Angel-Seeker

Samaria #5

by Sharon Shinn

The award-winning author returns to Samaria in this richly romantic tale that begins where Archangel left off. In that time, the women who craved the attention of angels were known as angel-seekers, a term used with awe by some--and scorn by others.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Angels, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adult

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

I’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.

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a somewhat disjointed romantic fantasy set after the events of Archangel.

There are two main plots. Each has interesting moments, but they're barely connected. That makes the jump back in time that Shinn often does when shifting between perspectives seem even more jarring than it usually is in this series.

One story is about a formerly wealthy young woman who wants to reclaim her earlier lifestyle by trying to bear an angel's child. The other is about an isolated Jansai whose chance encounter with an angel helps her realize how dissatisfied she is with her oppressive culture.

This book deals more with the Jansai than any of the previous ones, and I was looking forward to learning about their secretive lives. I hoped that they would end up being somewhat different from the way the other cultures view them, just as the angels and Edori aren't well understood by those who have had little contact with them.

Unfortunately there is no nuance to their portrayal, Shinn is determined to have them remain flat villains. All adult Jansai men are varying degrees of bad, and none have a problem with unthinkable brutality. One teenager shows compassion, but does so in a cowardly way that wouldn't have really helped without a stroke of luck. I hoped that the women would at least show some subtle forms of power and control in their own homes, but they're rigid, complacent, and casually abusive. One older woman was sympathetic, and several tried to finally take action at the end. But of course their attempts had to fail so that the helpless girl could be dramatically rescued.

A lot of my problems with the presentation of the Jansai could have been redeemed if they hadn't all been evil, weak, or ineffective. Even the heroine wasn't very admirable. She faced danger (one that she showed no signs of understanding) for love, but could not be motivated to really do anything for herself.

I kept hoping for the characters to come across a large-scale underground culture of subversive women, or a small mixed-gender group that smuggled "wayward" girls to safety. But instead, angels had to save the girl and scold the backwards culture. Everything came out okay thanks to a touch of luck and a strong-willed woman who was traveling with Edori (but not one of them).

Again.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five years ago I discovered the most awesome of awesome Sharon Shinn. I'd been walking past Archangel in the bookstore for ages at that point and passing it up every single time because of the cover. (Will I ever mend my cover snobbery ways??) I remember it was a recommendation by a very trusted Readerville friend that finally pushed me over the edge into buying a copy and giving it a shot. I didn't get past the first page--no, the first line--before falling irrevocably in love.

The angel Gabriel went to the oracle on Mount Sinai, looking for a wife.

The world . . . such a world she creates in that book! And, as I've told you many a time, she is no slouch in the character department either. Rachel and Gabriel are as beloved to me as any characters I've ever read. They're so real to me they transcend the barrier of between book and reader. At the time I had no idea it was actually the first book in a series--the Samaria series. Upon finding out, I immediately dashed to the bookstore and purchased books two and three and glommed my way through them as well, barely pausing to catch my breath despite the fact that hundreds of years passed in Samaria between each book. Then a fourth book--a prequel of sorts--was published and I had the pleasure of finding out what the world was like a couple of hundred years before Gabriel and Rachel walked it. And then I heard tell of a fifth book coming out. And when I heard when it took place and who the main character was, I knew it would rock my world. ANGEL-SEEKER follows a dear friend of Rachel's--an angel by the name of Obadiah who, for various reasons, was left a bit at loose ends at the close of Archangel. This fifth book was to be his story and, believe me, it is impossible not to love Obadiah. And his story lived up to every expectation I had. Published last of the lot, it often feels to me like some readers never quite make it to this installment and that is such a shame because it is top notch stuff and my second favorite after Archangel.

Obadiah is spoiling for a fight. He's restless at the Eyrie, which has always been his home. He doesn't fit in at Cedar Hills, despite his loving friends who only want the best for him. And to top it all off, he's still carrying a pretty strong torch for a woman he can never have. Then the Archangel sends calls him into his office and sends him on a mission to the last place Obadiah wants to go--Breven. The home of the Jansai merchants, Breven is a bit of a lion's den when it comes to angels. But Obadiah has always had a way with people. Blessed with a light heart and a clever tongue, he is literally the kind who finds music wherever he goes. And since the alternative is throwing himself off a cliff from despair and boredom, he agrees to the Archangel's demand. And for awhile things go fine. But on his way back to Cedar Hills something goes badly wrong and he is stranded in the desert, where a young Jansai woman named Rebekah finds him. Despite the rather large taboo against talking to men outside her family, let alone brazen angels, Rebekah nurses Obadiah back to health and a connection is formed that will spell both the heights of happiness and the depths of danger for the young woman and the angel. Interwoven with their story is the tale of a poor young woman named Elizabeth who makes her way to Cedar Hills in search of an angel to father her a child and thus secure her lasting comfort and safety. Angel children are rare and much prized and Elizabeth is nothing if not practical and determined. And so she leaves the obscure farm she lives on for the big city and the elusive freedom that just may await her there.

These two stories interweave in unexpected and very complimentary ways and--as is always the case with a Shinn book--I'm surprised that I am perfectly content to love the ones I'm with, if you will. I look forward to each alternating chapter, to finding out what's going on with the Rebekah and Obadiah and then Elizabeth and her struggles to find the life she's so certain she wants. What constantly amazes me about Sharon Shinn is that she consistently crafts equally strong female and male characters. They call out to me in spades as they are so finely matched in strength of character and determination. I worried so much over how Obadiah would fare out on his own, without the friends he loved. But then he met Rebekah and all the little pieces fell into place. Nothing was easy, but when they were together it felt right and not like it was manufactured just to finish out a side character's story arc satisfactorily for longtime readers. What a blessed relief that is! Their relationship develops in an incredibly sweet manner, unfolding slowly against the backdrop of discrimination and fear that surrounds their two peoples who have been at each other's throats since time immemorial. Because of the nature of their interactions, everything is played out in little snatches of time, brief moments in which they are able to be together. There is quite a lot of tension, but none of the resentment and barely suppressed anger that characterized Rachel and Gabriel's tumultuous relationship. These two are different and very much their own characters. Often in books like this, one storyline out shadows the other, but seemingly terminally single minded and heartless Elizabeth completely grew on me. She grew and became both harder and smarter and gentler, which is, of course, a combination impossible for me to resist. Last but not least, there are just the right amount of glimpses of old favorite characters sprinkled here and there to put a smile on my lips and remind me why each book in this series is a delight and why I will be reading them over and over again all throughout the years of my life. Highly recommended for fans of romantic fantasy and strong world-building.

Reading Order (chronologically):
Angelica, Archangel, Angel-Seeker, Jovah's Angel, and The Alleluia Files

(in order of publication):

Archangel, Jovah's Angel, The Alleluia Files, Angelica, and Angel-Seeker

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nostalgia read that didn't end up doing anything for me. Archangel was like my favorite book when I was 17, but I didn’t love or reread the sequels. Anyway, I recently found myself in a cool used bookstore that had Angel-Seeker (possibly a book I had read around two decades ago and wiped completely from my mind? possibly not?) and figured I'd give it a try for $4.

