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Samaria #3
The Alleluia Files
Legend has it that the Alleluia Files contain the truth about the god of Samaria. Now, a child raised in captivity among the angels will journey the length and breadth of her world to seek the documents that will alter the face of Samaria forever...
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
61 people are currently reading
977 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Shinn
58 books2,282 followersI’ve been writing stories and poems since I was eight years old. My first poem was about Halloween: "What is tonight? What is tonight?/Try to guess and you’ll guess right." Perhaps this inauspicious beginning explains why it took me till I was in my thirties to sell a novel. It occurred to me early on that it might take some time and a lot of tries before I was able to publish any of my creative writing, so I pursued a degree in journalism at Northwestern University so I’d be able to support myself while I figured out how to write fiction.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
I’ve spent most of my journalism career at three trade and association magazines—The Professional Photographer (which, as you might guess, went to studio and industrial photographers), DECOR (which went to frame shop and art gallery owners), and BizEd (which is directed at deans and professors at business schools). My longest stint, seventeen years, was at DECOR. Many people don’t know this, but I’m a CPF (Certified Picture Framer), having passed a very long, technical test to prove I understood the tenets of conservation framing. Now I write about management education and interview some really cool, really smart people from all over the world.
I mostly write my fiction in the evenings and on weekends. It requires a pretty obsessive-compulsive personality to be as prolific as I’ve been in the past ten years and hold down a full-time job. But I do manage to tear myself away from the computer now and then to do something fun. I read as often as I can, across all genres, though I’m most often holding a book that’s fantasy or romance, with the occasional western thrown in. I’m a fan of Cardinals baseball and try to be at the ballpark on opening day. If I had the time, I’d see a movie every day of my life. I love certain TV shows so much that knowing a new episode is going to air that night will make me happy all day. (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, but in the past I’ve given my heart to shows all over the map in terms of quality: "Knight Rider," "Remington Steele," "Blake’s 7," "Moonlighting," "The Young Riders," "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues," "X-Files," "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica"...you can probably fill in the gaps. And let’s not forget my very first loves, "The Partridge Family," "Here Come the Brides" and "Alias Smith & Jones.")
I don’t have kids, I don’t want pets, and all my plants die, so I’m really only forced to provide ongoing care for my menagerie of stuffed animals. All my friends are animal lovers, though, and someone once theorized that I keep friends as pets. I’m still trying to decide if that’s true.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
October 26, 2009
I was trying to explain this book to my boyfriend and after I got through: world colonized way into the future by earthlings, the satellite aka "god/jovah" in the sky, and angels with wings grafted onto their backs to control the weather... he was like, "Will you listen to yourself?! This sounds crazy!" And, it is reactions like this, my friends, that makes me love sci fi/fantasy EVEN MORE.
April 20, 2017
Sharon Shinn wrote the Samaria books before angels were even a popular subject. I'm a big fan of Shinn, and after reading the first book in this series, Archangel, I fell in love with the world she has created. This is very much a science fiction series, with the inhabitants of Samaria being descendants of people from Earth who left to escape the destruction of the planet by technology. In The Alleluia Files, the people of Samaria have become much more technologically advanced -- some think this is a good thing, others think they are traveling the path that their descendants had tried to escape from.
The book starts off with Tamar, a woman who has grown up with the Jacobites, a group of people who believe that the "god" the angels sing to for help is in fact a spaceship designed to respond to aural cues (music). I loved Tamar. Strong female heroines always win me over, and this girl has some fire in her! Despite being persecuted, hunted down, and beaten down by people from all over, she refuses to give up. She doesn't even complain about her lot in life; she just accepts it and does what she can to survive. If there's anything I hate, it's a whiny character, so I fell in love with Tamar rather quickly.
As all the Samaria books, The Alleluia Files has multiple viewpoints, so we don't just get Tamar's version of events, though I consider her to be the main character. We also get Lucinda, an angel who grew up on an isolated island, and Jared, a high-ranking angel who goes against the norm. They are all wonderful characters, but I think that Tamar was my favorite, followed by Lucinda.
While it was very good, I don't think this one was as good as the first two books of the series. For some reason, the romance didn't seem quite as satisfying. Also, the plot was fairly predictable. Although, I have to admit, once the climax hit, I couldn't stop reading, even though I was pretty sure of what was going to happen. This book is exciting, humorous, suspenseful, and heartwarming. Shinn's greatest talent is getting the reader involved in her characters' lives and their stories -- by the end, I felt like I had just gone through what they had gone through, and found myself sharing their emotions. For me, that is the sign of good writing.
The Samaria books are all connected; however, they are written in a way so as to make them stand-alone. On the one hand, I hate how we don't get to see characters from previous books, but on the other hand, I really like seeing how the world changes and progresses throughout the centuries. Obviously, reading the previous books will help your understanding of the finer points of the world and its history, but it's not necessary.
I recommend this series for any science fiction or romance lover. Keep in mind that there aren't hot and heavy scenes -- it's a sweet romance -- but the characters' interactions will make your heart flutter and put a smile on your face.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
The book starts off with Tamar, a woman who has grown up with the Jacobites, a group of people who believe that the "god" the angels sing to for help is in fact a spaceship designed to respond to aural cues (music). I loved Tamar. Strong female heroines always win me over, and this girl has some fire in her! Despite being persecuted, hunted down, and beaten down by people from all over, she refuses to give up. She doesn't even complain about her lot in life; she just accepts it and does what she can to survive. If there's anything I hate, it's a whiny character, so I fell in love with Tamar rather quickly.
As all the Samaria books, The Alleluia Files has multiple viewpoints, so we don't just get Tamar's version of events, though I consider her to be the main character. We also get Lucinda, an angel who grew up on an isolated island, and Jared, a high-ranking angel who goes against the norm. They are all wonderful characters, but I think that Tamar was my favorite, followed by Lucinda.
While it was very good, I don't think this one was as good as the first two books of the series. For some reason, the romance didn't seem quite as satisfying. Also, the plot was fairly predictable. Although, I have to admit, once the climax hit, I couldn't stop reading, even though I was pretty sure of what was going to happen. This book is exciting, humorous, suspenseful, and heartwarming. Shinn's greatest talent is getting the reader involved in her characters' lives and their stories -- by the end, I felt like I had just gone through what they had gone through, and found myself sharing their emotions. For me, that is the sign of good writing.
The Samaria books are all connected; however, they are written in a way so as to make them stand-alone. On the one hand, I hate how we don't get to see characters from previous books, but on the other hand, I really like seeing how the world changes and progresses throughout the centuries. Obviously, reading the previous books will help your understanding of the finer points of the world and its history, but it's not necessary.
I recommend this series for any science fiction or romance lover. Keep in mind that there aren't hot and heavy scenes -- it's a sweet romance -- but the characters' interactions will make your heart flutter and put a smile on your face.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
September 2, 2016
Personal disclaimer: I read this trilogy back-to-back amidst a full work week, a meditation retreat, a crazed midnight trip to Dulles airport to pick up a friend returning from abroad eight hours late, and a dark scary trip into the wilds of suburbia to retrieve a favorite hat from a jimjilbang. No wonder by the end of the book my every nerve had been worked over and left for dead.
I have faith in Ms. Shinn's story-telling. She is a wonderful writer, deft with details, committed to every scene--no matter if it is transitional or key--committed to the integrity of her characters, and utterly competent at composition. She also has psychological insight, which in the area of male-female relations is key to creating realism. Her romances, though a bit short on sex, are deeply satisfying because they are peopled with characters who respect one another in addition to being attracted to one another. So many romance writers create chemistry but the characters have nothing else to draw them together. Were they to be real people they would end up hating one another. Our world of 50% divorce is boring; I read romance for the happily ever after fantasy. Also, as I'm at an age where I'm over oxytocin-mediated lust I care more for couples designed for what they can bring to the world than how they can titillate me. Ms. Shinn's romances are mature.
The Alleluia Files solves the issues developed in the second book and moves the whole world of Samaria into a new phase of evolution, which reflects, I suppose, our own world. (As Frances Moore Lappé said, "Think about what your every choice means for posterity. How do we want to be remembered? As stewards of the earth? Or as selfish little shoppers?") One area that affects our daily life, and mine in particular because of the nature of my vocation and my avocation, is the intersection and debate between science/technology/biomedicine and religion/faith/alternative medicine. My favorite quote is Margaret Mead's, "An ideal society is one which honors every human gift," and its corollary, "every human perspective." Isn't both/and infinitely preferable to an either/or?
In this respect Ms. Shinn's premise could not be any more topical. We exist in a time when technology has made our lives better and has the potential to make it much worse. (PLoS just published a much-hailed study indicating that the more time people spend on Facebook the less happy they report themselves to be.) A lot of the power of technology has to do with the motivations of who controls it. Ms. Shinn did a clever job of exposing the naked greed for power that lies behind any claim for a monoglossic power--beit science or divinity. I'd hazard to say that people who write about zealotism know that it doesn't matter the party-politik its face is always the same. I see the same mulish denial on the faces of medical doctors who poo-poo alternative medicine as I do on the faces of my colleagues who sneer at biomedical interventions. Being closed to opposing Weltanshauung is always a terrible idea!
