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Samaria #4
Angelica
Two hundred years ago, the god Jovah created a legion of land dwelling angels, led by an appointed Archangel. Now, Jovah has a new appointee: Archangel Gaaron. For his life-mate, his Angelica, Jovah has chosen a woman named Susannah. Slowly, an unspoken affection develops between the two. But there is a terrible threat besetting the land-and the true hearts of Archangel and Angelica may never be known.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 4, 2003
About the author
Sharon Shinn
59 books2,230 followersI’ve been writing stories and poems since I was eight years old. My first poem was about Halloween: "What is tonight? What is tonight?/Try to guess and you’ll guess right." Perhaps this inauspicious beginning explains why it took me till I was in my thirties to sell a novel. It occurred to me early on that it might take some time and a lot of tries before I was able to publish any of my creative writing, so I pursued a degree in journalism at Northwestern University so I’d be able to support myself while I figured out how to write fiction.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
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September 24, 2010
This is the 4th book in the series, but it goes back in time to take place before the beginning of the 1st book. It stands alone as a romance between Garon, the next chosen archangel, and Suzannah, his chosen Angelica.
After thoroughly enjoying the previous two books in the series and at least finding myself inspired by the world building and politics of the original book, I was very disappointed with this one. It began more slowly than any book to date, spending an entire chapter boring me with details of a perfectly ordinary life in an Edori camp before anything marginally interesting happens.
Structurally, this is more a romance than any of the books to date, although each has centered around a romance. And with the exception of the first book, I thought the romance subplots were fine. In this book, however; the structure of the romance was very reminiscient of the romance in the first book -- two people chosen to be together, who barely spend any time together or talk much, who love each other and for inexplicable reasons decide the other feels differently without even bothering to check first. There was no inspirational courtship, passion, or anything else. The characters themselves were likeable enough, and sympathetic, but if a book is primarily a romance, even one that takes place on another planet, I would think we'd want a number of scenes with the two of them actually together.
But that wasn't the only weakness. Aside from a romance, this book attempted to create a dangerous world situation in the form of attackers from another planet. These attackers were unconvincing in both motive and strategy, and I found the end to this subplot entirely unsatisfying...even lame. (Would go into details but would prefer to keep this spoiler free.)
We also had to spend a number of excrutiating chapters in the POV of a spoiled brat, Garon's sister, who I hated and who never fully redeemed herself in my eyes, even after she learned a few hard life lessons. She went beyond rebellious. She was a selfish girl who actively set out to hurt other people and then acted surprised by their injuries.
Possibly the worst issue I had with this book, however; was that it managed to undermine some of the love I felt for the world from the first three books. This book takes place a mere 250 years after the settling of the planet and yet their language has already evolved to the point where they cannot understand the language of the settlers at all. I'm no linguist, but while I'm sure I'd have no clue what an Egnlish-speaker from 1,000 years ago was saying and would have to struggle with the ones from 500 years ago, I think I could come up with quite a bit of common ground talking to someone from the mid-1700's. What force would cause a language to change so quickly? I don't know.
I also found the extreme differentiation of the tribes after 250 years to be a little odd. The ship had 700 people on it, which is a small enough group that I'd expect them to have a lot of cultural similarities at that time. Differentiation will certainly occur, but I have trouble reconciling the differences between the Jansai and the Edori, for instance. These groups seemed to have sprung out of the spaceship the way they were and in both culture and genetics (skin and hair coloring) are far more distinctive than I would expect after a mere two and a half centuries.
Perhaps some of these things were issues in the first 3 books, but I overlooked them, partly because I liked a lot of what the author was doing with the world, partly because more time had elapsed since the founding of the planet which could explain the cultural drift, and partly because the plots were more interesting and didn't give me as much time to nit pick.
I can't honestly recommend this book, even to those who have enjoyed the series.
After thoroughly enjoying the previous two books in the series and at least finding myself inspired by the world building and politics of the original book, I was very disappointed with this one. It began more slowly than any book to date, spending an entire chapter boring me with details of a perfectly ordinary life in an Edori camp before anything marginally interesting happens.
Structurally, this is more a romance than any of the books to date, although each has centered around a romance. And with the exception of the first book, I thought the romance subplots were fine. In this book, however; the structure of the romance was very reminiscient of the romance in the first book -- two people chosen to be together, who barely spend any time together or talk much, who love each other and for inexplicable reasons decide the other feels differently without even bothering to check first. There was no inspirational courtship, passion, or anything else. The characters themselves were likeable enough, and sympathetic, but if a book is primarily a romance, even one that takes place on another planet, I would think we'd want a number of scenes with the two of them actually together.
But that wasn't the only weakness. Aside from a romance, this book attempted to create a dangerous world situation in the form of attackers from another planet. These attackers were unconvincing in both motive and strategy, and I found the end to this subplot entirely unsatisfying...even lame. (Would go into details but would prefer to keep this spoiler free.)
We also had to spend a number of excrutiating chapters in the POV of a spoiled brat, Garon's sister, who I hated and who never fully redeemed herself in my eyes, even after she learned a few hard life lessons. She went beyond rebellious. She was a selfish girl who actively set out to hurt other people and then acted surprised by their injuries.
Possibly the worst issue I had with this book, however; was that it managed to undermine some of the love I felt for the world from the first three books. This book takes place a mere 250 years after the settling of the planet and yet their language has already evolved to the point where they cannot understand the language of the settlers at all. I'm no linguist, but while I'm sure I'd have no clue what an Egnlish-speaker from 1,000 years ago was saying and would have to struggle with the ones from 500 years ago, I think I could come up with quite a bit of common ground talking to someone from the mid-1700's. What force would cause a language to change so quickly? I don't know.
I also found the extreme differentiation of the tribes after 250 years to be a little odd. The ship had 700 people on it, which is a small enough group that I'd expect them to have a lot of cultural similarities at that time. Differentiation will certainly occur, but I have trouble reconciling the differences between the Jansai and the Edori, for instance. These groups seemed to have sprung out of the spaceship the way they were and in both culture and genetics (skin and hair coloring) are far more distinctive than I would expect after a mere two and a half centuries.
Perhaps some of these things were issues in the first 3 books, but I overlooked them, partly because I liked a lot of what the author was doing with the world, partly because more time had elapsed since the founding of the planet which could explain the cultural drift, and partly because the plots were more interesting and didn't give me as much time to nit pick.
I can't honestly recommend this book, even to those who have enjoyed the series.
November 9, 2012
Samaria Series
If all romance books were like these, I might consider myself to be a fan of romance novels in general.
The 'Samaria' series is primarily romance - but it's balanced with enough other plot elements that it doesn't get too tedious. They're even frequently... romantic!... in a way that doesn't (usually) make me want to strangle the characters! (They're never explicit/erotic, though.)
I did read all five books back-to-back, which meant that some of the elements did get a little repetitive. Obviously, to a certain degree, Shinn found a formula and stuck with it. It wouldn't have bothered me at all if I hadn't been doing a Samaria marathon, though.
They are undeniably wish-fulfillment-based books. These are designed for women who think that having a drop-dead-gorgeous, preternaturally strong, winged lover who can pick you up and fly you through the sky is a super-sexy idea.
In tone and feel, I thought these were actually very similar to Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. They've got the nominally sci-fi setting, the fantasy 'feel,' and the character-based plot elements, with a similar mix of action, politics and personal drama.
All of the books are fully stand-alone stories.
Archangel
The angel Gabriel is set to become the next Archangel, as decreed by the voice of Jovah. However, before he ascends to his position of leadership, he must find the wife determined for him by his god - a woman named Rachel. Without an Angelica (the female counterpart to the Archangel), the complex acappella musical concert known as the Gloria cannot occur, and Jovah will rain destruction upon the land.
Being named Angelica is an honor that all girls dream of - so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, if your destined bride belongs to a persecuted ethnic group, and has been sold into slavery - and bears no love toward angels.
Jovah's Angel
Set around 100 years after the first book. In a dramatic beginning, the well-respected Archangel Delilah is crippled in a storm, her consort killed, and Jovah names a most unlikely successor to replace her: a shy, studious angel named Alleluia (or, informally, Alleya). Like in the previous book, Alleya must find her predestined mate - but Jehovah does not know his name, identifying him only as "son of Jeremiah." Things are further complicated by Alleya's growing feelings for the inventor Caleb (who makes a bunch of steampunk-y stuff). But Caleb cannot be her destined mate... can he?
Meanwhile, Delila must deal with her feelings of resentment, and learn to live without flying. But of course, she'll find someone too - a man of the Edori (an ethnic group that resemble Jewish gypsies.)
Meanwhile - a big issue is going on. When the angels sing the songs that control the weather, often nothing happens. Climate change is leading to disaster.
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because I wasn't thrilled by the theme of industrialization going on in Samaria. Also, all the technological/sci-fi elements that were alluded to in the first book are made very clear in this story, and some of the mystery is lost. It won me over, after a while, though.
The Alleluia Files
A few hundred years have passed... The Archangel at this time, Bael, is cruel and harsh. He rules with a strong hand, and is secretly committing genocide against the Jacobites, claiming their heresies threaten the land. But - does he secretly know that their heretical stances regarding the god Jovah are true?