And...no. I read the first half, gave up and skimmed the latter, and was just not down for either heroine (cloistered Rebekah - is the Jansai tribe a thinly veiled stab at Islamic culture?, nor angel-seeker Elizabeth). Subsequent romances were entirely uninteresting. I should note: I really, really dislike pregnancy romantic plot, and the actions spurred on by such a motivation don't seem like free will, nor make a heroine compelling. Shinn's writing is smooth, and the world of Samaria is well established, but it's not enough to save a plot that is about 99% romance. Even on vacation, I couldn't stomach it.

[Juliana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shinn's world is strangely intriguing, although I'm not sure what her intended audience is. Given the spoilery particulars of the world, I assume it tends not to appeal so much to a devoutly religious audience. This was her usual love story (it was more satisfying the first one or two times) and this time it had more than ever of oh, the Jansai (aka the not!Muslims) are so evil and everyone hates them and they're just terrible blah blah blah. Her allegory would be more interesting if there were some more depth to, well, all the characters. I was expecting this one to be more about the women obsessed with angels and bearing angel children; part of the book was about that, but the other story overshadowed it (it should have been two separate books). Again, more depth could've been used there as well-- a little bit more social science in the worldbuilding, maybe? Anyway, I think I'm done with this author, as the entertaining escapism has now entirely worn off.

ETA: Not to mention that if you're going to really hammer on one of your parallel culture's treatment of women, you really can't more or less entirely ignore the sins of your other parallel cultures as far as that goes...

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I love the world that I got to inhabit for 5 books, I love Shinn’s writing, and I’m so sad this series is over!
If you enjoy sci-fi/fantasy & effortless world building, do yourself a favor. I will forever remember Samaria & the world Shinn masterfully created.

[Dan Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the fifth and final book in Shinn’s Samaria series. It’s not that it reached any definitive conclusion to the series, just that it was the last one written and that the author has said she has no plans to write more of them.

I enjoyed it. It seemed to have a bit of a political message, but it was one I agree with.

All of these Samaria books are interesting blends of SF, fantasy, and romance. The SF bit is that we’re living in a world that is specifically not Earth but a distant colony of Earth in some equally distant future. The fantasy bit is that we’re living in a world with angels living amongst the mortals of the world, and there is no doubt about the reality of Jovah, their god. They can sing prayers and get results, anything from manna falling from the heavens to lightning bolts blasting at the desired target. And the romance… well, in some ways I would say that they are all romance books merely set in an odd SF/fantasy world.

This book has two romances. The first is between an ambitious girl and… well, I won’t say with whom. She is determined to marry an angel and give birth to an angel child. I won’t say whether or not she succeeds, but I will say that her romance is more about finding herself than whether or not she actually marries an angel. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, mostly for her character arc.

The second romance was between an angel and a young Jansai girl. The Jansai are one of the many cultures populating the world of Samaria, and they seem to be remarkably similar to certain Earth cultures, particularly in how they treat their women. They treat their women as cherished property, but they can also be quite vicious to their women if they step outside their defined roles. And sexual promiscuity pretty much carries the death penalty, i.e. stoning and exile to the lifeless desert.

Anyway, this second romance dealt a lot with the politics around that kind of culture. Many or most of the men seem to be quite happy to hand out these harsh punishments. Some are disgusted by it but seem powerless to stop the overall harshness. The women are mixed between those who support it simply because it’s what they know, those who hate it but find can only fight it in tiny rebellions, and those who would flagrantly flaunt the law of their male masters.

Shinn ultimately comes down hard on this culture, so there is some politics here, but like I said, I agree with her position. As for the romance, I mostly found myself shouting at the young Jansai girl to get out while the getting is good, but I confess that seeing her reluctance to leave the only world she knew gave me some insight into how many women on Earth tolerate or even reinforce these cultures here on Earth. So while parts of it made my skin crawl, it did expand my horizons.

Now, that’s all about how I liked the book for what it was. However, I do have a little complaint about what the book wasn’t, and that’s no fault of the book. What bugged me was where it fell in the Samarian timeline.

The first three books in this series proceeded along in chronological order. Then the fourth book jumped to a time long before the first, and then this one was just after the first. That would be all right except that the third book – the furthest along in the timeline – kind of ended on a cliffhanger. There had been some major change in the world, and I was left wondering what was going to happen next. After two more books, I still don’t know because nothing has been written in the time after the third book, and from the sounds of it, nothing will be.

As such, the series feels unfinished to me. I don’t know if the publisher just gave up on it, or if the author herself doesn’t know what comes next. Either way, I’m cranky that I never quite got a sense of resolution to this series.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was written much later but follows-on about 2 years after the events of Archangel - even though this is technically the fifth book, it works superbly as a stand-alone novel, and reads as if it were #2.

The angels and people of Samaria are picking up the pieces after the god destroyed Mount Galo when the Gloria was not sung and Gabriel destroyed Windy Point where Raphael had ruled from. A new hold for the southern province of Jordana must be built to take its place. Gabriel appoints his half-brother Nathan to the post and a new city rises at Cedar Hills.

Where there are angels there are always angel-seekers, mostly women who's ambition is to give birth to an angel baby and thus forever secure a place in the hold. Angel babies are rare, and most mortal babies produced from these unions are abandoned. Giving birth to one can kill a woman, mortal or angel.

Elizabeth's wealthy parents are dead and she is forced to work in the kitchen at her cousin's farm. Her dream is to be someone of consequence again, so it's only a matter of time before she gets up the courage to leave the farm and go to Cedar Hills to seduce an angel. Which is easily enough done, since the angels are quite promiscuous and, having lost fifty or more angels because of Raphael, they have been encouraged to repopulate.

The angel Obadiah, a friend of Rachel and Gabriel, has also relocated to Cedar Hills. Gabriel wants Obadiah to use his charm with the new leader of the Jansai, the incredibly patriarchal travelling merchants and angel-haters, angry now that the enslavement of the Edori has been outlawed. On his way home from his first meeting with Urial, he is struck by a firey missile and crashes into the desert. He manages to drag himself to the oasis, where he is later found by a young Jansai woman, Rebekah, sent to fetch water. She tends for him until he is well enough to fly on. He gives her one of his bracelets as a gift; she lets him see her face.

Angel-Seeker follows Elizabeth as she learns to be a healer and discovers how misguided she has been, and Obadiah and Rebekah as they embark on an illicit affair that has disastrous repercussions. Jansai women are like the Taliban's women, completely covered up and kept inside windowless rooms where they sew and gossip and treat each other badly. My heart was in my mouth watching Rebekah disguise herself as a boy and slip out of the house for secret meetings with Obadiah. The ominous atmosphere to the Jansai city of Breven did not help.

