It gives this story somewhat of a fresh start. The adventures and heroics of Phèdre and Imriel are the stuff of legend to our new heroine Moirin. The daughter of a "bear witch" of the Maghuin Dhonn and a D'Angeline priest of Naamah, she knows a great destiny awaits her. She can feel it in her diadh-anam (meaning god-soul) - she can feel both of her parents' gods calling to her, leading her toward a greater purpose, to her destiny.

This is very much a story about Moirin's journey. She travels a great distance, and finds love, fear, passion, desire, grief, and pain. One of the things I love most about this universe is its open acceptance of sexuality. Sex and desire are viewed as welcome, even necessary parts of life. For Moirin, sex can be purely carnal expression, healing, comfort, even divine.

I thought a lot about that - the act of love as a benediction, a physical manifestation of divine grace...And there was passion and compassion and glory and wonder in it.

Not everything Moirin encounters on her journey is good. Many people still hold prejudices against "savages" from Alba. They are fearful of her, and wary of her powers (which include talking to plants, acting as a channel for the powers of others, and concealing herself by "calling the twilight") They call her "savage, half-breed, bear-witch."

There are others who would use her, disrespecting the natural origins of her power, and uncaring for the toll it takes on her. Side eyeing the fuck out of you, Raphael. And I in no way think that his demon summoning / possession storyline is over. If that doesn't come back up in some form, then I'm a monkey's uncle.

They were battered and weary and rapt, tears making streaks on their dirty faces. I laughed, unable to help it, my own voice breaking. "Hopeless romantics!"
"You're crying, too," Bao observed.
"Aye." I touched my eyelashes and my fingertips came away wet with tears. I had come so very, very far from home..."So I am."

Really, this whole series has just been so damn impressive. I hate that I only have two books left! The world building is immense and detailed, the writing incredibly beautiful. The characters...*clutches heart* I just love them all so much. You aren't going to find a fantasy world that treats women this well (both in physical treatment, and character development treatment) often, especially one that's told this well.

This series just makes my heart happy.

Onward to Naamah's Curse!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Naamah's Kiss, Jacqueline Carey returns to the world she created in the Kushiel's Legacy series, and introduces a delightful new heroine.

Moirin mac Fainche is a descendant of Alais de la Courcel and a member of the Maghuin Dhonn tribe of Alba. On her father's side, she's D'Angeline, with lines of descent from Naamah and Anael. When a tragedy changes Moirin's young life, and an initiatory rite reveals that she has a destiny beyond the sea, Moirin travels to Terre d'Ange in search of her father. There, she's treated as an exotic novelty.

In no time at all, she's over her head in a web of intrigue, with only her courage, her wits, and her deep-seated beliefs to protect her. The publisher's blurb mentions that she travels to Ch'in, so I won't consider that a spoiler; eventually she does go to Ch'in and becomes involved in a knotty situation there as well. The plot is complex, and while at first there seems to be little connection between Moirin's adventures in Terre d'Ange and her adventures in Ch'in, it turns out that the things she learns and gains in Terre d'Ange are crucial in dealing with what comes later.

As is usual for the first book in a Carey trilogy, the major plotline of Naamah's Kiss is resolved by book's end, and several other plotlines remain open for exploration in the next two installments.

To me, one of the best things about Naamah's Kiss is that Moirin's voice is so clear. Many authors seem to write the same character over and over. Carey doesn't. I never felt like I was reading Phedre's voice, or Imriel's. Moirin doesn't have Phedre's silken manners, or Imriel's Byronic angst, and she's sharp-tongued in a way that the other two are not. Her attitude toward sex is different, too. Phedre's sexual adventures are often a means to an end; Imriel's are often fraught with emotional turmoil. When Moirin goes to bed with someone, it's for the sheer joy of it. (I should mention that there's a lot of sex in Naamah's Kiss, but if you're bothered by that, you probably haven't followed the series this far.)

Perhaps most interestingly, Moirin provides a more critical view of D'Angeline society. Phedre had a bone-deep love of it, but Moirin sees the contrast between what Terre d'Ange should be (a kingdom based on love) and what it is: often frivolous, often xenophobic, often over-concerned with wealth and titles. Side note: There's talk of an expedition to "Terra Nova," and I'm interested to see how Carey handles the issue of colonialism. I can see it being similar in some ways to what happened in our world, and different in others.