Far more than the other books, this one has a clear villain (Bael). However, the clear hero, the upstanding and just Jared, will make things right, if he can ever stop being too lazy to bother. He'll be helped out by the angel Lucinda, who has grown up on an isolated island, far from the politics of the angel's Aerie, and the strong-willed Tamar, a member of the heretic Jacobites.
Angelica
The Archangel Gaaron has his life mate picked out for him by Jovah. Never before has an Edori woman been picked to be Angelica - but although Susannah has the implant that allows Jovah to track the people of Samaria, unlike the Edori, she has been raised by the Edori and identifies with them. She's also only just broken up with her long term lover. (He was a big jerk though, so the reader is sure she will get over him.) She's not at all sure she wants to be Angelica. (Sound familiar? Yeah.) This one is set far before all the other books. Like in the other books, there's also a social problem to address while the romance is given time to develop: mysterious, disappearing invaders are attacking and burning the caravans of both Edori and Jansai, as well as isolated villages.
The day will be saved, and love will triumph.
Angel-Seeker
After finishing the previous book in the series, I was thinking: "Hey, are we ever going to get to see the point of view of one of the oppressed Jansai women? Pretty much all the other ethnic groups in Samaria have been covcered by POV characters." And, ta-da, here we are. Rebekah's charcter is very well done, actually. She's a rebellious girl in a repressive culture, but even after she falls in love with an angel, her ties to family and tradition hold her in a frighteningly realistic way. She also horribly underestimates her fate, if she's caught...
Meanwhile, the title character, Elizabeth, becomes an angel-seeker - a woman who desires more than anything, to bear an angel child, and will do pretty much anything to further that goal. Again, the motivations here were really well portrayed.
Both women grow as individuals over the course of the book - and, of course, find love.
If all romance books were like these, I might consider myself to be a fan of romance novels in general.
The 'Samaria' series is primarily romance - but it's balanced with enough other plot elements that it doesn't get too tedious. They're even frequently... romantic!... in a way that doesn't (usually) make me want to strangle the characters! (They're never explicit/erotic, though.)
I did read all five books back-to-back, which meant that some of the elements did get a little repetitive. Obviously, to a certain degree, Shinn found a formula and stuck with it. It wouldn't have bothered me at all if I hadn't been doing a Samaria marathon, though.
They are undeniably wish-fulfillment-based books. These are designed for women who think that having a drop-dead-gorgeous, preternaturally strong, winged lover who can pick you up and fly you through the sky is a super-sexy idea.
In tone and feel, I thought these were actually very similar to Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. They've got the nominally sci-fi setting, the fantasy 'feel,' and the character-based plot elements, with a similar mix of action, politics and personal drama.
All of the books are fully stand-alone stories.
Archangel
The angel Gabriel is set to become the next Archangel, as decreed by the voice of Jovah. However, before he ascends to his position of leadership, he must find the wife determined for him by his god - a woman named Rachel. Without an Angelica (the female counterpart to the Archangel), the complex acappella musical concert known as the Gloria cannot occur, and Jovah will rain destruction upon the land.
Being named Angelica is an honor that all girls dream of - so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, if your destined bride belongs to a persecuted ethnic group, and has been sold into slavery - and bears no love toward angels.
Jovah's Angel
Set around 100 years after the first book. In a dramatic beginning, the well-respected Archangel Delilah is crippled in a storm, her consort killed, and Jovah names a most unlikely successor to replace her: a shy, studious angel named Alleluia (or, informally, Alleya). Like in the previous book, Alleya must find her predestined mate - but Jehovah does not know his name, identifying him only as "son of Jeremiah." Things are further complicated by Alleya's growing feelings for the inventor Caleb (who makes a bunch of steampunk-y stuff). But Caleb cannot be her destined mate... can he?
Meanwhile, Delila must deal with her feelings of resentment, and learn to live without flying. But of course, she'll find someone too - a man of the Edori (an ethnic group that resemble Jewish gypsies.)
Meanwhile - a big issue is going on. When the angels sing the songs that control the weather, often nothing happens. Climate change is leading to disaster.
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because I wasn't thrilled by the theme of industrialization going on in Samaria. Also, all the technological/sci-fi elements that were alluded to in the first book are made very clear in this story, and some of the mystery is lost. It won me over, after a while, though.
The Alleluia Files
A few hundred years have passed... The Archangel at this time, Bael, is cruel and harsh. He rules with a strong hand, and is secretly committing genocide against the Jacobites, claiming their heresies threaten the land. But - does he secretly know that their heretical stances regarding the god Jovah are true?
Far more than the other books, this one has a clear villain (Bael). However, the clear hero, the upstanding and just Jared, will make things right, if he can ever stop being too lazy to bother. He'll be helped out by the angel Lucinda, who has grown up on an isolated island, far from the politics of the angel's Aerie, and the strong-willed Tamar, a member of the heretic Jacobites.
Angelica
The Archangel Gaaron has his life mate picked out for him by Jovah. Never before has an Edori woman been picked to be Angelica - but although Susannah has the implant that allows Jovah to track the people of Samaria, unlike the Edori, she has been raised by the Edori and identifies with them. She's also only just broken up with her long term lover. (He was a big jerk though, so the reader is sure she will get over him.) She's not at all sure she wants to be Angelica. (Sound familiar? Yeah.) This one is set far before all the other books. Like in the other books, there's also a social problem to address while the romance is given time to develop: mysterious, disappearing invaders are attacking and burning the caravans of both Edori and Jansai, as well as isolated villages.
The day will be saved, and love will triumph.
Angel-Seeker
After finishing the previous book in the series, I was thinking: "Hey, are we ever going to get to see the point of view of one of the oppressed Jansai women? Pretty much all the other ethnic groups in Samaria have been covcered by POV characters." And, ta-da, here we are. Rebekah's charcter is very well done, actually. She's a rebellious girl in a repressive culture, but even after she falls in love with an angel, her ties to family and tradition hold her in a frighteningly realistic way. She also horribly underestimates her fate, if she's caught...
Meanwhile, the title character, Elizabeth, becomes an angel-seeker - a woman who desires more than anything, to bear an angel child, and will do pretty much anything to further that goal. Again, the motivations here were really well portrayed.
Both women grow as individuals over the course of the book - and, of course, find love.
January 5, 2015
Since I am a fan of the series, I bought this book when it came out, but for some reason I never got around to reading it. But I spent the past two days in a car and on planes, and I was able to borrow the e-book from my library. For the first half of the book, I thought it might be my favorite of the series. As plenty have pointed out, the basic plot is almost identical to the first book in the series, but she solved some of the problems with that book by making the characters and their motivations more believable and understandable.
(although she still keeps the weird thing where medicines are dropped as individual tablets from a height of several miles above the planet, which is so unlikely--not to mention unsanitary--that you just roll your eyes every time it happens.)
But by the end, I was thoroughly disappointed with Angelica. All of Shinn's books end abruptly, so I was expecting that, but this one leaves so many plot threads dangling that I honestly could not believe it was over when the end showed up on my Kindle. Seriously? Not even another couple of pages to tell us what happened? (*minor spoilers ahead*)
One small example: in the first half of the book, much is made about what the new angelica Susannah will choose to sing at the annual gathering of the people of Samaria: will she sing a solo? a duet? Will Ahio write her a new mass? But we never find out. (If you've never read a Samaria book, that will sound absurdly minor, but the music of Samaria is one of the primary draws of the series imo.)
And then there are Susannah's dreams, which she's had all her life. I was expecting there to be some unique crisis that only she with her particular mix of experiences would be able to solve, but instead she is just asked to do something that anyone could do. The reader is told in a half-sentence that it's because she's the only one that's not afraid, but that is obviously not true--there are dozens of brave characters in this book.
And then there's the stupid plot device that the hero (Gaaron) gets his feelings hurt because Susannah says the name of her old lover in a dream. It has been so long since Susannah had any feelings for that guy that this was completely unbelievable. Susannah and Gaaron had plenty of issues still to work out, there was no need to throw in one more trumped up non-issue.
The book in the end is more about Miriam (Gaaron's sister) and her experiences than it was about Susannah and I suppose that is fine, but if Shinn discovered that was happening halfway through, she should have gone back and re-edited the first half of the book so that there weren't so many plot details about Susannah that were left hanging. Very disappointed in this one.
(although she still keeps the weird thing where medicines are dropped as individual tablets from a height of several miles above the planet, which is so unlikely--not to mention unsanitary--that you just roll your eyes every time it happens.)
But by the end, I was thoroughly disappointed with Angelica. All of Shinn's books end abruptly, so I was expecting that, but this one leaves so many plot threads dangling that I honestly could not believe it was over when the end showed up on my Kindle. Seriously? Not even another couple of pages to tell us what happened? (*minor spoilers ahead*)
One small example: in the first half of the book, much is made about what the new angelica Susannah will choose to sing at the annual gathering of the people of Samaria: will she sing a solo? a duet? Will Ahio write her a new mass? But we never find out. (If you've never read a Samaria book, that will sound absurdly minor, but the music of Samaria is one of the primary draws of the series imo.)
