Naamah's Blessing

Naamah Trilogy #3

by Jacqueline Carey

MP3 CD Format Returning to Terre d'Ange, Moirin finds the royal family broken. Wracked by unrelenting grief at the loss of his wife, Queen Jehanne, King Daniel is unable to rule. Prince Thierry, leading an expedition to explore the deadly jungles of Terra Nova, is halfway across the world. And three-year-old Desirée is a vision of her tempestuous, intelligent, and fiery, but desperately lonely and a vulnerable pawn in a game of shifting political allegiances. As tensions mount, King Daniel asks that Moirin become Desirée's oath-sworn protector. Navigating the intricate political landscape of the Court proves a difficult challenge, and when dire news arrives from overseas, the spirit of Queen Jehanne visits Moirin in a dream and bids her undertake an impossible quest. Another specter from the past also haunts Moirin. Travelling with Thierry in the New World is Raphael de Mereliot, her manipulative former lover. Years ago, Raphael forced her to help him summon fallen angels in the hopes of acquiring mystical gifts and knowledge. It was a disastrous effort that nearly killed them, and Moirin must finally bear the costs of those bitter mistakes.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Erotica, Science Fiction Fantasy

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2011

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

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’ve gotten the question “is this trilogy worth reading?” more times since starting it than I can count. People obviously know how much I loved Phedre’s and Imriel’s trilogies (and in most cases they share that love), and are wondering how this final series compares. I’ve been waiting until finishing the trilogy before giving a final assessment, and here it is:

Its not quite as good, but it’s still worth reading.

In some ways it’s like apples to oranges. Phedre’s and Imriel’s stories were a lot more narrowly focused, where the court dynamics and political intrigue played a huge role in lending complexity to the series. It focused on the beauty of Terre d’Ange and its surrounding lands in a manner that made the places almost ethereal. Comparatively, Moiren’s tale focused on a much broader scope. As fun as it was to explore the world, this structure kept the story kind of superficial because we didn’t get to spend enough time in any of the places to really dig in to the nuances of politics. Not that Moiren’s character profile was set up to handle nuance, anyway. Part of what made the first two trilogies such page turners for me was how politically savvy the characters were. They always had their fingers on the pulse of Terre D’Ange, which allowed a narrative driven by the small details. This trilogy is significantly more straight-forward because Moiren (a cave-raised bear witch) doesn’t have the background or the training to really engage in all the politics. Her ignorance of societal dynamics was both refreshing in it’s innocence yet frustrating because it kept the plot from gaining any sort of depth.

Moiren is a lovely character, and if I take anything away from this series, it’s her beautifully kind outlook on the world and her determination to do what feels right despite brutal consequences to herself. Her love is given without expectation, and reading about a character so poignantly selfless was a treat. Even though I wasn’t as in love with this trilogy’s love story, I definitely always felt the depth of Moiren’s love for other characters and mourned the losses fiercely. So, even though a few elements fall short of expectation, Moiren is why you read this series.

Moiren is Naamah’s child, and bid to do her will, which essentially means that she’s compelled to use sex as a healing mechanism whenever required. Where Phedre’s encounters never felt inappropriate to her character or the story, for whatever reason many of Moiren’s encounters felt a little cheap and forced (almost to the eye-rolling point at times, if I’m totally honest). Maybe that’s because the encounters were more of a “duty” where’s Phedre’s came off as a mutually agreed “pleasure,” I’m not sure, but by this final book I was physically cringing every time the story headed in that direction. It is what it is.

Overall, even though the story lacked the plot depth, political intrigue, and oddly compelling sexual encounters (elements that made the first two trilogies so special), it offers instead a beautifully poignant main character and the chance to explore many wonders of the world through Carey’s lens. It might not satisfy the same craving, but it is still definitely a journey worth experiencing.

Recommendations: venture into this trilogy only after reading Phedre’s (Kushiel’s Dart) and Imriel’s (Kushiel’s Scion) trilogies, as this is a future generation continuation. Because I love Carey’s writing and stories so much, I’d definitely recommended it if you haven’t gotten around to continuing yet, but with a few disclaimers to moderate your expectations.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

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[Ellen Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was blood, darkness, and flowers.
I shut my eyes.
I didn't want to see the end.

How do I explain what this series means to me? Nine books, three interconnected trilogies, 7,162 pages; one massive amazing saga.

On new years day 2015 I picked up my battered second hand copy of Kushiel's Dart. I'd had it around for ages, and reviews were mixed, but hey it was cold out and I was in no mood to get off the couch; why not give a new fantasy a try?

In a very short amount of time it was very clear - Jacqueline Carey wrote this series for me. To quote Carey herself, "Intrigue! Betrayal! Courtesan-spies! Warrior priests!"

It was love at first chapter.



This has been one of the most consistently enjoyable series I've ever read. Nothing could quite match the highs of Phèdre's Trilogy, and I'd hit a slog every now and then. But for the most part, it was greatness. Unstoppable greatness.

Let's talk about the final book, aka this one.

“I have seen the impossible. I have seen great and terrible wonders, and I tell you, the world is a vaster and stranger place than ever I had reckoned.”

What a beautiful way to end Moirin's story! There were so many different plots that I was dying to see revisited. I called it two books ago, there was no way the plot with Raphael was done. Should I have seen him become a crazy ant king coming? Probably. Did I? Nope. Not at all. I loved everything with dream-Jehanne. She's been my favorite character from this trilogy, even after her death. I came to like Bao more and more, and as a partner for Moirin I think he's a good fit. I'd still trade him for my Jehanne in a hot second though.

Moirin is a fantastic character and I'm thrilled I got to spend three books with her. Bao I'm more lukewarm on, but I can see why Moirin likes him, especially when his sense of humor shows. I absolutely NEEDED more Balthasar Shahrizai and his flirty sass with everyone.

This whole series has made me undeniably happy and it's bittersweet to know any future Kushiel's Universe reads will be rereads.

Finally, much as she did with my copies of Kushiel's Justice and Naamah's Curse, Chloe enjoyed using my paperback as a pillow.

[Choko · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.44 ***

[Antigone · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the conclusion of Jacqueline Carey's Naamah trilogy, the tables turn.

You may vaguely recall those first two volumes introducing the adventures of Moirin, a bear witch of the broken clan of the Maghuin Dhonn. Destiny drove her far from home, to many strange and foreign lands...which, as it happens, became a bit of a problem. For while Moirin may not have been able to recognize that she was visiting ancient China, traveling the Old Silk Road, or encountering the societies of India, we readers certainly did. And it seemed a cheat, to me at least, to trade world-building for world-built. Though the writing remained exceptional and the stories well-told, there was this lethargic reliance on the fascination of cultures that were anything but fresh and unknown.

Well, it pleases me to announce our author's escape from this dilemma...and in a manner that does great tribute to her knowledge of the craft.

As it stands, after two installments we're pretty much stuck with these ancient Earth civilizations as a theme. Building a new world now simply isn't going to work. So Carey complies, taking us to South America (or "Terra Nova") and life among tribal enclaves similar to the Aztec/Inca. But instead of directing her focus toward the culture she visits, her attention remains with the culture she's bringing along. This would be the society of the D'Angeline, their royal courts, their dynastic aspirations...and that's a world Carey created and nurtured through the course of eight novels.

The shift works. The characters become far more grounded, the plot more dynamic, the reading more invested. It's a very clever save, and I'm glad she brought it into play. Because she didn't have to. A lot of writers would have given the last leg of a less-than-stellar trilogy the short-shrift, preserving their creative energies for the next. This author stuck with us, and I appreciate that.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The presumably final book in Terre d'Ange has a thoughtful, bittersweet tone throughout. I found it a little less engaging, in some ways, than the earlier novels - the plot is straightforward, the sex is fairly perfunctory (and dreadfully straight) and the characters are either familiar or trivial (with the exception of the delightful four-year-old Desiree.)