I highly recommend Naamah's Kiss to anyone who enjoyed the Kushiel books, and to anyone who was tempted to try them but put off by the BDSM (Moirin is sexually active, but her tastes don't run to whips and chains). Carey's prose is as lush and sensual as ever, and Moirin is a wonderful heroine.

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacqueline Carey is most well-known for her work in what is now being called "historical" fantasy. This designation generally refers to tales set in a quasi-medieval environment. Game of Thrones would be considered historical fantasy, as would the Wheel of Time series and the majority of stories told by authors like Robin Hobb, J.V. Jones, Terry Goodkind and Patrick Rothfuss. What sets Carey's work apart in this genre is twofold. First, her focus is largely on women (which is refreshing in fantasy), and second would be her sexually-charged civilizations. No joke. This is a soft-core dynamic for the adult reader - and what allowed me to look beyond that questionable choice was the facility with which it was woven into an intelligent and manifestly action-oriented saga. Her first foray into this realm, a trilogy surrounding the character of Phedre no Delaunay, dealt with a courtesan whose many masochistic talents drew her into a web of aristocratic intrigue that threatened to destroy her country. Another trilogy followed the son of Phedre's sexual nemesis through torture, abuse and betrayal in dark and distant foreign lands. Naamah's Kiss marks the start of the third, and possibly final, set of fantasy novels utilizing this milieu.

Centuries have passed and the figures we've become so familiar with are now merely legends. Still, we've kept the land and landscape, the cultures and conceits. A bear witch emerges from the broken clan of the Maghuin Dhonn; young, bright, talented and magical. Destiny calls and adventures await - not the least of which involve her un-met father, a priest of the cult of Naamah, the d'Angeline goddess of the erotic. Once again we've got strong and competent storytelling; Carey is quite skilled with narrative. However, it's clear the bloom is off the rose for her, and nowhere is this more apparent than in her decision to have her heroine journey to a troubled land she does not bother to build. We're off to the kingdom of Ch'in where there are emperors, sampans, dragons, stick-fighters, gunpowder and a philosophical training that differs, as far as I can tell, not a whit from Buddhism. Same Noble Truths, called Noble Truths. It's kind of sad, really, though certainly easy to decipher and distill.

The story's good, the pages turn, yet it seems an era has ended, not only for Carey's characters but for her fascinations as well. Not the best news for fans of historical fantasy.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review Link

Moirin mac Fainche is of the royal bloodline of Alais de la Courcel, but lives in the wild woods of Alba as one of the few remaining Maghuin Dhonn, inheriting her knowledge and small gifts of magic from her mother. Moirin’s father, however, is a D’Angeline priest, descended from the godly lines of Anael and Naamah herself. And so, Moirin is a child of two worlds, touched by two sets of Gods, each with important purposes for her. When she becomes old enough to be tested by the Maghuin Dhonn, the great mother bear reveals herself to Moirin, but shows her that Moirin’s destiny lies not in Alba with her people, but across the Straits to the land of her father, and beyond to lands further than she ever could have imagined.

Moirin leaves the open woods and is welcomed with open arms into Terre D’Ange. In a twist of fate, Moirin finds herself in the home of Raphael de Mereliot – charming courtier, lover of the Queen of Terre D’Ange, and magic-dabbling physician. Soon, Moirin – welcomed as an exotic distraction – is embroiled in D’Angeline court politics, caught up in the schemes between Raphael’s dreams of power and Queen Jehanne’s mercurial moods.

Following her diadh-anam, the spark of spirit within guided by the Maghuin Dhonn, Moirin travels from Terre D’Ange to the strange and far land of Ch’in with Master Lo Feng and his magpie Bao, to save a young warrior princess under a horrible curse, and to stop impending war.

Naamah’s Kiss is Jacqueline Carey writing in her element – her writing is as luscious, beautiful and captivating as ever. This is fantasy on an epic scale, encompassing magic, romance, heartache, war, and destiny. As a huge fan of the first two trilogies, I have to admit I was a little nervous as Moirin’s tale is set a hundred years after Imriel’s last book. Though there are references to Phedre and Imriel with a few easter eggs sprinkled throughout, I ultimately loved Ms. Carey’s decision to focus this new trilogy on an entirely new character as a fresh start, leaving Phedre and Imriel’s happy endings gloriously preserved.

