Naamah's Kiss

By: Jacqueline Carey

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

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.

©2009 Jacqueline Carey (P)2009 Tantor

highly recommended

I know a lot of people said they didn't care for all the sex scenes but it really wasn't that bad if you like romance and Adventure you enjoy this novel series by Jacqueline

Go for it

I loved the narrator ,the whole story was engaging. I did get bored with the sex scenes, they could have been a little less. That aside I am hoping there is a follow up. I was sad when it ended but at least I got some sleep!

Meh.. really doesn't live up to the Kushiel legacy

I really loved the whole Kushiel series, both Phaedre's and Imriel's stories... But this one was just soooo far fetched that it was hard to really buy into Moiren's story. I found Moiren's character to be both too cloying and improbable to really feel invested, and the whole going to Ch'in, dragons, etc was just stretching it too far. I don't actually think that I'll be finishing this series.

great read

I have read this books 3 times in a role and loved it each time

Historical, Sensious, The best!

What made the experience of listening to Naamah's Kiss the most enjoyable?

The charactors were interesting yet they are written/acted in such a way as to seem like real people. These people are caught between choices which though enhansed for the story are like choices we all have in everyday life. The charactors wrestle with internal conserns then the choice comes through forethought or happenstance. The charactor/s learn thier lessons as does the reader throught story and outcome.

Stories like these with universal central issues that teach basic values (acceptance, friendship, love, loyalty, faith, meaning of family, trust. forgiveness...etc) are hard to find and very hard when the story ends . As the reader/listner I feel like I am leaving old freinds and my heart is aching for more time and more adventures.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Each of the books by this author are exceptionally detailed and yet they each string importaint and poinent moments together into a string of pearls that I will cheerish for ever.

Any additional comments?

The narrator had a wonderful way of using the acent to enrich the story. She is one of the best of whom I have listened.

It's not Phedre & Joscelin but is still worthy

Note: This is the first book in the third trilogy set in the Kushiel’s Legacy series. However, this last trilogy is set a few generations later and stands on it’s own so don’t be afraid to start here if this book intrigues you.

The Bear Witches of Alba are all but extinct but for those few that remain, they do possess small magics and the Great Bear does look out for her own. Moirin grows up in a cave in the depths of a forest and from these humble beginnings she will be tasked by her divine Bear to fulfill a destiny that lies over seas. First she travels to Terre D’Ange to find her D’Angeline relatives, including her father. A D’Angeline lord and healer is intrigued by her small gifts and she’s soon wrapped up in a semi-secret demon summoning circle. She also meets a Chi’in Master and his student/body guard Bao. Perhaps her destiny lies even further than she could imagine.

I read this for the second time as part of a group read and there were weekly discussions which hold plenty of detail on what I think of the book. Once again, I was wrapped up in Carey’s world building. I fell in love with the D’Angelines when I read Kushiel’s Dart so many years ago. I recall my first time reading this book and how it didn’t wow me as much as the first 6 books. However, knowing this round that this is Moirin’s tale, I gave it a better chance. Indeed, I did like this book quite a bit more the second time through. I think with the first read through, I was constantly looking for reflections of the characters I had come to know and love from the first 2 trilogies. Now with the second reading I was focused on Moirin.

I loved Moirin’s small magics. She’s inherited a few from her D’Angeline side as well as her Alban side. Each individual one is rather small, but as we see Moirin grow from a child to a young lady to a woman, she learns to use her powers to great effect. Carey does a most excellent job of showing the reader this growth as the story unfolds.

Moirin is of the Maghuin Dhonn, the Bear Witch people, which we learned a little about in earlier books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the Maghuin Dhonn directly through Moirin. While much of Maghuin Dhonn live in near isolation, they are still a connected people and will come together in larger groups for certain occasions, such as Moirin’s coming of age ceremony. Moirin has to work hard to be acknowledged by the Bear Witch herself, but that acknowledgement comes at a steep price, one that I think we won’t fully understand until the end of this trilogy.

As usual with this series, there are several lovely sex scenes. Carey doesn’t skimp but she also doesn’t toss in throwaway love scenes. These interactions always reveal something more about the characters involved. I found this especially true in the later part of the book where there is a princess and a dragon. I won’t say anything further as I don’t want to be spoilery. Just know that it’s worthy.

I do have one quibble for this book. At the end, there is some drama and death and I did feel there was some deus ex machina involved. It involves the ultimate bad guy and why he wasn’t properly trussed up. Even with this one small criticism, I did enjoy how the ending leaves our heroes in a complicated place, setting us up for the next adventure.

The Narration: Anne Flosnik is a joy to listen to. She does such an excellent job with the multitude of accents needed for this book. She’s also great with a voice for Moirin that ages as she comes of age throughout the story. Her male voices are quite believable.

As expected

Having read previous books by Carey, this was pretty much what I expected to get - a lot of sex (enough that the romance part loses all tension and gets, well, boring pretty quickly) with political intrigue overlayed and some wandering adventure bits.

(If you're looking for something by her that's rather different, go with Santa Olivia.)

A new "Dart" trilogy

This was pleasantly read and well crafted. Readers of Kushiel's Dart will recognise familiar themes.

Wonderous and Beautiful

Well, some of these reviews had worried me but at the end I decided to trust Jacqueline Carey's work to speak for itself.
I wrote a review for all of her novels. I write again - conservative? Religious? DON'T listen to this. You won't like it. Carey's writing and spin-offs of history, religion, and philosophy are at their best with this novel.
I absolutely adored it when she kept making references to Phedre, Joselin, Imriel...etc. and give us glimpses of what happened (more or less) after their time. Several times, I found myself smiling and enjoyed it very much.
Moirin is our newest heroine and it seems her "destiny" will be closely read by me. I already listened to the second novel - Naamah's Curse. Third novel, Naamah's Blessing will be out June 2011 on hardback. I do hope audible makes it available immediately.
Anne Flosnik once again shined as our narrator. I did laugh a few times since this is a new character and she was trying for a somewhat Irish accent (I think) but overall I really enjoyed her portrayal of the Chin.
The story was somewhat predictable but the spin was really enjoyable. (Just wait till the next one)..Hot scenes were classical Carey but I liked it when she ventured off to the mysticism bits.
Overall, this is only the second 5 star I have given. The only other is Gabaldon.
Well done Carey, well done!

AMAZING Little Bear Witch

I LOVED the book! It was a great read and a little unexpected. Morin is a fun character along with all the sub-characters who are vibrant. This is a MUST READ for anyone looking to get out of “normal” tales of magic. Yes the book did have graphic sex scenes but if that is not your thing read pass them because there is still A LOT more to this book. READ READ READ!