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Jacqueline Carey

Naamah's Kiss Hardcover – June 24, 2009

by Jacqueline Carey (Author)

417 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Moirin's Trilogy

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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, it isn't until she comes of age that Moirin learns 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 are 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.

Print length

656 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grand Central Publishing
Publication date

June 24, 2009
Dimensions

6.38 x 1.63 x 9.38 inches
ISBN-10

044619803X
ISBN-13

978-0446198035
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The seventh installment in Carey's bestselling Kushiel series (after 2008's Kushiel's Mercy) follows its youthful protagonist, Moirim, from bed to bed as she worships sexuality goddess Naamah. Following a tragic affair, Moirim travels to Terre d'Ange, this world's France. There she takes a variety of lovers, from the aristocratic occultist Raphael de Mereliot to Queen Jehanne herself. The elderly but wise Lo Feng befriends Moirim and leads her to the distant land of Ch'in and the true love of her life, the gruff but affectionate ex-bandit Bao. Moirim and her friends endeavor to save the Ch'in emperor's daughter Snow Tiger from a curse, but their efforts come at terrible costs, not least of which is the certainty of multiple sequels. Carey's triumph as a writer lies in her ability to turn these stock—nearly stereotyped—components into an engaging, fascinating novel. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"[A]nother stunner...A multilayered plot and Imriel's complex inner life as he struggles with pain and loss...hook the reader but good." (Booklist on Kushiel's Justice (starred review))

"Carey has wowed us...leaving faithful readers feeling both deliciously sated and hungry for more from her." (Booklist on Kushiel's Mercy (starred review))

"Unforgettable characters who live out their lives, whether blessed or cursed by the gods, against a background of high passion, complex intrigues, and subtle magic." (Library Journal on Kushiel's Mercy (starred review))

"Intelligent, sexy, heartbreakingly human, Carey at her intoxicating best." (Booklist on Kushiel's Scion (starred review))

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; First Edition (June 24, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 044619803X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446198035
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.63 x 9.38 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22,765 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- #104,969 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
417 ratings

About the author

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Jacqueline Carey

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Jacqueline Carey is the author of the New York Times bestselling Kushiel's Legacy series of historical fantasy novels, The Sundering epic fantasy duology, postmodern fables "Santa Olivia" and "Saints Astray," and the Agent of Hel contemporary fantasy series. Carey lives in west Michigan. Although often asked by inquiring fans, she does not, in fact, have any tattoos.

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		17%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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A. Mack

Not quite Kushiel-level, but still good.

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017

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Most of the reviews on this seem to be 4- and 5-star, but I can't bring myself to give more than 3. However, even Carey's mediocre Terre d'Ange books are better than a lot of fantasy I've read, so I still recommend it if you love the world.

I do love that this book shows us what it's like to be touched by Naamah, and I was also excited to get a closer look at the Maghuin Dhonn (though we did not see as much of that as I might have hoped). Still, we see Naamah take a more active role, which of course leads to lots of lovely sex, so I can't be too terribly disappointed. Plus, reiki was officially made canon, which I really adored when I was roleplaying in the milieu.

What is it that keeps me from enjoying this more, then? Moirin just doesn't have the presence of both Phèdre and Imriel. She has some cool magic, but I'm not really sure she's a main character-level heroine. It was nice to hear how the main characters of the other trilogies ended up after 'retirement', so to speak, but it seemed silly that almost all of the stories she heard came from Phèdre's day. Seeing Ch'in was exciting, but it wasn't as wonderfully developed as Terre d'Ange or Alba.

I don't know what it is. It's a good book, but not a fabulous one. I'll always revel in more of Carey's Terre d'Ange worlds, but this just wasn't as strong as the first two trilogies.

5 people found this helpful

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happy

Wonderfully written series of books that weave and keep you turning the pages

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2017

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I love this series. The characters are well written and the story is page turning. So much more depth and substance than 50 shades or any other like book. I am amazed also that in this series of books that are so well written you can close your eyes and feel like you are a fly on the wall. Now this is a sexually explicit book that has so much more to the story than sex, even if the sexuality is a big part of the book. It is about a different culture, kingdoms and how they grow with intrigue and everything that goes with kingdoms in other historical fiction books. For those that may be offended by the explicit rendering of the sexual aspect of one country, I would say have an open mind because the story is so well done and weaves a magical web of sacrifice and duty. I especially enjoyed the parts where God was shown to bless those who sacrifice for others. As in the sea parts- not going to divulge spoilers and this is about the entire series not just the first book. I have all the hardbacks and now the kindle editions as well.

7 people found this helpful

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A. Yu

Not a masterpiece, but not a complete disaster

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2011

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Okay, I'll admit: when I first read this book, I did so through rose-colored glasses with a hint of rebellion to boot. After reading the reviews here, I didn't want to believe that Jacqueline Carey was capable of writing a bad Terre D'Ange novel.