I especially liked Shinn's treatment of the Jansai and the Jansia women in particular. When escape is offered to Rebekah she does not snatch at it; she loves her family, her home, her life is all that she knows and even her approachng wedding is something she accepts as her duty. It is only when she falls pregnant that she truly wakes. But even though we are on the side of the angels in despising the Jansai, especially the men who are really horrible and basically mysoginistic, their beliefs are not dismissed lightly. Again Shinn does not moralise or lecture. She lets her characters feel their way through the minefield without judging them, making them seem very real and the hand of the author virtually invisible, like I'm there on Samaria with them.

I've read a few fantasy books that feature winged people, but the matter-of-fact way they are dealt with here makes them so much more plausible. The awe is there, but also the acceptance. And, the people of Samaria, all of them, including the angels, just seem so innocent and naive, while we are already thinking outside the land to what is really going on, and what the god really is.

[Chachic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here.

I love the world that Sharon Shinn created with her Samaria books. I know there are a lot of series about angels out there but this one is really my favorite. I'm glad that Obadiah got his own story because he's a character that I really liked in Archangel. He is sent by the Archangel Gabriel to go to Breven and deal with the Jansai. The Jansai are merchants who have no love for angels, especially since Gabriel outlawed their main source of income - the slavery of the Edori. Obadiah is the perfect choice for this mission because of his charming personality. He has a way with words and people can't help but like him. Obadiah knew that the task wouldn't be easy but he never expected he'd be suddenly injured in the middle of the desert with resources. Thankfully, a young Jansai girl named Rebekah offers help even though it's forbidden for women of their race to even talk to men outside of their family, let alone an angel. Interwoven with their story is Elizabeth's tale as she wishes to obtain a pampered life by being an angel-seeker, a woman willing to have relations with an angel for a chance to become a mother to a precious angel baby.

I couldn't figure out how Elizabeth's story intersects with Obadiah and Rebekah's and was even afraid that there was a love triangle in this book. Have no fear, that doesn't happen in this book (sorry if that piece of information is spoiler-ish). The narrative changes from Obadiah, Rebekah and Elizabeth's points of view so we understand better what the characters are going through. Both Rebekah and Elizabeth encounter big changes in their lives throughout the books. They both show how strong and resilient they are in the face of danger and unfamiliar situations. I enjoyed reading both of their stories and I don't prefer one over the other. Sweet Jovah singing, you can't help but root for both of these girls! I thought the romance between Obadiah and Rebekah was very sweet, which is a good thing because they both deserve to be happy. Elizabeth also achieves inner peace as she makes better choices in life. I was thrilled by the glimpses of Gabriel, Rachel and even Nathan and Magdalena in this one because they're characters that I loved in Archangel. All in all, a very satisfying installment in what has become one of my favorite series. I highly recommend this book and the whole series to fans of romantic fantasy or fans of books about angels. I hope I get to read Angelica soon, the only remaining Samaria book that I haven't read because I want to start on Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series. Also, I think I'd love to read a book set during the time when the settlers first came to Samaria. I think Angel-Seeker is a fitting Retro Friday choice this weekend because it is a love story at its core and we all know that Valentine's Day is coming up.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose to read this book after Archangel because the events in it are set right after those in Archangel (despite this being the 5th book in the series).

I loved Archangel. The culture and the religion as well as the music, I found them all intriguing and was looking forward to more.

What I got instead was a huge dissapointment. Because this sequel lacks music, it lacks depth and most of all, it seems to be even lacking common sense at times.

The Jansai were the bad guys in the first book and as a culture they hadn't been described much. They remain the bad guys in this sequel also but in an offensive (not intriguiging) way. Mrs Shinn gives us here an entire people and an entire culture without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Her Jansai are rotten through and through, with all the men ranging between bad and horrible, and that's just unreasonable to me. No matter the circumstances or the events, this is simply impossible.

Show me a single culture or a single people that doesn't have even a single good individual in its mist and I'll eat my damn boots!!!

And I won't even go near the religious aspect because as clear as day, the way the Jansai are written may be openly offensive to a certain religion in our days.
Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against books on religion. But when you put a real religion on page, shouldn't you at least try to add both the good and the bad at the same time?! What Mrs. Shinn did with the Jansai - it just doesn't do for me.

The only reason I'm rating this a 2 and not a 1 is Obadiah. I liked him in the first book also and his love story is the only redeeming quality I found here.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the cleanest Sharon Shinn book. Defenatly for adults but the love story is one I don't think I'll easily forget. Any author that can keep me remembering a love story long after I have read the book is amazing. There is sex before marriage, a scene where they get naked together. It isn't explicit in the whole love making but not a clean read. But I like a pretty clean book and this just didn't make it. The love story was beautifully written as most Shinn books are but she walks the edge of ok for me with a lot of her books. Just warning the ones out there that care.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

With all my usual caveats about Samaria -- how fond I am of it despite its highkey problematic elements-- this is my favorite of the Samaria books. I absolutely adore Lighter And Softer sequels that focus on secondary characters as the aftermath of big dramatic events from the first book unfold, and this one very much fits the bill -- plus it unfolds and expands on races that are characterized with generalizations and stereotypes in prior books, in ways that don't totally fix those problems, but definitely mitigate them more so than any other book does. Plus it has two storylines that I love and find almost equally compelling, with the wonderful story arcs, satisfying character development, and engaging romances that I can always count on Sharon Shinn for. I just love it so, so much -- it's, for me, the ultimate comfort read.

Pretty much my only complaint about this story, apart from the obvious stereotypes, is that the end unfolds just a tad too quickly; Elizabeth and Rebekah cross paths so late in the book, and we hear about a lot of the resolution either secondhand or in very cursory terms, and the very last chapter feels just a tad unsatisfying. (Also I do wish we actually saw Elizabeth and Rebekah interact, but that's just me complaining!!) But honestly, it's nowhere near enough to dim my immense enjoyment of the rest of the story. I love all of the characters so deeply; I love both sets of romances, so different yet both feeling so real. I love the overarching stories of two women realizing that what they've always expected their lives to be doesn't fit them anymore, for such different reasons and in such different ways, and emerging stronger and better once they've reached out and taken what they truly want. I love seeing Samaria again after the eventful nature of Archangel, seeing the world settle into its new contours and catching up with the characters I know and love!! I just... love everything about this story, so so much. Like I said, it's the book equivalent of a huge, freshly baked plate of mac and cheese, or a steaming mug of hot chocolate: just pure, unfettered comfort.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the foothills of the unexciting Jordana, Elizabeth is not your average farm cook. She doesn’t flirt, and she doesn’t blush at the grinning glance of a dimwitted farmer. She was born and raised for better things before her parents died. She may have little money but her pride is still intact. So it’s only natural that Elizabeth initially rejected seedy field hand Bennie’s offer for a ride with him to Cedar Hills. She doesn’t want to give him any false ideas but she’d more than almost anything love to better her situation, and Cedar Hills would be just the place. As the newest angel hold, it’s the most accessible and popular place for angel-seekers, women seeking to bear an angel child. Elizabeth’s hoping to do just that; find an angel, bear his angel child, and live amongst the angel-elite forever.

