Angelica (Samaria, Book 4)

Fans of Sharon Shinn will welcome her return to the planet Samaria, with a new fantasy of an archangel who has chosen a nomadic tribal woman to be his mate. Susannah bows to God's will, but a slow affection grows between mortal and near-mortal, and when a threat to their world introduces new dangers to her, it's up to Archangel and Angelica to work together to rescue their people. Strong characterization keeps this fantasy fast-paced.

I just finished Angelica, and I'm sad! I was so thrilled about another Sameria book, I consider the trilogy to be my favorite books ever. It was so wonderful to be immersed in this amazing world again, and now it's over!Samaria just feels like an old friend. Reading about the people, the cities, the angels again was so comforting. I absolutely adore the world Sharon Shinn has created. I think I would be happy with a thousand more tales of Samaria. By the way, I'm with the reviewer who said they had hoped for a book about Hagar. That would be an excellent fifth book! (Wishful thinking!)Now, normally, I don't go for prequels. I don't like the kitschiness of it. I hate that we're supposed to go, "Oh but they don't even know what's going to happen in a few years." To me, it's slightly insulting. I feel like a pawn, and I hate it. But Angelica isn't like that in the slightest. There are very few allusions to events that are going to occur in two hundred years, and I appreciate that. This is simply a tale set on the same world, just at a different time. I loved that Mahalah is free to give her speeches about how the Samarians are forgetting who they are and where they came from.My one and only problem is this: (and when I think about it, I have this problem with all of the books) the ending of the love story was very unsatisfying to me. She did the same thing in Archangel. I want MORE. She really seems to shy away from the physical, and I don't like that. I think she's really not giving us what we want, which is (not necessarily sex) but a more concrete form of intimacy than we're given. To me, she seems really hung up on these Jerry Maguire "you complete me" moments, and that just doesn't work when you end the book right there, you know?When all is said and done, I loved every moment of reading this book. I loved the descriptions of Edori life the most, I think. Miriam's story, in my mind, was far more satisfying than Gaaron and Susannah's. Another great installment. I hope there will be more!

Return to the planet Samaria, where a secretive god watches over the land, where winged angels sing prayers to control the weather, and where opposites meet and find true love...Once again, the talented Ms. Shinn had created one of her fascinating melanges of fine world-building, music, and excellent characterization. ANGELICA takes place only a few hundred years after the founding of Samaria by interstellar colonists fleeing seeking peace and harmony, and at first glance, the plot may seem to echo that of ARCHANGEL, Shinn's first book in this series: Susannah, a woman of the wandering Edori tribes, has been selected by the overseeing "god" to marry Gaaron, the archangel-to-be. But as the story takes place much earlier in the history of the culture, and with mysterious violent invaders threatening lives and stability, the fascination with these people and this planet is woven anew, and differently, and engagingly. What is not different is Shinn's marvellous ability to evoke the glories of song, whether in formal prayers in an angel hold, or around an Edori campfire, along with her talent for creating the most memorable of characters and a truly unique socio-cultural matrix. Shinn is one of my favorite writers working today, and as I applaud her for this novel, I am impatiently awaiting the next.

... Sharon Shinn is always on my must-buy list, and another Samaria book immediately catapults her at the top of my list. I found that ANGELICA was a satisfying return to a very rich and engrossing setting, and I read it in record time.For those of you not familiar with the setting, Samaria is a world settled by the remnants of a religious colony, led by a host of angels that protect the common people. Shinn's stories deal with love and discovery of the world around them and their past as two common themes, and I truly love the way she handles things. Characters are definitely her strongpoint, and she's able to immediately make you feel for them at the very beginning of the book. Her prose is magnificent as well, and she's apt at making you truly feel you are *IN* the story.ANGELICA follows the story of three people: Susannah, an Edori woman; Gaaron, the steadfast angel destined to be the next Archangel, and his hellion of a sister, Miriam. This storyline was hinted at in the pages of ARCHANGEL, and those wanting more of a taste of the Edori of Samaria will find this book a wonderful read. The Edori really play more of a role than the angels do, so those purely interested in the romance/angels aspect might be a bit disappointed if expecting it to be a clone of Archangel. The storyline follows Susannah the most, though the entire story is not romance-based like ARCHANGEL. Rather, we are thrown into the turmoil of the year just before Gaaron is to ascend to power, when strange visitors are attacking the peaceful people of Samaria, and they must decide what to do with the new, frightening threat. Shinn's storyline truly surprised me, and I found it very interesting. She always makes me wonder what she is doing next, and I find that delightful in an author.I would not recommend this as a starting point for the series--go out and buy ARCHANGEL instead. After you've read the first trilogy, this will be a satisfying return to the world that Shinn has so masterfully created. If you start out reading this book without the tidbits from the others, you will miss some of the better hints of the story that Shinn never explains fully, expecting you, the reader, to be a returning friend to the setting. The details of Samaria are subtle in this book, and first-time readers of the series will miss all the parts that made me smile with happiness.Bottom line: A wonderful read. The ending is a bit abrupt, but still satisfies. If you're looking to start the series, skip this and go onto ARCHANGEL instead. If you're looking to pick up an easy, wonderfully told read, please pick up Angelica. Truly worth the hardcover price (something you cannot say about a lot of books nowdays).

On the world of Samaria, the angels live among mankind and mate with mortals whose children can be either angel or mortal. They sing in prayer to their god Jovah and they have power to change the weather or rain down medicine for the sick. The Archangel who in a few months will be Gaaron guides all the angels. He goes to the oracle to request she ask the god who his bride should be and she tells him it is Susannah, an Edori woman.Susannah loves the roaming life of the nomadic Edori and she is understandably shocked when Gaaron sweeps down in the middle of the clan and tells her their God expects her to marry him. She bows to Jovah's will and agrees to go to Gaaron's hold to be his wife. She struggles to acclimate to her new environment especially when the world is in a state of terror. Men from somewhere other than Samaria are randomly appearing and disappearing, leaving destruction in their wake. Gaaron is so concerned about the people that he ignores Susannah who is determined to force her angel to lean on her in times of trouble and learn to express what is in his heart.Fans of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series are going to love ANGELICA, the fourth novel that deals with the unique culture of Samaria. Readers will believe that this world where angels walk alongside mortals really exists because the author goes into minute detail about its social and cultural infrastructure. Sharon Shinn is a gifted storyteller who makes the readers believe Samaria exists outside of the creative imagination of the author.Harriet Klausner