Angelica

Author: Sharon Shinn
Published: March 2003 (Ace)
Category: SciFi/Fantasy
Rating: 7/10

Gabriel Aaron (Gaaron for short) is the Archangel-to-be in just a year and he has gone to an oracle to learn the name of his intended bride. An Edori woman named Susannah has been chosen, and he must find her while dealing with a strange new threat to Samaria. Men have been appearing across the land, but disappearing as soon as they're spotted. People have also started finding Edori and Jansai campsites scorched through some unknown means.

Susannah has left her birth clan and is following the clan of her lover, Dathan. However, he's a total hound dog, flirting with other girls frequently and he cheats on her. Gaaron arrives in her camp just as she and Dathan have a big old argument about the state of their relationship, and he talks to her kindly, and dropping the bomb on how she's supposed to be his Angelica. The next day, she realizes Dathan will never be faithful to her and allows Gaaron to sweep her up in his arms and goes back to the Eyrie with him.

Susannah has a hard time adjusting to the livestyle at the Eyrie and she's concerned with the fact that she and Gaaron aren't in love. She winds up falling in love with Gaaron after she sees what a kind and fair man he really is. However, they can't seem to talk to each other about their feelings, because he's fallen in love with her too. She refuses to marry him because he hasn't said he loves her, but of course, doesn't say that this is the problem. Gaaron has admitted that he's not good with handling women, and it never occurs to him to say that he loves Susannah. However, it's partially her fault too because she didn't tell him her true feelings either.

Because of this "I'm not going to say it first," we didn't really see the two as a happy couple until the last two pages of this book. I was a little disappointed by this. Don't expect a satisfying story about these two characters. Instead, look to the story of Gaaron's bitchy younger sister Marian. She winds up running away to an Edori clan and becomes instrumental in solving the mystery of disappearing strange men.

Susannah is a part of saving Samaria, but I really thought it was going to be something more exciting. She's got two kisses (a kiss is a small crystal implanted when a Samarian is a baby, and it helps Jovah keep track of them) implanted, and that is very rare. The second kiss by her ear has given her strange dreams filled with Jovah's voice for her entire life. She has been chosen to help Jovah get rid of the invaders. This isn't because she's got some special power or skill. Nope, it's really because she's gullible! After she helps Jovah get rid of the invaders, she's convinced that it was all a dream and I was disappointed in her for accepting it so easily.

Don't look to this book for romance. For a scifi/fantasy it's pretty good. It's far from the deepest one I've read, but it's entertaining and good for those who are just dipping their feet into the genre for the first time.