I was trying to explain this book to my boyfriend and after I got through: world colonized way into the future by earthlings, the satellite aka "god/jovah" in the sky, and angels with wings grafted onto their backs to control the weather... he was like, "Will you listen to yourself?! This sounds crazy!" And, it is reactions like this, my friends, that makes me love sci fi/fantasy EVEN MORE.

Sharon Shinn wrote the Samaria books before angels were even a popular subject. I'm a big fan of Shinn, and after reading the first book in this series, Archangel, I fell in love with the world she has created. This is very much a science fiction series, with the inhabitants of Samaria being descendants of people from Earth who left to escape the destruction of the planet by technology. In The Alleluia Files, the people of Samaria have become much more technologically advanced -- some think this...

(view spoiler)[Because I hate cliff-hangers and so much of this book was narratives that shifted right when someone was just about to die, I probably skimmed past a quarter of it. When archangel Bael started calling down lightning to destroy the Jacobites, Tamar and Jared included, and we knew that Mercy and Christian (haha--awesome name-dropping) were on the way to rescue, when the stoopid Edori guy was trying to talk Lucinda into stopping for breakfast that's when I nearly blew a gasket. Of co...

Much better than Jovah's Angel and better than Archangel. For once, I couldn't entirely guess which people/angels would end up together and how the end would turn out. The beginning, however, was sloooooww. The characters were each well drawn, save for Jared, whom I kept expecting to get overthrown by his own relatives and/or Bael since he was never home. Also, Lucinda's characterization seemed a little inconsistent towards the end of the book.The oracles' method of passing down the secrets only...

I love Sharon Shinn she is one of my favorite Authors and I loved the first two books in this series. This one was good and I loved the characters! She is so good at developing characters through their actions. The story moved really well and I enjoyed going back to Samaria. There was one hitch for me and that was the love stories in this . The story is the focal point and the 2 love stories take a back seat. It is almost like a whole chapter got left out somewhere. I was a little disappointed,

Samaria SeriesIf all romance books were like these, I might consider myself to be a fan of romance novels in general.The 'Samaria' series is primarily romance - but it's balanced with enough other plot elements that it doesn't get too tedious. They're even frequently... romantic!... in a way that doesn't (usually) make me want to strangle the characters! (They're never explicit/erotic, though.)I did read all five books back-to-back, which meant that some of the elements did get a little repetiti...

Note: Just as I did in my review of Jovah's Angel, I must warn you away from the rest of this post if you haven't read the first two books. The very plot of The Alleluia Files is a spoiler for both of them and, unavoidably, so is this review.Ok? Then keep going.An excellent close to this trilogy. I liked it a tiny little bit less than I did Jovah's Angel, which I liked a tiny little bit less than I did Archangel, but that's still a B+.In JA we saw the Archangel Alleluia almost accidentally find

Originally posted here.As with the other Samaria books, this one revolves around certain characters, namely Tamar, Jared and Lucinda, and their interactions with each other. Tamar is a feisty and fiercely determined woman, brought up by Jacobites. She has been on the run her entire life and has a hard time trusting people. On the other hand, Jared is a happy-go-lucky type of angel. Even though he's technically the leader at Monteverde, he's never been passionate about anything. Tamar and Jared a...

Oh dear, they need a more exact rating scale. This book was fun, silly, and entertaining, but by no means great literature. A good brainless read about angels and such. And yes, I would like to point out that I am just diligently working my way through my list of books that I've read in the past while. I'm resisting the urge to edit. The urge to try to make it look like I only read smart books. But NO, I will proudly display my less than high-brow reading habits. Yes, there is a half-naked, beau...

Halfway through I expected to give this four out of five stars because the premise, characterization and plotting seemed tighter and more compelling than in the previous two volumes, but then Shinn pulled her usual tricks with dysynchronous POV and sexist male characters that just drive me nuts. And then the dénouement never seemed to freaking end. So it gets three out of five. Are you happy, Sharon Shinn?

In this book, Shinn features her best leading male ever, Jared. He is a man with great power and responsibility...and he evades it at any cost to do...nothing at all. Even as news that will shake the very world down to it's core falls into his lap. He waits years to act on it, and even then he just tries pushing it off on the leading lady, Tamar, who is charmingly schizophrenic.

This one was so disappointing compared to the rest. Maybe if the romance aspect was left out of this book, the plot could have been pretty good. The romance between Lucinda and Rueben was alright. But Jared and Tamar? That was forced and horrible. Especially when Jared says to her:"It's your life, but I saved it, and I have some right to it now." Um. EW. How is that remotely okay? That statement is never brought up again, Jared never apologizes for saying it. He just decides he gets to own her b...

This episode of the Samaria series takes place about 100 years after the events of JOVAH'S ANGEL though it isn't essential to read that one first. In those hundred years a cult has been born. The Jacobites believe that there is not god. What others see as a god is a spaceship orbiting the planet and demanding evidence of harmony. They are sure that Alleluia - former archangel and oracle - left a record that proves this and are they are determined to find that record. Tamar is a young woman who w...