Personally, of the three books I preferred the first because I like my pleasures neat and my deities nameless, faceless and inscrutable. I kinda wished I'd stopped there. But then I wouldn't have had the chance to write this little screed and that would've been too bad.
October 6, 2025
Nostalgia re-read! This conclusion to the Samaria cycle of books was a bit of a letdown tbh, plotwise AND in terms of the romances. So it's a credit to Shinn that she's created such an interesting world that it's still pretty readable. The final book is "mid" instead of a big stunner of a conclusion.
Plotwise, it's all been heading toward the question of whether or not Samarian citizens - angels and humans - will find out about the power that's truly behind their society. A great setup, but Shinn chooses to spend the majority of the book in a "will they or won't they" dance around the reveal.
Characterwise, there's a cult that's grown up around the truth, the Jacobites, and we follow one of their members, Tamar, passionate about finding evidence that the god Jovah is actually a spaceship "Jehovah." We also follow the angel Jared, folks think is meant to be the next Archangel, but he doesn't wanna. The final main character is Lucinda, an angel who's been outside of Samarian society, but gets pulled back into it by machinations she (and we as readers) don't at first understand.
It's fun to learn about these new characters and their lives, but I wasn't too connected to the drama about "truth or not" since as readers we already know who's "right" and it's just about how and when that comes out. Which is rather too late in the book for me! I would have liked to see much more of the aftermath.
The rest of the page time beyond character development is mostly given to the romances. Jared is inexplicably attracted to Tamar, maybe because she has all the passion and drive he lacks. Lucinda, meanwhile, finds herself drawn to an Edori sailor. I found both of these romances to be pretty meh.
There was one notable plot twist in the book - which is a classic and I remember it from my first read. So I can't honestly say how it lands now, but I do recall being pretty spun by it on the original read. However, I was in my teens and less well-read. YMMV.
Everything comes to a satisfactory conclusion and there are no loose ends, but sadly I think this might be the weakest book of the first-published three. ARCHANGEL was anchored by a really powerful romance, and JOVAH'S ANGEL had a cracking plot. This one is...fine. It gets the job done. Still, this series did cement me as a Sharon Shinn fan, so credit where it's due. And maybe now I'll go read the other related books set in Samaria - the world is that compelling.
Plotwise, it's all been heading toward the question of whether or not Samarian citizens - angels and humans - will find out about the power that's truly behind their society. A great setup, but Shinn chooses to spend the majority of the book in a "will they or won't they" dance around the reveal.
Characterwise, there's a cult that's grown up around the truth, the Jacobites, and we follow one of their members, Tamar, passionate about finding evidence that the god Jovah is actually a spaceship "Jehovah." We also follow the angel Jared, folks think is meant to be the next Archangel, but he doesn't wanna. The final main character is Lucinda, an angel who's been outside of Samarian society, but gets pulled back into it by machinations she (and we as readers) don't at first understand.
It's fun to learn about these new characters and their lives, but I wasn't too connected to the drama about "truth or not" since as readers we already know who's "right" and it's just about how and when that comes out. Which is rather too late in the book for me! I would have liked to see much more of the aftermath.
The rest of the page time beyond character development is mostly given to the romances. Jared is inexplicably attracted to Tamar, maybe because she has all the passion and drive he lacks. Lucinda, meanwhile, finds herself drawn to an Edori sailor. I found both of these romances to be pretty meh.
There was one notable plot twist in the book - which is a classic and I remember it from my first read. So I can't honestly say how it lands now, but I do recall being pretty spun by it on the original read. However, I was in my teens and less well-read. YMMV.
Everything comes to a satisfactory conclusion and there are no loose ends, but sadly I think this might be the weakest book of the first-published three. ARCHANGEL was anchored by a really powerful romance, and JOVAH'S ANGEL had a cracking plot. This one is...fine. It gets the job done. Still, this series did cement me as a Sharon Shinn fan, so credit where it's due. And maybe now I'll go read the other related books set in Samaria - the world is that compelling.
April 16, 2009
In this book, Shinn features her best leading male ever, Jared. He is a man with great power and responsibility...and he evades it at any cost to do...nothing at all. Even as news that will shake the very world down to it's core falls into his lap. He waits years to act on it, and even then he just tries pushing it off on the leading lady, Tamar, who is charmingly schizophrenic.
February 18, 2009
Much better than Jovah's Angel and better than Archangel. For once, I couldn't entirely guess which people/angels would end up together and how the end would turn out. The beginning, however, was sloooooww. The characters were each well drawn, save for Jared, whom I kept expecting to get overthrown by his own relatives and/or Bael since he was never home. Also, Lucinda's characterization seemed a little inconsistent towards the end of the book.
The oracles' method of passing down the secrets only on their deathbed seemed ridiculously ineffective, and indeed the secrets were not surprisingly lost after only 2 generations. Why wouldn't they have an apprentice?
It is curious given what we learn about the Jansai and what Gabriel did about them in Angel Seeker, hundreds of years before this book, that they do not improve from said spanking but rather apparently develop into the Taliban. It would be interesting to see another book written during that time period to develop the logic.
Despite the questions, the last half of the book was very compelling.
The oracles' method of passing down the secrets only on their deathbed seemed ridiculously ineffective, and indeed the secrets were not surprisingly lost after only 2 generations. Why wouldn't they have an apprentice?
It is curious given what we learn about the Jansai and what Gabriel did about them in Angel Seeker, hundreds of years before this book, that they do not improve from said spanking but rather apparently develop into the Taliban. It would be interesting to see another book written during that time period to develop the logic.
Despite the questions, the last half of the book was very compelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
Tamar is a Jacobite. A member of a small, rebellious sect that believes Samaria's god, Jovah, is actually a spaceship.
Jarod is the angelic leader of Monteverde. If he was ever there, he might be first in line to become the next Angelico.
Lucinda is a visitor to Samaria--an angel raised on the isolated island of Angel Rock. She is naive and unspoiled, but has good instincts.
These three individuals have almost nothing in common. Except all are subjects of the archangel, Bael, which means all are in grave danger.
It's been a long time since I first read The Alleluia Files. The story, which deals with a corrupt leader's attempt to eliminate a group of individuals who question his continents' traditional belief system, hits harder on this second read. I struggle a bit with the three-person narration and backing up of the timeline as the story switches point-of-view; but I'm glad I read this book again. Samaria, itself, is a fascinating world, and the author has tackled some dark realities and complex issues within it.
Jarod is the angelic leader of Monteverde. If he was ever there, he might be first in line to become the next Angelico.
Lucinda is a visitor to Samaria--an angel raised on the isolated island of Angel Rock. She is naive and unspoiled, but has good instincts.
These three individuals have almost nothing in common. Except all are subjects of the archangel, Bael, which means all are in grave danger.
It's been a long time since I first read The Alleluia Files. The story, which deals with a corrupt leader's attempt to eliminate a group of individuals who question his continents' traditional belief system, hits harder on this second read. I struggle a bit with the three-person narration and backing up of the timeline as the story switches point-of-view; but I'm glad I read this book again. Samaria, itself, is a fascinating world, and the author has tackled some dark realities and complex issues within it.
August 5, 2011
I love Sharon Shinn she is one of my favorite Authors and I loved the first two books in this series. This one was good and I loved the characters! She is so good at developing characters through their actions. The story moved really well and I enjoyed going back to Samaria. There was one hitch for me and that was the love stories in this . The story is the focal point and the 2 love stories take a back seat. It is almost like a whole chapter got left out somewhere. I was a little disappointed, There was such a great build up and it ended to abruptly. This is an adult book and the morals are very lose among the people of this land, but Shinn keeps it fairly clean. There is violence but nothing described in detail.18 and up
November 9, 2012
Samaria Series
If all romance books were like these, I might consider myself to be a fan of romance novels in general.
The 'Samaria' series is primarily romance - but it's balanced with enough other plot elements that it doesn't get too tedious. They're even frequently... romantic!... in a way that doesn't (usually) make me want to strangle the characters! (They're never explicit/erotic, though.)
I did read all five books back-to-back, which meant that some of the elements did get a little repetitive. Obviously, to a certain degree, Shinn found a formula and stuck with it. It wouldn't have bothered me at all if I hadn't been doing a Samaria marathon, though.
They are undeniably wish-fulfillment-based books. These are designed for women who think that having a drop-dead-gorgeous, preternaturally strong, winged lover who can pick you up and fly you through the sky is a super-sexy idea.
In tone and feel, I thought these were actually very similar to Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. They've got the nominally sci-fi setting, the fantasy 'feel,' and the character-based plot elements, with a similar mix of action, politics and personal drama.