That said, I tore through it like someone might take it away if I didn't finish it fast enough. The South American exploration sections are well-done (based on my very recent reading of The Lost City of Z) and suitably perilous. The villain, while not all that interesting in himself, has a superpower that was simultaneously hilarious, creepy, and desperately implausible. And I found the musing on the nature of religion and the afterlife to be a nice way to wrap up this pleasantly non-Eurocentric trilogy.

On a slight tangent, I think I have enough data to say that without the S&M power games in the Kushiel books, free love is just not all that interesting as a central plot point. It sort of becomes obvious because Moirin really doesn't sleep with anyone (other than her now-husband) unless he or she rules a tribe, nation, or empire. Without that power-disparity tension it's just porn - and even with, the fact that she is supernaturally interested in sleeping with all those heads of state really takes away any tension in the scene.

I'm pleased overall with Namaah's Blessing as a closing chapter in the saga. I think Moirin doesn't come anywhere close to being as captivating a character as Phaedre, but she's certainly charming, and it was fun to sail around the world with her.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time with this third book in the Naamah Trilogy. It seemed so very formulaic to me, and it really dragged. There were times I despaired of finishing, so to help me get through it, I made up the Naamah's Blessing Drinking Game, which I include below. I don't recommend that any reader actually try to play it though, as they would be reeling drunk in next to no time.

This is my least favorite of Carey's books by about a mile. Excuse me, a league. Moirin is a Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues, and the plot is not particularly satisfying. The big reveal in the jungle made me roll my eyes. The ending was lovely, however. 1.5, on the strength of the ending.

Naamah's Blessing Drinking Game
Reader must drink whenever

Moirin says "the gods use their chosen hard"
Bao is described as insolent
Someone notices that Moirin has a way with animals
Moirin feels her diadh-anam flicker, flare or jump
Moirin has an idea no one else thought of that saves them from disaster
The ruler of a country falls in love with Moirin at first sight
Moirin calls the twilight
Bao fights a hardened warrior with only his stick and wins decisively
Moirin inadvertently causes great goodness to happen
The eye color of Moirin or Phanuel is mentioned (two drinks if rushes or jade are referenced)
The word destiny is used
Moirin pulls out her bow and with a well-aimed arrow, saves someone
Bao's death and resurrection are mentioned
Someone wildly unlikely asks Moirin for advice and finds it incredibly wise
Bao talks about the fat babies, round as dumplings that he and Moirin will someday have
The ruler of a country confides his or her deepest secrets to Moirin
Moirin refers to the twilight as a cloak
Tears streak down someone's cheeks
Moirin and Bao's diadh-anams mingle and merge while Naamah's blessing spreads over them like a blanket
The ill-fated circle of Shalomon is mentioned
The ghost of Queen Jehanne comes to Moirin in a dream
Someone who fails to take Moirin's advice dies
Someone suddenly begins speaking a new language fluently
Someone brings up Phedre
Moirin refers to herself as a half-breed bear witch

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and I think my favorite of the three. In my other reviews you'll remember I definitely wasn't as keen on this installment in the world, mostly because Bao as a hero was not very compelling, I just never saw why Moirin fell and/or fought so hard to be with him. In this last book though, there are very few twists and turns in their relationship, so he basically fades into the background and it becomes more about Moirin and her journey back to the capital and then to Terra Nova to save , which was way funner to follow.

To me, the first 1/4 of the book was a bit wheel spinny, but then it really got going, and was a REALLY fun ride. I mean there's some CRAZY crap that happens in the middle-end, like some 50's black and white pulp novel, or like a crazy island Tiki restaurant gone wild, and it's SO GOOD!

I read somewhere this is the last book in the world?! NOOOOOO! PLEASE WRITE MORE I BUY THEM ALL IN HARDBACK AND KINDLE BOTH!

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

3.0 stars
I really struggled with this final trilogy. This was better than the previous two books, but not by much.

[YouKneeK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the very last book in the trilogy of trilogies that makes up Kushiel’s Universe. This last book had a good story that mostly held my attention straight through, and I was satisfied with how everything wrapped up. It’s often difficult for me to say much about the last book in a long series, so the rest of this review is more about the series as a whole.

This was a good series. Not perfect, but enjoyable to read. I occasionally felt mildly impatient when I thought things were being dragged out overly long, but mostly it held my attention well and I always looked forward to sitting down to read more. The characters are fleshed out well, and the stories are mostly interesting. They’re the sort of epic fantasy stories where you spend a lot of time growing up with each new main character, and there’s a lot of political issues and maneuvering and quite a bit of introspection, so that won’t appeal to everybody, but those things usually appeal to me. There’s also a fair bit of adventure. There’s very little magic in the earlier books, but that increases in the second and especially third trilogies.

Each trilogy is told from the first-person perspective of a different character and has an overarching storyline, but each book within that trilogy tells a full story with just a few threads that are carried through to the other books. The first two trilogies are more closely related to each other. They take place closely together in the timeline and characters from the first trilogy are often seen in the second. The third trilogy takes place quite a bit later and features an entirely new cast of characters. The middle trilogy was my favorite. Its stories appealed to me the most, and I adored the main character.

As I’ve mentioned in some of my previous reviews, these books have quite a lot of sex. Additionally, each trilogy has a romantic storyline running through it. I would have been happier with less of both things, but it was mostly done well. There were some sections that were too angsty for me, but aside from that the author didn’t use any of the romance tropes that annoy me the most, and she did write the relationships convincingly. I liked that she didn’t drag things out forever and allowed the characters to settle into more secure relationships with each other. I enjoyed it more when the characters were confident in their relationship and were working together to achieve common goals.

Aside from the romance, the stories feature relationships of all sorts, and I thought they were written very well. Characters and character relationships are definitely where the author excels most, but the stories and world-building were good too. At some point, not in the near future, but eventually, I would like to check out some of her other work.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the third and final part our heroes return to the land of angels and discover that things are anything but angelic as people thirsty for power do not hesitate to do anything to achieve their purposes. A series of tragic developments help their plans and so all that our heroes can do is to cross the Atlantic to reach a land discovered a few years ago in a desperate attempt to bring balance to their country. In this fantastic version of America, they meet the well-known cultures of this continent, a long journey to dangerous areas, and an old friend that by his ambition has been transformed into an inhuman tyrant who has the power to impose his power everywhere. To deal with him they are making a blatant plan that, however, requires a sacrifice, like all the good things.

A very good finish in this trilogy with a book that has an emotionally intense first part where the sense of loss is particularly strong and leads to tragic developments. Thoughts that things could be different are bringing remorse to our heroes but also a sense that they can fix things and in a way and to be forgiven for their mistakes. For this the journey that follows is becoming a journey of atonement, a second opportunity, so repentance and forgiveness becomes the central theme of this book. Of course, all the protagonists of our history do not have the same mood and remain unrepentant, but the basic message is that this choice always exists and so we can all, by all our mistakes, become better people.

After an intense climax where the supernatural element is dominant and makes it have more twists and surprises, we come to a moving epilogue where things somehow come into their place and the circle is completed. Here is somehow a summary of what we have read in all this excellent trilogy, with all that the protagonist of our history has learned in this path to connect and to acquire a different meaning and this understanding fill the last pages with emotion. This epilogue I think makes the difference in the end and leaves me with very beautiful images.

