Book Review: Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

Genre: Fantasy, Erotica

Series: Moirin's Trilogy #3, Kushiel's Legacy #9

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: June 2011

Author Info: www.jacquelinecarey.com 

Wendy's Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Politics and intrigue are always at the heart of d’Angeline adventures and this ninth and final book in Carey’s Kushiel series is no different. Our protagonist, Moirin Mac Fainche and her husband, Bao, are now united, heart and soul, with Bao no longer resisting the soulspark that binds the two together. With their adventures in the east at an end, they have returned to Terre d’Ange, following Moirin’s dream of the deceased queen and her former lover, Jehane, who fears for her young daughter, Desiree. This is not the Terre d’Ange of Phedre no Delauney’s time. Ruled by an apathetic king who grows more and more despondent as his personal losses, including Jehane, increase.

Moirin’s position as both a d’Angeline of noble heritage, as well as a Maughuin Donn, the mysterious bear witches from across the Straits, she is feared by some and respected by others, which puts her at the centre of the political intrigue when King Daniel’s appoints her and Bao as his daughter’s oathsworn protectors. When news of the prince’s death strikes Daniel, a usurper goes after the throne through little Desiree. But Jehanne’s dreams inform Moirin that the prince is indeed not dead, sending her and Bao and some unlikely allies across the seas to Terra Nova.

Overall, I have enjoyed Moirin’s story and character, though I can’t say I’ve been overly impressed with either. While I don’t want to compare her to the series’ first heroine, Phedre no Delauney (and thankfully, Moirin does not spend much of this book comparing herself to Phedre, as she did in the last one), it’s hard not to in order to determine why Moirin fails to interest me. First of all, Moirin has traveled around the world, as led by her diadh-anam, the soulspark within her. Her decisions all belong to her great bear goddess, as she follows along with her destiny, never once resisting or questioning for very long. If she goes against any oaths she makes or uses powers inappropriately, she risks losing her diadh-anam, as well as Bao, whom she brought back to life with her powers. This pretty much means that nothing she does is going to risk those losses, even though the plot often places her within such predicaments. Every time the situation escalates to a point where Moirin fears this will come to pass, there’s always something – usually divine intervention, that gets her out of it. And the climactic moment in this book is most certainly evidence of that.

Not that divine intervention and magic has played a small part in the previous books, but in those cases, Phedre, and later her foster son, Imriel, acted of their own accord. The gods might have offered approval, but the decisions Phedre and Imriel made were their own, driven by their desires, as well as duty and honour and the need for closure. Moirin has little agency beyond what she is literally bound to do by her soulspark. She still has her desires and a sense of duty and honour, but, her greater motivation always seems to be doing what her soulspark and bear goddess tell her to. I found this to be the downfall of the character and the story, making them less appealing to me.

As mentioned, this book takes us to Terra Nova in the west, thereby completing what has ended up being an epic tour of Carey’s world. I do appreciate the way she blends the reality and mythology of our world, altering it just enough to make it her own. However, despite the vast divinities represented, it becomes evident that only the gods of Terre d’Ange (which are considered the youngest) and now the Maghuin Donn seem to hold sway. If the gods of the other cultures make our protagonists aware of their presence or their powers, Moirin is usually able to prove her gods superior. Or the other gods are silent, allowing Moirin to prove to the people the power of her gods. I would have liked to see more balance in this.

Overall, an interesting story still, nicely wrapping up elements from the first book in Moirin’s trilogy, but, like Imriel’s trilogy, this is not a story that will stay with me as Phedre’s did.

Mogsy: Your Favorite Series

The books in the Kushiel Universe by Jacqueline Carey

Oh whyyyyyyy, why must you make me choooooooose?

This is the reason I'm always chafing at these kinds of "What's your favorite ______?" questions. Whether it's movies, songs, books, etc. I don't know how anyone can name just one. I know I can't. A book series is no exception, but if I gotta pick just one...

Putting aside a whole slew of series I've fallen in love with just recently, or ones that still have too few books published in it to be included, I'll probably have to go with this long-time personal favorite of mine -- Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Universe, which is nine books split into three trilogies: Books 1-3: Phèdre Trilogy, Books 4-6: Imriel's Trilogy, Books 7-9: Moirin Trilogy.

All of them are quite fantastic, even though I felt the Moirin Trilogy might have missed its mark, and Imriel's Trilogy as a follow-up wasn't really that bad at all. Still, it's the Phèdre Trilogy that I completely adore. It's the one that first introduced me to the wonders and beauty of Terre D'Ange, its magic and its people.