All of the books are fully stand-alone stories.
Archangel
The angel Gabriel is set to become the next Archangel, as decreed by the voice of Jovah. However, before he ascends to his position of leadership, he must find the wife determined for him by his god - a woman named Rachel. Without an Angelica (the female counterpart to the Archangel), the complex acappella musical concert known as the Gloria cannot occur, and Jovah will rain destruction upon the land.
Being named Angelica is an honor that all girls dream of - so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, if your destined bride belongs to a persecuted ethnic group, and has been sold into slavery - and bears no love toward angels.
Jovah's Angel
Set around 100 years after the first book. In a dramatic beginning, the well-respected Archangel Delilah is crippled in a storm, her consort killed, and Jovah names a most unlikely successor to replace her: a shy, studious angel named Alleluia (or, informally, Alleya). Like in the previous book, Alleya must find her predestined mate - but Jehovah does not know his name, identifying him only as "son of Jeremiah." Things are further complicated by Alleya's growing feelings for the inventor Caleb (who makes a bunch of steampunk-y stuff). But Caleb cannot be her destined mate... can he?
Meanwhile, Delila must deal with her feelings of resentment, and learn to live without flying. But of course, she'll find someone too - a man of the Edori (an ethnic group that resemble Jewish gypsies.)
Meanwhile - a big issue is going on. When the angels sing the songs that control the weather, often nothing happens. Climate change is leading to disaster.
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because I wasn't thrilled by the theme of industrialization going on in Samaria. Also, all the technological/sci-fi elements that were alluded to in the first book are made very clear in this story, and some of the mystery is lost. It won me over, after a while, though.
The Alleluia Files
A few hundred years have passed... The Archangel at this time, Bael, is cruel and harsh. He rules with a strong hand, and is secretly committing genocide against the Jacobites, claiming their heresies threaten the land. But - does he secretly know that their heretical stances regarding the god Jovah are true?
Far more than the other books, this one has a clear villain (Bael). However, the clear hero, the upstanding and just Jared, will make things right, if he can ever stop being too lazy to bother. He'll be helped out by the angel Lucinda, who has grown up on an isolated island, far from the politics of the angel's Aerie, and the strong-willed Tamar, a member of the heretic Jacobites.
Angelica
The Archangel Gaaron has his life mate picked out for him by Jovah. Never before has an Edori woman been picked to be Angelica - but although Susannah has the implant that allows Jovah to track the people of Samaria, unlike the Edori, she has been raised by the Edori and identifies with them. She's also only just broken up with her long term lover. (He was a big jerk though, so the reader is sure she will get over him.) She's not at all sure she wants to be Angelica. (Sound familiar? Yeah.) This one is set far before all the other books. Like in the other books, there's also a social problem to address while the romance is given time to develop: mysterious, disappearing invaders are attacking and burning the caravans of both Edori and Jansai, as well as isolated villages.
The day will be saved, and love will triumph.
Angel-Seeker
After finishing the previous book in the series, I was thinking: "Hey, are we ever going to get to see the point of view of one of the oppressed Jansai women? Pretty much all the other ethnic groups in Samaria have been covcered by POV characters." And, ta-da, here we are. Rebekah's charcter is very well done, actually. She's a rebellious girl in a repressive culture, but even after she falls in love with an angel, her ties to family and tradition hold her in a frighteningly realistic way. She also horribly underestimates her fate, if she's caught...
Meanwhile, the title character, Elizabeth, becomes an angel-seeker - a woman who desires more than anything, to bear an angel child, and will do pretty much anything to further that goal. Again, the motivations here were really well portrayed.
Both women grow as individuals over the course of the book - and, of course, find love.
If all romance books were like these, I might consider myself to be a fan of romance novels in general.
The 'Samaria' series is primarily romance - but it's balanced with enough other plot elements that it doesn't get too tedious. They're even frequently... romantic!... in a way that doesn't (usually) make me want to strangle the characters! (They're never explicit/erotic, though.)
I did read all five books back-to-back, which meant that some of the elements did get a little repetitive. Obviously, to a certain degree, Shinn found a formula and stuck with it. It wouldn't have bothered me at all if I hadn't been doing a Samaria marathon, though.
They are undeniably wish-fulfillment-based books. These are designed for women who think that having a drop-dead-gorgeous, preternaturally strong, winged lover who can pick you up and fly you through the sky is a super-sexy idea.
In tone and feel, I thought these were actually very similar to Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. They've got the nominally sci-fi setting, the fantasy 'feel,' and the character-based plot elements, with a similar mix of action, politics and personal drama.
All of the books are fully stand-alone stories.
Archangel
The angel Gabriel is set to become the next Archangel, as decreed by the voice of Jovah. However, before he ascends to his position of leadership, he must find the wife determined for him by his god - a woman named Rachel. Without an Angelica (the female counterpart to the Archangel), the complex acappella musical concert known as the Gloria cannot occur, and Jovah will rain destruction upon the land.
Being named Angelica is an honor that all girls dream of - so what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, if your destined bride belongs to a persecuted ethnic group, and has been sold into slavery - and bears no love toward angels.
Jovah's Angel
Set around 100 years after the first book. In a dramatic beginning, the well-respected Archangel Delilah is crippled in a storm, her consort killed, and Jovah names a most unlikely successor to replace her: a shy, studious angel named Alleluia (or, informally, Alleya). Like in the previous book, Alleya must find her predestined mate - but Jehovah does not know his name, identifying him only as "son of Jeremiah." Things are further complicated by Alleya's growing feelings for the inventor Caleb (who makes a bunch of steampunk-y stuff). But Caleb cannot be her destined mate... can he?
Meanwhile, Delila must deal with her feelings of resentment, and learn to live without flying. But of course, she'll find someone too - a man of the Edori (an ethnic group that resemble Jewish gypsies.)
Meanwhile - a big issue is going on. When the angels sing the songs that control the weather, often nothing happens. Climate change is leading to disaster.
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because I wasn't thrilled by the theme of industrialization going on in Samaria. Also, all the technological/sci-fi elements that were alluded to in the first book are made very clear in this story, and some of the mystery is lost. It won me over, after a while, though.
The Alleluia Files
A few hundred years have passed... The Archangel at this time, Bael, is cruel and harsh. He rules with a strong hand, and is secretly committing genocide against the Jacobites, claiming their heresies threaten the land. But - does he secretly know that their heretical stances regarding the god Jovah are true?
Far more than the other books, this one has a clear villain (Bael). However, the clear hero, the upstanding and just Jared, will make things right, if he can ever stop being too lazy to bother. He'll be helped out by the angel Lucinda, who has grown up on an isolated island, far from the politics of the angel's Aerie, and the strong-willed Tamar, a member of the heretic Jacobites.
Angelica
The Archangel Gaaron has his life mate picked out for him by Jovah. Never before has an Edori woman been picked to be Angelica - but although Susannah has the implant that allows Jovah to track the people of Samaria, unlike the Edori, she has been raised by the Edori and identifies with them. She's also only just broken up with her long term lover. (He was a big jerk though, so the reader is sure she will get over him.) She's not at all sure she wants to be Angelica. (Sound familiar? Yeah.) This one is set far before all the other books. Like in the other books, there's also a social problem to address while the romance is given time to develop: mysterious, disappearing invaders are attacking and burning the caravans of both Edori and Jansai, as well as isolated villages.
The day will be saved, and love will triumph.
Angel-Seeker
After finishing the previous book in the series, I was thinking: "Hey, are we ever going to get to see the point of view of one of the oppressed Jansai women? Pretty much all the other ethnic groups in Samaria have been covcered by POV characters." And, ta-da, here we are. Rebekah's charcter is very well done, actually. She's a rebellious girl in a repressive culture, but even after she falls in love with an angel, her ties to family and tradition hold her in a frighteningly realistic way. She also horribly underestimates her fate, if she's caught...
Meanwhile, the title character, Elizabeth, becomes an angel-seeker - a woman who desires more than anything, to bear an angel child, and will do pretty much anything to further that goal. Again, the motivations here were really well portrayed.
Both women grow as individuals over the course of the book - and, of course, find love.
May 23, 2024
Good. Enjoyed.
I recommend spacing these books out if you are reading the series.
I recommend spacing these books out if you are reading the series.
June 4, 2021
Note: Just as I did in my review of Jovah's Angel, I must warn you away from the rest of this post if you haven't read the first two books. The very plot of The Alleluia Files is a spoiler for both of them and, unavoidably, so is this review.
Ok?
Then keep going.
An excellent close to this trilogy. I liked it a tiny little bit less than I did Jovah's Angel, which I liked a tiny little bit less than I did Archangel, but that's still a B+.
In JA we saw the Archangel Alleluia almost accidentally find out that the god everyone in Samaria worships is actually a spaceship orbiting around the planet, and that the angels are simply humans genetically engineered to fly, with the original intention that they might be able to deliver aural cues from closer by to the spaceship, so that its computer will know when it needs to act to spray chemicals on the clouds to modify the climate, rain down medicine or food, etc.
