Read-Along: Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey, Part 6

Welcome to week six of the read-along of Jacqueline Carey's Naamah's Kiss, the first book of Moirin's Trilogy and the seventh book of the Kushiel's Legacy series.  This week's questions cover chapters 61-74, and have been provided by me!  This read-along is nearing its end, but if you're interested in future read-alongs, you can keep an eye on our goodreads group.  Now, on to the questions and beware of spoilers below:

1) We've finally met Snow Tiger!  What do you make of her and her relationship with Moirin?  Does anything stand out in particular?

While I think it's good that Snow Tiger has someone to confide in, it's pretty rough how the dragon has forced them together.  It's a good thing they get along, at least when the dragon isn't causing problems. That must have been really horrible for Snow Tiger, when the dragon first woke up.  I don't think he really appreciates that there's no way to give back what he took from her. 

One thing that stuck out to me about Snow Tiger is that she is written as very small and dainty, and yet on par with soldiers for strength (even without the dragon, I believe).  Why couldn't she have just been strong and looked like it? I understand why d'Angelines are all beautiful, but why does everyone else have to be?

2) The dragon is a surprising new addition to the cast.  What do you think he'll do when he is free?  Will he really help in the civil war? 

There seemed to be this general assumption that the dragon would help the emperor quell the civil war, but I don't remember if he ever actually agreed to this.  He was imprisoned because Master Lo Feng stole his essence in the first place, so I'm not convinced he has any interest in taking a side in this conflict. He does have a weird fondness for Moirin, so maybe he would help just to protect her. 

3) What do you think of the Path of Dharma, as described by Master Lo Feng?  What path would you prefer to follow?

Out of the options given so far in the book, I think I'd go for Master Lo Feng's Way.  It seems like the least extreme, and is based mostly on mindfulness exercises.  I'm not particularly good at those, but I think I'd be worse at the other paths.

4) Moirin does not seem to mind Bao's jealousy.  What do you think of their possible future as a couple?

When Moirin was not wanting to marry Cillian, I thought maybe she was not into that sort of relationship.  Now that we've seen her with Bao, though, it seems like maybe Cillian was just not the right guy.  Right now, she seems to maybe want to have a traditional, exclusive relationship with Bao. On the other hand, she doesn't have a lot of willpower when it comes to desire, so I'm not sure she could handle being in a long-term exclusive relationship.  In that sense, I think they're both bound to hurt one another eventually.

5) Do you think they acted wisely against Lord Jiang's men at the temple?  Can you see any other decision they should have taken?

I feel like there must have been a better option besides "let the dragon kill everyone".  Maybe they could have kept a closer eye on the monks, so that no one would betray them.  Once the soldiers were already attacking, though, I guess there weren't really any other options left.

Other Things:

--Though I'm not convinced the dragon will join them, Master Lo could make gunpowder weapons.  He as much as said that he knew how, he just didn't think the technology should be used as a weapon.

--The walkway to the temple sounded terrifying.  I have done a cliffside hike just once in my life.  It was terrifying, but at least now I know what an endorphin rush feels like.  Just reading about Moirin stumbling on the path was a little stressful!

--It's a good thing Snow Tiger's dad backed her up instead of disowning her.  It's also a good thing she has a team helping her, because she's not much of a strategist (though it was nice of her to help those villagers).