"Naamah's Blessing" by Jacqueline Carey

This is the third and final installment in Jacqueline Carey's Naamah's series of novels.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first one, and enjoyed the second installment well enough to read the third and final novel.  And let me just say, it is not as good as the first two.

The main problem with this book is that the heroine, Moirin, is too perfect.  So perfect that you cannot connect with her and she just comes out as self-righteous and a know-it-all.  Moirin would have been a lot more endearing if she had some real palpable faults.  While Carey attempts to make Moirin more "like the rest of us" by harping on the fact that Moirin never asked for any of the admiration and praise that is sent her way, it is sent her way endlessly nonetheless with her detractors painfully obviously being in the wrong.

Carey also makes a valid attempt at making us see the Terra Nova natives as noble, however, you always get the underlying feeling that the Terre D'Ange (French counterparts) are of a level of sophistication above them.  In fact, the two natives who travel to Terre D'Ange are almost completely disappear never to be heard from again--except of course to help the D'Angelines throw a native styled fete.  And one must not forget that the Emporor of one of the nations in Terra Nova cannot resist the European woman who has come over.  It would have been a lot more enlightening if the Emporor had resisted Moirin or gone so far as not to find her any more attractive than one of his numerous wives.

Overall, I would recommend reading the series to those who are Carey fans, especially those who read the Kushiel line of novels.  For those, reading the Kushiel line should be enough as the Naamah series may disappoint you.