As a new heroine, Moirin is exquisite. Ms. Carey excels at creating distinct characters; though I feared that Moirin would be too similar to Phedre, she most certainly stands apart as a heroine in her own right. While Phedre is D’Angelline down to the scarlet mote in her eye, polished, sultry and smoothly navigates troubled political waters, Moirin is raw, headstrong, and passionate. Unrefined in the realms of the political (or the realms of Naamah’s arts, for that matter), Moirin relies less on her savvy and more on her heart, believing in her Alban and D’Angeline gods and the spark of her diadh-anam to guide her. While Phedre’s destiny was sealed by a prick in her left eye and Imriel’s by his parentage, Moirin grapples with her fate – she knows not what her purpose is, only that she has a destiny, and she trusts blindly in that knowledge. Also, unlike her D’Angeline successors, Moirin brings a new perspective to the world of Terre D’Ange; through her eyes, readers see the glimmering beauty of the court, but also see its excesses and pettiness (something Phedre would never admit to). There is intrigue and scheming, but Moirin is not an active, maneuvering player in these games. Her gift from Naamah is desire, in her ability to give and to crave this passion, and this leads Moirin true throughout her adventures.

The plot of Naamah’s Kiss is decidedly less reliant on political intrigue than Phedre or Imriel’s adventures, and, reflecting Moirin as a narrator, is more driven by relationships and passion. The story is complex and sprawling, spanning across three vastly different lands – from the serene woods of Alba to the glitter of the D’Angeline court, and finally the mystical yet troubled land of the Ch’in. Alba and Terre D’Ange we already know, but the journey to Ch’in is completely, stunningly new. In Ms. Carey’s alternate China, Ch’in is an exotic new world, with magic and spirits of its own, and it is portrayed lovingly here. An imprisoned dragon, a cursed princess, family betrayal – it is all here in Naamah’s Kiss.

Finally, one cannot write a review for Jacqueline Carey’s books without mentioning her lush, rich prose. Naamah’s Kiss is no exception.

The stone doorway stood behind me.

But beyond it lay the sea. It sparkled in the bright sunlight, waves rippling and churning, stretching all the way to the horizon. Overhead, gulls wheeled in teh blue sky uttering raucous cries.

I looked back.

The Maghuin Dhonn Herself regarded me with infinite compassion. I took a deep breath, my body trembling. I didn’t understand, not really. And yet the spark inside me knew. “I have a very long way to go, don’t I?” I asked softly.

She didn’t answer.

I wiped my eyes. “May I at least keep this memory?”

Her great head dipped in consent.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “I don’t know where it is I’m meant to go or what it is I’m meant to do, but ‘ll try to make You proud.”

Brightness shimmered and the expression on Her face changed. It was a look like my mother’s embrace, hard and fierce. And it said without words that whatever came to pass, I was Hers. Her joy and Her pride, now and always and forever. My heart too ful for words, I nodded in silent acknowledgment. It was a gift of grace I would cary with me always.

She left and did not look back.

I’ve said before that Ms. Carey is one of those writers whose words make me fall in love, break my heart and leave me filled with a sense of wonder and longing – and such is Naamah’s Kiss. Like her gods, Ms. Carey uses her characters hard, but it is worth every ache and pain along the way.

I loved Naamah’s Kiss, and cannot wait to return to Moirin’s story.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed returning to the world of Terre d'Ange, I have to say that Naamah's Kiss wasn't nearly as good as the original two trilogies in the Kushiel's Legacy series. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book and when the next one in the trilogy comes out, I will definitely pick it up. It says something for Jacqueline Carey's skill as a writer that even the weaker books in the series are definitely worth the time to read. But I had some problems with Moirin story.

The biggest complaint I had was that for the first part of the book, there really didn't seem to be a strong reason or any direction or urgency to her adventuring. It seemed like the reasoning behind her leaving Alba and hanging out in Terre D'ange seemed a bit flimsy. I also didn't understand why so many details of her birth and conception had to be hidden and vague. It just seemed like a bunch of drama with little concrete reasoning behind it. It's not until she decides to go to China with her teacher that there is any real sense of a quest. (It is also at that point the story picks up and I enjoyed it a bit more.)