Στο τρίτο και τελευταίο μέρος οι ήρωες μας επιστρέφουν στη γη των αγγέλων και ανακαλύπτουν ότι τα πράγματα κάθε άλλο παρά αγγελικά είναι καθώς άνθρωποι διψασμένοι για την εξουσία δεν διστάζουν να κάνουν οτιδήποτε για να πετύχουν τους σκοπούς τους. Μία σειρά από τραγικές εξελίξεις βοηθάνε τα σχέδιά τους και έτσι το μόνο που μπορώ να κάνουν οι ήρωες μας είναι να διασχίσουν τον Ατλαντικό για να φτάσουν σε μία γη που ανακαλύφθηκε πριν από μερικά χρόνια, σε μία απέλπιδα προσπάθεια για να φέρουν την ισορροπία στη χώρα τους. Σε αυτήν τη φανταστική εκδοχή της Αμερικής συναντούν τους γνωστούς πολιτισμούς αυτής της ηπείρου, ένα μεγάλο ταξίδι σε επικίνδυνες περιοχές και στο τέλος έναν παλιό γνωστό τους που εξαιτίας της φιλοδοξίας του έχει μεταμορφωθεί σε έναν απάνθρωπο τύραννο που έχει τη δύναμη να επιβάλει παντού την εξουσία του. Για να τον αντιμετωπίσουν καταστρώνουν ένα παράτολμο σχέδιο που, όμως, απαιτεί μία θυσία, όπως όλα τα καλά πράγματα.

Ένα πολύ καλό τελείωμα σε αυτή την τριλογία με ένα βιβλίο που έχει ένα συναισθηματικά έντονο πρώτο μέρος όπου η αίσθηση της απώλειας είναι ιδιαίτερα ισχυρή και οδηγεί στις τραγικές εξελίξεις. Οι σκέψεις ότι τα πράγματα θα μπορούσαν να είναι διαφορετικά δημιουργούν τύψεις τους ήρωες μας αλλά και μία αίσθηση ότι μπορούν να διορθώσουν τα πράγματα και με έναν τρόπο να συγχωρεθούν για τα λάθη τους. Για αυτό το ταξίδι που ακολουθεί στη συνέχεια γίνεται ένα ταξίδι εξιλέωσης, μία δεύτερη ευκαιρία και έτσι η μετάνοια και η συγχώρεση γίνεται το κεντρικό θέμα αυτού του βιβλίου. Φυσικά όλοι οι πρωταγωνιστές της ιστορίας μας δεν έχουν την ίδια διάθεση και παραμένουν αμετανόητοι, το βασικό μήνυμα, όμως, είναι ότι αυτή η επιλογή πάντα υπάρχει και έτσι όλοι μπορούμε παρά τα λάθη μας να γίνουμε καλύτεροι άνθρωποι.

Μετά από μία έντονη κορύφωση όπου το υπερφυσικό στοιχείο είναι κυρίαρχο και την κάνει να έχει περισσότερες ανατροπές και εκπλήξεις, φτάνουμε σε έναν συγκινητικό επίλογο όπου τα πράγματα με κάποιον τρόπο μπαίνουν στη θέση τους και ολοκληρώνεται ο κύκλος. Εκεί γίνεται κατά κάποιον τρόπο μια ανακεφαλαίωση αυτών που διαβάσαμε σε όλη αυτή την εξαιρετική τριλογία, με όλα όσα έμαθε η πρωταγωνίστρια της ιστορίας μας σε αυτή τη διαδρομή να συνδέονται και να αποκτούν ένα διαφορετικό νόημα και αυτή η συναίσθηση να γεμίζει συναίσθημα τις τελευταίες σελίδες. Αυτός ο επίλογος νομίζω ότι κάνει και τη διαφορά στο τέλος και με αφήνει με πολύ όμορφες εικόνες.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/06/b...

From the woods and caves of Alba, Moirin mac Fainche has traveled long and far – to the decadent splendor of Terre d’Ange, the snow-capped mountains of distant Ch’in, the desert plains of the Tartars, the unyielding landscape of the Vralia, and the southern reaches of Bhaktipur & Bhodistan. After defeating the spider queen and her twisted court, Moirin and her husband Bao are reuinted at last, but their peace is shortlived; the couple must return to Terre d’Ange when they learn that Moirin’s friend, companion, and beloved Queen Jehane has died in childbirth. They return to a royal court torn by King Daniel’s grief – devastated over the death of his second wife, the King has given up acting as the head of state. In the absence of his son, the crown prince Thierry on a voyage to the far off land of Terra Nova across the sea, Daniel has appointed his cousin, Rogier Courcel, the Duc de Barthelme, as regent to handle daily affairs and rule in his name. Even worse, King Daniel cannot bear the sight or presence of his three year-old daughter, Desirée, for her uncanny resemblance to his lost wife. Through his mourning, however, the King welcomes Moirin and her new husband Bao back to court warmly, and because of her love for the late Jehanne, he appoints Moirin as his daughter’s oath-sworn protector. Together, Moirin and Bao strive to make young Desirée feel loved and valued despite her lost mother and absent father and brother, and Moirin vows to keep her young charge safe.

But while there is no one better suited for the job, Moirin’s new position causes a shockwave in court politics – as popular opinion decries that a half-breed D’Angeline who worships a Bear Goddess (and has a Ch’in husband, no less) should not bear so high a rank – and it becomes clear that regent Duc Rogier’s ambitions cannot be contained to ruling behind the figurehead of King Daniel for long. When Prince Thierry’s ship returns from its long voyage, it comes bearing ill-tidings. The Dauphin has been lost in the foreign jungles and is presumed dead – and the news is the killing blow to King Daniel’s beleaguered spirits. Suddenly, Desirée is the sole heir to the throne and Moirin’s path has never been more difficult. The newly crowned interim king begin his machinations to seize power from the young Dauphine, and Moirin is helpless to stop him. Her only hope – prompted by the steady glow of her diadh-anam and a vision from the late Queen Jehanne – is to attempt the impossible. Together, she and Bao will leave Terre d’Ange and journey across leagues to the wilds of Terra Nova in a desperate gambit to find Prince Thierry and bring him home. But things in the new world are more dangerous than Moirin could have ever dreamed – for another face from her past waits for her. Raphael de Mereliot’s madness and ambition not been slaked, and Moirin must atone for her past folly, and finally complete her gods-given destiny.

The final book in Moirin’s adventures, Naamah’s Blessing is a near pitch-perfect finale to a rare, truly fantastic series. In the words of Ms. Carey, the gods use their chosen hard, and truer words cannot apply to Moirin and Bao. Encompassing courtly politics and intrigue in Terre D’Ange and a harrowing trek through the uncharted wilds of the new world, Naamah’s Blessing is yet another stunning saga. Please excuse me while I fangirl out about worldbuilding for a second (I promise, I will get down to the other facets of this novel). Jacqueline Carey is known for her ability to re-envision history with a fantastical spin, which she has covered beautifully in prior books set in this same universe. Before Moirin’s story arc, however, this interpretation has been largely rooted in Terre d’Ange (France) and other familiar western European locales, traditions, and religions. In this trilogy, however, Carey explores the much broader range of human history and geography, from China, Mongolia and India, to finally breaking ground in the New World in this last book. This is one of the things I adore about this series, and particularly this story arc, as we are introduced to pantheons beyond the standard white European fare. In Naamah’s Blessing, the indigenous people of the Americas are the focal point of the book, with Mayan, Aztec, even Incan overtones. These characters and people aren’t just treated as “savages” nor are they discredited as mere window dressing for the story – as with all of Ms. Carey’s books, the setting, the mores and the belief systems of these cultures play a pivotal, central role in the novel. Instead of painting the Nahuatl, Quechua, and other tribes as bloodthirsty pagans, lesser than the D’Angelines, they are shown as equals, their beliefs, though frightening to Moirin, explained in depth and treated with respect. Similarly, there is a running theme of race, ethnicity, and heritage that is addressed in this book, through the treatment not only of Moirin (scorned as a mixed-breed, though fully Caucasian), her Ch’in husband Bao (frequently called a “boy” and consistently referred to as “strange” by D’Angeline characters throughout), but also in the blatant racism of the Aragonian traders that have established themselves in Terra Nova regarding the indigenous population. I loved that Ms. Carey explores these different reactions and directly addresses these topics in Naamah’s Blessing.