And then there are Susannah's dreams, which she's had all her life. I was expecting there to be some unique crisis that only she with her particular mix of experiences would be able to solve, but instead she is just asked to do something that anyone could do. The reader is told in a half-sentence that it's because she's the only one that's not afraid, but that is obviously not true--there are dozens of brave characters in this book.
And then there's the stupid plot device that the hero (Gaaron) gets his feelings hurt because Susannah says the name of her old lover in a dream. It has been so long since Susannah had any feelings for that guy that this was completely unbelievable. Susannah and Gaaron had plenty of issues still to work out, there was no need to throw in one more trumped up non-issue.
The book in the end is more about Miriam (Gaaron's sister) and her experiences than it was about Susannah and I suppose that is fine, but if Shinn discovered that was happening halfway through, she should have gone back and re-edited the first half of the book so that there weren't so many plot details about Susannah that were left hanging. Very disappointed in this one.
October 1, 2017
This was a reread, but I never reviewed the book before so it's high time I did.
This is chronologically the first story set in Samaria, but it's book #4 in the series. And to new readers I can advice to start with either book #1 (Archangel), or better yet book #2 (Jovah's Angel), because my copy of Archangel pretty much ruins the suspense of Jovah's Angel in the cover blurb. But then again I started reading this series with Jovah's Angel, so I might be prejudiced.
Anyway, I think this book is best enjoyed after reading the first three books and knowing a bit more about the world of Samaria.
I really love this world and this story is very enjoyable although of all the books it's my least favorite. I think that is because the romance between Gaaron and Susannah is too understated. True: it's a realistic romance in that it's no instalove or even instalust, but two people getting to know each other and respect each other. Still I think there's not enough actual interaction between the two to believe they get to know each other enough to fall in love.
Next to their story is the story of Gaaron's willful sister Miriam and this part of the book is my favorite part. Miriam is a handful and the things she does would drive most people crazy. It was fun to see her struggle to find her place in the world and when she does she shines.
The world building in this series is mostly based on biblical and middle eastern culture. And here we find the one thing that bugs me about this series: The Jansai.
The Jansai are half nomadic people who keep their women veiled and mostly hidden from other people. I think it's easy to see where the inspiration for the Jansai comes from, therefor I'm disappointed by the one sided nature of the Jansai. Basically all male Jansai are painted as sneaky, untrustworthy & abusive. I would have liked a bit more diversity there, and no: that one exception in Angel Seeker (which I'll be rereading and reviewing soon) doesn't count imo.
All in all this is an enjoyable read, and I liked revisiting it, although of the books in this series it's the one I've reread the least.
This is chronologically the first story set in Samaria, but it's book #4 in the series. And to new readers I can advice to start with either book #1 (Archangel), or better yet book #2 (Jovah's Angel), because my copy of Archangel pretty much ruins the suspense of Jovah's Angel in the cover blurb. But then again I started reading this series with Jovah's Angel, so I might be prejudiced.
Anyway, I think this book is best enjoyed after reading the first three books and knowing a bit more about the world of Samaria.
I really love this world and this story is very enjoyable although of all the books it's my least favorite. I think that is because the romance between Gaaron and Susannah is too understated. True: it's a realistic romance in that it's no instalove or even instalust, but two people getting to know each other and respect each other. Still I think there's not enough actual interaction between the two to believe they get to know each other enough to fall in love.
Next to their story is the story of Gaaron's willful sister Miriam and this part of the book is my favorite part. Miriam is a handful and the things she does would drive most people crazy. It was fun to see her struggle to find her place in the world and when she does she shines.
The world building in this series is mostly based on biblical and middle eastern culture. And here we find the one thing that bugs me about this series: The Jansai.
The Jansai are half nomadic people who keep their women veiled and mostly hidden from other people. I think it's easy to see where the inspiration for the Jansai comes from, therefor I'm disappointed by the one sided nature of the Jansai. Basically all male Jansai are painted as sneaky, untrustworthy & abusive. I would have liked a bit more diversity there, and no: that one exception in Angel Seeker (which I'll be rereading and reviewing soon) doesn't count imo.
All in all this is an enjoyable read, and I liked revisiting it, although of the books in this series it's the one I've reread the least.
April 1, 2021
Lol where to start.. This book was an exercise in frustration. I am shocked that more people in these reviews are not taking Shinn to task for the absurdly racist world building that felt excessive even with my low opinion of SFF's general handling of anything non-white. We get not one but TWO inherently evil races, both of whom the angels have visible and active disdain for. A white blonde haired secondary character is discouraged from having children with a character from one of these groups because his breeding is bad-- this is said by one of the wisest people in Samaria! I am NOT kidding!!!! I really hate to say it but this combined with my ambivalence toward Wrapt in Crystal is souring me on Shinn in general. Her later books have similar problems with either Orientalist tropes or fantasy racism in general but this was just beyond the pale for me. Perhaps it's because this is a work of science fiction which I am less a fan of. But then again I am used to read eye rolling stuff about aliens and purple racism in SF. the racism in THIS book however is incredibly disturbing because of the background premise of the series.
Spoilers but what the colonists of Samaria think of as a god is actually an AI, a concept that I find incredibly cynical. If that wasn't enough none of the world building holds up for me at all. Maybe some of it would be clearer if I read the others but having this "divine" appointed striation of society with angels at the top is so... horrible? I don't have a ton of knowledge of the Bible but the parallels I can see being drawn or alluded to just don't sit right with me. I looked up if Shinn is Mormon because of the whole idea of going to a new planet while the people left behind are over and over are described as being darker skinned than the darkest skinned people in Samaria is like huh!!! Maybe don't!!!!!
And to add to this, the romance was a huge disappointment. I really like political arranged marriage stories (which is what drew me to try this) and the leads do not admit their feelings for each other until the LAST PAGE. They spend so little time with each other and have such flimsy misunderstandings I really wondered what the point was. I was also frustrated by Miriam's POV constantly interrupting the flow of the story. Nothing at the end feels resolved and I think it's because the interior logic of the world would dictate the characters acting differently it instead we basically just get them accepting a "don't worry about it" and then the book ENDS!!!!!
I am really sorry to say that this has turned me off an author I like for the time being and I am honestly pretty upset about it!
Spoilers but what the colonists of Samaria think of as a god is actually an AI, a concept that I find incredibly cynical. If that wasn't enough none of the world building holds up for me at all. Maybe some of it would be clearer if I read the others but having this "divine" appointed striation of society with angels at the top is so... horrible? I don't have a ton of knowledge of the Bible but the parallels I can see being drawn or alluded to just don't sit right with me. I looked up if Shinn is Mormon because of the whole idea of going to a new planet while the people left behind are over and over are described as being darker skinned than the darkest skinned people in Samaria is like huh!!! Maybe don't!!!!!
And to add to this, the romance was a huge disappointment. I really like political arranged marriage stories (which is what drew me to try this) and the leads do not admit their feelings for each other until the LAST PAGE. They spend so little time with each other and have such flimsy misunderstandings I really wondered what the point was. I was also frustrated by Miriam's POV constantly interrupting the flow of the story. Nothing at the end feels resolved and I think it's because the interior logic of the world would dictate the characters acting differently it instead we basically just get them accepting a "don't worry about it" and then the book ENDS!!!!!
I am really sorry to say that this has turned me off an author I like for the time being and I am honestly pretty upset about it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2023
I first read this book when it came out in 2005, and I haven’t read it since. I know being 24 and kinda stupid doesn’t excuse not seeing how much “oops I did a racism” there is in this book, probably in this entire series, but I just didn’t see it at the time.
The Jansai are incredibly Middle East/Muslim coded, with zero nuance. They keep their women separate from men, they refuse to allow women to speak, all women, even small children, are dressed in full niqabs all the time. A small girl is separated from her family and is cruelly thrown into the dirt and ostracized by a male Jansai bc she was rescued by and lived with white folks and is now unclean.
The villains in this book are black. Full stop, again zero nuance*, and the people of Samaria have never seen folks of that skin tone before, so black folks simply do not exist in this world, and the first and last time they’re seen, they’re indiscriminately killing folks for funsies I guess? Like an implication is made later that they’re here to maybe colonize but if that’s the case, the escalation of violence actually makes no sense.
The Edori are obviously Romany, and play completely into every stereotype you’d assume.
Other than that, the book was overly long, followed frustrating plot lines, and showcased characters I’d rather have seen punted off a cliff. Miriam is literally one of the most frustrating characters I’ve read, and her outburst at the end did nothing to highlight that she’s changed at all through the entire book. The idea that she’d be trusted by Mahalah with any secret is laughable.
The romance was boring. Susannah was incredibly good and incredibly kind and had zero faults and almost no character arc. Gaaron is incredibly busy and incredibly handsome and also incredibly kind and responsible and also had zero character arc and the only thing keeping these two apart for, and I kid you not, almost five hundred pages of story was their unwillingness to have a conversation about their relationship.
I really don’t know what to do with this. Sharon Shinn has been my favorite author since I was 16. But rereading this was really incredibly disappointing. I don’t think the books she’s been writing in the last ten years are like this, I do think she’s gotten better about her portrayal of people of color, but I can’t in good conscience continue to recommend this series.
