Book Review: Naamah’s Kiss: Jacqueline Carey: Books
Book Review: Naamah’s Kiss: Jacqueline Carey: Books
A return to a familiar, lush universe, with a fresh new heroine!,
By Melusine (www.FantasyLiterature.net) (Columbia, MO United States) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
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.
worthy successor to Kushiel books,
By greenlady -
Big fans of Carey’s Kushiel novels should probably stop reading here and just buy the book. While Naamah’s Kiss takes place about a hundred years after the Kushiel series, it still has the same grandness of scope, rich storytelling and lush descriptions of the other novels set in this universe.
For those not familar with the series, it’s set in an alternative Earth, where a new god “Elau” had been born when the tears of Mary Magdalene mixed with the blood of Yeshua ben Yosef, spilled on the dirt beneath the cross. Elau, whose only command was “Love as thou wilt” was joined by a group of angels (including Naamah) who traveled across the world to settle in what in our world would be France, but in the book is called Terre d’Ange. Before these celetisial being left for another world, they left their mark on the people of Terre d’Ange.
The book focuses on Moirin, who lives on Alba (i.e., Great Britain) and is a member of the secretive bear clan of Maghuin Dhonn, who are descended from the original human inhabitants of the islands. (In this version of Earth, the Romans were driven out of the British isles by the magic of the Maghuin Dhonn). However, Moirin’s father was a Naamah priest from Terre d’Ange, and her conception was apparently destined by both the bear goddess and the gods of Terre d’Ange.
Thus the plot of the book is about Moirin trying to reconcile her two heritages and discover her destiny. Readers of the Kushiel books will not be surprised to find that this involves traveling far from home and meeting (and in many cases bedding) a large cast of characters, some who turn out to be good friends, and some not.
While I don’t think that this book quite matches the wondrous experience of reading the earlier series, it is still good. I did miss Phedre, and Joscelin, and Imriel, and the other characters from the earlier novels, but they are still there in spirit, and we do learn a little of “what happened next” with them from Moirin’s history lessons and story telling.
A triumphant return to the world of Kushiel’s Legacy,
By jkl (Philadelphia, PA United States) -
As an avid fan of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series, I preordered Namaah’s Kiss months ago. And when it arrived in the mail, I joyfully devoured it in record time. As always, Carey’s writing is superb, beautiful and lush, heady and intoxicating like rich red wine.
In her previous novels, Carey has lovingly crafted a wondrous and beautiful world, a mythic allegory of our own, both strange but immediately familiar. It was a joy to revisit these now familiar places, Alba and Terre d’Ange (and new places like Ch’in!), but this time through new eyes. As one of the Maghuin Dhonn, Moirin is a child of the woods and wild places, untutored in d’Angeline ways. This lends the book a delightful new perspective as young Moirin learns of her d’Angeline heritage and the gifts of Namaah.
I could not help but feel a little bit sad while reading the book. It takes place several generations after the Kushiel series and like the first reviewer, I missed Phedre and Joscelin, Imriel and Sidonie and all the others. We do get tantalizing morsels, enough to leave me happy knowing our old friends lived well. And I have no doubt, that in the Terre d’Ange that lies beyond, they stand smiling as they watch our new heroine fulfill her destiny.
For those new to Carey, I would suggest starting with the first in the series, Kushiel’s Dart. For any longstanding fans, buy this book and curl up with a glass of wine and enjoy. She is not Phedre nor Imri but Moirin mine is a worthy successor and I look forward to following her adventures for years to come.
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