Alleluia decided not to share this knowledge with the rest of the community, believing they weren't ready to hear the truth. However, as TAF begins, we see that some glimmers of it somehow did leak out.
It's now some 100 years after the events narrated in JA. Some 20 years earlier a cult emerged, the Jacobites, who claimed that the god wasn't a god, but a machine, and that the Archangel Alleluia had found proof of this. They also insisted that Alleluia had somehow left this proof for people to find later, when they could handle the knowledge. The Jacobites insisted that the time was right then, and made it their lives' work to find this proof, which would allow them to convince the rest of Samarian society.
But the Archangel Bael refused to tolerate their -to him- blasphemous message, and started a bloody campaign against them with the help of some other angels and the always-warring Jansai tribe. 20 years later, as the main story starts, there are only a few Jacobites left, and Bael's continuing prosecution forces them to spend all their energies trying to survive, rather than concentrate their efforts on finding the Alleluia files.
One of these remaining Jacobites is Tamar, a young woman whose mother died in the early years of the campaign against the Jacobites. Tamar has spent all her life fighting for the cause and for survival, and is still fighting. When the Jacobites are decimated by yet another attack and an angel appears and offers her his help, both in getting out of her current jam and in finding those elusive files, Tamar is understandably not enthusiastic about the offer.
The angel in question is Jared, the leader of one of the three angel holds, and he's only now discovering just what Bael has been doing against the Jacobites. The Archangel has been doing such a good job of suppressing the Jacobites that until a concerned friend enlightened Jared, he, as most of the angels, had previously had only a vague idea of what the Jacobites stood for. And he'd certainly not realized that Bael and his Jansai were actually killing these people, he'd thought they were "merely" being prevented from spreading their seditious message.
But Jared is basically a decent, honest and fair guy, so when he hears this, he immediately goes looking for the truth. He doesn't believe in what the Jacobites are saying, but he's willing to help them look for these mysterious files they're after, including searching in places off-limits to them, like the archives in the different angel holds. Too bad that strangely fascinating woman Tamar, whom he meets at the site of the latest Jacobite-massacre, doesn't believe him and refuses his help. But Jared, though easy-going, is stubborn, so she will be getting his help, want it or not.
Let's get this out of the way: if you had a problem with Rachel, from Archangel, you'll likely have one with Tamar as well. These two women are remarkably similar in the way the trials in their lives left them bitter and untrusting and generally ill-disposed towards angels. Me, I loved Rachel, so I had no problem at all with Tamar. I completely understood why she was as she was and why she would refuse to trust that Jared was as good as he seemed, and her gradual warming to him (and to people in general, actually) was wonderful to watch.
As much as Tamar was very similar to Rachel, the whole dynamic of the main romance here was completely different to that of Archangel, mainly because the heroes were so dissimilar. While Gabriel was arrogant and cocksure and a natural, ambitious leader, Jared is much more of a beta figure. He doesn't lack courage (neither physical nor intellectual), but he's just not that interested in being boss. He's perfectly happy, for instance, to leave the day-to-day business of leading his hold to other people, and doesn't really care all that much about anything.
The developing relationship between this woman so committed to her cause and this man who can't even conceive of caring so deeply about anything is excellently done. Both grow through their interactions, Tamar starting to become more interested in people, rather than in a bloodless cause, and Jared finally finding something he cares enough for to put his life on the line.
I jumped right into the romance here, but as the rest of the Samaria novels, there's a huge lot of plot going on, and not piddling stuff, but world-changing, monumental events, because Tamar and Jared's mission can have some big, big consequences. Most authors seem to shy away from such a broad subject matter, but not Shinn, and I love the way she does it.
I enjoyed how the action developed, even though I guess I've become attuned to Shinn's writing, because I immediately saw the significance of certain things, like why we were getting the angel Lucinda's story, too (how she'd fit in in Tamar's story), or the significance of Lucinda trying to distract herself by learning the most difficult prayer she could think of, but in reverse. Still, even already imagining how things would turn out, seeing all the pieces fall into place was immensely satisfying.
Something else I enjoyed was that we get to see how Samaria has evolved in the 100 years since we last saw it, and it's an interesting picture. The society has industrialized, with its attendant problems and consequences, one of them being that many fear they might be going again in the direction that destroyed their original planet (the accepted history in the Librera -the Samarian "Bible"- is that the original planet was rendered unliveable by technology, and the people had to be "carried in the hands of the god" to a new planet, Samaria). The instinctive human push for knowledge and the futility of those who seek to suppress it is a theme in the book, and one I thought was very intriguing.
And, as in the other books in the series, so is faith. I thought it was interesting that, unlike what it may seem at first sight, it's Tamar who's this book's character most driven by faith... Tamar, the woman whose reason in life is to prove that other Samarians have placed their faith in a false god. Her belief in the Alleluia files is just as much a matter of faith than that of the other people's in Jovah, and it contrasts with Jared's almost perfunctory beliefs.
As much as I loved TAF, I thought there was something which wasn't that good, and that was the lack of subtlety in the villains. It's no spoiler that the baddies here are the Archangel Bael and his son, Omar. Part of my problem with them is the fact the situation is more or less the same as in Archangel... an archangel who doesn't want to relinquish power. But it's not all: even if I'd read this one before Archangel, I would have preferred the latter. Raphael's characterization and motivation were much more interesting than that of these two, who were just plain power-hungry.
The ending also felt a bit too quick. But maybe it's that I wanted to see exactly how things would turn out. I wanted to keep reading and see how Samaria processes things, how it evolves. But unfortunately, this is the latest we get with Samaria's history. I mentioned above that this book closes the Samaria trilogy, but there are actually two more books in it. However, rather than continuing with the overarching storyline about Jovah and its nature, they are set in the past and are more about telling stories in this world, rather than about this world.
Ok?
Then keep going.
An excellent close to this trilogy. I liked it a tiny little bit less than I did Jovah's Angel, which I liked a tiny little bit less than I did Archangel, but that's still a B+.
In JA we saw the Archangel Alleluia almost accidentally find out that the god everyone in Samaria worships is actually a spaceship orbiting around the planet, and that the angels are simply humans genetically engineered to fly, with the original intention that they might be able to deliver aural cues from closer by to the spaceship, so that its computer will know when it needs to act to spray chemicals on the clouds to modify the climate, rain down medicine or food, etc.
Alleluia decided not to share this knowledge with the rest of the community, believing they weren't ready to hear the truth. However, as TAF begins, we see that some glimmers of it somehow did leak out.
It's now some 100 years after the events narrated in JA. Some 20 years earlier a cult emerged, the Jacobites, who claimed that the god wasn't a god, but a machine, and that the Archangel Alleluia had found proof of this. They also insisted that Alleluia had somehow left this proof for people to find later, when they could handle the knowledge. The Jacobites insisted that the time was right then, and made it their lives' work to find this proof, which would allow them to convince the rest of Samarian society.
But the Archangel Bael refused to tolerate their -to him- blasphemous message, and started a bloody campaign against them with the help of some other angels and the always-warring Jansai tribe. 20 years later, as the main story starts, there are only a few Jacobites left, and Bael's continuing prosecution forces them to spend all their energies trying to survive, rather than concentrate their efforts on finding the Alleluia files.
One of these remaining Jacobites is Tamar, a young woman whose mother died in the early years of the campaign against the Jacobites. Tamar has spent all her life fighting for the cause and for survival, and is still fighting. When the Jacobites are decimated by yet another attack and an angel appears and offers her his help, both in getting out of her current jam and in finding those elusive files, Tamar is understandably not enthusiastic about the offer.
The angel in question is Jared, the leader of one of the three angel holds, and he's only now discovering just what Bael has been doing against the Jacobites. The Archangel has been doing such a good job of suppressing the Jacobites that until a concerned friend enlightened Jared, he, as most of the angels, had previously had only a vague idea of what the Jacobites stood for. And he'd certainly not realized that Bael and his Jansai were actually killing these people, he'd thought they were "merely" being prevented from spreading their seditious message.
But Jared is basically a decent, honest and fair guy, so when he hears this, he immediately goes looking for the truth. He doesn't believe in what the Jacobites are saying, but he's willing to help them look for these mysterious files they're after, including searching in places off-limits to them, like the archives in the different angel holds. Too bad that strangely fascinating woman Tamar, whom he meets at the site of the latest Jacobite-massacre, doesn't believe him and refuses his help. But Jared, though easy-going, is stubborn, so she will be getting his help, want it or not.
Let's get this out of the way: if you had a problem with Rachel, from Archangel, you'll likely have one with Tamar as well. These two women are remarkably similar in the way the trials in their lives left them bitter and untrusting and generally ill-disposed towards angels. Me, I loved Rachel, so I had no problem at all with Tamar. I completely understood why she was as she was and why she would refuse to trust that Jared was as good as he seemed, and her gradual warming to him (and to people in general, actually) was wonderful to watch.
