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    Naamah's Curse
    Naamah's Curse
    Naamah's Curse
    Audiobook21 hours

    Naamah's Curse

    Written by Jacqueline Carey

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Far from the land of her birth, Moirin sets out across Tatar territory to find Bao, the proud and virile Ch'in fighter who holds the missing half of her diadh-anam, the divine soul-spark of her mother's people. After a long ordeal, she not only succeeds but surrenders to a passion the likes of which she's never known. But the lovers' happiness is short-lived, for Bao is entangled in a complication that soon leads to their betrayal.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 22, 2010
    ISBN9781400183753
    Naamah's Curse
    Author

    Jacqueline Carey

    New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey was born in 1964. After receiving BA degrees in Psychology and English Literature, she embarked on a writing career. Kushiel’s Avatar is her third fantasy novel, completing the Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy, which also includes Kushiel's Dart and Kushiel's Chosen.

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    Reviews for Naamah's Curse

    4/5

    286 ratings18 reviews

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    • 2/5
      The least compelling of the series so far. It's unfortunate that our protagonist, Moirin, so often contrasts herself to the Phedre, the heroine of "the old tales" (i.e., the first three books in the series). Phedre was a much more interesting character, and every time Moirin mentioned her, I thought to myself: "you're right, kiddo. You can't hold a candle to Phedre."My problem is this -- destiny is boring. Phedre was interesting because we never knew for sure (even *she* never knew for sure) what she was supposed to do in any given situation. She made choices, and dealt with the consequences. Moirin, on the other hand, has a built-in moral compass (or Destiny-o-Meter) in her diadh-anam. Difficult decision? Moirin consults her diadh-anam. Does the morally correct path fork left or right? Moirin has a vision of the Great Bear Herself walking one direction or another. Does Moirin love Bao? Let's see what the diadh-anam does in Bao's presence. Should Moirin seduce Supporting Character Number 53? If the Bright Lady smiles at the idea, why not?Also, it was a bit preachy, in the "Moirin is tortured by evil priests" and "Moirin goes to India and catalyzes massive social change" storylines.Will I read the next one? Of course. But my expectations will be dialed down, way down.
    • 4/5
      Book two of Everybody Wants Moirin. Sorry, that's not the title. Ahem. Anyway, with the usual caveats applied to Jacqueline Carey's writing -- the prose is slightly archaic and may put you off; everybody falls in love with the heroine and wants to sleep with her; it's probably more than a tad heretical, etc -- I enjoyed it a lot. It's been a while since I sat down with a book and raced through it in a day, which contributes to my enjoyment: it's very good to get lost in a fictional world on occasion. I heartily recommend the experience, even if everybody's got different tastes on that score. But you guys on GoodReads know this, as do most of my friends...

      Anyway. This story continues to take Moirin across the world. I think she examines the things around her less than Phèdre did -- certainly I didn't feel that the world was as rich and sparkling and full of learning as I did. I did wince a little at Carey's decision to have Moirin basically reform the Indian caste system. Okay, it's really the efforts of the Rani Amrita that gets things done, but white (sorry, 'honey-skinned') Moirin and her gods are the ones that bring this message. I still enjoyed it, but I did think it more than a bit problematic. Undoubtedly having a caste of untouchables is a terrible thing from our point of view, but the white races thinking they know better have caused plenty of problems of their own.

      I'm looking forward to the third book, and have a pretty good idea where it's going. Bao and Moirin are no Phèdre and Joscelin -- they don't make me heartsick and frightened for them -- but I do want to know what they do next.
    • 5/5
      Again masterfully done. I read the first two of this series in the space of a week like normal and I'll be picking up the third as soon as I can get my hands on it. Miss Carey has once more outdone herself. All the new lands, all the references to old stories, all the brand new types of magic, and history and interaction. And so much love.