*there is no nuance that would have made this depiction okay
The Jansai are incredibly Middle East/Muslim coded, with zero nuance. They keep their women separate from men, they refuse to allow women to speak, all women, even small children, are dressed in full niqabs all the time. A small girl is separated from her family and is cruelly thrown into the dirt and ostracized by a male Jansai bc she was rescued by and lived with white folks and is now unclean.
The villains in this book are black. Full stop, again zero nuance*, and the people of Samaria have never seen folks of that skin tone before, so black folks simply do not exist in this world, and the first and last time they’re seen, they’re indiscriminately killing folks for funsies I guess? Like an implication is made later that they’re here to maybe colonize but if that’s the case, the escalation of violence actually makes no sense.
The Edori are obviously Romany, and play completely into every stereotype you’d assume.
Other than that, the book was overly long, followed frustrating plot lines, and showcased characters I’d rather have seen punted off a cliff. Miriam is literally one of the most frustrating characters I’ve read, and her outburst at the end did nothing to highlight that she’s changed at all through the entire book. The idea that she’d be trusted by Mahalah with any secret is laughable.
The romance was boring. Susannah was incredibly good and incredibly kind and had zero faults and almost no character arc. Gaaron is incredibly busy and incredibly handsome and also incredibly kind and responsible and also had zero character arc and the only thing keeping these two apart for, and I kid you not, almost five hundred pages of story was their unwillingness to have a conversation about their relationship.
I really don’t know what to do with this. Sharon Shinn has been my favorite author since I was 16. But rereading this was really incredibly disappointing. I don’t think the books she’s been writing in the last ten years are like this, I do think she’s gotten better about her portrayal of people of color, but I can’t in good conscience continue to recommend this series.
*there is no nuance that would have made this depiction okay
May 24, 2020
Whenever I reread Samaria, I do it deliberately out of order; I know you can either read it in publication order (Archangel, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files, Angelica, Angel-Seeker) or in chronological order (Angelica, Archangel, Angel-Seeker, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files), but I always like to do them in what I call the "Jovah reveal order" -- progressing further and further along into Samaria's understanding of the truth that governs their world by starting off with the two books that don't address it at all -- Archangel and Angel-Seeker -- followed by a flashback to this book, where it's strongly alluded to, and then finishing off with the reveals proper in Jovah's Angel and The Alleluia Files. (Also, the last of those depresses me to all hell, so I like to leave the most industrialized version of Samaria rather than going back to simpler times after I've seen what it's going to become, ha.)
Angelica is, as well as falling in the very middle of my reread order, very much a middle-of-the-road Samaria book for me -- I definitely like it less than Angel-Seeker and Jovah's Angel, but probably more than Archangel and definitely more than The Alleluia Files. I absolutely love how long it is, how much more immersive than any of the other Samaria books because of the length and breadth that it covers. I love how it feels like a history, like events that preceded everything else in the books, like it's an older time even though the Archangel era doesn't actually have too many differences from this setting. I love the increased presence of the Edori, the way we physically see more of Samaria, the way it continues to hint at the Jehovah reveal without outright confirming -- how we see the world around Samaria, how we get a little more context for the larger world. I love, of course, Gaaron and Susannah; they're so much more chill than the average romantic leads, and even though they're not that much older, they feel more solid and mature and stable, which is always a nice change of pace. (They remind me a great deal, in that respect, of Tayse and Senneth from Mystic and Rider.) I love the way we see their character arcs unfold and how well suited they are for one another, and how they slowly realize this themselves even as they're dealing with so much other shit on the side.
There are a couple things, though, that I don't love about this, and that puts it solidly right in the middle of my Samaria faves. For one thing, despite the amount of time we see Gaaron and Susannah together, and despite how good they obviously are together, the romantic aspect just... feels weirdly glossed over? It's odd for me to feel this way, because their love is such a slow burn, and they spend a lot of time together -- but for some reason, maybe because both characters are so self-contained and calm, it doesn't really feel like there's much spark between them until close to the end. Somewhat relatedly, the pacing of the entire book sometimes feels off; so little happens for many chapters in a row, and then the significant action happens SO QUICKLY, so it both feels like it drags and like it's glossed over the most dramatic parts super quickly. I also really can't bring myself to be too fond of Miriam; I do really like her story arc, and I like watching her grow and change and mature because she simply has no choice but to do so, but I'm never a huge fan of the Troublesome Character That Everyone Nonetheless Loves Deeply For Reasons Of [Footage Not Found] trope, and she truly embodies it, and it frustrates me and makes me less inclined to like her up until the very end. (And finally, I don't really think this is a flaw because I totally understand why we don't spend more time on this in text, but I am SO FUCKING CURIOUS about Jossis's backstory and the world outside of Samaria in this universe !!! WHY DID WE NEVER GET A SPINOFF, SHARON, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO FUCKING COOL.) So -- while this is a book I really love, and always look forward to coming back to, there are definitely strong elements that make it a very soft four stars, close to if not quite tied with Archangel for my second least favorite Samaria book.
Angelica is, as well as falling in the very middle of my reread order, very much a middle-of-the-road Samaria book for me -- I definitely like it less than Angel-Seeker and Jovah's Angel, but probably more than Archangel and definitely more than The Alleluia Files. I absolutely love how long it is, how much more immersive than any of the other Samaria books because of the length and breadth that it covers. I love how it feels like a history, like events that preceded everything else in the books, like it's an older time even though the Archangel era doesn't actually have too many differences from this setting. I love the increased presence of the Edori, the way we physically see more of Samaria, the way it continues to hint at the Jehovah reveal without outright confirming -- how we see the world around Samaria, how we get a little more context for the larger world. I love, of course, Gaaron and Susannah; they're so much more chill than the average romantic leads, and even though they're not that much older, they feel more solid and mature and stable, which is always a nice change of pace. (They remind me a great deal, in that respect, of Tayse and Senneth from Mystic and Rider.) I love the way we see their character arcs unfold and how well suited they are for one another, and how they slowly realize this themselves even as they're dealing with so much other shit on the side.
There are a couple things, though, that I don't love about this, and that puts it solidly right in the middle of my Samaria faves. For one thing, despite the amount of time we see Gaaron and Susannah together, and despite how good they obviously are together, the romantic aspect just... feels weirdly glossed over? It's odd for me to feel this way, because their love is such a slow burn, and they spend a lot of time together -- but for some reason, maybe because both characters are so self-contained and calm, it doesn't really feel like there's much spark between them until close to the end. Somewhat relatedly, the pacing of the entire book sometimes feels off; so little happens for many chapters in a row, and then the significant action happens SO QUICKLY, so it both feels like it drags and like it's glossed over the most dramatic parts super quickly. I also really can't bring myself to be too fond of Miriam; I do really like her story arc, and I like watching her grow and change and mature because she simply has no choice but to do so, but I'm never a huge fan of the Troublesome Character That Everyone Nonetheless Loves Deeply For Reasons Of [Footage Not Found] trope, and she truly embodies it, and it frustrates me and makes me less inclined to like her up until the very end. (And finally, I don't really think this is a flaw because I totally understand why we don't spend more time on this in text, but I am SO FUCKING CURIOUS about Jossis's backstory and the world outside of Samaria in this universe !!! WHY DID WE NEVER GET A SPINOFF, SHARON, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO FUCKING COOL.) So -- while this is a book I really love, and always look forward to coming back to, there are definitely strong elements that make it a very soft four stars, close to if not quite tied with Archangel for my second least favorite Samaria book.
October 19, 2019
I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to. Since Susannah and Gaaron’s story is briefly mentioned in Archangel, I was looking forward to getting the details to this centuries old gossip. But what I got instead was a lackluster romance and a main plot that had a dull ending.
The romance felt stiff and I never felt like it actually took off. I found it difficult to believe that Susannah and Gaaron would both be so affected by the idea that the other party was indifferent. Very little of the plot it spent with the two of them connecting on a personal level.
But the world-building was where most of my disappointment came from. The one-dimensional view of the Jansai as a cruel, misogynistic, and greedy people really upset me. Especially since I feel the Jansai are being coded as the Samaria version of Muslims. I always feel it is cheap writing to generalize an entire population when writing new worlds. It’s one thing for the characters to tell us “all Jansai are greedy” but then to follow up with textual evidence that it’s not true and that the characters are biased. But no, Shinn has written off an entire group of her own making.
The story itself was so-so for me. I liked the idea that the same ancestral world that Samaria’s descendants cam from had reached through the ages and found them again. Given what I know from the initial trilogy, it was interesting for me to have that background knowledge while reading about the cosmic invaders in this book. Did these people leave their original world at the same time as Samaria’s group and instead of staying in one star system, spent their last 250 years colonizing multiple star systems? I think it could have been interesting if we’d gotten more information about this. Yet a lot of questions were left unanswered and the invaders were cleanly disposed of in the plot in a way that was unsatisfying.
Additionally, I was feeling uncomfortable with Shinn’s decisions in creating the invading culture. They are all dark-skinned and several Samarian characters take on a eugenics view that they are violent because it’s genetic. And given that dark-skinned people of color in real life have to live with the consequences of this stereotype (historically they’ve been sterilized against their will to prevent them from having children), I have to wonder at Shinn’s decision to make the invaders a homogeneous group of violent, dark-skinned men. Perhaps I’m reading too far into this, but it just made me uncomfortable.