The Jansai woman Rebekah’s aspirations couldn’t be more opposite. She can’t imagine leaving her sheltered life in Breven, with its history of Edori enslavement still fresh and where women do not bare their faces in public and are raised for arranged, “blind” marriages. Even though her life monotonous and boring, she loves her family and wouldn’t dare leave them or shirk her duties. That is until she meets injured angel Obadiah and begins to live a double life. Which life is right for Rebekah and how will she know? Her and Elizabeth’s paths will cross as they both become angel-seekers in very different ways.

I was admittedly hesitant to read this book or any others in the series after Sharon Shinn’s incomparable first Samaria novel, Archangel. Since the novels follow new protagonists with each book, I wasn’t sure if Samaria would be the same without Gabriel and Rachel. And since this is the only book set in their generation, we do get glimpses of both of them here, which I eagerly anticipated. Two years later it seems like they’re more themselves than ever and in a good place. I treasured their appearances. What first excited me about Angel-Seeker however was that Rachel’s dear friend Obadiah was one of the main characters. He was there when Rachel needed someone and his flirty, outgoing personality is very infectious. I was thrilled to get to know him better and hopefully see him with his own happy ending. What I didn’t know was how much I’d like Rebekah, who’s impossibly sandwiched between all she’s known and forbidden love. I admired her and how delicately and complexly her conflicted character was handled. I never once thought Rebekah was making the wrong decisions, when it would be easy for anyone accustomed to the more modern freedoms to misunderstand them. Elizabeth grew on me as well and I was always able to sympathize with her angel-seeking. You want so much for these women as well as Obadiah, who’s endearing in his own search for happiness.

Again, Sharon Shinn knows how to write. She had me from the first page, her chapters and story flow so easily. I’m very capable of falling asleep late at night during very engaging books but Angel-Seeker completely absorbed me. It was exciting and suspenseful and I had to go on to see how these characters would fare. Fans of romantic fantasy should eat this up. To me it seemed even more romantic than Archangel yet still having an underlying political plot and I loved it all. Samaria’s a place I need to visit and revisit. Overall topnotch world-building and great character development. Shinn is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I look forward to all her Samaria books yet unread.

[Shoshana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place shortly after the events of Archangel, although I believe Sharon Shinn wrote it after she wrote books that take place later - and I'm really glad she came back to the time period to write it! For one thing, it resolves (well, partially) the Nathan/Magdalena storyline that she leaves hanging at the end of Archangel. I mean, we still don't know what's so special about their baby, but it was satisfying to get a little more of their story.

But on to the major plot points/characters. I really appreciate getting the story of an angel-seeker, since in the other books they're spoken of derogatorily and without much empathy or depth. Elizabeth is not always likable but is ambitious and hardworking and ultimately generous, and I like her. The problem is, although we get some small exploration of her motivations, I wish we had more - and I wish we got any of her friend Faith's motivations, since Faith's storyline gets way more dramatic. The other problem is, Elizabeth's story is good, but it pales - and seems shallow - in comparison to Rebekah's story. Much as I like Elizabeth and am interested in her, I actually think the book might have been stronger if we had Faith's story instead of Elizabeth's, with Elizabeth as a side character.

I think pairing the story of an angel-seeker with the story of a Jansai woman was a brilliant juxtaposition, at least theoretically. These are two groups of women who are very different from each other but similarly maligned and emotionally or physically desperate - women people in Samaria just don't hear from, because they don't listen to them. I'm glad of the chance to listen.

Rebekah's story is so strong, and Shinn gives us what feels like real understanding of what might tie a woman to her home even though she knows it's a prison, even as she's driven from it. I wish we knew more about the background of the Jansai and why they're so different from other Samarians and why they're so freaking evil - but then, I guess fundamentalists exist in our world too, and are equally evil. Still, the fact that there's one group of wanderers who cover their women in the name of their god, are consistently referred to as "greedy," cheat if they can in trade, are kind of dirty, and raid and enslave the Edori... well, it's a little sketch, in my opinion, even though the Edori are the only group of people in the series who's skin tone Shinn is precise about. (Shinn also does some exoticising of the Edori, who are wanderers who live many to a tent and are nonviolent and take the world as it comes and are laid back and have brown skin, although she does makes periodic efforts to get to know individual Edori and flesh them out.) That said, as I was beginning to approach earlier in the paragraph, I love the way she gives us the perspectives - and coping mechanisms - of several different Jansai women, some of whom have so internalized their oppression that they fully participate in the policing of other women; some of whom live model Jansai lives but secretly know it's a prison; Martha, who not only knows but is actively rebelling; and Rebekah, whose awakening we track. I don't totally buy the speed (and sappiness) with which she and Obadiah fall in love, but it's not so insta-love-y that it detracts from my enjoyment of the book.

Well, that was a lot of criticism I just threw out in a paragraph meant to rave. So yes, there are flaws in the story. But I still loved it. I loved Rebekah, mainly.

There is one storyline in the book that shocked and devastated me, but it was treated so bizarrely lightly (or, not lightly, but sort of quickly moved on from) that I felt sort of like I bore the weight of it alone, and Shinn (and her characters) forgot to be there with me. I don't know how I feel about that. But the rest of the storylines resolved in a way that satisfied, and (since I don't remember much about Jovah's Angel and The Alleluia Files) I'm eager to follow Samaria into the future. The history and stories of this land she's created are utterly compelling.

[Molly Mortensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I enjoyed Rebekah's POV and dreaded the spoiled Elisabeth's but by the end of the book it was the opposite.

Rebekah became too passive and lovey-dovey. But Elisabeth really grew as a person, learned to respect herself, and started learning to be a doctor. Her romance turned out to be a sweet one.

The Jansai Woman are possessions, having zero rights, and must wear clothing covering everything but their eyes. Rebekah starts out a head strong girl who doesn't do as she's told. She finds an angel and nurses him back to health. But then she risks death to sneak out and see him, but refuses to leave her family and her arranged marriage.

Rebekah's story got worse and worse as it went. I had nightmares about the end of her part. And then we never got a proper happily ever after for her, it was like an afterthought told by another character.

I won't read this again. I wish I hadn't read it the first time.

[Carien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the Samaria books this one is most easily read as a standalone as the action and romance mostly isn't connected to the larger worldbuilding that is going on in this series.

This tells the story of two very different women: Elizabeth - a young woman who dreams of nothing more than finding an angel-lover and carrying his angelic offspring. And Rebekah - a young Jansai woman, who has her life planned out for her by the males in her family and grudgingly accepts this. Until she finds a wounded angel that is...

I will confess that although Elizabeth's journey to love and happiness is really well written, I just never clicked with her, even on rereads. She's too shallow at first and her change seems to go too smoothly. Still it's a nice story that shows that dreams don't always come true the way you want.

I love Rebekah's story. I know: the Jansai are once again all painted as scum, with Rebekah's younger brother as the one exception. Still I love the romance between her and Obediah. I love how she is so attracted to the angel that she can't stay away from him, but still refuses to leave her confined, but certain life behind for him and an uncertain life of freedom.