      I can never recommend these books enough, nor write anything that might spoil or prepare you for the deep magic within her pages.
    • 3/5
      Found this book more annoying than the previous one, but it picked up halfway through.
    • 4/5
      Moiren hits Mongolia, Siberia and India - some bad times with an orthodox priest, but better times with a Rani and rescuing her bad boy Bao.
    • 5/5
      Love these books! Adventure, love and sex.
    • 4/5
      Note: This is the second 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. This book, as the second in this trilogy, works mostly well as a stand alone but is definitely enhanced by having read Naamah’s Kiss.We return to Moirin’s adventures as she sets off to find Bao, her stubborn warrior love. She leaves the relatively comfortable Chi’in lands for the wilder and much colder territories ruled by the Tartar tribes. Once reunited, things don’t go as expected and some double crossing has them separated again. Moirin has to match wits with a Vralian religious zealot and later on face the Spider Queen!It was good to be back in Moirin’s world. Her archery skills serve her well once again, as well as her small magics. For me, the beginning and then the last third of the book were more interesting than the middle part. She starts off on this solo quest to find Bao and that tests her determination and dedication to Bao. When they meet up, Bao is living with his father’s people. Sparks fly…. but then a complication becomes apparent to Moirin. The two simply can’t go off and have their own lives. The Tartars love their competitions which center mostly around horses and archery. Yep! Moirin has another opportunity to be the one that saves Bao.The middle part sees them separated and Moirin is held captive by this man and his family as they attempt to convert her to their religion. There are a lot of good points in this section wrapped up in this story and these characters but I found that it lagged a bit. After all, I agree with Moirin 100% in this section so the arguments only reinforced my dislike for people who try to push their religious believes onto others.The last third of the book sees us back in adventure land as Moirin befriends the Lady of Rats and has to face off against the Spider Queen and her husband, the Falconer. They have a band of assassins. Moirin is definitely in danger! Then there’s the caste system that has been strictly enforced for generations. Moirin had a real balancing act here between what she felt was right and also respecting local culture and religion. It was a tightrope walk.Since Bao isn’t with Moirin for much of this book, he doesn’t play as big a role. He’s often in Moirin’s thoughts but she has herself to worry about as she travels from one strange land to another searching for him. One of the things I really like about them as a couple is that they aren’t a traditional couple. Throughout this book, they care greatly for each other, respect each other, but they each have other lovers along the way and they are OK with that.Moirin often does the rescuing even though she’s not some tall, athletic warrior. She has certain skills (archery, summoning the twilight, etc.) and she uses them wisely and quite well. She often uses her compassion and patience to win people over. Also, she doesn’t shirk her fair share of the tougher chores be them tending to her horses or taking out enemy scouts.While I enjoyed the first book in the series a bit more, this was a pretty good adventure tale. I look forward to seeing what Bao and Moirin get up to in the third and final book.The Narration: Anne Flosnik keeps on impressing me. In this book she takes on even more accents as Moirin travels out of Chi’in (Chinese accent), into Tartar lands, then Vralia (Russian accent), and finally into Rasa (Indian accent). She manages to keep all the characters distinct even though this book has a sizable cast. Her male voices are believable. One of her greatest strengths is nailing the nuanced emotions of the main characters – truly impressive!
    • 4/5
      I loved the original three Kushiel books. I miss those characters--it's the same world, but they're only historical figures in this book. I'm enjoying the tour through this alternate world on it's own terms now--this one featuring it's version of Russia and India. And I like Moirin--not the way I loved Phedre as a heroine--but then again Bao is shaping up as my favorite Carey hero to date. And if these books have yet to move me to tears the way the Kushiel books did--well, this sure had me eagerly scrolling through the pages to learn what happens next. I did begin to feel a bit cynical about the relentlessly upbeat take on sexuality--in this medieval world apparently without unwanted pregnancies (if you're D'Angeline) or STDs and where your sig other only smiles at the idea of you falling in love--and into bed--with the next pretty thing of either sex to come along. And your personal god(less) blesses it all. Fantasy indeed.
    • 5/5
      I have been a devote fan of this series since book one and not a single book did Ms. Carey disappoint me, the trend still holds. These books are epic fantasy meets sensuality and you will feel every touch, kiss, and caress as if it were your own. This book reminds me so much of the (I think third) book in the series and it freaked me out for Moirin, this book is beyond nerve-wracking for a reader but soo worth the read.

      I love the different levels of emotion you get to see in this story. You get to feel many different kinds of love, that just Moirin feels alone. I think Ms. Carey did an excellent job on this book and I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.
    • 3/5
      8/2011 I wonder if I'm just cranky, but I found this, on my second reading, to be much less enjoyable than the first time through. The Mary Sue aspects of Moirin were really jarring. She's perfect, everyone loves her, she surmounts all obstacles and why? Because she has eyes as green as rushes? Because she can summon the twilight and enchant everyone? The Christian parts were just painfully preachy, and the rest was pretty unbelievable, though I stuck with it. Onward to #9. 2.5 stars, more or less.