As much as Tamar was very similar to Rachel, the whole dynamic of the main romance here was completely different to that of Archangel, mainly because the heroes were so dissimilar. While Gabriel was arrogant and cocksure and a natural, ambitious leader, Jared is much more of a beta figure. He doesn't lack courage (neither physical nor intellectual), but he's just not that interested in being boss. He's perfectly happy, for instance, to leave the day-to-day business of leading his hold to other people, and doesn't really care all that much about anything.
The developing relationship between this woman so committed to her cause and this man who can't even conceive of caring so deeply about anything is excellently done. Both grow through their interactions, Tamar starting to become more interested in people, rather than in a bloodless cause, and Jared finally finding something he cares enough for to put his life on the line.
I jumped right into the romance here, but as the rest of the Samaria novels, there's a huge lot of plot going on, and not piddling stuff, but world-changing, monumental events, because Tamar and Jared's mission can have some big, big consequences. Most authors seem to shy away from such a broad subject matter, but not Shinn, and I love the way she does it.
I enjoyed how the action developed, even though I guess I've become attuned to Shinn's writing, because I immediately saw the significance of certain things, like why we were getting the angel Lucinda's story, too (how she'd fit in in Tamar's story), or the significance of Lucinda trying to distract herself by learning the most difficult prayer she could think of, but in reverse. Still, even already imagining how things would turn out, seeing all the pieces fall into place was immensely satisfying.
Something else I enjoyed was that we get to see how Samaria has evolved in the 100 years since we last saw it, and it's an interesting picture. The society has industrialized, with its attendant problems and consequences, one of them being that many fear they might be going again in the direction that destroyed their original planet (the accepted history in the Librera -the Samarian "Bible"- is that the original planet was rendered unliveable by technology, and the people had to be "carried in the hands of the god" to a new planet, Samaria). The instinctive human push for knowledge and the futility of those who seek to suppress it is a theme in the book, and one I thought was very intriguing.
And, as in the other books in the series, so is faith. I thought it was interesting that, unlike what it may seem at first sight, it's Tamar who's this book's character most driven by faith... Tamar, the woman whose reason in life is to prove that other Samarians have placed their faith in a false god. Her belief in the Alleluia files is just as much a matter of faith than that of the other people's in Jovah, and it contrasts with Jared's almost perfunctory beliefs.
As much as I loved TAF, I thought there was something which wasn't that good, and that was the lack of subtlety in the villains. It's no spoiler that the baddies here are the Archangel Bael and his son, Omar. Part of my problem with them is the fact the situation is more or less the same as in Archangel... an archangel who doesn't want to relinquish power. But it's not all: even if I'd read this one before Archangel, I would have preferred the latter. Raphael's characterization and motivation were much more interesting than that of these two, who were just plain power-hungry.
The ending also felt a bit too quick. But maybe it's that I wanted to see exactly how things would turn out. I wanted to keep reading and see how Samaria processes things, how it evolves. But unfortunately, this is the latest we get with Samaria's history. I mentioned above that this book closes the Samaria trilogy, but there are actually two more books in it. However, rather than continuing with the overarching storyline about Jovah and its nature, they are set in the past and are more about telling stories in this world, rather than about this world.
August 19, 2016
This is a continuation of the Samaria series. Now there is a small sect that teaches that Jovah is a ship, not a deity, and they are being persecuted by the current archangel. The female romantic interest is part of the sect; the male is an angel.
Shinns' portrays the "atheistic" cult as bitter, angry, distrustful and arrogant. They do have some of the technical facts regarding Jovah's identity right, of course, but we find that those who believe in Jovah as deity tend to be more generous, helpful, loving, courteous, etc, etc.
At the end, there is a grand conference on the general theme of "What do we do now; what specifically is our theology?" A conversation goes as follows:
"We can all believe as the Edori do, believing in one great nameless god who watches over the entire universe. . .He hears every prayer, though he does not always answer -"
"Because he does not exist!" Conran shouted. (why's he so threatened, anyway?)
"No, I believe he does," Tamar (formerly of the sect)said. . ."I have been raised to deny the existence of Jovah - of any god. And yet, when I was at my most desperate and most afraid, I prayed. . . .I think we need a god so greatly because some god has created us, and he left behind that deep desire." (p. 468)
The story here was interesting because the council was trying to decide on what the religious tradition should be going forward, and some at the council were adamant that any belief in a god was wrong and dangerous.
Being religious myself, I've never read books by avowed atheists that attempt to disprove the existence of God, although I know that there are definitely authors who strive to demonstrate that much of the evil that has arisen in the world has religion as its root. I wonder if those atheist authors would make that same point: that belief in God is actually dangerous. I wonder if they believe that people would suddenly be more generous and courteous, more peace loving and considerate, if they would only stop believing in God?
Shinns' portrays the "atheistic" cult as bitter, angry, distrustful and arrogant. They do have some of the technical facts regarding Jovah's identity right, of course, but we find that those who believe in Jovah as deity tend to be more generous, helpful, loving, courteous, etc, etc.
At the end, there is a grand conference on the general theme of "What do we do now; what specifically is our theology?" A conversation goes as follows:
"We can all believe as the Edori do, believing in one great nameless god who watches over the entire universe. . .He hears every prayer, though he does not always answer -"
"Because he does not exist!" Conran shouted. (why's he so threatened, anyway?)
"No, I believe he does," Tamar (formerly of the sect)said. . ."I have been raised to deny the existence of Jovah - of any god. And yet, when I was at my most desperate and most afraid, I prayed. . . .I think we need a god so greatly because some god has created us, and he left behind that deep desire." (p. 468)
The story here was interesting because the council was trying to decide on what the religious tradition should be going forward, and some at the council were adamant that any belief in a god was wrong and dangerous.
Being religious myself, I've never read books by avowed atheists that attempt to disprove the existence of God, although I know that there are definitely authors who strive to demonstrate that much of the evil that has arisen in the world has religion as its root. I wonder if those atheist authors would make that same point: that belief in God is actually dangerous. I wonder if they believe that people would suddenly be more generous and courteous, more peace loving and considerate, if they would only stop believing in God?
June 4, 2010
Originally posted here.
As with the other Samaria books, this one revolves around certain characters, namely Tamar, Jared and Lucinda, and their interactions with each other. Tamar is a feisty and fiercely determined woman, brought up by Jacobites. She has been on the run her entire life and has a hard time trusting people. On the other hand, Jared is a happy-go-lucky type of angel. Even though he's technically the leader at Monteverde, he's never been passionate about anything. Tamar and Jared are total opposites, even in their beliefs, and it was such fun to watch them get on each other's nerves because it's so obvious that they admire each other underneath all the arguments. I have to admit, Jovah comes up with the most unlikely pairs but they end up suiting each other nicely.
While all of that is happening, the angel Lucinda is having her own adventures. Lucinda was brought up by her Aunt Gretchen in an isolated island called Angel Rock. Lucinda is an interesting person because you'd expect her to be shy and reserved, having grown up in an island with a population of twenty, but she's not. She's open-minded, eager to learn new things and does not back down when she's being intimidated. At first, I kept thinking about what was Lucinda's connection to the other characters and I only realized it around the middle of the book. I was so excited to finish reading to see how it will all unfold. I'm sorry to be so vague but I don't want to mention spoilers.
The Alleluia Files is another excellent installment in the Samaria series. This series has become my favorite when it comes to books featuring angels. Although to be fair, there aren't a lot of angel books out there. I highly recommend this series to fantasy fans out there.
As with the other Samaria books, this one revolves around certain characters, namely Tamar, Jared and Lucinda, and their interactions with each other. Tamar is a feisty and fiercely determined woman, brought up by Jacobites. She has been on the run her entire life and has a hard time trusting people. On the other hand, Jared is a happy-go-lucky type of angel. Even though he's technically the leader at Monteverde, he's never been passionate about anything. Tamar and Jared are total opposites, even in their beliefs, and it was such fun to watch them get on each other's nerves because it's so obvious that they admire each other underneath all the arguments. I have to admit, Jovah comes up with the most unlikely pairs but they end up suiting each other nicely.
While all of that is happening, the angel Lucinda is having her own adventures. Lucinda was brought up by her Aunt Gretchen in an isolated island called Angel Rock. Lucinda is an interesting person because you'd expect her to be shy and reserved, having grown up in an island with a population of twenty, but she's not. She's open-minded, eager to learn new things and does not back down when she's being intimidated. At first, I kept thinking about what was Lucinda's connection to the other characters and I only realized it around the middle of the book. I was so excited to finish reading to see how it will all unfold. I'm sorry to be so vague but I don't want to mention spoilers.
The Alleluia Files is another excellent installment in the Samaria series. This series has become my favorite when it comes to books featuring angels. Although to be fair, there aren't a lot of angel books out there. I highly recommend this series to fantasy fans out there.