Another issue I had was that it seemed like half of the significant intimate relationships Moirin has in the book (as opposed to the "hey, you're cute... why not" encounters that she indulges in because... after all, she is half D'Angeline) start are out of nowhere, and with some outside element (a tonic, a dragon) forcing the situation to happen. In the earlier trilogies, relationships began and grew very naturally... It was one of the things I loved most about the series. There was plenty of casual encounters, lustful moments, assignments with patrons but for the deeply personal, intimacy was never forced and as a result, I believed in the pairings more and was more invested in them. The shortcuts that the author took to get Moirin with Bao and Snow Tiger annoyed me.

I will say that I enjoyed hearing echoes of what happened with my favorite characters from the first two trilogies. It felt good to hear that Imri and Sidonie and Alias had the happily ever after that I felt they deserved. It was also cool to see references to Amarante and Ti Phillipe.

All in all, Naamah's Kiss was a decent book. It has some cool moments, a couple of cool characters (even if I suspect that the author is trying to recycle some of the dymanics between characters from the past trilogies to bulk up the new one) and while I still say that it hasn't quite lived up to the other Kushiel books, it definitely has the potential to develop into something pretty decent. So I am going to reserve judgement until I read book #2.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been putting off reading this trilogy until it was all out, wanting to immerse myself in Carey's world all at once. I'm glad I did: it took me a while to get to the point of wanting to read it without putting it down, but I got there. It starts slow, I suppose, but so did Kushiel's Dart, really... In any case, I got into it more than I did Imriel's trilogy: perhaps it helps that this is long past the days of Phèdre and Joscelin so there can be no disappointment at their portrayal or lack of it.

I didn't love Moirin as much as I love Phèdre, but that's sort of to be expected.

The Mary Sue-ness of Jacqueline Carey's characters continues, of course: everyone wants Moirin. A local noble boy, the guy who drives her to the capital city, the guy who runs her over in the street, a queen, a prince, a random scion of the Shahrizai, her teacher's assistant, a princess... And she's beloved of not one god, but three. It only irritated me at first, and then I settled back into the way of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the other characters: Jehanne was capricious and sharp but you could also understand why she was loved; the king had a minor role but drew me through his compassion and sadness; the dragon was amazing; the princess was out of her depth but trying, trying so hard...

At first I was trying to compare the characters to those of earlier books, but there is no Joscelin, no Queen Ysandre, no Hyacinthe -- and that turned out to be a good thing.

Something is missing, here, from the earlier trilogy -- some richness in the world, some newness. I couldn't see even the court in the City of Elua as clearly as I did in Phèdre's tale. Is it just that I've grown to expect a lot out of Carey, and it's no longer new to me? Perhaps.

Looking forward to reading the rest.

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kushiel's Dart blew me away when it came out.

Carey showed real verve and talent in exploring the world of Terre d’Ange and Elua’s commandment to “love as thou wilt” with interesting characters and an involving story. There wasn’t quite as much energy in the second trilogy – Kushiel's Scion et al. – but we were still in Terre d’Ange and I was entertained by the author’s continuing look at the implications of following Elua’s teaching.

Unfortunately, this first book of the new trilogy lacks everything that made the first two interesting.

I’m not going to spend more time dissecting the book because I don’t think it’s worth it. I still want to like Carey – she’s proved that when she has a character and a story she cares about she can write well (I can still vividly recall the scene when Phedre is being skinned alive in the first trilogy) but she has yet to rediscover that Muse.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend Naamah’s Kiss and I can’t bring myself to continue with the other two books in the series, I have far more interesting things on my shelf, but I will continue to hope that – if she returns to Terre d’Ange – Carey will be able to reignite that passion that flowered in me when I first took up Phedre’s tale.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like books that I'd rate NC-17 if they were movies, but this one was an exception. I thought it was wonderful. I haven't read anything by Jacqueline Carey before, and I may never read anything by her again. GoodReads shows this as being #7 of the Kushiel's Legacy series, but there is nothing on the book itself that indicates that. I honestly think it's the beginning of a new series that takes place on the same world as Kushiel's Legacy several generations later. While the story line in Naamah's Kiss is completed in this volume, it does set up the next volume quite well. That's why I think it's a new series.

What I learned from this book: Sex keeps you from doing the important things that forward a plot.

Seriously, our protagonist, Moirin, starts having sex on page fifty and has sex with men and women for the first 500 or so pages. It isn't until she stops having sex that the actual story really gets going. Of course, the book is saved from being simple porn by Carey's excellent narrative style and a lead character who is very likable. In general, I don't like graphic sex in books, but Carey is very comfortable writing about it and it seems natural, not awkward.