But enough of worldbuilding! What of the story itself, or the characters, or the conclusion to Moirin’s turbulent, continents-spanning saga, you ask? Rest assured, fellow Naamah fans, the conclusion to Moirin’s story is handled with the deftness, emotional poignancy and depth that is Jacqueline Carey’s trademark. Moirin has grown up so much over these three novels, staying true to herself as she struggles to fulfill the destiny laid before her. Though Phedre will always be my favorite, Moirin’s quiet strength of character and her faith in her beliefs sets her apart as a truly admirable heroine. I love the relationship between Moirin and Bao, finally at peace after incredible strain, and though the two are from different worlds, the peace they find together is the stuff of great romance. There are numerous other characters, both familiar and new, each with their own motivations and layers, from the stone-willed warrior Temilotzin to the mad Raphael.

From a storytelling and continuity aspect, one thing I adore about this series in particular is the level of follow-through and accountability. Despite the fact that Moirin (and Phedre and Imriel before her) had a tendency to foreshadow in ominous tones, these premonitions are always carried through to their completion. In Moirin’s case, her role in the Circle of Solomon back when she was a younger, innocent girl enamored with Raphael de Mariliot comes around full circle in this last novel. For every action, a reaction; for every mistake, a consequence. Moirin’s path in Naamah’s Blessing is fraught with hardship, but she finally confronts her past and must set things right in this ultimate adventure.

And what an adventure it is. There are kings, and emperors, and sailors, giant snakes, storms, and a river of black ants to contend with in Naamah’s Blessing. Though the book is not without its faults – the early chapters in Terre d’Ange are a little slow and feel very quaint (there’s talk of wardrobe and parties, and that sort of court banality) and there is some degree of repetition with regards to certain phrases (always a pet peeve) – Naamah’s Blessing is a beautiful, fitting conclusion to another winning series from Jacqueline Carey. With Moirin’s adventures concluded, I can only hope that there is more in this universe coming, and soon.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naamah's Blessing ends the Moirin saga and possibly the Angeline/Kushiel 9 book series in great style - though the author left open the possibilities of more and I think there is great potential in a story set in another hundred years or two and dealing with technological expansion rather than the huge geographical expansion here.

The book returns to the exuberance of the first volume - though there are quite a few dark moments since no Legacy Kushiel is complete without them - and it was all that i expected and more; the second volume while interesting and with a lot of cool stuff especially in retrospect had two characteristics that made it a little less favorite than the first - it was darker and gloomier and Moirin just does not do dark the way Phedre or to a lesser extent Imriel did, while Bao's character did not tune with Moirin's narrative and the lack of chemistry between the main two leads will always drag a book down.

Happily in Naamah's blessing none of these happens - the book is quite lush and exuberant and both the Angeline setting and the New World and the vistas of Mexico and the jungles of Central and South America are much more suited than the barren steppe or the cold of the Himalayas - while Bao here has both a much improved chemistry with Moirin but also while important is only one of the several main characters besides Morin.

As the role of Lo Feng's pupil suited him well, so does the role of Moirin' supportive husband is perfect for him letting her and the more flamboyant of the rest of the cast shine - and what a cast is, among the best from the whole series, both in Terre d'Ange with the willful 3 year old Desiree, the bereaved king, the scheming nobles as well in Terra Nova with the D'Angeline adventurers, the Mexica - Nahuatl - warriors, guides and even emperor, to the jungles and peaks of the Incas - Quechas - and the memorable people there

A lot of surprises and gasp moments, tragedy but joy, successes and exuberance too and a superb ending to a trilogy that only adds to the impressive achievement that is the whole Kushiel saga

This may be my top fantasy for the year especially considering how hard is to end a series in grand style

As usual the full FBC review will be added around publication date

[L'encre de la magie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avis Lecture 🧐 📖 "Naamah's Blessing", Terre D'Ange tome 9, le grand final de l'univers Kushiel, Jacqueline Carey 🌹🐻

🎧 Ecouté en audio.

Après des aventures qui l'ont mené du Royaume de Ch'in aux Bodhistan, en passant par les plaines Tartares, Moirin rentre enfin en Terre d'Ange. Grâce à sa magie et son lien entre les différents mondes, la jeune femme a reçu une nouvelle bouleversante ; une nouvelle qui met en ébullition la cour et toute la politique de Terre d'Ange. Afin de rétablir un semblant de paix, Moirin devra partir pour Terra Nova et faire face à un ancien ennemi manipulé par des forces supérieures. Un terrible choix attend Moirin qui devra décider entre tenir une promesse et sa propre magie...

Après un léger creux dans le tome 2, je me suis laissé totalement emporté par ce dernier volume. Il faut dire que toute la partie politique de Terre D'Ange est, comme toujours, superbe 😍. J'avais hâte de partir vers Terra Nova et explorer ce nouveau monde aux inspirations mayas, aztèques et incas à la sauce Carey et je n'ai pas été déçu 😱💕. L'autrice comme à son habitude nous dépeint de nouvelles cultures avec un regard toujours bienveillant ; cette dernière trilogie étant portée par la thématique du racisme et ce, depuis le tome 1 avec notre héroïne métis. Le décorum est très bien travaillé également avec ses serpents Géants et les fourmis mortelles... On se croit vraiment en Amérique Centrale. 🤩
Pour autant, certaines parties restent prévisibles. Les retrouvailles entre Moirin et son ennemi sont attendues depuis le tome 1, de même que les forces démoniaques en présence. Pas de réelles surprises ici, pourtant la tension est maîtrisée et ça marche totalement 💕😱. On stresse de savoir quels seront les choix de notre héroïne qui pour sauver Terre D'Ange devra peut être perdre une partie d'elle.
Enfin, même si Moirin n'a pas le charisme de Phèdre ou d'Imriel, je me suis bien attaché à ce personnage et je trouve que cette dernière trilogie conclue très bien l'univers.
Après l'amour patriotique de Kushiel, l'amour passionnel de Imriel, Naamah nous entraîne dans une nouvelle quête : celle de l'amour de soi et l'acceptation de son destin. 💖

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it had been quite a while since last I checked in with Moirin and Bao (I'm not sure exactly when I read the second book in the trilogy, but it was sometime before I started using Goodreads in early 2011), but happily it didn't take too long to bring myself back up to speed.

In the previous book (Naamah's Curse), Moirin had gone haring off from Terre d'Ange (which I only just this second realized, after 9 books and about 5,000 total pages, means "Land of the Angels") into not-China and not-India in search of Bao, who (for Reasons) shares half of her soul. The third book opens just as they're arriving back in Terre d'Ange, only to find that things are not altogether angelic -- the King is still devastated by the loss of his wife (in which event Moirin played a major role); his heir Thierry went on an expedition to the New World and hasn't been heard from in years, and because of his grief he's neglecting his very young daughter. Moirin & Bao waste no time in reinserting themselves into current events (replete with the delicious, delicious intrigues we remember from all of the previous Kushiel books), and in short order find themselves on a ship bound for the New World in an effort to find Thierry (who is still alive, or at least so Moirin has been assured by Jehanne, Thierry's mother's ghost, with whom she still shares a bond). Their expedition will face dangers untold and hardships unnumbered (even before they reach the shores of not-Central-America, there are plenty of people back in Terre d'Ange who'd just as soon they didn't return, or at least didn't succeed) and take them from the not-Aztec empire all the way to the not-Incan empire, where Moirin and Bao will confront the effects of one of Moirin's great mistakes in the first book in the trilogy, and have to make terrible decisions with terrible consequences.

As always with Carey, the prose is beautiful -- I can just drown myself in the deep ocean of her sentences -- and the ending is a pitch-perfect blend of joy and heartbreak. Highly recommended.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've very much enjoyed reading this trilogy, and revisiting Terre D'Ange. I don't think these books are as good as the first trilogy, but they were still very good, especially read back to back in a long glut of reading! This third book takes Moirin and Bao to Terra Nova -- essentially, the Aztec nations. A lot of plot threads from the trilogy are tied up here, and no detail seems to have been meaningless.