June 4, 2009
Oh dear, they need a more exact rating scale. This book was fun, silly, and entertaining, but by no means great literature. A good brainless read about angels and such. And yes, I would like to point out that I am just diligently working my way through my list of books that I've read in the past while. I'm resisting the urge to edit. The urge to try to make it look like I only read smart books. But NO, I will proudly display my less than high-brow reading habits. Yes, there is a half-naked, beautiful winged man on the cover of that. Take that.
April 22, 2008
Halfway through I expected to give this four out of five stars because the premise, characterization and plotting seemed tighter and more compelling than in the previous two volumes, but then Shinn pulled her usual tricks with dysynchronous POV and sexist male characters that just drive me nuts. And then the dénouement never seemed to freaking end. So it gets three out of five. Are you happy, Sharon Shinn?
October 24, 2024
This one had a slower start than I've been used to from a Shinn book. By the end I appreciated the way in which the story lines came together and intersected but the slow start did have me hesitating to pick it up. A slick end brought the rating back up.
December 17, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by this story... after ignoring it for a couple years. I absolutely loved Archangel, but didn't like the direction that the second book in series went, so I put off reading this third installment and instead skipped on ahead to the last two books which actually go back in time, back to the early years of Samaria before and during Gabriel's time as Archangel.
One of my favorite thing about all five books is the singing. I'm not a good singer myself, and not at all knowledgeable. And of course you can't hear the singing in a book; it's all just words. So it is truly remarkable that Sharon Shinn can somehow make you almost hear the singing with her amazing writing. She does it through very specific details, just enough technical touches to feel authentic, and a whole lot of emotional and sensual details - wow - just wow.
Though I wasn't crazy about the direction that the second book, Jovah's Angel, took (can't go into details without spoiling) it was still a good book, so I really shouldn't have been surprised that The Alleluia Files was just as good, and I actually did end up liking the plot developments that at first troubled me: the author has a real, authentic way of handling difficult political, religious, and spiritual themes.
Not to mention she's one of the best writers, ever, for writing love stories - at least love stories that I love! I recognize some of the clichés she uses, but somehow she still pulls it off, makes falling in love unique in each instance (and I've read a lot of her books now), and beautiful, and yet still reasonably realistic for a fantasy without crossing over into the romantasy genre that is just a little too over the top for me.
There is the common "enemies to lovers" trope with the angel Jared and the mortal Tamar. The scene where they first encounter each other is quite stirring - a heartbreaking situation. Tamar has been raised to believe everything antithetical to angel theology in this world, and she's absolutely terrified of Jared's appearance when he touches down in a village where her people have just been (spoiler).
The falling in love of the angel Lucinda and the Edori sailor, Reuben, is more subtle, but also so well done.
One of my favorite thing about all five books is the singing. I'm not a good singer myself, and not at all knowledgeable. And of course you can't hear the singing in a book; it's all just words. So it is truly remarkable that Sharon Shinn can somehow make you almost hear the singing with her amazing writing. She does it through very specific details, just enough technical touches to feel authentic, and a whole lot of emotional and sensual details - wow - just wow.
Though I wasn't crazy about the direction that the second book, Jovah's Angel, took (can't go into details without spoiling) it was still a good book, so I really shouldn't have been surprised that The Alleluia Files was just as good, and I actually did end up liking the plot developments that at first troubled me: the author has a real, authentic way of handling difficult political, religious, and spiritual themes.
Not to mention she's one of the best writers, ever, for writing love stories - at least love stories that I love! I recognize some of the clichés she uses, but somehow she still pulls it off, makes falling in love unique in each instance (and I've read a lot of her books now), and beautiful, and yet still reasonably realistic for a fantasy without crossing over into the romantasy genre that is just a little too over the top for me.
There is the common "enemies to lovers" trope with the angel Jared and the mortal Tamar. The scene where they first encounter each other is quite stirring - a heartbreaking situation. Tamar has been raised to believe everything antithetical to angel theology in this world, and she's absolutely terrified of Jared's appearance when he touches down in a village where her people have just been (spoiler).
The falling in love of the angel Lucinda and the Edori sailor, Reuben, is more subtle, but also so well done.
“And at sunset?"
“The sea and the sky are both on fire, and all of Angel Rock seems like a tiny piece of kindling that is about to be dropped into the blaze.”
“Well that is the danger," he said absently. "To be consumed by beauty."
They stood awhile, Reuben tuming slowly to take in whatever part of the vista he may have missed, Lucinda noting that a few of the more impatient bushes were beginning to uncurl their spring buds. Soon there would be washes of vermilion and lilac and canary to decorate the pure emerald and stone of the island.
Reuben pointed down to the rocky strip of land that separated the island from the sea. It was low tide; in a few hours, that whole stretch would be underwater. "Can we get down to the
shoreline ?"
“Not on foot," Lucinda said. “There's no path. I can get there, of course.”
September 30, 2022
This book is more like a 4.5. Very enjoyable, a smidge of romance, some theological quandaries, but misses a few things.
A little spoiler-ish for Samaria books in general.
First, the meta-ness was hilarious. Tamar on the run spends her time reading silly romances of the Archangel Gabriel and Rachel and Gaaron and Susannah. Me, being the silly fangirl I am, relish revisiting these worlds and love that Shinn indicates there is pleasure to be had in reading fanfiction.
This line made me laugh:
"Instead, she lay for hours in her bedroom, reading Edori Angelica and dreaming over the stern, sculpted beauty of the Archangel Gabriel."
YES, DON'T WE ALL, GIRL.
I dialed in for the Jared and Tamar romance. Jared is so darn likeable and unlike Gaaron and Gabriel, has spent most of his life being flighty, lacking conviction, and none too serious. Despite this, he is a compelling character. The possibility of responsibility he doesn't want looms, he more or less gets sexually molested by a woman he tries to avoid in a surprising gender role reversal, and despite having his very spiritual makeup challenged, agrees to help discover if his existence is a lie. He had everything to lose.
Jared and Tamar's romance is cute. It's fun to explore the ways they are inexplicably drawn to one another and how Jared just accepts his Kiss lighting up. That awkward dinner with Christian, Mercy, and Jared had me laughing and blushing with secondhand embarrassment! They try to make fun of Jared's Kiss glowing but then he points out that Christian's is too and...oops.
(I would like to know how that ended, btw. Some closure please)
My gripe about the romance is that we don't really get why Jared and Tamar come to love one another. There's not quite the same spark as Gabriel and Rachel -- it was clear they wanted one another badly but were too damn proud. Here, only one of them is proud but I don't know why she would fall for him at all except for Jovah's interference. Jared unceremoniously declares his feelings and I was disappointed I didn't feel more thrilled. I needed more of a slow burn. I never got to burn!
Lucinda and Reuben...ehh. I didn't understand it either. Why did they fall for each other? Just because.
Bael was a terrifying villain. Conviction, power, religious zeal, persecution. Just no chill.
The god question and what is holy was not entirely expected in the depth the book went to. It was interesting but I miss the fluff. Like, we coulda used another chapter to wrap up the romances and the stories.
The climax was legit tense. I really was worried for Jared and the band of Jacobites. It was nice that he and Tamar got to connect FINALLY in desperation. And he got to sing for rain! It was very sweet and wholesome and still magical, despite knowing prayers did not reach a god.
Overall enjoyable, some parts drag. Not as many problematic depictions of cultures. Still, Archangel and Angelica have more sizzle, and thus, are more likely to be revisited.
A little spoiler-ish for Samaria books in general.
First, the meta-ness was hilarious. Tamar on the run spends her time reading silly romances of the Archangel Gabriel and Rachel and Gaaron and Susannah. Me, being the silly fangirl I am, relish revisiting these worlds and love that Shinn indicates there is pleasure to be had in reading fanfiction.
This line made me laugh:
"Instead, she lay for hours in her bedroom, reading Edori Angelica and dreaming over the stern, sculpted beauty of the Archangel Gabriel."
YES, DON'T WE ALL, GIRL.
I dialed in for the Jared and Tamar romance. Jared is so darn likeable and unlike Gaaron and Gabriel, has spent most of his life being flighty, lacking conviction, and none too serious. Despite this, he is a compelling character. The possibility of responsibility he doesn't want looms, he more or less gets sexually molested by a woman he tries to avoid in a surprising gender role reversal, and despite having his very spiritual makeup challenged, agrees to help discover if his existence is a lie. He had everything to lose.
Jared and Tamar's romance is cute. It's fun to explore the ways they are inexplicably drawn to one another and how Jared just accepts his Kiss lighting up. That awkward dinner with Christian, Mercy, and Jared had me laughing and blushing with secondhand embarrassment! They try to make fun of Jared's Kiss glowing but then he points out that Christian's is too and...oops.