For a long time, many of the books in this series has ranked among some of the best I've ever read, and I always remember the reading experience fondly and with pleasant nostalgia.

Audiobook Review: Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey

Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey

Kushiel’s Curse continues the adventures of Moirin mac Fainche, now on a quest to find her lover, Bao, who has run off to determine his own fate after their Master Lo sacrificed himself to help Moirin unwittingly bring Bao back to life. Half of Moirin’s soul spark, or diadh-anam, now resides with Bao, guiding her towards him, but making him uncertain of whether or not his feelings for her are genuine.

Leaving Chin behind, Moirin travels through many of the lands of Carey’s world, all of which are based on the real world. Carey seems to be making a point of covering the entire world in her books, with this one crossing Mongolia and India and the next book completing the world tour with the west.

This is, first and foremost, a love story that speaks to the lengths Moirin will go to for those she loves. To be clear, Moirin loves just about everyone. She remains committed to Bao, but Moirin falls in love with the inner beauty and positive traits of many of the people she meets on her journey. As a child of Namaah, Moirin is heavily influenced by desire and believes in the D’Angeline consensual tenet of “Love as thou wilt.”

Through the Alban side of her heritage, Moirin is also a child of the bear goddess, the Maghuin Dhonn.  The gifts from these goddesses are manifest in Moirin and this brings her to the attention of a particular Yeshuan Rebbe intent on cleansing her of all those sins and lead her and other sinners to salvation. When this occurs about a quarter of the way into the book, it got my back up. In the second book of Carey’s adventures in Terre D’Ange, readers are introduced to the Habiru, worshippers of Yeshua and the One God. Due to my Christian upbringing, I tend to balk when I have to deal with the religious beliefs I rebelled against in my youth (unexpectedly) showing up in my entertainment and taking a very prominent role. It’s clear that the cultures and religions in this series are all based on actual cultures and religions and it is very easy to identify them all, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to me to find the Christian god’s involvement – especially since the gods of Terre D’Ange are birthed from that very faith. My prejudice usually isn’t enough to make me turn away, and I appreciated the way Kushiel’s Chosen presented it as something more for its main character, Phèdre, to learn and comprehend in order to achieve her goals. In fact, as the books progress and more cultures and religions earn some focus, Carey does so with great care and respect through her characters. But, unlike the previous adventures with Yeshua where I could get over my religious prejudice because the telling was never delivered with preachiness or condemnation, Moirin’s introduction to the Habiru, it is nothing but preachy and condemning.

As Moirin tries to justify her religious beliefs and subsequent actions to her captors, it felt a lot like it was Carey herself trying to unapologetically validate the “love as though wilt” principle and the licentious behaviour of her D’Angeline people. As if Carey had suffered criticism from some right wing Christian group and needed to vent her frustrations within the story. Later, when Moirin travels to Bhodistan, Carey’s disguised opinion piece moves to the condemnation of the caste system and the Untouchables of India.

I would have liked to avoid comparing Moirin to her predecessor, Phèdre no Delauney, but Moirin does it often enough herself. Moirin also spent a lot of time reiterating events from past books. In her travels, she frequently is asked to tell her story from Namaah’s Kiss, so if you haven’t read that one, you almost don’t need to. But she also goes into a lot of detail about certain events that took place with Imriel de la Courcel, who had his own trilogy in Carey’s Terre D’Ange series. Everything is raised within context, but I found the repetition tedious.

There is a heavy reliance on magic. Originally, the gods’ involvement in the world was clear, but not as heavy handed as it has been with Moirin. All of her decisions are based on the commands of her diadh-anam and plans rely on her ability to “summon the twilight” or make use of her many other abilities. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that has struck me since the Imriel Trilogy, becoming almost the entire focus in Moirin’s Trilogy. The theme is that the gods use their chosen hard, as established with Phèdre   but Phèdre made choices that in some cases, meant defying the gods. I don't expect Moirin to be Phèdre   but I grew disappointed in the way Moirin seemed to be the sum of her god-chosen status, without actually making decisions herself or really even questioning her destiny.

I was disappointed that we really don’t get to spend enough time with Bao and Moirin being together, though I know that was a necessary part of the story of Moirin’s love traversing all obstacles to be with him. I guess that just means I’ll have to read the third book in Moirin’s Trilogy to get my satisfaction!

My final complaint goes to the narrator, Anne Flosnik. I was not fond of her slow speech and the voices she affects for the characters other than Moirin, who tells the story. I particularly did not enjoy the drawn out, hoarsely whispered voice she uses for Bao. It did not match my image of Bao (as portrayed by Godfrey Gao in my head) at all. Not to mention that Flosnik pronounced all the words I’ve been reading for the past seven books entirely *wrong*, of course. Otherwise, the narration was tolerable, but I will definitely be reading the next book myself.