Overall, the story itself and the romantic subplot were okay, but I didn’t find the of the characters to be compelling and when you pile on the prejudice depictions I finished this book with a dour feeling I couldn’t shake.
The romance felt stiff and I never felt like it actually took off. I found it difficult to believe that Susannah and Gaaron would both be so affected by the idea that the other party was indifferent. Very little of the plot it spent with the two of them connecting on a personal level.
But the world-building was where most of my disappointment came from. The one-dimensional view of the Jansai as a cruel, misogynistic, and greedy people really upset me. Especially since I feel the Jansai are being coded as the Samaria version of Muslims. I always feel it is cheap writing to generalize an entire population when writing new worlds. It’s one thing for the characters to tell us “all Jansai are greedy” but then to follow up with textual evidence that it’s not true and that the characters are biased. But no, Shinn has written off an entire group of her own making.
The story itself was so-so for me. I liked the idea that the same ancestral world that Samaria’s descendants cam from had reached through the ages and found them again. Given what I know from the initial trilogy, it was interesting for me to have that background knowledge while reading about the cosmic invaders in this book. Did these people leave their original world at the same time as Samaria’s group and instead of staying in one star system, spent their last 250 years colonizing multiple star systems? I think it could have been interesting if we’d gotten more information about this. Yet a lot of questions were left unanswered and the invaders were cleanly disposed of in the plot in a way that was unsatisfying.
Additionally, I was feeling uncomfortable with Shinn’s decisions in creating the invading culture. They are all dark-skinned and several Samarian characters take on a eugenics view that they are violent because it’s genetic. And given that dark-skinned people of color in real life have to live with the consequences of this stereotype (historically they’ve been sterilized against their will to prevent them from having children), I have to wonder at Shinn’s decision to make the invaders a homogeneous group of violent, dark-skinned men. Perhaps I’m reading too far into this, but it just made me uncomfortable.
Overall, the story itself and the romantic subplot were okay, but I didn’t find the of the characters to be compelling and when you pile on the prejudice depictions I finished this book with a dour feeling I couldn’t shake.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2012
This one was cool. The mysterious invaders are a great way to up the ante from the traditional variety of Samaria plot. I like Susannah and Gaaron (except for his name) and that they're a little more grounded than, say, Rachel and Gabriel or Rebekah and Obadiah or Elizabeth. And they're a good grounding for a flighty, emotional cast of supporting characters too, which characters I nonetheless like and think are a strong backbone for the book. Miriam's evolution might actually be my favorite aspect of the entire book. I really appreciate Shinn's focus on developing Susannah's relationships with everyone in the Eyrie, and her longer exploration of what it's like to leave your lover and your home (at the same time!) and try to adapt to the foreign.
Even though Angelica takes place 150 years or so before the time of Rachel and Gabriel in Archangel, you definitely learn stuff about the world that you don't learn in Archangel (although it reveals nothing you don't pick up one book after Archangel in Jovah's Angel, which I'm about to review), and I definitely hold with Shinn's recommendation that if you're reading this series for the first time, you should read them in the order she wrote them: Archangel, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files (which in my opinion function as a trilogy even though they have no overlap of living characters), then Angelica and Angel-Seeker.
The weakness in this book is the hasty resolution of Susannah and Gaaron's relationship after the more exciting (and, in the second half of the book, dominant) plotline about the invaders concludes. It worked in Archangel, because it felt a little slower and a little more emotionally true. In Angelica it feels rushed, and I don't totally buy Susannah's hardline stance. In fact, it sort of feels as if she manipulates Gaaron into telling her he loves her (not a spoiler, because you know it's going to happen all along; the Samaria books bear - in a good way - some of the tropes of a more traditional romance novel), and so their resolution just doesn't feel real or earned.
But that's a small quibble; I really enjoyed most of the book.
Even though Angelica takes place 150 years or so before the time of Rachel and Gabriel in Archangel, you definitely learn stuff about the world that you don't learn in Archangel (although it reveals nothing you don't pick up one book after Archangel in Jovah's Angel, which I'm about to review), and I definitely hold with Shinn's recommendation that if you're reading this series for the first time, you should read them in the order she wrote them: Archangel, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files (which in my opinion function as a trilogy even though they have no overlap of living characters), then Angelica and Angel-Seeker.
The weakness in this book is the hasty resolution of Susannah and Gaaron's relationship after the more exciting (and, in the second half of the book, dominant) plotline about the invaders concludes. It worked in Archangel, because it felt a little slower and a little more emotionally true. In Angelica it feels rushed, and I don't totally buy Susannah's hardline stance. In fact, it sort of feels as if she manipulates Gaaron into telling her he loves her (not a spoiler, because you know it's going to happen all along; the Samaria books bear - in a good way - some of the tropes of a more traditional romance novel), and so their resolution just doesn't feel real or earned.
But that's a small quibble; I really enjoyed most of the book.
January 17, 2015
Two hundred years ago, the god Jovah created a legion of land-dwelling angels, led by an appointed Archangel. Now, Jovah has a new appointee: Archangel Gaaron. For his life-mate, his Angelica, Jovah has chosen a woman named Susannah. Slowly, an unspoken affection develops between the two. But there is a terrible threat besetting the land--and the true hearts of Archangel and Angelica may never be known. (cover blurb)
In Samaria angels and mortals share a peaceful world. Guided from on high by a watchful, interactive presence, different tribes live in cities and aeries, or wander the plains by the river Galilee. One wanderer is Susannah, an Edori who loves every aspect of her life and clan, including her lover, Dathan. But when she discovers Dathan's unfaithfulness on the same evening that archangel-to-be Gaaron announces that the god has elected Susannah to be Gaaron's Angelica--his bride--she packs her bags, brokenhearted, and departs to Gaaron's aerie to discover the heart of the reserved but powerful angel leader. She befriends Gaaron's flighty sister Miriam, unknowingly providing means of escape when Miriam does something from whose consequences Garron can't protect her. Meanwhile, Samaria is mysteriously threatened by powerfully armed figures who vanish at will, leaving charred farms in their wake. (Booklist blurb)
Meh. I think the first three novels were much better. Oh, it's not a bad story. It just feels like a rehash...not much new ground here.
In Samaria angels and mortals share a peaceful world. Guided from on high by a watchful, interactive presence, different tribes live in cities and aeries, or wander the plains by the river Galilee. One wanderer is Susannah, an Edori who loves every aspect of her life and clan, including her lover, Dathan. But when she discovers Dathan's unfaithfulness on the same evening that archangel-to-be Gaaron announces that the god has elected Susannah to be Gaaron's Angelica--his bride--she packs her bags, brokenhearted, and departs to Gaaron's aerie to discover the heart of the reserved but powerful angel leader. She befriends Gaaron's flighty sister Miriam, unknowingly providing means of escape when Miriam does something from whose consequences Garron can't protect her. Meanwhile, Samaria is mysteriously threatened by powerfully armed figures who vanish at will, leaving charred farms in their wake. (Booklist blurb)
Meh. I think the first three novels were much better. Oh, it's not a bad story. It just feels like a rehash...not much new ground here.
March 27, 2017
Sharon Shinn you're amazing! I love this story. I love everything about it. Each character had such a distinct personality, and felt so real to me, that I wished they were my friends. Shinn has such instinct with relationships. Her talent to write about human nature moves me. I feel as if she has her own special magnifying glass, peering into the core of our souls, allowing her to write stories that warm our hearts. I read Angelica at a difficult time in my life, and had I not had this uplifting story to read, it would have been a dark time indeed.
The entire book played out before me like a movie, with every detail in perfect clarity. I felt the sand in my toes and felt the fierce wind of the angel hold. The imagery was amazing, and as always I was awed by the culture Shinn created. A philosophy and religion entwined so deeply with music that it cannot be separated one from the other. I fell in love with the Endori tribes and their way of life. A love story if there ever was one, but it was so much more…
The entire book played out before me like a movie, with every detail in perfect clarity. I felt the sand in my toes and felt the fierce wind of the angel hold. The imagery was amazing, and as always I was awed by the culture Shinn created. A philosophy and religion entwined so deeply with music that it cannot be separated one from the other. I fell in love with the Endori tribes and their way of life. A love story if there ever was one, but it was so much more…
August 9, 2011
If I was going to re-read this series I would start with Archangel then read Angel-Seeker,then Angelica then Jovah's Angels,The Alleluia Files. I like things to have order and this isn't even the time order but if you read Angelica first it gives too much away but in a time line it happens first.I liked this book better than others in the series. I have gotten wrapped up in this world and love it. Sad it is over but I know there are short stories of Samaria out there.I liked learning more about the Edori and loved Susanna and how loving a kind she was. This book has some violence and the world promotes permisquity (sp) and there is a little nudity but nothing explicit.
January 28, 2013
This is the fourth book in the Samaria series and it doesn't disappoint. You know what they're about. This is just another one and it's wonderful. If you didn't like fantasy, you wouldn't be reading this review. This is fantasy at its best. Just read the book.
October 4, 2017
It was fun to re-read this because I remember enjoying it previously but had completely forgotten the plot.
