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el_reads17's review
4.0
3.5/5 stars
Archangel is a frustrating yet thoughtful and creative read. Sharon Shinn succeeds in creating a world with complex and flawed religious and social structures. I found the religion, which retains certain elements of Christianity, fascinating with its singing ceremonies and angels who act as supplicants for Jovah's (the god) power. It made me think a lot about the nature of faith, skepticism, and how religions are shaped. The novel also deals with the idea of free will in the presence of an omnipotent god. The best part is that Shinn manages to do all this without preaching from the pulpit.
I have mixed feelings about the romantic elements of Archangel. It was extremely frustrating as Gabriel and Rachel are two of the most stubborn characters I've ever read about and I almost quit reading because of it. He's proud and arrogant while she's proud, emotionally scarred, and untrusting. Their "relationship" is messy and bumpy. But it felt so REAL! Trust and love isn't easy for someone like. It's very different than the average romantic storyline-- it takes a bit of a back seat, feels very realistic, and is almost the opposite of insta-love-- but oh so satisfying in the end!
A few other criticisms... I found the middle of the book very sluggish. Characters had no purpose or forward momentum. That part would have better served to flesh out the villain and his motivations. And some plot threads like Rachel's school felt incomplete.
I don't know if I'll read the other books in the Samaria series as I've heard they can considered stand-alone novels set in the same world with few overlapping characters.
Overall, Archangel is a frustrating yet rewarding fantasy read with an unconventional romance.
Notes:
I was spoiled to the ending by accident very early on the novel, but surprisingly it made me want to keep reading even when I was at the end of my rope with some of the characters.
My ebook edition had a lot of spelling errors which was annoying.
Archangel is a frustrating yet thoughtful and creative read. Sharon Shinn succeeds in creating a world with complex and flawed religious and social structures. I found the religion, which retains certain elements of Christianity, fascinating with its singing ceremonies and angels who act as supplicants for Jovah's (the god) power. It made me think a lot about the nature of faith, skepticism, and how religions are shaped. The novel also deals with the idea of free will in the presence of an omnipotent god. The best part is that Shinn manages to do all this without preaching from the pulpit.
I have mixed feelings about the romantic elements of Archangel. It was extremely frustrating as Gabriel and Rachel are two of the most stubborn characters I've ever read about and I almost quit reading because of it. He's proud and arrogant while she's proud, emotionally scarred, and untrusting. Their "relationship" is messy and bumpy. But it felt so REAL! Trust and love isn't easy for someone like
Spoiler
Rachel who's had everything she hold dear taken away from her by angel... She afraid that opening up to Gabriel, an angel, will end up in tragedy.A few other criticisms... I found the middle of the book very sluggish. Characters had no purpose or forward momentum. That part would have better served to flesh out the villain and his motivations. And some plot threads like Rachel's school felt incomplete.
I don't know if I'll read the other books in the Samaria series as I've heard they can considered stand-alone novels set in the same world with few overlapping characters.
Overall, Archangel is a frustrating yet rewarding fantasy read with an unconventional romance.
Notes:
I was spoiled to the ending by accident very early on the novel, but surprisingly it made me want to keep reading even when I was at the end of my rope with some of the characters.
My ebook edition had a lot of spelling errors which was annoying.
moiracmd's review against another edition
4.0
i remember reading this as a kid and the story is so totally different than my memory but idk i think i enjoyed it anyway
picklepantry's review
3.0
So I was irritated with Rachel too many times to count. GIRL, you need to learn how to communicate. No one can read your mind.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this book. The world was interesting, the characters difficult but sympathetic and there were some lovely lines. I especially enjoyed the last chapter.
tatdine's review
3.0
Honestly, Rachel was insufferable. But man, the world building was so intriguing. I want *more*.
It’s also always enjoyable when the love interest is literally your husband. I read him a quote and we both laughed at how spot on of a description that was of him. So anyway, obviously Gabriel was endearing. I think he could do better. Rachel is every woman who has ever wanted a mind-reading spouse, and nothing bothers me more than poor communicators. And Rachel is a stubborn poor communicator, which is a double-whammy.
3 stars, but I’m gonna read the next one because a god that is a computer who can shoot lighting and blow up mountains is very interesting.
It’s also always enjoyable when the love interest is literally your husband. I read him a quote and we both laughed at how spot on of a description that was of him. So anyway, obviously Gabriel was endearing. I think he could do better. Rachel is every woman who has ever wanted a mind-reading spouse, and nothing bothers me more than poor communicators. And Rachel is a stubborn poor communicator, which is a double-whammy.
3 stars, but I’m gonna read the next one because a god that is a computer who can shoot lighting and blow up mountains is very interesting.
mariefun's review
2.0
If you are looking for a good romance, this is NOT it. You get all of the pain and none of the pleasure, and even the rare intimate moment is not described in any great detail.
I see a lot of reviews praising it for it's world building. Certainly I've read worse, but I thought the issues in this world were rather simplistic in terms of clear right vs. wrongs (slavery, wealth & power, orphaned children) and not interesting enough to make me care. The world was good enough, though, that I felt a great story could have been created from it. However, it just never made it there for me.
The plot felt simplistic, and the climaxes were underwhelming. By the end of the book, I thought maybe this book was merely setting up the characters to be explored more in-depth in sequel books, but from what I understand, this story ends here, and the sequel skips ahead 100+ years. So I guess that's it, and that's really disappointing.
I see a lot of reviews praising it for it's world building. Certainly I've read worse, but I thought the issues in this world were rather simplistic in terms of clear right vs. wrongs (slavery, wealth & power, orphaned children) and not interesting enough to make me care. The world was good enough, though, that I felt a great story could have been created from it. However, it just never made it there for me.
The plot felt simplistic, and the climaxes were underwhelming. By the end of the book, I thought maybe this book was merely setting up the characters to be explored more in-depth in sequel books, but from what I understand, this story ends here, and the sequel skips ahead 100+ years. So I guess that's it, and that's really disappointing.
onyxburst's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book a good bit. It did a great job capturing my attention and introducing a world where I wanted to know more. The sci-fi aspects of this world seemed sparse but I’m ok with that. I expect the series to build more into it. I am curious how the next book will go considering the main antagonist of this book died to his own hubris. I do appreciate how this book adapts biblical inspirations, I think it did a good job pulling from it while not overdoing it. The book does have some problematic elements, especially in how it describes the nomadic Edori tribe, but individual characters from that faction are portrayed with respect. I do really like how the angels are portrayed as divine but even our angelic protagonist is a flawed character. He makes mistakes and is just as human as everyone else in the story.
erika_is_reading's review
4.0
So, a bodice ripper, though no bodices are ripped. (Cover art is horrible.) Strange combination of Old Testament, science fiction, and well, romance, of the "they hate each other so will eventually be together" variety. Ultimately, I think, about faith, meaning, literally, about what faith is and means. Oddly enough. It may be an alternate universe where oracles speak to the god through what seem to me to be laptop computers, but there's no mistaking the OT parallels. It's YAHWEH and a fun read for a metro ride. Two hours, tops.