(I would like to know how that ended, btw. Some closure please)
My gripe about the romance is that we don't really get why Jared and Tamar come to love one another. There's not quite the same spark as Gabriel and Rachel -- it was clear they wanted one another badly but were too damn proud. Here, only one of them is proud but I don't know why she would fall for him at all except for Jovah's interference. Jared unceremoniously declares his feelings and I was disappointed I didn't feel more thrilled. I needed more of a slow burn. I never got to burn!
Lucinda and Reuben...ehh. I didn't understand it either. Why did they fall for each other? Just because.
Bael was a terrifying villain. Conviction, power, religious zeal, persecution. Just no chill.
The god question and what is holy was not entirely expected in the depth the book went to. It was interesting but I miss the fluff. Like, we coulda used another chapter to wrap up the romances and the stories.
The climax was legit tense. I really was worried for Jared and the band of Jacobites. It was nice that he and Tamar got to connect FINALLY in desperation. And he got to sing for rain! It was very sweet and wholesome and still magical, despite knowing prayers did not reach a god.
Overall enjoyable, some parts drag. Not as many problematic depictions of cultures. Still, Archangel and Angelica have more sizzle, and thus, are more likely to be revisited.
September 6, 2020
This one was so disappointing compared to the rest. Maybe if the romance aspect was left out of this book, the plot could have been pretty good. The romance between Lucinda and Rueben was alright. But Jared and Tamar? That was forced and horrible. Especially when Jared says to her:
"It's your life, but I saved it, and I have some right to it now."
Um. EW. How is that remotely okay? That statement is never brought up again, Jared never apologizes for saying it. He just decides he gets to own her because he saved her life (which she didn't even ask for, and even if she HAD, still, EW). That was such a creepy relationship and yet they still ended up together.
There wasn't even any falling in love, it was just "oh, look, my Kiss lights up when I'm around them!" As a Jacobite and a newly skeptical angel, shouldn't both of them know that the myth of the kiss lighting up for "true lovers" is all just bullshit and it really just means that the Great Computer in the Sky thinks that they would make good babies? Ugh.
And then we get to what I think of as queer baiting. I don't know if it was intentional. I don't really care, either way. Writers should maybe be more careful. When Tamar's Kiss first lights up, she hears a female angel singing over the radio. Jared is no where close by. Given the build up of the previous two books with Kisses lighting up when you hear your "true lover" singing, I naturally thought the angel singing would be Tamar's true lover. I was excited for that! Queer angel romance! A way to make the angel/mortal romances of the previous novels fresh and interesting! I ever bookmarked the page where she first heard the voice so I could read it again and again to make sure I hadn't misread a pronoun or something. I knew too that Jared was singing during that Gloria too, but there was no mention of him. But as the story progressed, it became more and more clear that the author was going the boring, straight way to (very problematic, see above) romance. And I also figured out after a bit that Lucinda was in fact Tamar's long lost twin sister. There goes any idea of an interesting romance. I was beyond disappointed. There has never once been a mention of same sex lovers in these books and I don't have much hope for the rest of the series anymore.
"It's your life, but I saved it, and I have some right to it now."
Um. EW. How is that remotely okay? That statement is never brought up again, Jared never apologizes for saying it. He just decides he gets to own her because he saved her life (which she didn't even ask for, and even if she HAD, still, EW). That was such a creepy relationship and yet they still ended up together.
There wasn't even any falling in love, it was just "oh, look, my Kiss lights up when I'm around them!" As a Jacobite and a newly skeptical angel, shouldn't both of them know that the myth of the kiss lighting up for "true lovers" is all just bullshit and it really just means that the Great Computer in the Sky thinks that they would make good babies? Ugh.
And then we get to what I think of as queer baiting. I don't know if it was intentional. I don't really care, either way. Writers should maybe be more careful. When Tamar's Kiss first lights up, she hears a female angel singing over the radio. Jared is no where close by. Given the build up of the previous two books with Kisses lighting up when you hear your "true lover" singing, I naturally thought the angel singing would be Tamar's true lover. I was excited for that! Queer angel romance! A way to make the angel/mortal romances of the previous novels fresh and interesting! I ever bookmarked the page where she first heard the voice so I could read it again and again to make sure I hadn't misread a pronoun or something. I knew too that Jared was singing during that Gloria too, but there was no mention of him. But as the story progressed, it became more and more clear that the author was going the boring, straight way to (very problematic, see above) romance. And I also figured out after a bit that Lucinda was in fact Tamar's long lost twin sister. There goes any idea of an interesting romance. I was beyond disappointed. There has never once been a mention of same sex lovers in these books and I don't have much hope for the rest of the series anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2022
This episode of the Samaria series takes place about 100 years after the events of JOVAH'S ANGEL though it isn't essential to read that one first.
In those hundred years a cult has been born. The Jacobites believe that there is not god. What others see as a god is a spaceship orbiting the planet and demanding evidence of harmony. They are sure that Alleluia - former archangel and oracle - left a record that proves this and are they are determined to find that record. Tamar is a young woman who was raised in the cult and is a staunch supporter.
The Archangel Bael is just as determined to hold to traditional values that say Jovah is their ever-present god who responds to angel's prayers. He is a fanatic determined to execute all of the Jacobites and has enlisted the Jansai to carry out his purge. When Jared, an angel in charge of one of the angel holds, learns of Bael's vendetta, he doesn't believe it. He has never like Bael but has trouble seeing him as a fanatic. Jared is challenged by one his friends - a wealthy business owner - to find this Alleluia File to either prove or disprove the Jacobites' claims.
Meanwhile, the angel Lucinda has been taken by her aunt to be raised on a small island far out in the ocean in order to keep her away from angel politics and especially to keep her away from Bael. When she finally convinces her aunt to take her to the annual Gloria, she is back on Bael's radar and is pursued by Bael's son Omar who thinks to use her to cement his own power.
Jovah hasn't named Bael's successor and Bael has only one year left in his twenty-year reign, speculation is rife about who will be the next archangel and Bael and Omar are scheming to hold onto power.
It is a time of great turbulence on Samaria. Technology developed by engineers is Ysrael is creeping into society despite Bael's determination to keep it out. And the growing wealthy and middle classes are pushing at the angels to change things.
There are two romances in this story. Jared falls in love with Jacobite Tamar and angel Lucinda falls in love with the Edori Reuben. Neither of the romances is easy or smooth as they face cultural differences and pressures from their societies.
I enjoyed this episode and look forward to reading more in the series.
In those hundred years a cult has been born. The Jacobites believe that there is not god. What others see as a god is a spaceship orbiting the planet and demanding evidence of harmony. They are sure that Alleluia - former archangel and oracle - left a record that proves this and are they are determined to find that record. Tamar is a young woman who was raised in the cult and is a staunch supporter.
The Archangel Bael is just as determined to hold to traditional values that say Jovah is their ever-present god who responds to angel's prayers. He is a fanatic determined to execute all of the Jacobites and has enlisted the Jansai to carry out his purge. When Jared, an angel in charge of one of the angel holds, learns of Bael's vendetta, he doesn't believe it. He has never like Bael but has trouble seeing him as a fanatic. Jared is challenged by one his friends - a wealthy business owner - to find this Alleluia File to either prove or disprove the Jacobites' claims.
Meanwhile, the angel Lucinda has been taken by her aunt to be raised on a small island far out in the ocean in order to keep her away from angel politics and especially to keep her away from Bael. When she finally convinces her aunt to take her to the annual Gloria, she is back on Bael's radar and is pursued by Bael's son Omar who thinks to use her to cement his own power.
Jovah hasn't named Bael's successor and Bael has only one year left in his twenty-year reign, speculation is rife about who will be the next archangel and Bael and Omar are scheming to hold onto power.
It is a time of great turbulence on Samaria. Technology developed by engineers is Ysrael is creeping into society despite Bael's determination to keep it out. And the growing wealthy and middle classes are pushing at the angels to change things.
There are two romances in this story. Jared falls in love with Jacobite Tamar and angel Lucinda falls in love with the Edori Reuben. Neither of the romances is easy or smooth as they face cultural differences and pressures from their societies.
I enjoyed this episode and look forward to reading more in the series.
July 31, 2019
This book has a large cast of characters. There's Tamar, a member of a rebel sect called the Jacobites that doesn't believe in God. There's Jared, an angel with a good heart who can't quite believe that Bael, the archangel, would go so far as to murder Jacobites. There's Omar, Bael's handsome and ambitious son. There's Lucinda, an orphaned angel whose no-nonsense Aunt Gretchen took her away from Bael's stronghold when she was a child and raised her on a tiny island far out at sea. There's Reuben, an Edori sailor. And there's a supporting cast of at least a dozen more angels, Jacobites, Edori, and others.
Tamar is on the run. Jared finds himself strangely drawn to this angry, frightened young woman, but she won't trust him to help her. Lucinda visits the mainland for the first time and is entranced by all it has to offer. At the heart of the story is the quest to understand the God the Samarians worship-- is he truly an immortal being, or is "he" the computer who resides on a spaceship orbiting the planet, programmed long ago to respond to the needs of the Samarians?