July 22, 2016
I originally meant to write a review with no spoilers so that it may actually be useful, but after seeing the length I lost confidence and hit the button before submitting. I tried not to have any, I believe I succeeded, but just in case I will hit it since there may contain some spoilers for her previous books.
I'm very bias too like this series. I found the first book Archangel, at my local library when I was a child expecting a story about magic and fiery swords, yet was completely immersed in this fantasy world within the first few chapters, despite it being nothing what I expected. I begged my mother to buy me a copy and devoured it (I didn't really know how libraries worked at the time, I suppose my mother didn't either since I own a copy of Archangel)
Years later I learned this was actually a trilogy, bought the next two books and was blown away by the twist (though it realize this is a rare experience, from the reviews I've seen about the book), and decided this would be a beloved series to me for the rest of my life, despite knowing deep down that it had plenty of flaws.
Recently I learned there were to further books, but rightfully, I assumed them to be more of a spinoff type of story rather than advancing the story of Samaria and its people, the whole purpose of the first 3 books. I read the summaries and picked up this book first not for chronology or order of writing, but simply because the second story took place directly after archangel (my favorite in both story and characters), and so I saved the best for last, picked up Angelica, and read it in one sitting. So at the very least, while I was on the journey, I couldn't wait to see what happens next.
If you are still reading, I'll start my review now (sorry).
I went in without much expectation, only a guess as to what the author would attempt, a kind of story that can only be told where readers are familiar with her world and all its secrets but the characters were not. I concede she delivered on this pretty well.
As for the story itself, I see two major plots, the Miriam story and the Susannah/Garron story, with the invaders being the device that pushes them forward.
The Susannah story is boring, in fact maybe I shouldn't consider it the main plot since it takes a back seat to literally everything else that happens. Susannah is a more passive and accepting Rachel which to me was boring, and Garron is a less arrogant and more open minded and forgiving Gabriel, which also struck me as boring. I really didn't understand these personality choices since it leaves little room for conflict which I feel is key to developing relationships, especially when there's is so much else going on in their world. Eventually a rift does form between them as a result of Garron acting completely childish and out of character, and the solution is equally sudden and unbelievable.
I found myself asking why she had not gone with the original version of the story. Now I didn't remember this until someone mentioned it to me, but the Susannah story was referenced in Archangel. In that version, Susannah is taken against her will, despite already having a romantic partner and it's told as the reasoning behind the Edori not dedicating their children with the kiss of God (thereby making them ineligible to be Angelica). I won't chastise her for changing the story slightly, since she had demonstrated in previous books that history records can be wrong, I simply ask why? The idea of Angels that were NOT overflowing with positive qualities but not a complete villain had always intrigued me. They do touch upon this (to my delight) in the story with the whole minor plot point of bullying between the young Angels and mortals, but having one as a main character could be interesting. Much more interesting than a Gabriel clone minus the negative personality traits in my opinion.
The Miriam story is much more interesting, since it incorporates the main threat of the story a lot more. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of Miriam herself, but that's more personal bias of expecting much more from her. Ironically what I desired was for her to be much more unlikable. She's essentially a rebellious teenager born to a rich family ( I know she's 20), and maybe this was a result of not wanting the readers to hate her, but I felt her back story warranted her a little more disfunction. Being the mortal little sister to the already beloved leader and soon to be archangel coupled with how much her father resented this fact, I would have forgiven her for much worse. Of course that one episode she caused was pretty od, but it was still just one in a sea of relatively reasonable episodes. I actually blame Garron for this as well, since his limitless nobility and rationality makes it impossible for Miriam to resent her brother.
As for the aspect of the story that can only be told if the readers have already read her other books, I still found it lacking. She definitely fulfilled that requirement, but there wasn't really any reasoning behind it like why did the God have to give this task to this particular character?
The invaders was by far the most enjoyable aspect of the story, which sort of betrays what I expect from Sharon Shinn's stories which is a interesting romance set to a back drop of calamitous events. Still I felt the clash of cultures thought provoking and The character I found most interesting and likable was one of these invaders.
Ultimately I'll say that if you are already versed with Samaria, there no reason not to read this. It has plenty of strong points (though I admit I didn't cover many) and for me, it was entertaining enough to make me not want to put it down until the story concluded. The language and writing are consistent with her other books and her depiction of music is still my favorite part of her language. The glaring flaw is that it seems like there's too much going on for one story, and I felt a lot of stuff could have been cut.
I was also disappointed to find she was consistent with the change she made in her third book, of having three narrators. I have no idea why, since I felt strongly that her third book suffered significantly from this (seriously why do I care about Lucinda), but I suppose others may praise it for having a broader view of the story. I'm also aware none of the characters actually do any narration but you get what I mean.
That's basically the review but here's a tangent for those that care, oh and there's a ton of spoilers for her first 3 books in this next section. Also I may use this next part to open my review of Angel-seeker since it seems relevant, and I definitely plan to review that as well in the near future.
I read a one star review in one of her other books, which I don't think she deserved, but I found my self agreeing completely with one of the reviewers statements. They said that they found themselves harboring animosity towards the Edori and sympathy for the Jansai after having their respective nobility and villany shoved down their throat by the author. Being a person that immersed themselves in the Fantasy world of Samaria, I have to agree.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't feel the need to get worked up over modern day taboos like stereotyping and racism, in fact one of the allures of the fantasy genre for me is having groups of people who are more or less unanimous in following the beliefs of their culture and creating a stark contrast between people (or non people) living in the same world. But I feel fantasy authors shouldn't ever be obvious about which one of their creations they favor the most, they should be treated equally. There should be Jansai that are sympathetic to other cultures and Edori that have abandoned their generous ways due to years of persecution. It would make the world and its people much more believable, and in my opinion enrich the stories. I love the diversity of culture but I feel more hints of individual diversity could have been included without taking away from the culture.
So needless to say I was delighted to see the Jansai NOT turn out to be the villains this time. Ok the Edori still gets the archangel (that makes 4 in a row), and the Jansai are in no way represented in a positive light but it still felt like a small victory and made me like the story more.
I'm very bias too like this series. I found the first book Archangel, at my local library when I was a child expecting a story about magic and fiery swords, yet was completely immersed in this fantasy world within the first few chapters, despite it being nothing what I expected. I begged my mother to buy me a copy and devoured it (I didn't really know how libraries worked at the time, I suppose my mother didn't either since I own a copy of Archangel)
Years later I learned this was actually a trilogy, bought the next two books and was blown away by the twist (though it realize this is a rare experience, from the reviews I've seen about the book), and decided this would be a beloved series to me for the rest of my life, despite knowing deep down that it had plenty of flaws.
Recently I learned there were to further books, but rightfully, I assumed them to be more of a spinoff type of story rather than advancing the story of Samaria and its people, the whole purpose of the first 3 books. I read the summaries and picked up this book first not for chronology or order of writing, but simply because the second story took place directly after archangel (my favorite in both story and characters), and so I saved the best for last, picked up Angelica, and read it in one sitting. So at the very least, while I was on the journey, I couldn't wait to see what happens next.
If you are still reading, I'll start my review now (sorry).
I went in without much expectation, only a guess as to what the author would attempt, a kind of story that can only be told where readers are familiar with her world and all its secrets but the characters were not. I concede she delivered on this pretty well.
As for the story itself, I see two major plots, the Miriam story and the Susannah/Garron story, with the invaders being the device that pushes them forward.
The Susannah story is boring, in fact maybe I shouldn't consider it the main plot since it takes a back seat to literally everything else that happens. Susannah is a more passive and accepting Rachel which to me was boring, and Garron is a less arrogant and more open minded and forgiving Gabriel, which also struck me as boring. I really didn't understand these personality choices since it leaves little room for conflict which I feel is key to developing relationships, especially when there's is so much else going on in their world. Eventually a rift does form between them as a result of Garron acting completely childish and out of character, and the solution is equally sudden and unbelievable.
I found myself asking why she had not gone with the original version of the story. Now I didn't remember this until someone mentioned it to me, but the Susannah story was referenced in Archangel. In that version, Susannah is taken against her will, despite already having a romantic partner and it's told as the reasoning behind the Edori not dedicating their children with the kiss of God (thereby making them ineligible to be Angelica). I won't chastise her for changing the story slightly, since she had demonstrated in previous books that history records can be wrong, I simply ask why? The idea of Angels that were NOT overflowing with positive qualities but not a complete villain had always intrigued me. They do touch upon this (to my delight) in the story with the whole minor plot point of bullying between the young Angels and mortals, but having one as a main character could be interesting. Much more interesting than a Gabriel clone minus the negative personality traits in my opinion.
The Miriam story is much more interesting, since it incorporates the main threat of the story a lot more. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of Miriam herself, but that's more personal bias of expecting much more from her. Ironically what I desired was for her to be much more unlikable. She's essentially a rebellious teenager born to a rich family ( I know she's 20), and maybe this was a result of not wanting the readers to hate her, but I felt her back story warranted her a little more disfunction. Being the mortal little sister to the already beloved leader and soon to be archangel coupled with how much her father resented this fact, I would have forgiven her for much worse. Of course that one episode she caused was pretty od, but it was still just one in a sea of relatively reasonable episodes. I actually blame Garron for this as well, since his limitless nobility and rationality makes it impossible for Miriam to resent her brother.