It's this love story that makes me reread this book and grumblingly accept the black and white worldbuilding. For fans of the series there are also cameos of characters from Archangel, and it gives a view of how people move on from events in that book as well.

All in all a very enjoyable read that I'm sure to revisit again in the future.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has to be my favorite of the series. I do find it odd that, this the last book, is set just a few years after the first one. If I had a complaint about this series that would be it. The books are all over the place in time but not necessarily in book number order.

Both of the woman in this story were extremely likeable, each for their own reasons, Rebekka, in her innocence and openness for life and Elizabeth, in her world weary view, wanting to just be safe and wanted in her life. Each of these women had different goals, but found out that often in life what you hope for isn't always what is good for you.

I did like learning more of the angel seekers, but have to say that I really thought bad about them and can see where everyone else did too, they are little more than whores with the end goal to have an angel baby. You really have to wonder about women who feel that is their only goal or worth in life.

I also felt sorry, for the first time, for the Jansai women. They are nothing more than property and are subject to the men in their lives whims.

Again we spent time with the Edori, who are by far my favorite group of people within this series.

I am a little sad to see this series come to an end as the world is a fun place to spend time. I also liked to see how much things in their world changed, whether for good or bad is up to you to decide.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set directly after the events in Archangel, Angel-Seeker deals with three main narratives:

Elizabeth - a spoiled rich brat who has lived in her cousin's house as a servant since her parents' disgrace and deaths. Looking to return to her life of ease, she sets out to bear an angel child (a rare, but highly sought after position), no matter the cost.

Rebekah - a veiled girl living in utter seclusion, under a ruthless patriarchal society. Although feeling repressed and pushing the boundaries of her culture, she's not thought of another life outside her own.

Obadiah - the angel who is nursing a broken heart. Sent away to deal with a group of people that no one can understand, let alone reason with, he resigns himself to being just the happy-go-lucky friend.

While Elizabeth's story was easy for me to glance over (perhaps that is why I finished it in one day), the other two characters had me riveted, even teary eyed a times, and cheering for them.

A great love story that gives men a good and bad wrap alike, but leaves you with faith in man (and angel) kind and love. And probably my second favorite of all the Samaria books, right behind Archangel.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to miss this one until now -- I love Shinn's Samaria series (though I can't quite get into her other fantasy series she's got running right now), and this is an excellent installment. It's not perfect, but what book is?

I really enjoyed the chance to return to the time period of Archangel and see Gabriel and Rachel from someone else's eyes -- I'm a real sucker for outsider point of view, in just about any form, and this is a good example of it. I really loved the characters in this one, too, especially Elizabeth's character growth and maturation.

I had some problems with the Jansai society as portrayed, because it doesn't feel as rounded-out and complete as some of the other societies Shinn explores, but it wasn't enough to keep me from loving the book. Don't start with this one, though; start with Archangel, though you don't have to read the other two books in the trilogy in order to appreciate this one. If you like fantasy-romance blends, you should give this series a try.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

National bestselling author Sharon Shinn returns once more to the planet of Samaria, where men and angels live under the watchful eye of the god Jovah, in this richly romantic tale, which begins where Archangel left off. In that time, the women who crave the attentions of angels were known as angel-seekers - a term used with awe by some, and scorn by others.
Elizabeth was born to wealth, but circumstances forced her to live as a servant in her cousin's household. Determined to change her life for the better, she makes the journey to Cedar Hills, hoping an angel will take notice of her, and take her as his own.
Rebekah is a daughter of the Jansai tribe, raised to hate the angels - and to marry whichever man her father chooses for her. But in her heart, she longs for a different life. And when she finds an injured angel near her village, she defies her upbringing to care for him. In time, these two women, whose paths will cross, will both find what they desire, in surprising - and dangerous - ways...

[Tegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this made me uncomfortable because the Jansai are based on racist stereotypes. Of course, this is true of all of the Samaria books, but one could argue that it was from the perspective of an outsider in the other instalments, whereas here we take a deep dive into the culture and find out that it's as bad as/worse than we thought.

I'm having a hard time imagining that the islamophobia was an accident... Even if that is the case, it is just lazy writing to depict an entire race as virtually all bad. It's one thing that the Jansai are universally perceived by others as greedy, grasping, jealous, selfish, greasy, fat, etc. But it's worse that that's exactly what they are. This was a lost opportunity for another look at who the Jansai are when they're at home, from the perspective of an insider. There was no nuance to it whatsoever.

Honestly, that took away from other more enjoyable aspects of the book in a pretty big way.

[J.H. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, of course. If you're up to book five in this series, why are you even reading this? You know it will be good. It always is. This one has a clever device that I found amusing. In my younger days, I spent some time in the rock and roll world. (My boyfriend was a light tech and did lighting for concerts.) The backstage world was an interesting one. It was always full of pretty girls, you know, groupies, looking to meet guys in the band. "Angel-Seeker" reminded me of that.

[Oyceter · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://oyceter.livejournal.com/157752...

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, I've tried other books by Shinn and have not been able to appreciate them. But I think the concept here is fantastic, and the storytelling and characters are also tops.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is hard to classify. It's romance/fantasy/sci-fi/paranormal. Yeah, that's it.

[Joy Weese Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shinn is my favorite author to turn to when I want a gentle world to sink into. Angel-Seeker was a terrific book for starting the new year in a far-flung land.

[Dida · Rating 2 out of 5]

[(Expanded Review to Come)

Read this years ago and thought it was okay, no where near as good as the first. However in doing a re-read (after a fairly recent purchase of Archangel, I found this book filled with a LOT of troubling implications I missed the first time. I'll expand on it more in a fuller review soon.]

7/26/21:
I have a strange reading history with this series. While this is the 5th book in the Samaria series (published out of order and set directly after the events of the 1st book Archangel). I accidentally managed to pick up this book first before reading Archangel, which took me a few years to get my hands on. As this book was merely a gift in a book bundle from a garage/charity sale I read through-not really understanding much of what was going on and who the characters were or the cultures or the setting of the place therein. This is isn't an easy series to get into, though I suppose one can struggle through and get sort of enough context and clarity. You really need to read the first book series before you try this one. There are some spoilers for the whole series throughout this review.

My main issues with this book were a couple of things, the disjointed stories, the theme or message or criticisms within the book and finally the characters. Let's break it down by those points, however-I will talk about somethings I enjoyed first-simply to add some honey to the bitterness of the review. Obviously my re-reading left me *not* pleased with what I found on a second time round and somethings that were not so good but not my main issues.

This book tells the story of Elisabeth, a displaced noble woman seeking to regain her fortune and comfortable life and Rebekah-a Jansai young woman struggling under the stifling life of a Jansai and their interactions with Angels.