If you've read any of the other Samaria books, the different factions will be familiar. If you haven't, I'm not sure how you'd keep it all straight, especially since the events of the previous book, Jovah's Angel, are an important part of the plot of this one.
This was a re-read for me. It's always been my least favorite of the three original Samaria books (the fourth and fifth were published half a dozen years later), and re-reading it this time didn't change that. The story seems less seamless, less fully imagined, than the first two. In fact, about fifty pages in, I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep going. But I did, and eventually the story pulled me in. It's just not as good as the first two. You have to wonder about a book that ends with a dozen pages describing two committee meetings to establish a new government (not kidding). And there are some (admittedly obscure) problematic elements of race that I probably didn't even notice the first time I read it. Worth reading as part of the series but probably not on its own.
Tamar is on the run. Jared finds himself strangely drawn to this angry, frightened young woman, but she won't trust him to help her. Lucinda visits the mainland for the first time and is entranced by all it has to offer. At the heart of the story is the quest to understand the God the Samarians worship-- is he truly an immortal being, or is "he" the computer who resides on a spaceship orbiting the planet, programmed long ago to respond to the needs of the Samarians?
If you've read any of the other Samaria books, the different factions will be familiar. If you haven't, I'm not sure how you'd keep it all straight, especially since the events of the previous book, Jovah's Angel, are an important part of the plot of this one.
This was a re-read for me. It's always been my least favorite of the three original Samaria books (the fourth and fifth were published half a dozen years later), and re-reading it this time didn't change that. The story seems less seamless, less fully imagined, than the first two. In fact, about fifty pages in, I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep going. But I did, and eventually the story pulled me in. It's just not as good as the first two. You have to wonder about a book that ends with a dozen pages describing two committee meetings to establish a new government (not kidding). And there are some (admittedly obscure) problematic elements of race that I probably didn't even notice the first time I read it. Worth reading as part of the series but probably not on its own.
February 12, 2021
OH BOY I always have such mixed feelings on this every time I read it! On the one hand, it is undeniable that Sharon Shinn is a master of creating sympathetic, emotional, beautiful romantic arcs, and I love both of the ones in this book so much -- the relative ease of Reuben/Lucinda combined with the intense push and pull of Jared/Tamar. SO GOOD. (Jared is absolutely one of my favorite heroes of hers in and of himself, too.) On the other hand... god, it depresses me to see Samaria like this! So industrialized! So full of distrust and division! It's just such a downer after the much lovelier atmosphere of the prior books, simpler and more peaceful. The presence of technology is just so jarring! The tone is so much darker and more cynical! I can't quite bring myself to be fully on board.
I do like a lot about it, though; it's really interesting to see how the attitudes of the people in Samaria have and haven't changed, how society has shifted, how everyone reacts to the presence of the new technology and the specter of the revelations that rock the story at the end. And I am just FASCINATED to think about what WILL change after the course of the story (where's my future Samaria story, Sharon??). But it really does depress me, for all of that, and reading it in the current political climate was just... WOOF. The villains and their rhetoric are all too familiar, and it's quite frankly chilling. I appreciate the note the story ends on -- the hope for society, the move forward even as familiar traditions are maintained -- but the journey it takes to get there is just less my jam than the rest of Samaria.
I do like a lot about it, though; it's really interesting to see how the attitudes of the people in Samaria have and haven't changed, how society has shifted, how everyone reacts to the presence of the new technology and the specter of the revelations that rock the story at the end. And I am just FASCINATED to think about what WILL change after the course of the story (where's my future Samaria story, Sharon??). But it really does depress me, for all of that, and reading it in the current political climate was just... WOOF. The villains and their rhetoric are all too familiar, and it's quite frankly chilling. I appreciate the note the story ends on -- the hope for society, the move forward even as familiar traditions are maintained -- but the journey it takes to get there is just less my jam than the rest of Samaria.
November 26, 2017
8/10
I am just absolutely loving Sharon Shinn lately. Romance, but with plenty of other elements and plot points to keep one interested.
Though all three of these books have had a point where the female protagonist "actually stomped her foot that time" and really... do people stomp their feet in frustration? Ever?
Also in this series could do without all the fair, blond main characters and the vague fetishizing of the Edori race and also the use of the word "gypsy" as a negative term for the nasty Jansai... but the 90s. Since the men are so committed to their partners and often less powerful (love the female angel-mortal male dynamic) there's great bending on stereotypical romance novel gender roles here.
Also hoping one of the next books has a sympathetic character who is Jansai or Manadavvi, for variety. And I'm curious about how the 700 Samarian settlers were divided and ended up split by race as they are. That seems an odd contradiction with what they were hoping to accomplish i.e. a non-warlike world.
I am just absolutely loving Sharon Shinn lately. Romance, but with plenty of other elements and plot points to keep one interested.
Though all three of these books have had a point where the female protagonist "actually stomped her foot that time" and really... do people stomp their feet in frustration? Ever?
Also in this series could do without all the fair, blond main characters and the vague fetishizing of the Edori race and also the use of the word "gypsy" as a negative term for the nasty Jansai... but the 90s. Since the men are so committed to their partners and often less powerful (love the female angel-mortal male dynamic) there's great bending on stereotypical romance novel gender roles here.
Also hoping one of the next books has a sympathetic character who is Jansai or Manadavvi, for variety. And I'm curious about how the 700 Samarian settlers were divided and ended up split by race as they are. That seems an odd contradiction with what they were hoping to accomplish i.e. a non-warlike world.
August 26, 2018
The persecution of a small group who believes Jovah is not a god but a machine may finally expose the truth of Samaria's origin. This runs a risk in rehashing so much of the previous book's revelations--it's difficult to be invested in the protagonists's discoveries and doubts when they're not only obvious to the reader (as they've been throughout the series) but also when they're so familiar. The social implications of these revelations is more interesting, and can fill a book--but would benefit from less hammy antagonist, to compliment the ambiguity of the larger world. And yet, despite caveats, I still find this & the series compelling. The part of me that hoped for a queer romance (the first "spark" is between two women--sisters, of course) is forever unsurprised but disappointed; still, while I don't especially care for the romances, the speculative-cum-romance combination creates an emotive personal focus within an engaging wider world; it's consumable stuff.
December 12, 2018
Another great book in Samaria: the truth Alleuia found in the previous book is now the basis of a unpopular cult and technology grows more rampant to the dismay of traditional Angels. The adventures center around 3 characters. As usual the love story starts with a highly resistant female! I love hearing about the changing world of Samaria and ysrael .
One thing that has never been satisfactory to me the technical terms used to describe the singing in this book. I'm sure it is correct, but I can't imagine the music this way. Anyway, I recommend reading this, in chronological order.
One thing that has never been satisfactory to me the technical terms used to describe the singing in this book. I'm sure it is correct, but I can't imagine the music this way. Anyway, I recommend reading this, in chronological order.
January 20, 2020
The Alleluia Files is the third in the Samaria series by Sharon Shinn. I enjoyed it, though it felt too long for the amount of plot, and it was very similar to the second book in places. I still like the world-building, though, and it was interesting to see how the society progressed over time. The romance wasn't as problematic as in the first book, though moreso than in the second. It seemed to take me an inordinate amount of time to get through it, and it dragged in places, but a positive reading experience overall.
November 24, 2023
Another great edition to this series. The Characters written here were even better. I think a pattern in the series is beginning to show, and it’s the conflict. I think the conflict is too short. Like the finally big “Oh Shit” moment happened within the last 100 pages and I would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit more, same with the first book of the series. That is not to say it is bad, it is just something I wanted to dig deeper into these series. The characters are again phenomenal, the world is so interesting, and I am excited to see where the next book takes us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2024
My least favorite of the Samaria books so far, and the lowest review I have ever given a Sharon Shinn book. Shinn is at her strongest when she's crafting intimate character studies of conflicting personalities in dream-like settings; here she tries her hand at a plot-forward, politically-driven story that attempts to bring a strong dose of realism to the Samaria setting. All she manages to accomplish is deliver characters with no chemistry, a plot that drags, and an expose of a setting that is too fairy tale-like to stand up to realism. It took a real effort to get through this book.
August 13, 2017
I wish I could read this series again. The library had it in a town I lived in years ago, but I have never found it available since I moved away. I remember enjoying the books greatly but just can't remember whether I loved them or liked them a great deal. I do know that the series by Shinn, Mystic and Rider, captivated me even more than this one, so I will give it a four star. I still hope I have the chance to read it again...
August 1, 2019
Thank you!!! This totally redeemed the slow plot in book two and I was captivated by the suspense at the end... power read through this. I loved Tamar (she was another head-strong and fiery female lead similar to Rachel in Archangel). I felt like Lucinda added a lot to the story and she was a little more subdued... possibly relatable to those who enjoyed Alleluia in book 2. Overall I could see myself reading this again whenever I get on a kick to re-read Archangel.
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