This book has a large cast of characters. There's Tamar, a member of a rebel sect called the Jacobites that doesn't believe in God. There's Jared, an angel with a good heart who can't quite believe that Bael, the archangel, would go so far as to murder Jacobites. There's Omar, Bael's handsome and ambitious son. There's Lucinda, an orphaned angel whose no-nonsense Aunt Gretchen took her away from Bael's stronghold when she was a child and raised her on a tiny island far out at sea. There's Reuben...

OH BOY I always have such mixed feelings on this every time I read it! On the one hand, it is undeniable that Sharon Shinn is a master of creating sympathetic, emotional, beautiful romantic arcs, and I love both of the ones in this book so much -- the relative ease of Reuben/Lucinda combined with the intense push and pull of Jared/Tamar. SO GOOD. (Jared is absolutely one of my favorite heroes of hers in and of himself, too.) On the other hand... god, it depresses me to see Samaria like this! So

I can't believe how excellent all these books are (with the exception of Angel Seeker which is good but more filler and doesn't much move the plot forward). Jared is a wonderful character as is Tamar. Lucinda and her Edori lover Reuben were interesting too. I just love how dark this book got in places. Murder. So much murder. Tamar struggling on her own. Sexual assault. Putting dead babies in the arms of a corpse and shoving them out into the cold! More murder. Mild torture. Talking about shakin...

8/10I am just absolutely loving Sharon Shinn lately. Romance, but with plenty of other elements and plot points to keep one interested. Though all three of these books have had a point where the female protagonist "actually stomped her foot that time" and really... do people stomp their feet in frustration? Ever?Also in this series could do without all the fair, blond main characters and the vague fetishizing of the Edori race and also the use of the word "gypsy" as a negative term for the nasty...

The persecution of a small group who believes Jovah is not a god but a machine may finally expose the truth of Samaria's origin. This runs a risk in rehashing so much of the previous book's revelations--it's difficult to be invested in the protagonists's discoveries and doubts when they're not only obvious to the reader (as they've been throughout the series) but also when they're so familiar. The social implications of these revelations is more interesting, and can fill a book--but would benefi...

I really enjoyed The Alleluia Files. Jared, Tamar, Lucinda, and Reuben were great "main characters", and the secondary/supporting characters (especially Gretchen) were also quite interesting. I also really liked how the world (and beliefs) have changed over the three books of the series. I might have rated the book five stars if not for some e-book formatting issues (wrong words, misspelled words, misplaced character names. random capital letters) that pulled me out of the story and made me wond...

Another great book in Samaria: the truth Alleuia found in the previous book is now the basis of a unpopular cult and technology grows more rampant to the dismay of traditional Angels. The adventures center around 3 characters. As usual the love story starts with a highly resistant female! I love hearing about the changing world of Samaria and ysrael .One thing that has never been satisfactory to me the technical terms used to describe the singing in this book. I'm sure it is correct, but I can't...

The Alleluia Files is the third in the Samaria series by Sharon Shinn. I enjoyed it, though it felt too long for the amount of plot, and it was very similar to the second book in places. I still like the world-building, though, and it was interesting to see how the society progressed over time. The romance wasn't as problematic as in the first book, though moreso than in the second. It seemed to take me an inordinate amount of time to get through it, and it dragged in places, but a positive read...

I wish I could read this series again. The library had it in a town I lived in years ago, but I have never found it available since I moved away. I remember enjoying the books greatly but just can't remember whether I loved them or liked them a great deal. I do know that the series by Shinn, Mystic and Rider, captivated me even more than this one, so I will give it a four star. I still hope I have the chance to read it again...

Thank you!!! This totally redeemed the slow plot in book two and I was captivated by the suspense at the end... power read through this. I loved Tamar (she was another head-strong and fiery female lead similar to Rachel in Archangel). I felt like Lucinda added a lot to the story and she was a little more subdued... possibly relatable to those who enjoyed Alleluia in book 2. Overall I could see myself reading this again whenever I get on a kick to re-read Archangel.

A compelling plot, where, 100 years since we last visited the world of Samaria, heretics, businesspeople and a lackadaisical angel are uniting against the Archangel to uncover the truth about the origins of the god Jovah. Electronics are now commonplace and the fabled land of Ysral has been found and settled. In a welcome departure from the usual romance setup, there is no plotline about an Archangel-elect seeking their divinely ordained spouse. Romance aplenty nonetheless.

3.5 starsWhile I enjoyed the characters and plot and sped through the book, none of these were as solid as the previous 2 books, and the book ended just as it got to the incredibly interesting social changes.

I devoured this in two days. I always go through these books too fast, but I love watching Samaria change over the centuries! There's always something new, but there's always that tone and setting that I love so much. Great series!

I love this series but there are other books in Samaria that I like better. As usual the romance is glorious, and there are plenty of twists and dramatic reveals, but I would have liked to see more of what happens in Samaria after the resolution.

The author's ability to create such a believable world rich with history and a variety of characters is amazing. I love reading each of these books and finding that what I read in the last book is now a part of the society's history. As always, I'm looking forward to the next one.

Interesting premise and well-developed characters.

A very good third installment in the Samaria series. It really does feel like watching a society advance and try to deal with revelations.