Carey, Jacqueline - Naamah's Curse

[oyceter]

As you can probably tell, I am a) trying to catch up on old reviews (not even really old ones! Just from the past few months!), b) reading a lot, and c) trying to keep up with my reading so I don't add to backlog.

Possibly one day I will blog about something that is not books.

No, I lie. I will never stop talking about books! Books! Books books books books!

(This reading thing! With the long plotty books! It is still so awesome!)

Anyway, this is book 2 of one of Carey's typical epic trilogies. I read it about two months ago, so my memory is pretty fuzzy. I was extremely wary about this book despite the first book visiting a China analogue and amazingly NOT making my head explode because of the cover. I mean, at least it's not a red sari, and I really hope it's not supposed to be the heroine on the cover, since the heroine is from the world's equivalent of a Celtic tribe.

I have mostly forgotten everything that happens that does not involve Bao, since I have an unabashed crush on him. Moirin sets out to go after Bao after he leaves at the end of book 1, and although some of the details about life in a Tartar tribe are interesting, separating Moirin from people she already has a relationship with sucks a lot of the life out of the book. I think this book actually has many of the same problems the second book in the Phedre trilogy does; both separate the heroine from the romantic lead and put them in adventures with people they don't have much vested emotional interest in, and because of that, it loses a lot of what I like about Carey (her many relationships between women and her non-judgmental take on sexuality and romance). The Imriel trilogy, on the other hand, was actually strongest in its second book, and I think a lot of that was precisely because even though there was that separation between the hero and the romantic lead, it was a separation that placed the hero in a setting where he was forming more emotional connections and not just traveling around doing heroic stuff.

Also, what Bao ends up doing made me roll my eyes a bit and think less of him, which makes me unhappy! I like Bao! I want him not to be a jerk! Unfortunately, the later addition of magic is a little too random for me (much as it also was in the Imriel trilogy book 3).

I with I had more notes on how Carey is writing the Yeshuites; I feel she's doing something and showing her version of how Christians separated themselves from Jews post-crucifixion in terms of ideology and philosophy, but it would make me a lot happier if there were actual Jewish people (or her Jewish analogue).

And finally, Bhodistan, aka India. I rolled my eyes a little at the obligatory mention of the caste system, but I did very much like that there is a Bhodistani queen. Unfortunately, she pales a bit in comparison with Snow Tiger, largely because Moirin spends much less time in Bhodistan than in Ch'in. I don't remember anything too headdesky, mostly just that I wish there had been more of Bhodistan and especially the queen.

In conclusion: This is very much a middle book of a trilogy where some momentum gets lost. I still love the central romance, but although I didn't end up wanting to chuck the book at something, I also think Carey didn't handle her India analogue as well as she did with the China analogue in book 1.

Comments

[thistleingrey]

Books! :D

it would make me a lot happier if there were actual Jewish people (or her Jewish analogue)

Agreed. I finished the first trilogy but haven't started this one because I wanted a little more out of the worldbuilding (and didn't love the characters that much, really). It sounds as though this trilogy does and does not flesh out the worldbuilding...?

[nightowl]

Thank you for the red sari link!

[vito_excalibur]

I thought this one was a bit "What These People Need is a Honky", as Moirin travels to India and teaches the queen there that the caste system is Bad. Eh. I'd probably have noticed it less if the rest of the book had been more interesting! I think this trilogy is the weakest thing she's written, honestly. I don't know why people are saying they like it better than the Imriel series.

[al_zorra]

If you're interested, here are my responses to Naamah's Curse, which I dream width-ed here, earlier this month.

Love, C.

[al_zorra]

O no, the Santa Olivia book is far, far, far worse. As far as I was concerned, it was unreadable.

Love, c.

[oyceter]

Still so happy I have plot brain again!

I just reread the first trilogy, which I do love, though I think it can be incredibly problematic, esp. with Phedre being the White Savior in the final book and Darsanga arrrrgh.

Hrm, not entirely sure what you mean when you ask about the worldbuilding? There's a bit more about the Yeshuites in the Imriel trilogy, and that world expands to Carthage (more fail) and her Russia analogue, and there's a bit more of theology in there, but not that much.

This trilogy is less Terre d'Ange centric, since the heroine is Alban, and as mentioned, the world expands to Ch'in (China) and Bhodistan (India) and Tartar (Mongolia), and there's more theology in terms of the heroine's gods and religion, which is different from the Elua one of Terre d'Ange. I also remember a bit more about demons in this one...

[oyceter]

No problem!

[oyceter]

I couldn't remember how "What These People Need Is a Honky" the Bhodistan sections were, thanks!

I am still on the fence re: this trilogy... I actually really loved the first book (Snow Tiger! So awesome! Bao!) and seeing Terre d'Ange generations after Phedre, since I felt the Imriel trilogy was kind of perpetually overshadowed by the Phedre trilogy. And I like the first book of this trilogy more than the first book of the Imriel trilogy, largely because of aforementioned overshadowing and because I keep wanting to shake Imriel and tell him to stop being so emo (despite his good reasons for it). But I love the second book of the Imriel trilogy, and I adore Sidonie even though I thought book 3 of the Imriel trilogy was interesting in places but failed in many other ways. So... it will be interesting to see what book 3 of this trilogy is like.

Also, FWIW, I actually thought Santa Olivia was one of Carey's strongest books and that the change of setting and voice worked for her. (Also, lots of POC! Supersoldiers! Boxing! Hope in the midst of despair! Somewhat alien heroine learning to be human!)

[oyceter]

Thanks for the link!

[thistleingrey]

Thanks for elucidation! This comes out to "yes" re: my badly phrased question, I think :)