Rating: 
Summary: breathtaking
Review: this was an excellent book. as a first time reader of sharon shinn i have to say i am very impressed, this was easily one of the best books i have ever read. i was very happy with the overall way the book was written, i mostly enjoyed her descriptions of the land, and the people surrounding the main characters. i particularly was pleased with how she kept the descriptions of the "nocturnal" activities of the main characters clean and did not go into vulgar details like so many authors do in order to hide thier poorly written books. i feel at times that when great details are given about the characters love lives it either takes away from or distracts the reader from the better points of the book. overall i have to say i am now a solid fan of sharon shinn and plan on reading all of her other titles
Rating: 
Summary: unmoving but commendable
Review: What I liked about this book was the transition of character relationships. Although the progress of Miriam's and Jossis' relationship spanned a few pages, it took a good pace. As for Gaaron's and Susannah's relationship, that too was not rushed and I enjoyed that.I don't get the part with the dark-men. They come to conquer and destroy but it took only for Susannah to rearrange the artillery to destroy them? Plus there is so much more about these people that we do not understand, or that I do not understand. Perhaps, Shinn will make a sequel? Throughout some of the book I skimmed through parts; ones that seemed to mushy, others that did not require detail. There were times that I just wanted the story to move along that I skipped a page or two of descriptions to reach the next dialogue line. I guess maybe I just wanted to get my 20 dollars worth for this book and finish it already. Not as good as Archangel but it doesn't quite lack in certain areas. The storyline was okay, but the characterization and growth process was excellent.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars...
Review: While I enjoyed the return to Samaria, the book wasn't quite up to par with the first two books in the series. Susannah and Gaaron were pleasant, strong characters but a bit uninspired and passionless for my taste. They spent such little time together that it was difficult to believe that they'd really fallen in love. The story moved along well but did not develop as fully as I'd hoped it would, and left the relationship between the Archangel-to-be and his angelica mostly untouched. I agree, too, that the ending was quite abrupt--I would have liked to have experienced the wedding and the Gloria. There also seemed to be less music in this book, and as music is such an integral part of this series, it felt a little lacking. It would have been nice to have had Gaaron and Susannah sing together more than just the once! Try Shinn's earlier books--The Shape-Changer's Wife and Archangel.
Rating: 
Summary: Good addition to the Samaria universe
Review: While none of Shinn's books have been quite as good as her first book, Archangel (for me, at least), I was very excited about Angelica, a novel set in the Samaria universe. Angelica is the story (briefly mentioned in Archangel) of Susannah, an Edori woman, who is taken away from her family and friends to be the bride of Gaaron, the archangel-elect. Samaria faces a threat from strangers who appear and disappear suddenly, leaving death and scorched destruction in their wake. Susannah has a crucial role to play in Samaria's protection; she has had strange dreams about a disembodied voice and a room full of metal and light since she was a child. Angelica is also the story of Gaaron's younger sister Miriam, who runs away to join Susannah's Edori clan and discovers friendship and love with one of the enemy strangers who is wounded during an attack on the camp. The romantic development between Susannah and Gaaron is slow and steady; I found Miriam and Jossis's romance to be more interesting and wished it had been developed more.
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