I did feel as though Jacqueline Carey wasn't that able to make the reader feel her characters were truly threatened. In the first trilogy, I did, but Moirin easily found help or a way out again and again. And again, most problematically, Moirin gets to meddle with other cultures for her idea of what's best. It leads up to the ending, where Moirin sees all gods as being one in a way -- an idea close to my heart as a Unitarian Universalist -- yes, but it still troubles me.

The minor characters were, once again, quite well done: I especially enjoyed poor King David, so fatally flawed, and his kindness and sympathy to Moirin; Moirin's father, of course; Balthasar Shahrizai; Jehanne; the Aztec king; Cusi...

The whole plot with Raphael de Mereliot was well played. Everything ties together quite well.

With no more books awaiting me, I'll miss Terre D'Ange, but I sort of hope Moirin and Bao are the last word, at least until Jacqueline Carey has some new ideas. I felt that many parts of this and the last book were very reminscent of Kushiel's Avatar.

[keikii Eats Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

84 points/100 (4.25 stars/5).

Moirin Mac Fainche of the Maghuinn Dhonn is going home. After years in foreign lands and having more adventures and getting into more trouble than any one person should get in, she has spent months getting back home with her now husband Bao. Moirin heads first to Terre D'Ange, to see the daughter of her lover. However, events there lead her to journey halfway across the world once again to protect the little girl she has come to love before she can make it home.

I enjoyed the message of this book a lot. The message has always been "love as thou wilt". That is true here, as well. But the bigger message is "kids can be hurt in more ways than just the physical". That is a message I can get behind.

This is the most wholesome I think in the entire Kushiel universe. Yeah, a bunch of shit happens. Yes, I really wanted to strangle a few people in this book myself. But the kid, Desirée. She made it so wholesome. She is such a little kid, looking for validation from everyone, but she stays true to her nature. She isn't the easiest kid to raise. It causes her a lot of grief from those who don't understand her. Yet, she still hasn't been broken by those who have wanted to break her in their image. And Moirin does everything she can to be able to allow this kid to stay true to herself, and not let anyone break her. That is a worthy, wholesome goal.

However, the machinations of those who seek power to use this kid make me so goddamn angry. If I loved my ereader less, he would be in a lot of pain right now. I was really angry. How can you think to use a kid like that?! It makes me so angry. They all talk about forming this little girl to their will, wiping out everything that make her Desirée. It is so depressing. 

Over the course of the Kushiel story, we have travelled all over the world. We start in Western Europe with Phèdre, traveled to Skaldia (Germany) and Alba (England), ended up going to Menekhet (Egypt) and Jebe-Barkal (Ethiopia) after being taken to Khebbel-im-Akkad (Iran). With Imriel we traveled even further from home, started out going "close" to home in Caerdicca Unitas (Italy), and Alba (England) again, before having to go deep into Vralia (Russian) territory and sailing to Carthage in Northern Africa. So far with Moirin we have gone to Ch'in (China) and Bhodistan (India). Now, we're going even further from home. Now we're going to Terra Nova in the Americas.

The Americas shown to us are pretty neat. They start in the Mexico area and end up traveling through vast jungles into what appears to be Peru. If you know anything about geography you know how awful that trip is today, with cars. (Hell, you can't even drive the whole way, even today. The landscape doesn't allow for roads for portions of this trip!) It is jungle and worse.There are more ways to die than there are to live on this trip. That is the journey they have to take. 

On the one hand, I love it. I love the new scenery, I love hearing about it all. Yet this is the ninth book in a row with such a massive undertaking of a journey. There are bits left out in the journey, because it is so, so long. They're gone for two years on this journey, between travelling from France to Mexico to Peru to Mexico to France. This was a long, long journey. Cutting out parts of it saved my sanity, but it also made it feel sort of rushed. What was shown was mostly shown to put some peril in their way that is unique (or mostly unique) to the Americas, like malaria, or giant fucking snakes. Again, this saved my sanity, which is on a tenuous thread already, but it just felt rushed and curated to a very specific end.

We knew we would have to deal with Raphael de Mereliot now, it was going to be the last chance. We've been told that confrontation was coming. We knew since Naamah's Kiss that the fallen angel wasn't done with Raphael. That reckoning has come. It is.. Raphael has gone completely bug nuts. It is incredibly entertaining, very frightening, and kind of really made me angry at parts. I really like how Carey tied in small little parts that you wouldn't have expected to come up again to this maddening of Raphael.

It is also interesting how beliefs of the area were tied into this story. In Naamah's Curse, I got upset because every religion that was brought up had something wrong with it they had to change. Once again, the accept the local religions. I'm not angry this time. I'm just relieved. 

Moirin's destiny, her diadh-anam, is what drove this entire series. She is always following her diadh-anam, she is always consulting it to make sure she is going in the right direction. I began to wonder if it was worth it, if all she had gone through was worth this destiny. Phèdre's fate was worth the journey. Moirin's fate is mostly worth it. There was a lot of pain, a lot of people saved. She travelled a long, long way. She has the guy of her soul. But, did the pain outweigh the good? Mostly. Was the journey worth the destination? Mostly. 

This is the end of the trilogy. This is the end of the current Kushiel world, at least until Carey decides to write more. I think this series was definitely worth the read if you like Phèdre's trilogy. You just have to set aside the belief that it is going to be the same story. It isn't. Moirin and Phèdre are two different people. However, it does feel to me like Moirin's tale isn't over. Phèdre got Imriel to raise into a good person with his own destiny to follow. Moirin gets Desirée, who hasn't had a chance to tell her tale yet. I can't believe that Jehanne's child isn't going to have an amazing tale to tell. 

I'm really glad I read this series.

[Juliet · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the final instalment of Carey's Naamah trilogy, Moirin returns to Terre d'Ange to face the distrust of certain powerful nobles and to find the royal family in crisis. With the widowed king unable to rule and his three-year-old daughter left vulnerable by his all-consuming grief, Moirin and Bao undertake a voyage to distant Terra Nova (think the South America of the Incas and Aztecs) to search for the missing heir to the throne. Naamah's Blessing makes a strong ending to the trilogy, with a satisfying story arc and a cast of intriguingly flawed characters.

[Mad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il mondo di Terre d'Ange... È sempre una gioia tornarci. Degno finale di questa terza saga. Meno forse riuscita delle altre, ma piena di personaggi unici e indimenticabili. Auguriamo a Bao i suoi grassi figli!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lesser heroes in a lesser time.

I haven't quite finished the book, and I'm frankly not sure if I want to. While the book is beautifully written, it's hard to care about these often stock characters. It feels like the magical powers in this trilogy - used and abused so often - has replaced the careful and delicate machinations and characterizations of Phedre's time.

From the beginning, this trilogy has lacked its Melisande: beautiful and terrible and lovely and treacherous. We are given Raphael de Mereliot instead, whose relationship with Moirin had all the emotional resonance of a tin cup. His fate in this book had even less of an impact than that, and even this characterization - which had been fleshed out and palatable enough in the the first book of the trilogy - descended into a parody of comic villainy.

Actually, comparing Raphael's villainy to a comic book would be insulting to comic book villains. Lex Luthor is far more fleshed out than this.

Phedre's story, and Imriel's story as well, were interspersed only rarely with divine intervention. With Moirin, gods and demons seem to interfere in every other chapter. I miss the careful and mundane politicking of the D'Angeline court: the Lioness of Azzalle, the House Shahrizai, the Duc L'Envers. I miss the friends and enemies and frenemies of the previous trilogies, where we never quite knew who we should trust. Phedre saved the realm and the world with little more than her wits and her bravery, and while Moirin's world is often in danger, the last minute interference of gods and dragons and an undead lover make it so much harder to convincingly root for her and the victories we know will be inevitable.

You want to offer them ... friendship. Are you serious?

I can't bring myself to care about Moirin and Bao. A love fated, I am given to believe, by the stock Confucian wise man and his aphrodisiacs. Thankfully, there is a lot less prose for their starcrossed romance in this book than the last. I'll let that stand as it will.