[Aster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice White Lady Saves China! And Prevents Modern Warfare! And Finds Love!

Intrigue and court politics and sexual drama in equal measure with grand world-changing adventure. A thoroughly enjoyable read, fast paced, exciting, heart-rending and heart-warming, and overall fun.

Two things combined to leave a slightly icky taste in my mouth:
1) a whole nation of non-white people needs this one heroic white lady to be their savior. She really tries to treat fantasy china and the Chinese characters with respect, but it's hard to avoid what an old and crappy trope that is.
2) saving a whole nation and changing the course of history is presented as slightly less important than this one white lady finding love and working out her issues. Again, she's not trying to be a jerk about it, and the personal growth feels like a natural part of the story.

Even together, it's not crippling, just a little offputting in hindsight. Carey obviously has a huge desire to be culturally sensitive and inclusive and cool, and lots of knowledge to go with it, but centering all that around a white lady's search for love cheapens it a little.

[Jai · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://janicu.livejournal.com/81751.html

Premise: This is the beginning of a new series in the same world as the two Kushiel series, but takes place a few generations later. The heroine is Moirin, who was born into the Maghuin Dhonn, worshippers of a great brown bear, a wild people who are known as great magicians and feared for their past. Moirin at first has a simple life, living in the woods with her mother, but as she grows up, she learns about the outside world. Her father is a D'Angeline priest of Naamah, the goddess of desire. Moirin is guided by her diadh-anam (spirit guide) to believe that she is not meant to stay in Alba, so she first goes across the sea find him and to embrace her mixed heritage.

My Thoughts: You don't need to read the other series in order to start at this one, however there are references to what happened in the past which could be spoilers if you're paying close attention to them about what happened in the earlier books. The world building in these books is complex, but the book is written so even if you don't know all the background (such as knowing the complete story of Elua and his companions - which I did not), you can still grasp what's going on. (P.S. There's an amazing amount of detail on wikipedia about this series!)

This is a very easily readable book despite it being over 600 pages. The words flow and the language lends itself to just paying attention to the story. Told in the first person point of view, the book is a coming of age tale that's in three parts: Moirin's childhood in Alba, her introduction into society in Terre d'Ange, and her adventures in Ch'in.

Because Moirin is half of the Maghuin Dhonn and half D'Angeline, she has two goddesses who watch over her and who guide her. Morin often consults her diadh-anam when she wants to make important decisions and sees the faces of "the Bright Lady" and the Maghuin Dhonn, who help her choose her way. Her Destiny is a big part of Moirin's decision-making, and in some ways I'd have liked her to actually choose rather than having a tool to make decisions for her, but Moirin's faith is large part of her personality. Her father and her mentor are both very spiritual as well and Moirin gains a lot from them. And because Moirin doesn't turn away from her Alban roots she holds onto her gift of "twilight" (that allows her to disappear from sight). Meanwhile, her comfortableness with Naamah's gift (that of desire) means that Moirin is very open with her sexuality.

There are a lot of sex scenes in this story because of Moirin's lack of hangups and her connection with Naamah. These were tastefully done without purple prose, but it is explicit. Terre d'Ange itself is a very sexually open society so she's not alone. I read Kushiel's Dart a long time ago so I wasn't very surprised, but I thought that at times her approach was more for enjoyment than for a reason, like that of Phèdre nó Delaunay, the protagonist of Kushiel's Dart. Moirin has no problems switching partners, men or women, on the spur of the moment. Maybe for that reason I didn't find any of the relationships in this book particularly romantic, although Moirin obviously cared very much for many people.

There is a large cast of characters in this story. It's at first Moirin and her mother in Alba, with the neighbouring lord's son Cillian who comes by to visit. Although some reviewers found the first part of the book slow, I found it my favorite part - it reminded me of childhood and summer days without much worry. It is in the part of the book I found Moirin's character least like she is in the other parts - more sure and wild maybe. When childhood ends is the beginning of the second part in Terra d'Ange. Here Moirin's exoticness from being a beautiful "bear-witch" are much lauded (slightly excessively in my mind, but not enough to rile me), and Moirin meets several royals and people of the D'Angeline court. Of particular interest are Queen Jehanne and her lover, Raphael de Mereliot. These two characters I had the hardest time pinning down, they were so capricious - at some times selfish and at others very kind. I would say that they changed as Moirin learned more about them. It is here that Moirin grows and learns the most about her powers and about people. Finally, when Moirin finally meets her Destiny in Ch'in, she goes with a sage who she'd met in Terre d'Ange - Master Lo, and his bodyguard Bao. There she meets the fierce princess Snow Tiger. Ch'in is where the most action occurs and all that Moirin experiences culminate here in her Destiny. Although it was convenient, I still thought the resolutions were clever because I'd forgotten about couple of things until that point.