As for the aspect of the story that can only be told if the readers have already read her other books, I still found it lacking. She definitely fulfilled that requirement, but there wasn't really any reasoning behind it like why did the God have to give this task to this particular character?
The invaders was by far the most enjoyable aspect of the story, which sort of betrays what I expect from Sharon Shinn's stories which is a interesting romance set to a back drop of calamitous events. Still I felt the clash of cultures thought provoking and The character I found most interesting and likable was one of these invaders.
Ultimately I'll say that if you are already versed with Samaria, there no reason not to read this. It has plenty of strong points (though I admit I didn't cover many) and for me, it was entertaining enough to make me not want to put it down until the story concluded. The language and writing are consistent with her other books and her depiction of music is still my favorite part of her language. The glaring flaw is that it seems like there's too much going on for one story, and I felt a lot of stuff could have been cut.
I was also disappointed to find she was consistent with the change she made in her third book, of having three narrators. I have no idea why, since I felt strongly that her third book suffered significantly from this (seriously why do I care about Lucinda), but I suppose others may praise it for having a broader view of the story. I'm also aware none of the characters actually do any narration but you get what I mean.
That's basically the review but here's a tangent for those that care, oh and there's a ton of spoilers for her first 3 books in this next section. Also I may use this next part to open my review of Angel-seeker since it seems relevant, and I definitely plan to review that as well in the near future.
I read a one star review in one of her other books, which I don't think she deserved, but I found my self agreeing completely with one of the reviewers statements. They said that they found themselves harboring animosity towards the Edori and sympathy for the Jansai after having their respective nobility and villany shoved down their throat by the author. Being a person that immersed themselves in the Fantasy world of Samaria, I have to agree.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't feel the need to get worked up over modern day taboos like stereotyping and racism, in fact one of the allures of the fantasy genre for me is having groups of people who are more or less unanimous in following the beliefs of their culture and creating a stark contrast between people (or non people) living in the same world. But I feel fantasy authors shouldn't ever be obvious about which one of their creations they favor the most, they should be treated equally. There should be Jansai that are sympathetic to other cultures and Edori that have abandoned their generous ways due to years of persecution. It would make the world and its people much more believable, and in my opinion enrich the stories. I love the diversity of culture but I feel more hints of individual diversity could have been included without taking away from the culture.
So needless to say I was delighted to see the Jansai NOT turn out to be the villains this time. Ok the Edori still gets the archangel (that makes 4 in a row), and the Jansai are in no way represented in a positive light but it still felt like a small victory and made me like the story more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
Oh my goodness I am so frustrated with this but will read the final book, because I believe it finally has a Jansai main character? I am so frustrated by the racial essentialism here ("all Edori believe and do this; all Janai are violent") etc., with only, I GUESS angels escaping this? This book is worse I think for a few reasons I will put under a spoiler tag. However, the Jovah part remains cool and if only the science fiction had a little bit more rein, I might like it more. Also, I think I personally like Star Trek versions of the future where people can live together in relative peace and humanity has advanced enough to see and recognize the contributions of people different than each other. This is why the Samarian view of normal people vs Edori vs Jansai vs merchants vs angels is so annoying to me. Also I can tell the author generally believes early-risers are better than people who sleep in?? Why though? I do honestly like some of the growth Miriam goes through. I think as a survivor of childhood abuse she has a lot more to grow through, and the characters in the book aren't interested in really understanding why she is the way she is because of that. I actually liked that dynamic, and I wished an end-of-book look at Gaaron and Miriam's relationship and how it will be in the future was included, but as I mention under the spoiler tag, the author does not seem to want to include this for any relationships! Again... why, though? It is interesting to finally see what it is like to live among the Edori, which is something the series has not focused on previously. But why can't the two main characters spend more time actually together? Additionally, I have to say that the the gender politics are fairly irritating as well, but honestly less so than the egregious portrayal of different races. Last thing: why doesn't this book have a cast of characters like all the prior ones??
October 25, 2021
I was originally captivated by the anthology Nocture set in the same world and decided that I should read more by Sharon Shinn especially from the Samaria world. Her writing is captivating even though these books are not my usual cup of tea. They are heavy on the religious themes. It is very chaste paranormal romance but weirdly enough it is also considered as science fiction but from the 4 books I read this is the only one that remotely exhibits a clear science fiction plot line. In the overall timeline of the series Angelica is first but from a publishing point of view it is fourth. The books can be read independently and almost in any order. This is the story of Gaaron and Susannah, the Archangel-to-be and his Edori god selected bride facing random existential attacks by outsiders. I found their characters maybe too level headed, and although not prone to melodrama themselves they are surrounded by it. I enjoyed the book but not as much as Archangel where Gabriel and Rachel had a lot more sizzle to their relationship. I also found some of the plot a bit contrived. However, what I found to be brilliant is how this book successfully weaved religious dogma with science fiction in an unexpected way! *******spoiler alert****** so first what I didn’t like: It was a bit convenient that Susannah was at a romantic fork in the road when Gaaron finds her. Also the Miriam-Edori-Jossis plot line is quite unbelievable. I don’t care how foolish, stubborn and contrarian she gets but I will never buy her joining the Edori! A pampered princess?! Because only a foolish character like hers can convince us of her championing and loving Jossis? And why wasn’t she killed when she first encountered one of the marauders? And my final complaint is about those marauders. They sure took their sweet time with the attacks. What was the plan exactly?! Reveal all their weaknesses instead of using the element of surprise to dominate??! What I did like: the most brilliant explanation for why god let’s bad things happen! Because he is not really there, he can interfere remotely via machines and therefore has limited reach. He is both limitless and limited! It explains the angel prayers high up in the atmosphere, the oracles with the interfaces, the Kiss, the Gloria, the thunderbolts and the pill showers! It explains everything from the prism of depending on remote sensing/sensors! It is brilliant!
December 5, 2018
This might be the best of the Samaria series! It's a prequel, set a mere 240 years after the settlement of Samaria by humans. And it's interesting to see the peoples of Samaria actually in harmony with one another. In the timeframe of the books set in later times, some group is always being oppressed, and the Archangel prior to the Archangel-elect is evil or crippled. And of course, the you-know-what secret has been lost or suppressed in the later books. This book has no terrestrial villain. Crazy stuff.
No terrestrial villain amongst these Samarians who are getting along reasonably well together, yes... but there's a far more technologically advanced group of humans who want to settle Samaria for themselves, and they're beaming down from above to destroy campsites and farms. What can the peoples of Samaria, whose recent ancestors made the decision to abandon advanced technology because of how destructive it was, do against these invaders?
Meanwhile, there is of course a romance. It wouldn't be a Samaria book without one. The marriage between an angel and an Edori woman was briefly referenced in previous books, and it's clear that Sharon Shinn has carefully written Susannah as a character very, very different to Rachel, despite the superficial similarity of their cultural backgrounds and marital circumstances. It's admirably and successfully done. Susannah is as stubborn in her own way as Rachel is in hers, but she is calm where Rachel is tempestuous, and the two deal with their sudden transplantation to the Eyrie in completely different ways.
I highly recommend ANGELICA. With the advice that one will only get the full benefit of it having read ARCHANGEL and at least one of the two books that follow ARCHANGEL chronologically, being JOVAH'S ANGEL and THE ALLELUIA FILES.
No terrestrial villain amongst these Samarians who are getting along reasonably well together, yes... but there's a far more technologically advanced group of humans who want to settle Samaria for themselves, and they're beaming down from above to destroy campsites and farms. What can the peoples of Samaria, whose recent ancestors made the decision to abandon advanced technology because of how destructive it was, do against these invaders?
Meanwhile, there is of course a romance. It wouldn't be a Samaria book without one. The marriage between an angel and an Edori woman was briefly referenced in previous books, and it's clear that Sharon Shinn has carefully written Susannah as a character very, very different to Rachel, despite the superficial similarity of their cultural backgrounds and marital circumstances. It's admirably and successfully done. Susannah is as stubborn in her own way as Rachel is in hers, but she is calm where Rachel is tempestuous, and the two deal with their sudden transplantation to the Eyrie in completely different ways.
I highly recommend ANGELICA. With the advice that one will only get the full benefit of it having read ARCHANGEL and at least one of the two books that follow ARCHANGEL chronologically, being JOVAH'S ANGEL and THE ALLELUIA FILES.
September 11, 2022
Grant me patience because Goodreads ate my review and I need to try writing it again.
I was charmed by Susannah and Gaaron's slow burn romance. While I wish they were able to spend more time together, the time they did get added just a little more tension. I also appreciated that for the first half of the book, Susannah's feelings follow the Pride and Prejudice pathway of falling for Gaaron as she sees him through the eyes of all who love him.
Miriam was painful to get through. I didn't care a lick for her romance or plot points. Why is the least likable character afforded a love scene? It was hard to buy her character arc.
It also loses a star for me because it ended so abruptly. We spend a lot of the book putting off and then planning a wedding, deciding on what song to adapt to sing as a duet at the Gloria, building a romance between our two pragmatic protagonists...and we don't get the payoff of luxuriating in the culmination of all that work.
The flirtatious seduction of the duet Susannah and Gaaron have on the plateau was sweet and marvelous and I really wanted MORE OF THAT. And to see her come into her role as Angelica.
