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...

Samaria SeriesIf 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 repetiti...

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 bes...

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 motivat...

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 d...

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 b...

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

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 aspe...

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

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...

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

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.

It was fun to re-read this because I remember enjoying it previously but had completely forgotten the plot.

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...

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...

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. Cra...

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 suppos...

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

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 intere...

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

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

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...

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.

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?

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.

The main romance was so much like the one in Archangel that that part of the story was a total snoozefest. The side plot with Miriam and the Edori was much, much more interesting and the basis for any stars given.

Moved slower than others in the series. Ending was seriously rushed.

*4.5 stars*

I am currently adding these old favorites to my digital library. I just finished revisiting this for the umpteeth time. Love this series.

It is so rare, to find a character in which I see myself.