With all that said ... this trilogy was disappointing, after Phedre's and Imriel's. The characterization and the plot - and yes, the sex! - felt weak and emotionally hollow. But I liked it better than the previous books in the series (especially Curse), and the introduction of Desiree rekindled my stake in the fate of Terre D'Ange. And the prose was at all times beautiful, and Carey's rendering of the flowers of the New World and of the jungles of Central and South America almost made the six hundred page slog worth it.

Almost. Not quite.

[Duffy Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this over a month ago, and just got around to reviewing it. I don't think that's a comment on the book, which I liked, but it might say something about my enthusiasm for doing these reviews anymore.

This one is the ninth book in the Terre D'Ange series, and the third and last of the Moirin books. There have been a lot of "mayhaps" along the way. And, for following fairly similar formulas, the books have been remarkably good. In this one, Moirin and Bao have to travel to the Americas, or "Terra Nova" in Terre D'Ange speak, to retrieve the Prince of the realm. They face impossible odds, as they navigate both the Aztec and Inca nations and traverse basically all of Central and South America. With this, the series has pretty much gone everywhere it possibly could, and Carey has been fairly inventive in the way she has done it.

Also, as with the first series, a villain from the first book comes back in this book to be the main villain, and again this works very well. On top of that, there is a clever reworking of a "curse" from the first book, which becomes a fairly horrific means to power. All of this is quite good, and yet, I didn't quite have the sense of energy and immediacy as there is in the first book, nor was anything as powerful as the second book of the second series, which has a remarkable trek into snowbound Siberia.

This was a nice, enjoyable read, and I'm glad I did it. But I'm also fairly glad that Carey is done with Terre D'Ange. If she does decide at some point to return to this world, I would like to see it a few hundred years later - instead of early Renaissance Europe, I think it might be cool to see what becomes of this world in the Victorian Era, with some kinky Steampunk sex.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I relished this, I enjoyed it, I'm a little sorry it's over and I have to let this world go. It's "only" a four star because, well, it's not the moving experience the first thee books in the series were--those made me cry--and more than once. Nothing here put me close to that sort of feeling. I'd also say style-wise, every once in a while I'd find myself irked by Carey's cheesy erotica, her penchant for clunky dialogue tagging, and Moriin's constant exclamations of "sea and sky." But there was much to love here. I love how Carey really played with history here. Yes, it was easy to see some parallels with the world of Phedre of the Kushiel books and our own, but more in the generic high-fantasy way. This goes further with the whole story line of "Terra Nova" and an alternate universe meeting of civilizations that--well, that would be to spoil things. I certainly liked the Naamah trilogy better than the middle trilogy focused on Imriel--and I loved Bao more than any Carey male hero. A lush read and a good wallow for anyone fond of heroic fantasy with a strong female protagonist.

[Jai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'd give this 3.5 stars.. or 3.75? :) My favorite of this trilogy.

Review from my blog (wordpress / livejournal)

I won a copy of this book at the last readathon I did (Dewey’s 24 hour readathon) plus got a copy (unsolicited) from the publisher.

***** This review contains spoilers for the earlier two books *****


The Premise: Moirin mac Fainche has returned to Terre D’Ange from her adventures in the far away lands of the East. She’s found and brought back her lover (now husband) Bao, but while she was away. Moirin’s beloved Jehanne de Courcel, the D’Angeline queen has passed away, leaving a grief stricken king and a very young daughter. The city of Elua is left without an attentive king, and Desirée, Jehanne’s child is a lonely, isolated little girl. In the meantime, Prince Thierry has left on an expedition to Terra Nova for exploration and glory, and hasn’t returned. Moirin sees Jehanne in her dreams, again tasking her with a Destiny. Things have come around full circle and this time Moirin must fix a disaster of her own making. For when Moirin was younger she naively used her powers granted by the Maghuin Dhonn to further the ambitions of Raphael de Mereliot and the Circle of Shalomon. It has consequences Moirin never imagined, but Moirin must make things right.

My Thoughts: Like it’s two predecessors, Naamah’s Blessing is not a short story (this one clocks in at 610 pages), but for its length the story is very readable. I was grateful that the first couple of chapters are ones where Moirin looks back over her adventures, and whenever her past touches on the present, the relationship is summarized. I have a pretty decent memory of what happened in Naamah’s Kiss and Naamah’s Curse but it was nice to have my memory gently jogged without it becoming an info dump.

I felt like Naamah’s Blessing was easing me back into the story, which was good. After all that Moirin has been through, especially in the last book, it was nice for this one to begin back in familiar territory, not with Moirin discovering new people and traveling somewhere on an arduous journey (not that that doesn’t happen, but it happens later). It was nice to see how Elua has changed since Moirin has been away, but more importantly how Moirin has changed. She has an idea of how to comport herself and what people expect of her, and most importantly she is now wiser about how her actions have consequences. If she wants to help certain people, (particularly the king and princess Desirée), Moirin has to take care. There’s some court intrigue and machinations in Naamah’s Blessing, but Moirin is not so naive that she is unaware of them, and I loved reading about this less oblivious Moirin who wisely seeks advice on what to do about the problems she sees. Moirin’s maturity is a big part of what made this a very good third installment in my eyes.

Moirin’s character may be less naive, but she still keeps her open personality and her faith in her gods. As always she consults her diadh-anam which she has as a worshipper of the Maghuin Dhonn, as well as the signals of Naamah, the Bright Lady. Although Moirin wants to stay in Elua and protect Desirée from the ambitions of others and the grief-caused neglect of her father, her diadh-anam calls her away. Compounding that are dream visions of Jehanne that tell Moirin news about Prince Thierry. As before, Moirin follows as the gods will it.

Naamah’s Blessing has two distinctive parts followed by an epilogue. The first would be in Terre D’Ange and second, Terra Nova, where the Nuhautl Empire and the Quechua kingdom reside. Both parts of the story are tied together by Moirin’s task to fix things in Terre D’Ange and to fix the disaster she created in her youth. There are (as there always is in these books), fascinating new people and places where Moirin encounters new cultures. I enjoy reading of the lush new worlds Moirin discovers and about the new peoples. One big theme seemed to be “sacrifice” as the people of Terra Nova worship bloodthirsty gods in ways that the D’Angelines and Aragonians find barbaric. As the story progresses, Moirin learns to appreciate the idea of sacrifice being the price to pay to make things right.

I really like the epic nature of this series and the world building is fascinating. I liked how Moirin’s religion and the religion and cultures of the people she meets are a big part of the story and how the world is an alternative fantasy version of our own. Particularly tickling – having the D’Angelines alter the course of history by innoculating the natives of the Nuhautl Empire from a disease brought over by the Aragonians. But I have some minor problems with the story as well. I’ve commented on this in previous reviews - on one hand it is just part of Moirin’s character to be so faithful, but on the other I never really felt like there was any danger of Moirin making a tragic choice because she just has to follow the path set for her. The only difficulty is getting others to follow along with what the gods have told her. Another problem I had was that although minor characters from the first book return and are more fully fleshed (Balthazar Shahrizai and former King’s poet Lianne Tremain in particular), some felt less so. Bao, Moirin’s husband was one. I don’t know what it is but I couldn’t connect with him. I had the same problem in Naamah’s Curse because he wasn’t in the story very much. Now that he is, he’s still not really there. I found him a cardboard “perfect husband for Moirin”. The other character I had problems connecting with was Raphael de Mereliot, who was completely unrecognizable in this story. There was no satisfying reason for it other than to have him fit an archetypical role, and I was disappointed that there wasn’t more. I think that for the length of the story, I’d like to have seen more in depth characterizations of these two.

That said, this still was my favorite installment of the series. I liked how Moirin’s story was wrapped up in a satisfying way that brought everything full circle and I really liked the growth of Moirin’s character over the three books and how that affected the story. I closed this one without feeling disappointed.

Overall: Probably the strongest installment in this epic fantasy series, Naamah’s Blessing concludes the adventures of Moirin mac Fainche with one last journey across the world. Moirin has learned and become a more mature heroine, and I liked her the better for it. Except for minor complaints about secondary characters in this story and the reliance on deus ex machina, I found this one satisfying.