Despite all the complaining, I actually did like the book. It dragged a bit more than I felt was necessary, mainly because of some of the issues I addressed above, but it was still enjoyable. The characters and cultures are all as richly defined as I've come to expect from Carey, and I care about them enough to find out what happens next.

3 of 5 stars

Character Appreciation Post: Phèdre no Delaunay de Montrève

As painted by Lee Moyer for the
2013 Literary Pin-up Calendar

Who is Phèdre no Delaunay de Montrève?

Born flawed by a scarlet mote in her left eye and given an ill-luck name, Phèdre was sold into indenture at Cereus House when her parents, traveling merchants, ran out of funds. Her flaw and her rebellious nature made others certain that she would amount to very little, until Anafiel Delaunay recognized her as an anguissette, one who derives pleasure from pain. It is said that the gods use their chosen hard - an understatement for Phèdre, chosen by Kushiel, the punisher.   Beginning in the book Kushiel's Dart, Phèdre's adventures would take her across the world, through wars, conspiracies, violence and love to become the most desired courtesan in all of Terre d'Ange and beyond.

But who is she?

As a child, Phèdre could never accept her apparent fate. She constantly ran away from Cereus House, intent on seeing what was beyond the walls of the Night Court and reveling in the danger. When the Dowayne of Cereus House discovered Phèdre cutting herself and taking pleasure in the pain, the Dowayne obeyed her instincts and summoned Anafiel Delaunay.

As a member of Delaunay's house, Phèdre truly came into her own. Delaunay allowed her every opportunity to learn and her inquisitive and brilliant mind gobbled it all up. As long as she did not defy him or common courtesy and protocol, Delaunay encouraged her willingness to speak her mind. She came to understand the power of knowledge, as this was all part of Delaunay's plans. Where best to learn the secrets of men and women but in the bedroom and, as an anguissette who chose to study Naamah's arts, Phèdre was highly desired.

Circumstances painfully removed Delaunay from her life and whisked her away to the northern wilds. Despite being raised in a lifestyle of indulgence in the Night Court, Phèdre is an incredibly adaptable woman and her will to survive ensured that she not only endured her exile in Skaldia, but ensured that her then protector, Joscelin Verreuil, survived too. For those she loves or considers to be under her protection, there is no end that Phèdre will not go for her friends. Whether she is forced by fate or it is of her own choosing, she is an unstoppable force when it comes to those she cares for. Being chosen by Kushiel could be considered a curse by many, but Phèdre embraces it and its responsibilities, no matter how cruelly fate leads her. If Phèdre makes a promise, it will be kept.

I consider Phèdre to be warrior woman - not one that wears armour or bears a weapon. Phèdre's armour and weapons are her mind and body. She earns loyalty and respect through her compassion and willingly submits when she deems it necessary. Through all things, Phèdre endures.

"That which yields is not always weak."

FanArt: Phedre no Delaunay de Montreve

Phedre no Delaunay de Montreve by ~jibril84

From the Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey

Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

The adventures of Moirin mac Fainche continue in Naamah's Blessing, the third book of her trilogy. It all started years ago, when Moirin left her idyllic home in the wilderness of Alba to fulfill a destiny, seeking to do the will of the Maghuin Dhonn. Her travels have since brought her to the far reaches of the earth, but it appears still the gods have more in store.

Upon her return to Terre D'Ange, Moirin finds the realm in a state of unease. The royal family is broken, with Prince Thierry, heir to the throne, absent on an expedition to faraway Terra Nova. King Daniel, bereaved over the death of Queen Jehanne, is too distracted to rule. Their young daughter the Princess Desiree is troubled and neglected, her future and happiness in question. Times are rife with uncertainty and political instability.

The story of Naamah's Blessing also has its roots in the events from the first book. When Moirin first journeyed to Terre D'Ange seeking answers in the land of her father's ancestors, her encounters with the D'Angeline people did more than teach her about her heritage -- it also opened up a window to a brand new world. In her naivete, Moirin allowed herself to be manipulated by the charms of Raphael de Merliot, becoming entangled in his plot to summon a fallen angel. Their efforts ultimately ended in failure -- but a costly and deadly one.

Now faced the mistakes of her past, Moirin must take on a dangerous quest to make amends and embark on one final voyage to fulfill her destiny. The future of Terre D'Ange and the lives of people she loves depend on it.

I adore Jacqueline Carey, ever since the day I first discovered the Kushiel's Legacy series. I still remember the wonder and awe I felt when I finished reading Kushiel's Dart, the epic story that started it all. I've been addicted to her books ever since.