Although this is the first of a probably trilogy, the book ends in a satisfying place with most threads tied up. There is of course a couple of things where you want to find out what happens next (such as hints about someone she expects to meet again), but I was happy where the book finished.

Overall: An epic fantasy coming of age tale (at 645 pages-a bigger time commitment than the average book) with a very spiritual and sexual young heroine. If you're a fan of Jacqueline Carey, this book is as strong as her past books, with the same detailed world building and absorbing storytelling. If you DO mind sex in your fantasy, then skip this one. I had only very minor issues (regarding Moirin's Destiny, and Moirin's exotic factor), and found it a good read.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first six books of this series are sacred scripture for me, and I did not expect that lightning to strike again. But Carey showed stellar writing capabilities in the previous books, and I had at least hoped this book would be a rousing adventure with that high quality of writing. Mostly, I'm disappointed.

Several main characters I just didn't enjoy spending any time with, and others seemed interesting but poorly drawn. I received so little coherent internal dialogue from the lead character herself, Moirin, that I still can't tell whether I like her, after 645 pages with her. The organic weave of characterization and action that Carey found before is not here. I don't encounter new, complex characters whose motivations unfold against coming events, each with their own unique internal logic. Instead, characters move clumsily in the directions the author wants, in order to move the plot more quickly, or to reach straining attempts at moving moments. Some parts of the plot were painfully obvious and stereotypical to me as they unfolded, which hadn't happened for me in one of her books before. One element of the end of the book had me groan in disappointment at its clumsiness. Several moments fell flat for me along the way, as the lead character floated through much of the story passively, falling in "love" over and over again in ways that just didn't compel me.

One theme of the book involves following one's destiny when only the next single step is revealed. This is a key element of my own faith, and I was surprised that it did not resonate with me here. Another theme was use of power, but it was not explored nearly as powerfully as it has been before. One point, Carey's own voice seem to give up on the complexity of power in her world, and bow to the "rightness" of rulers and heirarchies in a way that she had not before; I found that offensive and unnecessary. Another theme was exploring the divine character of Naamah more thoroughly than before; I've been very interested to know more about her, and I enjoyed the little I got. But it still felt thin and watered-down, compared to what Carey did in comparable time with others. Moirin was far more of an outsider to the cultures she has lived in than the other leads in the series. But Carey squanders much of what she could do with that tension, racing through the foreignness of each culture to get to points of familiarity, and having Moirin (who grew up happily living in a cave) quickly acclimating herself to the vanities, dress up and petty drama of Court life.

There are moments where Carey skims the edges of what she was able to do before, and they are beautiful. But they are few and far between here. I'm hoping the rest of the trilogy regains some of the richness that I know she can accomplish.

[Duffy Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carey has created another seemingly perfect heroine. What's surprising to me is that she manages to do this while keeping these perfect creatures distinct from one another. Moirin is nothing like Phedre, except in her perfection. (And she's also nothing like Loup, from the Saint's books, in an entirely different world, but just as perfect.)

As always, in the Terre D'Ange world, the writing is lavish and graceful. The start is slow, and it's not clear whether the book has a true direction until about 2/3rds of the way through. But I've seen this before with Carey, and each time she has managed to bring things to a satisfying close. In some ways, this book feels like it's tri-partate: there's the coming of age in Alba, then the courtly intrigue in Terre D'Ange, and finally the quest in Ch'in. They ultimately fit together well, with a few deliberate loose ends (I assume for the later books), but even so they make the book feel just a little bit baggy.

Because Moirin is the first heroine of Carey's to be a magician, the magic is more front and center in this book. Fortunately, it's limited in scope and has a cost. Carey's uses for it are very clever, and the magic is one of the things I liked most about the book.