When I finished Naamah's Kiss, my initial reaction was, "That wasn't so bad"--truth be told, it wasn't. Naamah's Kiss is not a bad book, but now that I've let it sit for a month or so, it becomes increasingly obvious that it pales in comparison to its predecessors, who have set such a high mark that it's hard enough to consistently match it, let alone surpass it.

I applaud Carey for jumping one century ahead and letting the Kushiel cast fade gracefully into myth and legend. Too many authors cling onto popular characters but end up warping them into unlikable ghosts of their original selves instead of just moving on. All told, Moirin's backstory is, at first, a refreshing change of pace as she originates far away from the courtly intrigues of Terre D'Ange--but quickly falls into them, and perhaps in a more convoluted and displeasing fashion than either Phedre or Imriel did. That is, before she's jetted off to Ch'in, which, despite being a thriving empire, seems to consist only of four major characters, Moirin included.

Moirin is not a terrible character, nor is her story unreadable. What Naamah's Kiss lacks is the epic scale of the Kushiel series (moreso Phedre's trilogy), both in environment and cast. Phedre and Imriel were heroes on their own, but it was clear that many other characters and events shaped the outcome of the story. With Naamah's Kiss, everything seems to revolve around Moirin, which can get tiring.

Besides scale, another factor that sets Naamah's Kiss apart from Kushiel's is the reliance on magic, perhaps too much so. I felt that Carey really wanted to make this story about Moirin's interpersonal relationships with people so different from herself, but had to include some larger than life plotlines for the sake of having them--plotlines she didn't really want to deal with. Any sense of urgency outside of the bedroom was quickly quelled with a magical fix. Don't get me wrong: I don't mind magic in books, but I don't like it the magic trivializes major conflicts, which is essentially what happens in Naamah's Kiss more often than not.

All in all, did I like the book? Yes. There were some very touching and poignant moments that felt unreal. Did I like it more than the Kushiel series? Definitely not. Carey's prose is as beautiful as ever in Naamah's Kiss, but the overall execution of this book was not up to snuff. It feels like there were some conflicting interests on the direction of the book: a coming of age story, or an epic adventure? I think Carey is fully capable of accomplishing both with aplomb, but for whatever reason, wasn't able to do so with Naamah's Kiss.

7 people found this helpful

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Rod M. Holland

Good for the first third of a book

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2011

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Let's lay down some guidelines here:

1. If you HAVEN'T read the Kushiel series, then you DON'T want to start here. You don't get enough explanation in this book to truly understand the world you're dropping into...and, the other series are better.

2. You're not reading a book, you're reading the first third of a book (ok, its a big book). Each book does NOT stand on its own.

3. This is a follow up to the Phedre and Imriel tales. It's good, but its not the same. You may like these characters more, you may like them less. It's written from a different character's view point. You CAN'T just substitue Phedre's name for Moirin's.

If you liked the Kushiel series, then you'll probably enjoy this (probably not as much, but then the Kushiel series was a real roller coaster ride).

Carey writes romance a guy can read and enjoy, not too sappy, she can master a battle scene, and most of her steps are reasonable within the frame work of the created world. One more thing I like about Carey. She finishes off a book, no "and they lived happily ever after". Usually she leaves about 15% of her book to finishing off all the "what ever happened to...", dotting the i's crossing the t's. Of all author's I think she finishes a book the best....no loose ends, none.

OK, so if you read the Kushiel series and liked it, jump right in. If you haven't read the Kushiel series...don't start here....go get Kushiel's Dart, and prepare for a wild ride.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Terresa

Very unusual but a very good story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

Didn't know what to expect as I was looking for something similar to Anne Bishop's books. The way this world was built was done delicately yet purposeful. The character grows with strong sub characters. Strong female main character. You understand some things, not so others. But like any good stories, you learn, you assess, you enjoy. I did all that with this book 1. Now I'm seeking out book 2!

Andy

Another good read in this series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Another excellent read in Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Series. This trilogy featuring Moirin as the main character is a little different. More 'Xen', more magic, less politics and intrigue, but still very enjoyable. In fact I enjoyed this trilogy as much as the 'main' d'Angeline series even though it had a slightly different feel. I was sad when the total series came to an end.

Jehanna

Wonderfully imagined story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

This story is set in a world that is almost ours- it could be a parallel universe or it could be ours if slightly different choices had been made in our prehistory, either way it's clever and well told combining elements of a wide range of myths and legends into a pleasing cohesive whole.

Tine

Best. Series. Ever.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2016

Verified Purchase

I cannot say enough good things about this book, or the trilogy to which it belongs. The books of the Kushiel's Legacy series (9 books in total) are without compare my most cherished possessions, and they have been read (and listened to in audiobook format) more times than I can count.

One person found this helpful

colin soane

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book perfect copy, arrived promptly very satisfied!

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