Naamah's Blessing

When half-barbarian witch Moirin returns to Terre D'Ange with her foreign husband, Bao, after their adventures in the East (detailed in Naamah's Curse), she finds that her friend Queen Jehanne is dead, the king is depressed, Prince Thierry has vanished, and little Princess Desir%C3%A9e is being neglected. Moirin promptly sets sail for a mysterious new land to find the missing prince. While it is encouraging to see fantasy novels acknowledge non-European people and cultures, the "Terra Nova" sequences miss the mark. Real-world mythological gods like Xipe Totec and real places such as Tenochtitl%C3%A1n appear alongside masochist angels and nonexistent countries as if they were all equally fictional. Still, despite a slow start, Carey's fans will enjoy the straightforward heroics and plotting after the previous volume's heavy angst. (June)