A fair bit of the book veers towards soft-porn. For the most part, it's fairly well done, and I realize that this is a niche that Carey has carved out for herself, so I won't criticize too much. The only thing that wears on me is the seemingly endless lesbian love patter. I think I grew a bit too sensitive to this in Saint's Astray, where this kind of banter seemed to close every chapter. Seeing the same (or what seem to be the same) back and forth here made me roll my eyes a few times. That's a fairly minor blemish on an otherwise good book.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Moirin and the Terre D'Ange world.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even more beautiful than I remembered. Love this world. It's perfection, I forgot the heartbreak of the end.

It's so nice to be in such a beautiful fantasy world again. SO few books can capture such an epic journey.

5 Stars

[Joanna M · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG y'all want to read a fun girl witch adventure with joyful/free and nonproblematic sex? My favorite part of this book was how different sex was from literally any other book I've read. You should read it just for the thought experiment.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - English hardcover - I have dyslexia -
Notes in old note book : first in this trilogy. Loved the bisecual druid. Had so much character! 🌺🦋🌹

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naamah's Kiss is set some 150 years after Carey's remarkable Kushiel trilogies, but the reader who has not read the earlier books can still enjoy this one, I think. In fact, if you attempted to read the Kushiel books and were ill at ease (as I was, initially) with the BDSM content, Moirin's adventures may be more your speed. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of sex here---Moirin is half D'Angeline and her father is a priest of Naamah, goddess of desire---and it's hot sex, with multiple partners of both genders. However, Moirin is neither courtesan nor marked by Kushiel, as was Phedre in the earlier series, so her approach to lovemaking is more instinctual and (at least slightly) more conventional.

At the beginning of the novel, Moirin lives with her mother in a cave in Alba; they are of the Maghuinn Dhonn, the people of the Brown Bear, who once had magical powers but lost them due to murder and broken oaths centuries before. Yet, as mentioned, Moirin is also half D'Angeline, and when she has a vision revealing her destiny lies overseas, she takes advantage of this to travel to Terre d'Ange seeking her father. She finds him, along with fascinating new friends and lovers, becomes embroiled in forbidden magic and court intrigue, and eventually finds herself compelled by destiny to travel all the way to Ch'in.

Like most fans of theKushiel's Legacy series, I loved the character Phedre no Delaunay, and was very curious to see how Moirin would measure up. Well, Moirin, as I've mentioned, has the passions of a D'Angeline but not the polish of a courtesan, and no talent (or need for) espionage at all. She has also grown up as someone who needs to fend for herself, so although she becomes quite pampered in Terre D'Ange, she is a fine archer and can both hunt and defend herself. She is intelligent and in the course of the book she learns to read and picks up several languages, but what she studies the most are the breathing techniques and Taoist philosophy taught by Master Lo Feng, one of my favorite characters. In fact, the "book-learning" pursued by Phedre and her colleague Alcuin in Kushiel's Dart takes on a sinister cast when Moirin gets involved with occultists in Terre D'Ange. So I'd sum up by saying I liked Moirin very much---she was very different from Phedre, but definitely strong-willed and appealing all the same.

If there is one complaint I have about Naamah's Kiss, it's the way that magic is handled here. In the first of the two Kushiel trilogies, there wasn't much magic at all; it crept in gradually over the course of the second, and then exploded with a bang in Kushiel's Mercy, book six. I love magic---probably why I read fantasy---and was surprised to find myself not missing it much in the Kushiel books, and occasionally annoyed at the way it appeared. In Naamah's Kiss, magic plays a much bigger part. When the Maghuin Dhonn were cursed centuries before, they lost all their magical ability except the skill to "summon the twilight" (which I thought was really cool) but Moirin also seems to have an earth magic the others have lost. Her skill increases through her training with Lo Feng and even in her involvement in occult experimentation---this manner of increasing her powers felt very organic, but I couldn't help wondering if her powers were too much? There's one instance in particular, towards the end, when I felt her power just showed up because the plot needed it---there was groundwork laid, but not enough. And it may be just an issue of pacing---the powers she has at the end of book one would not concern me at all, if she had them by the end of book three.

In sum, despite some quibbles, I found this to be a terrific read, with a winning heroine, elegant and sensuous description, and a world which only fascinates me more the more it is revealed.

[Lassarina Aoibhell · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is usual with me and the Kusheline books, I read this in one big gulp - less than 24 hours from the time I bought it, I had finished it. Carey employs a different view of Terre d'Ange in this book, choosing to illustrate it through the perspective of an outsider (in this case, an Alban, descended from characters who appeared in the previous trilogies). The main character, Moirin, is likeable, with a certain naivete and straightforwardness that previous main characters in the series have lacked.