      8/2010 On the face of it, this is a sweeping romance infused with lots and lots of of sex, but what it really is is an extended meditation on the nature of humanity's relationship to its gods. It's a surprisingly delicate story, even though the adventures Moirin endures generally beggar belief in that patented Carey way. The love between Moirin and Bao is believable and adorable and compelling. I found this book hard to put down, and I think I liked it better than the first. I look forward to reading this trilogy from start to finish when it's complete. 4 stars.
    • 3/5
      I could read about Moirin banging princesses and queens all day long, and this book certainly provides plenty of that. The extended rant about anti-sex Christianity didn't hold much interest for me, though, and it didn't fit very neatly with the search-and-rescue latter half of the book. I didn't dislike this - far from it - but it felt like a weaker bridge between the stories Carey really wanted to tell.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful books, not for the prudish, that immerse you in a different world.
    • 4/5
      The series still feels rushed, as though some of the vivid descriptions that were such an integral part of Kushiel have been by-passed for action and all the many, many places Moirin has to go. Some of the "escapes" and "battles" have been very anti-climactic for me, just meh. I just keep waiting for more, and for things to be less predictable.That said, I have already moved into book 3, so I will finish the series, but I don't find myself mourning the coming end...like it, not love it.
    • 4/5
      Yay for being back to a book that makes me stay up too late reading. :) Moirin is off in search of Bao, heading into the wild Tartar lands as winter approaches. Her journey doesn't end there as they find and lose each other and she encounters some bad people and some very good people. Her gods and others are working in and through her and her path isn't easy.
    • 3/5
      (Mild spoilers) I wanted to like this book, but I fear now that this series will never pick up to Phedre/Imriel levels. Moirin is a nice character, but without Phedre's depth and complexity I found myself getting a bit bored by her. The plot is quite pedestrian - follow magic compass, get captured, escape, follow magic compass again, the love story is sweet but without the interest of the romances in the previous books, and the whole book is full of so much exposition about the previous one, which was tedious. I also thought the structure of the book was very odd - Moirin's major trial comes at about half-way through, and then only the last quarter has any relevance to the spider/Indian lady covers. That last quarter feels as if it was stuck on the end to make up the pages, with an awkwardly placed setup for the final book (and looking at the map, no prizes for guessing where that will take place).I'd like to read the final one, if just for completeness, but to be honest if this was the first Jacqueline Carey book I'd read I wouldn't pick up another one. I think she should stick to books set in Terre D'Ange, where the courtly politics combined with the 'Love as thou wilt' precept give rise to much more interesting characters and stories. This series is now far too like a 'fantasy travelogue' for me.
    • 5/5
      for over a year now, i've been unable to purchase books due to our family's financial struggles. not that i'm complaining, i realized that i'm able to check out more books at the library than i would ever have been able to buy even if i were independently wealthy. :) however, there are times when i really HATE to return a book. i felt this way about gaiman's "neverwhere". and i felt that same loss when i returned carey's "naamah's curse" today and a few weeks ago, when i returned "naamah's kiss".halfway thru the book, it dawned on me that i was almost finished and then came the stark realization that i would have to wait a few months for "naamah's blessing" to arrive at the library. so i started to slow down my reading pace... as much as i wanted to continue Moirin's harrowing journey, i didn't want the book to end... at all.... even if it meant another agonizing cliffhanger... :)well, i finally reached the end of "naamah's curse" and it was totally worth the self imposed wait.... (Moirin is more influential than i thought). i didn't think i could be more enamored of Bao, and find myself even more besotted. :) i'm so looking forward to reading the next book in the series and adding all three books to my library when my pocketbook allows. :)
    • 5/5
      Another great Kushiel book 
    • 3/5
      Jacqueline Carey's newest book, "Naamah's Curse" continues the journey of Moirin as she searches for her love, Bao. She finds him amongst the Tartars, and discovers that he has married a Tartar princess. They conspire to win an archery contest, whereby Moirin will ask the Tartar Khan to dissolve Bao's marriage. Instead, the Khan sells Moirin to the Vralians. Held in magical chains, Moirin is deprived of the magic she has come to rely upon. The Vralians attempt to convert Moirin to their religion but she ultimately escapes to once again chase after Bao.Moirin's story takes a myriad of turns as she endlessly tries to reunite with Bao. Lacking the spark of earlier books, the characters seem stereotypical and one dimensional. The romance is lack luster and a bit predictable. Characters fall in and out of Moirin's story, at precisely the perfect time to rescue her from another foible. Moirin is not the strong versatile heroine of Carey's prior books.Despite the predictability and lack of character development, Carey's writing style continues to engage the reader as she vividly describes the world and its variety of cultures. Although not a home-run, I will pick up the next book in the series, if only to find out what Carey creates next.