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a lot of issues with this book. This review will be mainly focused on this book, but some of these criticisms apply to earlier events in the trilogy.
When Moirin is first introduced, I loved her as a character - wild, uncivilized, unused to being indoors, unconventional, uncaring of social conventions or of not fitting in, with secret magic that was to be used only for survival. By the final book, all of these things had changed, and I ended up so bored and disappointed with her by the end. Here is a list of things that bothered me:

- Languages are learned so easily! Moirin goes from understanding nothing of the languages in Terra Nova to fluent in a few months? She has never studied as a scholar nor has any other reason to be adept at languages, it just doesn't make sense. Even more ridiculous is that at the very end, Bao goes from understanding nothing of Alban to fluent in… A few days?
- Similarly, Moirin learns social conventions way too quickly. In the first book, I loved how awkward and uncomfortable she was with civilized society – it felt interesting, and a nice commentary on what ‘proper’ behaviour is. However, Moirin instantly learns gains a sense of what is proper, what is offensive, the correct way to act, and the adorable disconnect between her upbringing and her situation just evaporates. Again, Moirin was raised in the wilds, there is no reason why she should have been able to pick all of this up so easily.
- Oaths mean less and less as the series goes on. At the beginning, Moirin’s magic, and her oath, were sacred – there was a part in the first book where she refuses to show her magic to someone, saying that it is only to be used in times of dire need, that she can’t just ‘show’ people for personal gain. By the final book, this idea is completely scrapped – she shows people her magic to convince them of her honesty numerous times, and there are no repercussions. It also always works – if someone doubts her, all she needs to do is summon the twilight, and then all doubts will disappear from her mind and any tension with that character is solved. It’s too easy.
- Similarly, most everything can be solved by magic – everyone is swayed by it all of the time. Another example of this is her ability to cause plants to quicken. When this was first introduced, it was a precious and special skill that was scarcely used. In the final book, it is a quick and easy way to get people to believe her. Morin doesn’t really need to prove herself in any other way, or develop trust with anyone, or prove herself by any other means – she just needs to show them this magic, and then they believe her.
- In general, being a bear witch stops becoming a problem, and is now only ever an advantage. If people don’t like her, it is because they are small minded. If they are relevant to the plot, then their minds will change as they inevitably are convinced of how amazing Moirin is/fall in love with her, or if they aren’t relevant to the plot then they are just small minded and don't matter. At the start of the series, Moirin’s upbringing, history, and culture did pose an issue in her interactions with the world, but by the end, there is no sign that she grew up in the wild without any social interaction aside from her mother… At all. Aside from her magic – but again, this is only ever an advantage.
- Everyone either loves Moirin or is evil. People fall in love with her instantly, or they are a terrible person, and there isn't much in-between. I found myself excited to get to Raphael, because having a character who isn’t in love with Moirin/will quickly fall in love with her felt refreshing. But he has just become ‘a bad guy’. All of the nuance and conflicting motivations are gone, he has taken over this city by being evil and he wants to take over the world by being evil. It was just too clear cut for me to feel invested in. Another example is Tristan. He is immediately cast as a ‘bad guy’ with no depth. This is made clear when Moirin (using her sacred magic to… spy on him for personal curiosity) witnesses him assaulting someone. It’s too black and white – bad character, look at him being awful, we are supposed to hate him. I think that this whole situation would have been much more interesting if he had more depth, wasn’t wholly an evil character, had some nuance to his motivations rather than ‘terrible human trying to gain power’.
- The gods are way too involved in Moirin’s life and personal relationships. Whenever there is uncertainty, either Nammah will approve or her diadh-anam will agree/disagree. This takes away the difficulty, conflict, and personal responsibility for Moirin’s actions. It’s just ‘the gods willed it’.
- If someone dies, it’s because Morin didn’t personally save them, or they didn’t take her advice. Moirin is a central character in every story, in every country, the course of the world would be irrevocably different had Moirin not been there… and yet due to the large influence of the gods in Moirin’s life, she is also ‘just a vessel’ of their will? There is a weird contrast between ‘Moirin is a person is of pivotal importance to the entire world’ and ‘the gods will everything that happens’ – I felt like I was supposed to feel impressed by Moirin’s decisions and actions but also know that her decisions and actions were dictated by gods.
- The relationship between Moirin and Bao is too perfect. Bao is never mad at her, ever, they never disagree, he is always fully supportive of anything and everything she does. They have one ‘argument’, one, and this is when Bao comes back to life and freaks out.. which is pretty understandable. After they reconcile this, they never have divergent opinions about anything. I initially found their relationship exciting and adorable, because they were mean to each other, came from different cultures, had trouble understanding each other – but all this faded to just being in love and agreeing on everything all of the time. Which felt boring.
- Similarly, Bao is the perfect warrior, no one can best him ever, he has no weaknesses, he will always be able to save/protect Moirin. Again, it just got boring!


All of that being said, I still finished the book, and I enjoyed the universe. This isn't the type of book I usually read, but I am glad that my flatmate introduced me to them! They're so easy to read, and the descriptions are consistently beautiful. All of these points dampened my enthusiasm for this story, and I finished the book because I wanted to know how everything wrapped up, rather than because I was particularly excited about it. Nevertheless, I am a bit sad to have put the final book down.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Jacqueline Carey's alternate world, Terre d'Ange is the center of the civilized universe. Or, at least it certainly thinks it is. And it is not so much different from the 15th century France that it most resembles. Use that information to give yourself a time and place reference for technology/industry/civilization and otherwise, let everything else slip away. The world of Terre d'Ange is not our world, except, perhaps as it might have been, if it had been founded by fallen angels. The theology of the world created by those fallen Angels, Elua and his Companions, is a story for another another time.

The gods use their chosen hard in Carey's world. That was certainly the lesson in her first trilogy, the emotionally shattering trilogy introduced by Kushiel's Dart. Our own philosophy also contains this concept. The comment that "Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad," is an ancient proverb, originally attributed to Euripides. The ones the gods choose in Terre d'Ange, at least in Carey's works, are never quite driven mad, but to despair, sometimes very nearly.

And it could also be said that in the world of Elua and his Companions, the gods use the ones their chosen love equally hard.

Naamah's Blessing is the final book in Carey's latest trilogy set in this world. This trilogy is set centuries after the events that take place in Kushiel's Dart and its sequels. The events that occurred have great bearing on the present, but are no longer within living memory. Naamah's Kiss, Naamah's Curse, and finally, Naamah's Blessing, follow the trials and triumphs of Moirin mac Fainche, the unlikely descendant of both House Courcel of Terre D'Ange and the Maghuin Dhonn of Alba. Moirin is descended from royalty on both sides, but the Maghuin Dhonn do not care for such things, and the D'Angelines believe that the Maghuin Dhonn are little better than savages. They called her a "bear-witch" while she was in Terre D'Ange, and they were not wrong. The name was just incomplete.

But Moirin is touched by destiny. Maghuin Dhonn is not just the name of a tribe or a totem. She is the living Bear herself and she has given Moirin a task to complete. One that carries her first from her home in Alba, to Terre D'Ange to finally meet her father. And there she stirs up spirits that should have been left alone. Moirin's task then compels her to take ship from Terre D'Ange to the far side of the world, to Ch'in, to free a dragon. And fall in love.

But love is never easy for one who is chosen by her gods. At the end of Naamah's Kiss, her lover dies, their teacher gives his life to save him and uses part of her soul spirit tie to the Great Bear to keep him alive. Uncertain whether he loves her because he feels it, or because of the sacrifice that was made to restore his life, he runs from her. And she chases him across the Tatar steppes and into Vralia, our Russia. They face separate trials from anti-magic fanatics (hers) and lust-inducing magic-gem wielding sorceresses (him) before they find each other again in Bhodistani. Returning to Terre D'Ange at the end of Naamah's Curse to set the stage for the final book holds both triumph and tragedy.

