Sharon
Shinn is one of my favorite authors. If you have read her novel, Summers at Castle Auburn, this won’t
surprise you. It features a royal palace and a gutsy heroine a la another YA novel you may have read
by yours truly.
Not
surprisingly, Summers at Castle Auburn was
my first Sharon Shinn discovery. A YA fantasy with castles, princesses, and magic is very unlikely to miss my radar.
Surprisingly,
especially considering how great Summers
at Castle Auburn is, it is not my favorite Sharon Shinn book.
That
honor goes to Archangel—an absolutely
fabulous piece of fantasy that will
rob you of your sleep—even on the night before a very important exam—so BEWARE.
Shinn
writes both YA and adult romantic fantasy, often with a unique sci-fi blend;
and in this rare instance, I tend to love her adult fantasy/sci-fi even more
than her YA—because I get to spend more time in the hearts of her characters
and their wonderfully rich worlds. All of her novels are worth checking out;
however my absolute must-reads are below. In the order of how much I love them.
- Archangel (Archangel Trilogy #1)
An
age of corruption has come to the land of Samaria, threatening its peace and
placing the Samarians in grave danger. Their only hope lies in the crowning of
a new Archangel. The oracles have chosen the privileged angel, Gabriel, and
further decreed that first he must wed the slave woman, Rachel. Gabriel is
certain that she will greet the news of her destiny with enthusiasm, and a
devotion to duty equal to his own. Rachel, however, has other ideas.
Note:
Initially, I was a bit hesitant to read this trilogy, due to the “angels.” I
don’t like my main characters to be dead. But have no fear! These angels are
neither dead nor religious figures. And Gabriel is definitely hot!
- Summers at Castle Auburn
She
was a girl with a talent for witchcraft
and a taste for adventure. The illegitimate child of a royal lord, she longed
for a man who could never be hers. And she lived for her summers at Castle
Auburn.
She
is a woman who has grown accustomed
to standing alone. What she once loved, she has lost. Where she once saw joy,
she now sees terrible injustice. And at the castle where she once lived in
peace, she now walks in fear for her life.
- Jovah’s Angel (Archangel Trilogy #2)
Destructive
storms are sweeping the land of Samaria. Then the current Archangel is
incapacitated and replaced by shy, unworldly Alleya (Alleluia). She must calm
the weather, pacify the tribes, make Jovah hear her, forge a reconciliation
with the previous Archangel, and find the man she is supposed to marry--in four
months. Unfortunately, the tribes don't want to be pacified, the weather is
uncooperative, Jovah is remote, the crippled Archangel is bitter, and Alleya's “destined”
husband is identified by the oracles only as a "son of Jeremiah."
Just
as addictive as the first Archangel novel!
- Heart of Gold
A
scientist by nature . . . he used his rational powers of observation to examine
more closely the privileges he was born to enjoy—and the people he was raised
to despise.
A
rebel at heart . . . she followed her fiercest passions in the struggle to
overthrow a legacy of hate—one that had poisoned her family for generations.
On
a planet divided . . . between rich and poor, strong and weak, intellect and
feeling, only one thing could bring these two opposites together: A strictly
forbidden desire.
For
justice. For equality. For each other.
Enjoy!