The Good

To be honest there's not much here I was fond of, besides things that were present before. In the previous book Archangel, we're left in an interesting world-where humanity interacts daily and on a regular basis with "Angels". Winged beings with super heated blood and a tolerance for low pressure altitudes and ability to process low amounts of oxygen. Hence they can fly super high into the atmosphere and survive quite well. They appear human (aside from the wings) and all sing quite lovely. They sing daily to interact with the great God "Jehovah", who will change weather patterns or send down medicine and help when needed (such as food, seeds for growing, occasionally tools etc) from the "God". The Angels are the direct interaction with the God "Jehovah", and will regularly breed with humans to create more angels. As Angel/Angel breeding usually results in monsters and twisted deformed beings they call "Lucifers" (I wish Shinn would have explored more about such beings). Shinn created Female and Male angels who interact with humanity and can hold equal place in their society and that was something I consider a point in her favor. It's all to often easy in stories featuring Angels to have them all be male for some arbitrary reason, especially in romance novels. So active and present female angels was something I'm particularly fond of. Shinn I know can create female characters who are different from one another, show great friendship (without all that stupid "Not like the Other Girls" BS you see from time to time) between women. All have unique voices and when properly motivated, they are all paid equal attention and this is something Shinn can a master of. Sadly that was not enough to save this novel.

The Not So Good, but not Bad

The Angels are head by an Archangel, who is a direct line to the God and regularly speaks with the "oracles" on Mount Sinai and can be male or female. Shinn's equally balanced Angel society is something I consider a bonus. The music was another bonus because unlike in some novels, where you're left with long descriptions of dry lyrics on a page-Shinn talks about Harmonics and cadence, and other aspects of music so you get a real sense of the music and Shinn managed to convey this in Archangel quite well. Though perhaps people found that part dry and grew tired of musical theory talk.-because that isn't really present at all in this novel. Their god Jehovah's huge secret is painted as an overriding mystery in the series that anyone reading the book can figure out in a matter of a few pages. Half the fun of a mystery is figuring it out as the characters do and while Jehovah's secret isn't a big fixture in this novel as it was the first I would have considered that a bonus, instead I consider it a point against because the novels left a bit thin in it's absence. There was potential for some seriously good philosophy (and easy) questions of the nature of God and whether or not humanity even needs it in the first novel and that isn't present at all and it suffers for that I think, though she does go into that a little in later books.

Despite her attempts at more world building in this novel, it's a slipshod world building at that. Jehovah secret is easily figured out very early on. It is clearly a ship hovering in orbit that sends down what the Colonists of the world need. Humanity settled this world ages ago, fleeing conflicts on a future Earth and set down on this planet of Samaria and started worshipping the ship that brought them there in orbit as a God itself. Hell within the first chapter as Gabriel that Archangel visits the oracle to find the woman to be his wife and the oracle "Conveys" with the God on a damn computer..

The Bad(s)

The Disjointed Stories

This book as I said was the telling of two different stories that really didn't fit to terribly well together in my opinion. Shinn was trying to go for a dichotomy between two woman who find or try to find love with an Angel but when writing a story where the two characters in different circumstances are supposed to either compare or compliment each other, they sort of...exist next to each other. Shinn does have scenes (rather fade to black scenes) between the two heroines making love to their respective partners throughout the novel, one being sweet and enjoyable-the other mostly disappointing, but beyond that Shinn doesn't go for depth or well written comparisons. Rebekah's story was rather lovey dove, sweet and rather juvenile, despite the situations around her being rather dark and serious. Elisabeth's climb to independence, self respect and happiness and determination to make her life her own was a breath of fresh air to read. While Rebekah's story felt a bit shallow by comparison, she meets Obadiah, falls in love, they meet secretly and her fate is merely a passing mention towards the very abrupt end of the novel. It felt a bit like Shinn was simply done with this series and wanted to finally be free of Samaria.

The friendships Shinn creates for the two women with their co characters is very well done but their respective stories and any messages she was intending to send with them was lost or non existent. Rebekah's friend, rather sweet but wild and foolish meets a foul and sad end that was a bit unfair for such a present and loving character. While Faith, Elisabeth's friend and fellow Angel Seeker's fate left me cold. Faith takes far too much of a fertility drug to get pregnant by an Angel she'd fallen in love with. Instead it "blows out her womb" (their words, not mine) and she is left entirely unfertile and not a little mad and grief struck as a result. Instead of touching upon the heartbreak of infertility and the drive to be pregnant and/or have children that women are given or have we're left with a dialogue between Elisabeth and her lover about why Faith doesn't faith "Just get over it" that was so out of touch I had to put the book down..

The two stories felt a bit like trying to patch together two pieces of well used tape, whose glue mostly had stopped working. I see what Shinn was trying to do, but IMO it didn't work.

The Characters

Elisabeth, as a young rich woman forced to grow up far too fast as her parents bad decisions left them destitute and her later an orphan was the more interesting of the story to me. Left on a neglectful cousins farm as a servant, Elisabeth dreams of regaining the comfort and ease of life she once led and lost. She decides to join the legion of "Angel Seekers" women (sometimes men but rare, as female Angels have a harder time getting pregnant) who dream of catching the eye and catching the child of an Angel and going to live in the "Angel Holds" in lives of luxury, splendor and peace for the rest of their days. In a quasi medieval world it's easy to see why women would desperately want such a future for themselves, and it's easy to see why Elisabeth would. Capable, self determining, independent Elisabeth was fun to read for me as she lacked the depth that they very sweet (but occasionally bland) Rebekah did. Her story of finding an Angel and winning her way to his bed (and finding it a poor substitute for her daydreams) and discovering her knack and independence as a doctor was interesting to read about and I wish she'd been given her own story to fully flesh out the lessons she learned. Discovering that sometimes what you think you need isn't what you truly need is a good lesson that I'd love to read about more. Instead much of the novels page count seemed devoted to Rebekah. A (as I said) sweet but bland main character.

Rebekah, the Jansai young woman whose father was destroyed on Mt Gallo with Raphael and his angels took the bulk of the story, with her love with Obadiah the young angel in love with Rachel from the first novel. Rebekah was a sweet, loving young woman and I found her fun but mostly bland to read about. The occasional flashes of interesting character she showed with Obadiah I rarely saw in her inter actions with her family. I'd have preferred if Shinn showed her slow growing independence with her family but instead I found none of that. Her romance with Obadiah was sweet but very juvenile and bland. They met, she helped him, showed him her face (as all Jansai women are veiled) and they fell in love and screwed a few times. This results in her getting pregnant, I'd have preferred a bit more proactivity from Rebekah but that was not the story we were getting. Her introduction made her seem far, far younger than she truly was and when she met Obadiah, it felt odd because she seemed almost childish compared to the angel, but that woman we first met was not the woman who we got with him. The change was startling and I was left confused. Rebekah's story gets the bulk of the novels page count and I felt like Shinn was pressed for time in telling her story and her cultures story. I wish she'd regaled Elisabeth's story to a short story or novella and let Rebekah's story shine all it's own. It might have improved the rating.

