Jovah's Angel - Book Review

Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn

What is it about:
This is a standalone sequel to Archangel, set 150 years later in proverbially interesting times. Samaria is industrialized; the Manadavvi and Jansai are wealthier; the Edori are marginalized, their roaming lifestyle disrupted; and Jovah seems to be turning a deaf ear to his angels' prayers for abatement of increasingly destructive storms. In the midst of all this, Archangel Delilah is incapacitated and replaced by shy, unworldly Alleluia. Alleya must pacify the tribes, calm the weather, make Jovah hear her, forge a reconciliation with Delilah, and find her angelico in order to get married--there's a Gloria due in four months. Unfortunately, the tribes don't want to be pacified, the weather is uncooperative, Jovah is remote, crippled Delilah wants nothing to do with angels, and Alleya's mate is identified only as a "son of Jeremiah".

What did I think of it:
After yesterday's Jenna Starborn I though I'd tell about what I think is Shinn's best book. Jovah's Angel has it all: a well written, thought provoking story, a believable, intriguing setting and great characters. Although this is the second book in a trilogy, I would recommend reading this one first as the cover blurb of the first book 'Archangel' spoils a lot of the fun of this book. Although the above story focuses on Alleluia/Alleya, one of the other lead characters is Caleb, a cynical inventor and he was my hero I must confess! The story switches viewpoints between these two characters, following a couple of storylines which eventually come together and while I usually don't like this as I often find one of the viewpoints not as interesting as the other, Shinn actually succeeds in making all storylines equally interesting and compelling. After finishing this book I immediately ran out to order the other books set in Samaria!

Why should you read it:
This is a great, well written fantasy story set in a world with a biblical feel.

All the books by Shinn set in Samaria:
Archangel
Jovah's Angel
The Alleluia files
Angelica
Angel-Seeker
*Fallen Angel
*(this story can be found in the anthology 'To Weave a Web of Magic')