Comments on: Smugglivus Feats of Strength: Ana reads Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey

By: Smugglivus 2010 Feats of Strength: Ana reads Summer of Night by Dan Simmons | Jagged Page

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:36:43 +0000

[...] Thea’s favourites) so it’s not a case of Thea wanting me to give someone a second chance (cough Jacqueline Carey cough). The book is not THAT heavy that it could be seen as a literal feat of strength (hee) and [...]

By: The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Smugglivus 2010 Feats of Strength: Ana reads Summer of Night by Dan Simmons

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:02:48 +0000

By: Review of Naamah’s Kiss | Fantasy Cafe

Review of Naamah’s Kiss | Fantasy Cafe — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:25:00 +0000

[...] The Book Smugglers (Ana’s Review) [...]

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:08:57 +0000

Alana, you GOT IT. YES, that is exactly it, you expressed it way better than I did:

“

I also struggled with the reaction/action part as well as it seemed like Naamah felt like she didn’t have much choice most of the time. It’s great to believe in fate and all that, but it makes me uncomfortable when that’s tied to heavily into sex.

”

Yes, that.

By: pamelia

pamelia — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:31:03 +0000

As much of a huge Jacqueline Carey fan as I am with both Kushiel trilogies read at least twice and the Sundering duology too, I did not finish Naamah’s kiss (yet? dunno if I will since it’s been three months since I lost interest at about 60 pages from the end.) I think my problems with the book evolve from that no one’s special if everyone is problem you mention which I didn’t find at all with the books about Phedre or Imriel. In those series there was a definite slow build of emotion and/or obsession with the relationships and Carey took her time letting the relationships evolve so that I was really emotionally vested in them. With Moirin it just felt all so capricious and unfounded. Maybe that’s the way her character was meant to be, but it just never grabbed me. By the time she got to Chin I wasn’t tied in enough to care.
It’s still well written, yes and maybe that’s one of the problems. I’ve devoured some pretty schlocky books in my day amidst the finer examples of literary accomplishment I’ve read, and I find them easy to get through even if they’re poorly written or lacking character development/plot/etc. With Naamah’s Kiss though I needed emotional depth to match up with the depth of the writing and it never made it for me.
So, even though her other books are some of my all time favorite reads, this one… meh!

By: alana

alana — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:21:27 +0000

I totally understand what you mean in regards to everyone being special so no one is. Even though I enjoyed this book, I started to get annoyed with how heart wrenching every one of Naamah’s relationships was. Like, I could no longer invest myself emotionally in the characters because I had already ridden the roller coaster too many times.(Though the ending does give me hope that the next book won’t be so bad in terms of her emotional attachment to all of her lovers.)

I also struggled with the reaction/action part as well as it seemed like Naamah felt like she didn’t have much choice most of the time. It’s great to believe in fate and all that, but it makes me uncomfortable when that’s tied to heavily into sex.

By: Tiah

Tiah — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:57:51 +0000

Good job Ana! I loved Kushiel’s Dart, but I can understand why some don’t like it. The sex stuff didn’t bother me, I thought it was done tastefully and it wasn’t in your face. I think because there was so many other things going on in the story the sex took a back burner for me. I’m glad to hear that you liked this one.

I want to get back into this series but I have to brace myself. These books are long!

By: orannia

orannia — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:01:58 +0000

Thank you Ana. This definitely sounds like a Feat of Strength! I have yet to read a Jacqueline Carey book but I have challenged myself to read Kushiel’s Dart (as part of my Big Book Challenge) this year. I’m very intrigued to see how I find it!

And BTW – the conflict between being a reader and a reviewer is interesting It could be a whole post (and a fascintating one IMO) in and of itself

By: Lustyreader

Lustyreader — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:12:36 +0000

i stuggled with phedre and joscelin’s motivations on and off. sometimes i feel like my brain would click into the right pattern of “suspension of disbelief” and would be fine with her being all into BDSM and him refusing to give up his vows, and then sometimes it wouldn’t. sigh.

i think back to the scene where she was a little girl in the Cereus House and pricks herself with a pin and is fascinated by the pain and the blood. while it was a step in showing me she was “made that way” and being marked by Kushiel determined some parts of her destiny i still thought that she could have made better choices, that she was been ABLE to make better choices, independent of the red mote in her eye.

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:06:47 +0000

Interesting questions. Even though I agree with you to start with (ie readers are reviewers are readers) I am actually always aware of two different impressions when reading a book. Whereas usually I listen to both sides, and let the emotional connection be a part of it,sometimes I just think it is best that there is a separation and the subjective reaction, the emotional reaction is what I call the “reader” . This happens ,mostly when I can objectively speaking SEE that a book is good, even if it is not a book that is good for ME.

Hush Hush for example, is a book that both the reviewer side (ie the plot is full of holes, the characterisation is poor) and the reader side (OMG I couldnt STAND Nora) were in agreement.

Naamah’s Kiss, as much as I didnt LIKE the experience of reading it, I could still appreciate the quality of it.

Does that make sense to you?