That being said, while I deeply adore Carey's archaic, well-embellished prose, the use of that as a voice sits less well on Moirin than it did on Phedre or Imriel. This is not to say that Moirin is stupid - far from it - but she is straightforward and brisk in her interactions with others, and I felt vaguely disconnected from the style of the narration. It was, perhaps, with less flourish than the Phedre or Imriel books that preceded it, but I still noticed the difference.

The book follows the usual pattern of the Kushiel novels, starting small and filling in pieces and then moving on to a vast conspiracy and/or war to save a country. (I'm not complaining about the pattern; I quite enjoy in.) This time we travel even farther abroad than we had in previous novels--all the way to China. One thing that troubles me is that despite the fact that Moirin views everything--Terre d'Ange and Ch'in alike--through the eyes of a stranger and a foreigner, there is comparatively little description of the land through which they travel, especially given how much we learned and saw about the lands that Phedre and Imriel travelled. I felt a bit cheated by that.

Also, the quality of the intimate scenes seems to have deteriorated greatly since the first trilogy. I felt like I could have been reading just another romance novel that I plucked off the shelf at the bookstore, which was disappointing given that I felt drawn in and engaged in the intimate scenes in the first trilogy in a way that I am unaccustomed to being. I cannot specifically point to specific words or phrases that make me feel this way about them, but they lack the fluidity and grace of scenes in the earlier novels; I feel as though they are there because the audience expects them, only they aren't what I expected.

However, the characterization is strong (as ever), and the plot threads are neatly woven - things brought up early in the story become important again later. There are no hanging events that indicate that the author forgot she'd done them. Also, the end of the book strongly implies a sequel, which I anticipate with some delight.

Overall, it was an excellent book, but like the Imriel trilogy, it doesn't quite live up to the standards of the Phedre trilogy. Still, it was a very enjoyable read.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I get for reading an in-progress trilogy: the bittersweet sting of closing the book, deeply satisfied with the story but desperate for the next installment. An installment, might I add, that doesn't come out until June (I refuse to think about the third installment, which won't hit shelves until June 2011). Lesson learned: Be a literary Luddite. Read trilogies five years after they've gone out of vogue, when you can get your hands on all three books at once without paying the MSRP or hopping on the library waiting list. (Patience? What?)

Moirin is no Phèdre or Imriel. She doesn't need to be, because she is pretty awesome on her own merits. This is a young [witchy:] woman of complex lineage, reaching deep into the pages of the first two Kushiel trilogies. Like Phèdre, she has multiple gifts, some more troublesome than others. She's not necessarily as complex as the two characters whose trilogies preceded hers, but this is only the first book. It was, after all, the third book of Phèdre's trilogy that actually made the characters come alive for me. On that front, I can be patient.

There are some Carey staples in here, like suspense building via sentence fragments, ultra-foreshadowing in the first sentences of most chapters, and love scenes. Squeamish readers will likely find the love scenes in this book more palatable than the previous six--Moirin is neither a masochist nor a sadist. She's just in the mood for love, to borrow a movie title from Wong Kar-Wai. Like her ancestors, she can sow her wild oats with impunity, as she can only conceive with the help of a special ceremony.

I thought that this book might be jarring, that being 150 years removed from the world I inhabited for nearly 4,000 pages (and I'm intimidated by Proust's measly 3,000??) would feel too unfriendly and threatening. It doesn't. Many of the characters are descendants of beloved Kushiel's legacy characters. There are mentions of Phèdre, Phèdre's Boys, Imriel, Sidonie, etc. These characters are no longer with us, but they loom large in the narrative, their own stories bearing down on the one in progress.

As was the case with Phèdre's narrative, Carey doesn't introduce the chief love interest immediately. The story begins when Moirin is still a girl and follows her into young adulthood. She drifts in and out of romances, her heart sending up circulatory signs when she is headed in the right direction. Even when she finds the right person, she wonders--after all, her quasi-prophetic heart has beaten loudly for several lovers in her past. But the events that transpire leave little question as to where she is meant to be. Still, this is a trilogy, so expect enough angst and unresolved storylines to propel you into the second book.

Which doesn't come out until June. (What? I mentioned that already?)