Devouring the rest of novels in the series including her second trilogy featuring Prince Imriel, I was thrilled when I heard Ms. Carey was planning on writing a third trilogy set in the same universe, though it would take place generations later, focusing on a half-D'Angeline child of the Maghuin Dhonn. I looked forward to it with anticipation.

And now that Moirin's trilogy is finally complete, I must admit the experience has been both frustrating and gratifying. On the one hand, I feel it is not as strong as the previous two trilogies, yet on the other, I am probably being unfair by making comparisons. After all, Moirin's story was likely meant to explore a different direction, and expand the world of Kushiel's Legacy.

I ended up enjoying Naamah's Blessing quite a bit, but it took some time to get there. I was not initially impressed with the first half of the book, underwhelmed by a rather uninspiring and self-indulgent introduction. There were various attempts at twists and turns, but not once did I find myself feeling any suspense, predicting many of the major steps in the plot that were meant to set up the story. As such, I felt none of the emotional blows I was meant to feel, but simply became increasingly frustrated at how all the events felt forced and telegraphed.

Still, while I thought the first half of the book was lackluster, I have to say the second half made up for much of it. It was Moirin's expedition to Terra Nova that provided the turning point, and it was then I started feeling the thrill again, and marveled at Ms. Carey's way of building new worlds.

I don't mind it when she takes us to faraway places, showing us there is indeed a lot more beyond the borders of Terre D'Ange. Since Naamah's Curse, Moirin has traveled the world, from exotic Ch'in to the dry plains of the Tatar Steppes, from remote Vralia to the lush lands of Bhodistan. The only regret I have is that all this jumping around does not do these places justice. With so many settings, it is impossible to give the same level of attention to the details. Terra Nova, however, received better treatment. I do very much enjoy the way each geographical area and culture in the series corresponds to one in the real world, and I love reading how Carey shapes each place to her owm vision. She succeeded in drawing me in again with her descriptions of this new frontier.

The story itself was nothing elegant, but it was exciting nonetheless. Once Moirin and her companions started on their journey, it was hard to stop turning the pages until the climax was reached and her destiny resolved. D'Angelines are people used to a life of comfort and decadent luxury, so it also something else to read about them out of their element, trekking through the dangerous and unforgiving jungles of Terra Nova.

I have to admit I was never a big fan of Moirin, but after this book I started liking her more. Being so used to the strength and quiet poise of Phedre no Delaunay, it took some time to accept Moirin's voice and her sometimes emotional and impulsive nature. I still got annoyed every time the narrative talked about her eyes stinging or filling with tears, but I think I've finally come to terms with her character. Moirin may seem childish sometimes, but her youth also gives her an energetic and lively view of her life's challenges, which I came to appreciate in this book.

I also started to like her companion and romantic interest Bao a lot more. His character hasn't been very popular with fans for some reason. Still, while he's no Joscelin Verreuil, Bao has been much developed over the last three books and he is very much one of Jacqueline Carey's men. I've always admired her talent for writing male characters, and over time she has given Bao the same treatment she has given to others like Barquiel L'Envers or Hyacinthe, transforming him into a hero I can respect.

There are, however, things I felt the book missed. Once again, Moirin is off to single-handedly save the world and right all its wrongs, but thankfully this was not as overdone as the last book. Still, the outcomes of the novel were very predictable. It is an irony that while Moirin being a child of the Maghuin Dhonn possesses a connection with magic, her story felt markedly less magical than the previous two trilogies. It was like something faded away from the series after Prince Imriel's trilogy. I've always felt Moirin's story lacked a focus, her mysterious destiny a tenuous reason for her adventures at best.

A lot of it has to do with so much of the plot feeling so convenient, such as the timely insertion of a usurping regent as an antagonist in the beginning of the book, or the child princess Desiree, three years old when she first meets Moirin, but who happens to be the spitting image of her mother Jehanne and acts and speaks in a way beyond her years. It's discomfiting, even when it is explained to the reader that she is unusually precocious for her age. Or even Raphael de Merliot, the book's main villain. While he poses a real and dangerous threat to Moirin and our heroes, his wickedness is one-sided, and he has none of the subtlety or delightful avarice, of say, Melisande Shahrizai whom we all loved to hate.

Overall, however, I still really liked this book. The trilogy really picked itself up following the last installment, and I also liked it for its themes of deities and destinies. Throughout her many adventures, Moirin has to remind herself time and time again that things get ugly when mortals misinterpret the will of the gods.

My Rating (out of 5)