I loved Gaaron as a gentle, steady giant. So different from most romantic interests. The least romantic and the most "boring" but Susannah sees all of his good qualities and that made me happy.
I will say, Shinn's depictions of the invaders was incredibly uncomfortable. LIKE WHY. She HAD to make them black and constantly refer to them as "the black men"? YIKES. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER DESCRIPTORS TO USE. It's problematic and difficult to get through.
But worth it for more Samaria and Susannah and Gaaron. I just love me some angels.
I was charmed by Susannah and Gaaron's slow burn romance. While I wish they were able to spend more time together, the time they did get added just a little more tension. I also appreciated that for the first half of the book, Susannah's feelings follow the Pride and Prejudice pathway of falling for Gaaron as she sees him through the eyes of all who love him.
Miriam was painful to get through. I didn't care a lick for her romance or plot points. Why is the least likable character afforded a love scene? It was hard to buy her character arc.
It also loses a star for me because it ended so abruptly. We spend a lot of the book putting off and then planning a wedding, deciding on what song to adapt to sing as a duet at the Gloria, building a romance between our two pragmatic protagonists...and we don't get the payoff of luxuriating in the culmination of all that work.
The flirtatious seduction of the duet Susannah and Gaaron have on the plateau was sweet and marvelous and I really wanted MORE OF THAT. And to see her come into her role as Angelica.
I loved Gaaron as a gentle, steady giant. So different from most romantic interests. The least romantic and the most "boring" but Susannah sees all of his good qualities and that made me happy.
I will say, Shinn's depictions of the invaders was incredibly uncomfortable. LIKE WHY. She HAD to make them black and constantly refer to them as "the black men"? YIKES. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER DESCRIPTORS TO USE. It's problematic and difficult to get through.
But worth it for more Samaria and Susannah and Gaaron. I just love me some angels.
May 4, 2021
Since I decided to read the Samaria books in the chronological order that was listed on Goodreads, this was my first book of the series.
I found the world a little bit hard to grasp--it's a sci-fi heavily masked as fantasy.
Is it is mostly a fantasy, as the 'big sci-fi picture' is very much hidden behind the colorful and very well-written characters and their lives.
I'm still not quite sure if this is supposed to set on pre-historic Earth, or somewhere far in the future on another planet. I suppose it could be either and it wouldn't really matter.
It's only my second book by Sharon Shinn, but they both shared some qualities that are very important to me: thoughtful, reasonable, and smart characters; absence of cheap and overblown angst and drama; a story that is just complicated enough, but not overcomplicated and overstretch across too many protagonists.
I suppose I did kind of wish we could spend more focus on Susannah and Gaaron, or more importantly on Susannah and Gaaron together.
And I'm a little scared of where these series will go
But this is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.
I found the world a little bit hard to grasp--it's a sci-fi heavily masked as fantasy.
Is it is mostly a fantasy, as the 'big sci-fi picture' is very much hidden behind the colorful and very well-written characters and their lives.
I'm still not quite sure if this is supposed to set on pre-historic Earth, or somewhere far in the future on another planet. I suppose it could be either and it wouldn't really matter.
It's only my second book by Sharon Shinn, but they both shared some qualities that are very important to me: thoughtful, reasonable, and smart characters; absence of cheap and overblown angst and drama; a story that is just complicated enough, but not overcomplicated and overstretch across too many protagonists.
I suppose I did kind of wish we could spend more focus on Susannah and Gaaron, or more importantly on Susannah and Gaaron together.
And I'm a little scared of where these series will go
But this is definitely one of the best books I've read this year.
August 16, 2019
Book four was a throwback to the early days of Samaria—Gaaron and Susanna. There were several parts of the story that connected dots to the other books and were neat “ahhh” moments, as if Shinn had been thinking about this during book one. But other parts of the story were just so out there! For example we know from book 1 that Edori are not super fond of Angels because of Susanna’s story... yet I was so confused why THAT was the rumor being passed down through generations when there was a heck of a lot more to gossip about after what unfolded in this book. Gaaron was an interesting stoic character that seemed to be lacking any passion and he fully admits he has no concept of how to interact with women. Susanna was very emotionally intelligent, so while I didn’t always understand her choices, she seemed wise. That said, there was a whole middle section of this book that was very descriptive and completely unnecessary and I was speed reading just to get back to relevant story.
November 14, 2018
In Samaria's past, strange and deadly attacks by outsiders occur just before the appointment of a new Archangel. I'm ashamed of myself for not anticipating the worldbuilding which occurs here--it's a logical choice, and suits a prequel since it expands the worldbuilding but doesn't progress reveals in the overarching plot. The romance takes a backseat, both to that element and to the secondary character of Miriam, whose impetuous personality and strong character arc are significantly more interesting than the tiresome poor communication of the central couple. I keep coming back to this series for the combination of interesting backdrop and engaging--if limited, tropey, and heteronormative--character dynamics; this has the same format but reshuffles its elements, and while that makes it less compulsively readable, it's also a productive change.
August 5, 2020
Archangel to-be Gaaron reminded me a bit of Gabriel from the first book, though Susannah was a much gentler, reasonable girl than Rachel from the first book. However that caused its own problems - a lack of tension between the Gaaron and Susannah, and a lack of any real time with them together. Fortunately Miriam's story made up for the lack. I liked seeing her get sent off to a "work camp" as punishment for her irresponsible act that ended up costing a life. Ironically, when she runs away from her duty, she ends up in an even more difficult work camp - and Edori camp - where, surprisingly, she rallies and begins to grow out of her self-centeredness. Shinn's strength is definitely in writing headstrong female characters who eventually learn from their mistakes. Josis, the injured captive, was another enjoyable part of the story.
July 25, 2022
Prequel to the original trilogy. Set 200 years after the landing. The second book of Shinn's I read after one of the 12 Houses novels. I liked this and found it interesting. As with the 12 Houses series, there was a huge focus on a group of like-minded characters (though nowhere near as much as in the 12 houses series). There were lots of groups in this one, lots of nice and interesting characters. Interesting societies and - angels! Again, I didn't find the central romance that gripping, but I did enjoy the one between Gaaron's sister, Muriel, and the black red-headed alien, Jossis. Quite a likeable story. After reading, I really wanted to read the rest of these, but when I tried a later one, I think it was called Angel-Seeker, but I didn't like the characters or the setting and found it dull.
March 10, 2024
A step up from The Alleluia Files, the fourth Samaria book still drags through the first half (or even three-quarters). I appreciated the relationship between Susannah and Gaaron for its maturity; here is none of the hysterical emotion of Rachel and Gabriel, only two adults who are confused and unsatisfied and bad at communicating. Yet even this goes off the rails at the end, veering abruptly and nonsensically into the same control vs. irrationality dynamic that made Gabriel and Rachel so compelling but also a bit cringe. Its sudden reappearance here feels repetitive and stale. On the other hand, Gaaron's sister Miriam is nearly unbearable at the beginning of the story, but her redemption arc is, if somewhat uninspired, still satisfying, and the only part of the book that really thrilled me was watching the relationship unfold between her and the mysterious Jossis.
October 16, 2020
Sometimes when I am invested in a series - I follow through even though it’s a bad idea. This is one of those series where it should have ended at book three. I am not sure what the point of this book was - it wasn’t the S/F Fantasy cross of the earlier three books and neither was it a credible romance. The relationship between the protagonists was pretty much non-existent and as some other reviewers pointed out, they hardly met in the book at all! Frankly this book is just an indulgence on the author’s part to write more about the world.
August 13, 2017
I wish I could read this series again. The library had it in a town I lived in years ago, but I have never found it available since I moved away. I remember enjoying the books greatly but just can't remember whether I loved them or liked them a great deal. I do know that the series by Shinn, Mystic and Rider, captivated me even more than this one, so I will give it a four star. I still hope I have the chance to read it again...
June 11, 2020
Not my favorite of the Samaria books. The romance between Susannah and Gaaron is the kind of drama that could be easily avoided by just having a couple of conversations, and while there are a variety of tribes and ethnic groups on Samaria, they’re all depicted in somewhat one-dimensional ways. The most interesting theme the book brings up - how to defend yourself when weaponry would compromise everything you value - is sort of forgotten, then deus-ex-machina’d away.
May 30, 2021
I'm addicted to this universe the way I used to be addicted to pints of Cherry Garcia. I'm not proud.
If you like McCafferyesque Romac-sifi, you'll find you like this too. The world is well rendered and consistent, the characters are deeply enough drawn to be believable but sketchy enough that you can imagine yourself as them. True love lurks in every installment. What more could a girl ask for on a lonely Tuesday night?
If you like McCafferyesque Romac-sifi, you'll find you like this too. The world is well rendered and consistent, the characters are deeply enough drawn to be believable but sketchy enough that you can imagine yourself as them. True love lurks in every installment. What more could a girl ask for on a lonely Tuesday night?
September 18, 2020
I could not believe that I hadn’t read this book before, considering I’ve read 3 of the Samaria books multiple times over the last 12 years! Not sure how I missed it. So in that regard, it was such a treasure to read a new-to-me book in this series. But honestly, I was really dissatisfied with the end, for a number of reasons.
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