The Theme or Message

Shinn is definitely a feminist as her world and words shows, but her handling of the 2d cartoonishly evil Jansai and the idyllic contrasted with the pure eternally good Edori (the odd Romani, people of color, Jewish subset of this world) lacked a finer hand I know the author has. Perhaps, as this was the end of the series she'd grown tired of this world and wanted to move on. It felt rushed and trimmer than it should have been. While Shinn never outwardly moralises about the Jansai and the clear anti muslim sentiment she had with them, it's strongly implied and lacks the deft hand she can possess. I was hoping for a more clear and nuanced approach to the Jansai and their differing beliefs. Instead every Jansai man we met is varying shades of corrupt, cowardly and evil and the women (minus about...two) are cowering bland non entities and their treatment of women wasn't explored beyond the basic. Very disappointing. Not to mention, not much of how the world around the characters that created the Angel Seeker and their abandoned "non" angel children. While the first novel touched on this and this novel sort of touches that, it doesn't go into too great a detail which is what I hoped for.

This novel isn't Shinn at her best and not at her most deft. I was hoping for more and while it's good to see the characters we'd loved before, I had hoped for more exploration into the themes and questions she'd raised in previous novels. Two stars, not that great but not good either.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it's fun to wait a while after reading a good book before reviewing it, because after a delay, I'm only going to remember certain things - the really memorable, striking things about a book. If it's not a memorable book, sometimes I won't even remember the main character's names, and just a vague sense of the plot (might also be due to the fact that I've already moved on to reading new books).

But this book is sticking with me pretty clearly. Obadiah is easy to remember because he's also in Archangel, the first book in the series, and another great book. Obadiah is impossible not to love; he's a kind hearted angel who has lost his heart to the wife of his friend and leader, the archangel Gabriel. Gabriel was the hero of the first book, but in this book Obadiah gets to be the hero and discover love in unlikely places, an irresistible draw!

Elizabeth sticks in my mind clearly: the fortune hunter who leaves her safe but lusterless life on a farm to visit a city with an angel hold, hoping to connect with an angel and receive all the riches and attention that are given to any human woman who bears an very rare and precious child with wings. I wasn't sure I'd like her - I don't like fortune hunters - but she grew on me pretty quickly; her story arc is about discovering that riches simply don't compare to valuing her own self worth and being truly valued by others, instead of just being used.

Rebekah didn't grow on me as much, she was harder to like, and I thought it was pretty cliche how she and Obadiah meet and fall in love. I really struggled with her choice to stay with her family in a culture that was so twisted - a culture where women are only allowed to be seen by males of their own close family, are hidden away in the womens' part of the house, not allowed out in public except in the company of the family and only then completely covered and veiled.

Gradually I came to understand that she loves her family and feels safe with them, and she's been so sheltered she can't even imagine a life otherwise - so why would she leave everything she's comfortable with to embrace something she's never seen or understood? So her story arc is about discovering that "safe" is not worth it when rights are being violated.

Gabriel swoops into the story near the end, in a conclusion nearly as dramatic as in Archangel, and Rachel from the first book also shows up in a small role.

The only thing I was a little disappointed with was not as much world-building as I would have liked, compared to Archangel. I wanted to learn more things about Samaria and more about dynamics between angels and humans (but there are still three more books in the series). There were a few new settings and the Muslim-like Jansai tribe was a new, if not very likeable addition.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book set on Samaria focuses on roles of women. It tells the story of Elizabeth who begins the story working as a cook on her cousin's farm and longing for more. She travels to Cedar Hills which is a new city being constructed near a new angel hold.

Elizabeth longs to be loved and cared for and begins the story as a sort of vain, superior sort of woman. She goes to Cedar Hills in the hopes of attracting the love of an angel because women who have angels' angelic babies are cared for. But there are many, many young women who have come to Cedar Hills for the same reason and the competition to attract an angel is fierce.

She does begin a sort of relationship with an angel, but her real career begins when she meets a healer named Mary. Mary takes Elizabeth as an apprentice which gives her a skill of her own. Elizabeth also meets a Edori man who, once freed from slavery, became a worker in building the new Cedar Hills. However, her focus on gaining a home by having and angel baby means that she is overlooking any other sort of possible relationship.

The second woman the book focuses on is Rebekah. She is a Jonsai which means that she is kept in seclusion and under the rule of her father or brother. She meets the angel Obadiah when he is shot down by some sort of weapon and is in danger of dying in the desert. Rebekah has been sent to the oasis to get water for her stepfather's traveling caravan. She nurses the angel even though she knows that her stepfather and the other Jonsai would prefer that he die.

Obadiah becomes Rebekah's secret. When she returns to her family home in Breven, she sneaks out to continue her relationship with Obadiah who is there to treat with the Jansai for the angels. Obadiah wants to take Rebekah away with him to Cedar Hills, but she is afraid to leave the life she knows. But when she becomes pregnant, her time among the Jansai becomes impossible. Women who transgress - and becoming pregnant out of wedlock with an angel no less is a major transgression - are dealt with harshly. She has already seen her cousin who had an affair with another kind of traveling merchant beaten, stoned, and left in the desert to die.

When her pregnancy is discovered, the same fate is meted out to her. But her brother has slipped her a waterskin and she was left wrapped in a blanket which gives her a chance for survival. Only being discovered by Elizabeth and her Edori man saves her life and gives her a chance at a new one with Obadiah.

This was an engaging story about two women looking for love and finding it though in very different ways. It is the final book in the Samaria series.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. It's just "okay." (probable spoilers ahead)

"Archangel" was a mind-blowing life-changing book when I was in my teens and I still am in awe of how visceral the descriptions of music are. To hear music as you are reading, that is a special kind of magic. Gabriel and Rachel were unforgettable with the constant push-pull and tightly woven tension.

Neither Elizabeth or Rebekah seemed interesting enough to carry the story. I felt sympathy for Obadiah, but there were so many plot points kind of left hanging at the end. There was only tension in the last quarter of the book.

We get resolution with Maga. But what about Rachel? At the start, there are questions about why the Angelica had not yet conceived a child but there's still nothing by the end. What about Rebekah? She recovers, but we never hear her voice again, how she adjusts to her new life, and what sort of child she carries. What purpose she discovers in Cedar Hills now that she has a choice.

There's a whole buildup of The Gloria and everyone is going to gather on the Plain of Sharon...and we never get there. I really hoped we would experience Gabriel and Rachel singing together one last time. And experience Obadiah and Rebekah discovering their Kisses lighting up together! That entire plot point disintegrated.

I wish I cared more for Elizabeth and Rufus. I'm happy for them both, but again, there was no tension. And David just poof -- disappeared. Like, I guess I kind of hoped there would be some insight into the angel order where they have to address his drinking problem.

Gabriel saves the day by injecting some excitement into the story at the end, but man, even he couldn't save the entire thing from feeling so mediocre.

As a final note, there are parts that feel a little uncomfortably racist. 20 years ago, it could be forgiven because there just wasn't widespread knowledge about the use of some words. It's a little jarring now. And the way entire cultures, such as the Jansai, are described as "all" being wicked or greedy or fat in middle age, while clearly borrowing certain cultural attributes from existing cultures is a little cringey.