Naamah's Blessing doesn't start out with many blessings. Queen Jehanne died in childbirth, leaving her husband King Daniel de la Courcel in a deep depression, and her daughter Desiree physically cared for but emotionally bereft. She is the spitting image of her mother, and her father cannot bear to be around her, even more than three years after her mother's death. The crown prince, Thierry, is off on an expedition to Terra Nova to stake a claim on the New World for Terre D'Ange. Moirin sweeps in to provide emotional sustenance for the little girl, and the King officially appoints her as the child's sword protector. Then tragedy strikes, and Thierry's expedition returns without him, reporting his presumed death. The King commits suicide, leaving the kingdom in the small hands of his 4-year old daughter and an overambitious regent who plans to marry his son to the little girl. Moirin, ever the servant of her destiny, is compelled to go to the New World, having received a vision that Thierry is alive. She has also seen the future that Desiree faces without her brother, and it is bleak.

Moirin, with her husband Bao at her side, raises an expedition to Terra Nova to follow the prince. The New World is more dangerous than she imagined, more beautiful and more deadly. The Nahuatl practice human sacrifice. The Aragonians fear the loss of their trading hegemony. There are no maps. Everyone they meet is certain they will not survive. And her first and greatest mistake is waiting for her at the end of her journey.

I read Naamah's Curse and Naamah's Blessing back to back, having waited until the final book was out before I started the second book. I just didn't want to have to wait to find out how it all ended. Not again.

Carey has created an incredibly rich, complex world, and the background detail pulls you in deeper and deeper every time. Did I love Naamah's Blessing? Yes, absolutely. Is it a stand-alone book? No, it's not. The richness is in the multiple layers of the weaving. If you have not read Kushiel's Dart, read the whole thing from the beginning, you are in for something special. The series is not for the faint of heart. Every character, and the reader, is put through an incredibly amount of pain, anguish, and pleasure-in-pain, in order to get to the ending. But the story is so worth it.

[Spencer Wright]

This series was a lot of fun, super interesting setting and mythology. It was, however, a little repetitive, same basic storyline every book. Overall a worthwhile read, but probably not a reread.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel and Naamah books have become comfort reads for me. When I open up one of these novels, I always know I’ll find beautiful writing and a world I enjoy returning to again and again. A world where love in all its forms — not just romantic or sexual — can defeat evil and change the course of history. Naamah’s Blessing, the final installment of the trilogy about Moirin mac Fainche, is no exception.

After their adventures in Bhodistan, Moirin and Bao are returning to Terre d’Ange as a married couple. There they find King Daniel a shell of his former self and the little princess Desirée lonely and neglected. Moirin devotes herself to turning Desirée’s life around. Then the companions of Prince Thierry return from Terra Nova with dire news: Thierry is missing and presumed dead. Desirée, four years old, is now the heir to the throne, and a corrupt politician plans to manipulate the child and break her spirit.

The late Queen Jehanne then appears to Moirin in a vision, telling her that Thierry still lives. Hoping to restore him to his rightful place and save Desirée from becoming a pawn, Moirin assembles an expedition and sails for Terra Nova. Her party travels first to the Nahuatl (Aztec) empire where the natives and the Aragonians exist in an uneasy stalemate and where Moirin will gather information and assistance. Next they travel through the jungles to South America, and then to the Quechua (Inca) empire in Peru. There, Moirin must face a terrible enemy that she unwittingly and unwillingly assisted, years ago, in his quest for power.

This enemy’s greatest and most frightening ability is one we’ve seen before, in Naamah’s Kiss, where it was a throwaway detail or even a joke. Carey brings that detail back in Naamah’s Blessing — and no one’s laughing now. And Moirin, as it turns out, has exactly the gift that’s needed to counteract the ravages of her enemy’s talent, and of her many gifts it’s the one that has received the least page time so far. Carey has done an excellent job of using details that seemed forgettable or extraneous and bringing them full circle.

Carey shows us the beauty to be found in Nahuatl and Quechua culture while not glossing over problematic practices, a balancing act that she discusses in a post on John Scalzi’s blog. A chauvinistic Aragonian official tells Moirin of the native peoples, “You’ll find nothing to love about them,” but he’s wrong. Moirin’s rapport with the Nahuatl and Quechua she meets is key to her ability to thwart the plans of the villain. Many of the other Europeans don’t treat them with respect or try to understand them, and therefore underestimate them. The Native American characters have large roles to play, as does Bao, so they don’t come off as a mere backdrop for a story about Europeans.

Speaking of Bao, I really enjoyed his character here. I’ve had issues with him as Moirin’s boyfriend, but it seems I like him as her husband. Carey is great at writing a stage of relationship that too few authors tackle: the established couple keeping the spark in their marriage.

The other characters are wonderful as well. My favorite has to be Balthasar Shahrizai, who gets tons of character development, terrific one-liners, and perhaps my very favorite line of dialogue in the book, one that had me in tears of joy.

For longtime fans of the series, there are Easter eggs. Occasionally a detail appears in the story that Moirin doesn’t understand — but the reader does. I had a lot of fun with these.

One must admit to a few contrivances and moments of predictability. The timing of the news about Thierry seems contrived, and I was as frustrated as Moirin was! As for predictability, the intrigue is less dense here than in the Kushiel books, and the betrayals are not always surprising; and there are a few plotlines that are introduced and then simply roll down the hill and land just where you thought they would, without many twists or turns.

Yet I can’t say it bothered me all that much. Naamah’s Blessing features beautiful writing, an exciting and emotional plot, gorgeous new landscapes, appealing new characters, development of old characters, tragedy, joy, humor, and a satisfying culmination of Moirin’s story. As always, Carey sweeps us away.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

fitting ending to a very good series. The narrator was very good, though some words, which made sense when I was reading the novels, did not sound familiar when pronounced.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an electronic ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley.com.

The final book in the trilogy, this novel follows Moirin and her husband Bao as they embark on a quest to retrieve Raphael de Mereliot and the crown prince, Thierry, from an ill-fated expedition in the newly-encountered land of Terra Nova. At stake is the realm of Terre d'Ange, the happiness of the young dauphin, Desiree, and, unknown to the travelers, the fate of Terra Nova itself.

First and foremost, I must confess that I liked this trilogy much less than the previous two. I found Moirin to be a much, much less compelling protagonist than those who came before her. She just kind of drifts around following her destiny and extricating herself from tricky situations by means of making friends and asking her gods for help. There is very little cleverness or cunning in Moirin, and I liked her less for it.

However, Jacqueline Carey is one of the few authors I read for world and plot in addition to character. She writes the most vivid worlds and creates some of the most intricate but still reasonably fast-moving plots of any author I've encountered. So I can forgive her for a less-than-amazing character.

The plot of this novel was much more straightforward than some of her previous ones, but still compelling. While I was successfully able to predict the general progression of events for nearly the entire book, certain things unfolded in slightly different ways from what I expected, and there were certainly surprising elements thrown in.

What really made this book great for me, however, was the depiction of Terra Nova (basically Central America). The setting and cultures that Moirin encounters on her journey deep into the continent are vividly and lovingly drawn, and some of my favorite characters in the book were the ones Moirin meets in Terra Nova (and also Balthazar Shahrizai <3). I was ready for the portrayal of the indigenous people to be full of fail, because it so frequently is, especially when you have a bunch of white people going in to "fix" things, but she managed to write the novel in such a way that the indigenous people essentially rescue themselves using their own traditions and gods with just a bit of a boost from Moirin and company. I had a few twinges (like when Moirin gently teaches the Nahuatl leader that human sacrifice is bad and usually not necessary), but overall Carey did a really good job, good enough that it actually increased my star rating as opposed to decreasing it (which is the usual way of things when it comes to me and depictions of indigenous people in white-authored fiction).

I am sad that this is the last book set in this world (per the author's website), and I do hope she chooses to revisit it again someday.