Review: Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey

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Description: 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. (from Hatchett Book Group)

The Fangirl’s Review: A+

I think this just might be the best book I’ve read this year. Unless some miracle occurs and the gods of books smile upon me thrice in one year, Naamah’s Kiss is going to top my best of 2009 list.

A few years back, I read the first two of Carey’s series set in Terre d’Ange, but I got sidetracked and never caught up. Lucky for me (and for anyone who’s either behind in the series or hasn’t read them at all), this book is set in the same universe but takes place a few generations after the events of the first six books. The events of those books are on their way to passing into legend when Naamah’s Kiss begins.

I’d forgotten just how gorgeous Carey’s writing is. She thrusts the reader into Moirin’s point of view, allowing us to grow up with her and get inside of her head. I was immediately sucked into both the story and Moirin as a character. She is torn between the two sides of her heritage, between her desire to stay in Alba and live a reclusive life in the wilderness and the spark of her diadh-anam, her spirit, leading her across the sea and away from her home.

The book is a wonderful adventure story that follows Moirin from her homeland of Alba to the City of Elua to far Ch’in, and Carey describes each place so vividly that I got completely sucked in. I read most of this book in the car while riding from home in north Texas to New Mexico, and there were several times when someone would talk to me and have to repeat themselves at least twice to get my attention. Carey’s writing is rich and decadent, from her descriptions of places and clothing to the lush love scenes. I loved the cast of characters and found myself getting teary-eyed several times when… things happened. No spoilers, I promise. :)

Even if you haven’t read any of Carey’s other novels, I highly recommend this one. It’s an opulent, magnificent fantasy filled with fascinating characters and an engrossing adventure.