Depicting the Jansai women as never questioning their own culture seems way too simplistic. They pass by other cultures, they know others live differently. Hepzibah's sister lives in a city that isn't Breven, so clearly it is possible to leave. Instead, having the avenging angels come and be literal white saviors to a bunch of brown people felt a little uncomfortable. I mean, I love me a pissed off Gabriel, but it would make more sense for them to appeal to the righteous side: that all people are Jovah's people and are a gift, and the angels will accept any cast out. Murder is forbidden, as dictated by Jovah. This includes the children born from angel-seekers.

Even if I'm just overthinking things, the book could have been several chapters longer to give us a more satisfying conclusion.

[Soa · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Ангел-искатель» является завершающим романом одной из самых известных серий Шэрон Шинн. На мой скромный вкус – это одна из самых удачно-воплощенных задумок об ангелах. Здесь в прекрасно продуманном мире Самарии не смешивается человеческое представление об ангелах, скорее они такие же люди, как остальные смертные. Ангелы подчиняются своему Богу, создателю всего мира, воспевают его славу и просят о помощи, но и греховность человеческая им свойственна, как и собратьям по земле – они влюбляются, придаются плотским страстям, вожделеют власти и могущества, ненавидят и испытывают зависть, поэтому перед читателям предстают обычные люди с мирскими проблемами, разве что они могут рассекать по воздуху, купаясь в пористых облаках и пересекая темные свинцовые грозы, и раскрывать свои великолепные крылья, а еще петь завораживающие каждого слушателя гимны. Может показаться странным, но эта книга понравилась мне еще больше «Анжелики». Хотя этот роман нужно читать непосредственно после «Архангела», за которого я взялась только сейчас. Так получилось, что первые три книги пришли ко мне гораздо позднее завершающих серию двух произведений, поэтому основное читательское удовольствие только поджидает меня впереди.
К сожалению, последним двум романам саги о Самарии давали не столь высокие оценки в зарубежных кругах, как предыдущим книгам, и все же именно благодаря этой грандиозной работе, Шэрон Шинн и завоевала бессмертную любовь своих читателей по всему миру. И здесь я должна сказать, что мне понравился медленный темп развития всего сюжета, неспешное и красивое повествование, логичное и правильное раскрытие персонажей. Характеры героев были настолько реалистичны переданы, что было не сложно поверить в испытываемые ими страхи и любовь к другим, сомнения и боль, отчаяние и радость скорого свидания с близким.
Элизабет родилась в богатой и почетной семье, однако жизненные обстоятельства низводят ее до статуса служанки в поместье ее двоюродного брата. Решившись полностью изменить свою жизнь, она отправляется к ангельскому нагорью (Cedar Hills), надеясь на то, что один из прекрасных ангелов сможет обратить на нее свое внимание. Ребекка же дочерь янсайского племени, воспитанная в ненависти к ангелам. Но однажды найдя раненного ангела вблизи своей деревне, она бросает вызов всем законам и правилам своего рода, чтобы спасти мужчину.
Со временем, дороги двух этих женщин сходятся, и обе отыщут то, чего так долго жаждали их сердца на самом удивительном и опасном пути.
Как всегда в книги две линии, две героини, от лица которых ведется нежное повествование, как горная река – свежая и хрустальная под палящими лучами яшмового солнца.

«Обадия готов был пасть к ее ногам и разрыдаться, когда он наконец-то увидел ее. Она чувствовала содрогания его тела, когда он крепко прижал ее к себе, удерживая в своих неистовых объятиях на протяжении долгого, казалось, бесконечного времени. Она, блаженная, лежала на его груди, закрыв глаза, упиваясь чувственным блаженством: жар его тела, сила его рук, сладость аромата. Его перья обтекали ее волосы и спину, словно она возлежала на драгоценном бархате. И она совершенно не представляла, как сможет покинуть его вновь, когда вечер подойдет к концу.
- Я провел последние дни, возводя молитвы к Господу, чтобы он наказал меня погибелью, - прошептал он, касаясь губами ее нежных щек.
– Я был уверен, что уже был в руках Йовы, я хотел присоединиться к тебе на том свете.
- Нет, ничего не произошло. Я не прикасалась к своей шали в эти дни. Я даже не догадывалась, что ты здесь.
- И время тянулось столь невыносимо долго! Недели! И я не мог вернуться, не мог покинуть священные дворцы, нужно было столько сделать, и я думал, что она больше не верит в меня, она думает, что я отрешился от нее, покинув навсегда.
- Нет, - солгала она. – Ни на мгновение.
- Хвала щедрому сердцу Господа и его доброй воли, я так скучал по тебе, Ребекка, - зарычал он, прижимая ее теснее к себе, прижимая свои кости к ее костям.
– Никогда я не думал, что расставание с тобой низвергнет меня до столь ничтожного существования, до страха не увидеть тебя вновь.
- И я скучала по тебе, - прошептала она, лишенная воздуха в легких, столь сильны и безжалостны были его объятия, и твердость голоса покинула ее. – Обадия, мне нужно дышать…
- Ты будешь дышать моим воздухом, - шептал он, покрывая ее губы своими устами. И то была истина, он дышал за них обоих, иначе бы она не смогла бы достигнуть и крупицы столь желанного кислорода. Она ни разу не вздохнула самостоятельно до конца ночи, она вбирала всю силу жизни, каждое движение и сердцебиение от сильного тела мужчины; и этого было достаточно, чтобы умереть от удовольствия, от испытываемого счастья».

«Ангел-искатель» - необычный термин, данный женщинам, что искали ангелов для плотского удовлетворения. После катастрофы, произошедшей несколько лет назад, многолетнего рабства и голода, многие искали обеспеченности, уверенности. Поднимать хозяйство было трудно, и многие женщины отправлялись к священным горам, в надежде зачать ребенка от одного из ангелов. Мать же ребенка навсегда оставалась под покровительством, жила в достатке до конца своих дней и была почитаема всеми народами. Однако, среди многих искательницы низводились до статуса куртизанок, и их больше отвергали, но возможность достичь желаемого статуса, богатств и роскоши, преобладали над моралью и разумом у многих женщин. Что с легкостью отдавали свои тела. Элизабет отправляется в агельскую столицу именно по этой причине, хотя в глубине души, по обычному восхищению к этим прекрасным созданиям, к желанию самой управлять своей жизнью и долгожданной свободе.
За обеими героинями было невероятно приятно наблюдать, за их поступками и страхами, на мой взгляд, Шэрон Шинн очень тонко и точно передает женские чувства, и прекрасно осознает женские желания и мечты.
Когда оставались последние несколько страниц, атмосфера конца нависла надо мною. Я чувствовала это в каждом предложении, и мне действительно хотелось плакать, если не разрыдаться от тоски. Это чудесная повесть, полная любви и преданности, роковых ошибок и лжи, человеческого предательства. Все вроде необычайно просто, и в то же время столь чудесно передано – самый большой талант писателя заключается именно в искренности, которую он доносит до своего читателя. В этой черте содержится настоящее искусство.