Book Review: World After - Susan Ee

Title: World After (Penryn and the End of Days #2)

Author: Susan Ee

Release Date: November 19th 2013

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: Bought

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

(Slight spoilers if you haven't read the first book.)

It took me four days to finish Angelfall, thanks to finals week and then Christmas coming up, so you can probably understand my reluctance to pick up this sequel when I wasn't sure I'd be able to give it my full attention. Thankfully, my family made the decision for me by choosing to stay home on Christmas Day, because World After is a book that should not be put down until it's been read till the end. If you're a slow reader like me, then you should pick this up when you have eight hours of free time ahead of you. Preferably an empty house, too, for the sudden laughing and squealing.

The story picks up right where Angelfall left off. Penryn, paralyzed by the angel scorpion hybrid's venom, is thought to be dead by everyone, even Raffe, who thinks he's doing her a final favor by delivering her to her family. Carted off to join the human resistance fighters, the Young family soon becomes the spectacle because of Penryn's mother's usual brand of crazy and her sister Paige's terrifying appearance and demeanor. When Paige finally loses it and runs off, Penryn is left no choice but to look for her again despite the danger.

World After is so much more than Angelfall in so many ways; everything was taken up a notch. The action never wavers, instead being omnipresent with numerous, sudden bursts that had me frantically turning the pages. We learn more of the angels' disturbing apocalyptic tactics and human-like politics, bringing the unpredictability factor to a level of "That did not just happen." What little hilarity, both actual and disturbing, that can be found in this bleak, morally-confusing world presents itself in the right moments - and very quietly, too, like a friend creeping up behind you. Yes, Pooky Bear, I'm referring to you.

The character development in this series is so subtle, one might mistake it for non-existence, but if you look hard enough, you'll see that it's there. Penryn is still her kickass self, but her fears and uncertainties have increased. She knows she can't save every helpless human she runs across, but that doesn't stop the moral obligation from gnawing on her. Her reaction to Paige's horrifying new reality adds a touch of reality to her already real-as-it-can-get character. Raffe, on the other hand, changed right before my eyes. We see deeper into him, and I loved the unique way it was accomplished.

I had little hope for the romance because Penryn and Raffe were apart for more than half of the book, but, man oh man, their reunion was worth the wait, and with the way things ended, my hopes are higher than ever. Although I somehow feel like little progress is made with regards to the plot of the entire series, World After still receives nothing but my undying praise, and now I join this series' entire legion of fans in impatiently waiting for the next book. (I really hope it comes out next year because one year is the longest I can wait without going crazy.)

MY FAVORITE PART was Penryn and Raffe retrieving Pooky Bear =))

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Book Review: Angelfall - Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days #1)

Author: Susan Ee

Release Date: May 23rd 2013

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: Bought from Fully Booked

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

Angelfall is one of those rare books that very easily engages readers. I had to put it down a couple of times, but I was instantly sucked right back into the story when I picked it up again, like I never stopped in the first place. Penryn reminded me of Katniss Everdeen with how she had to take care of her mother and younger sister, but I think that's where the similarities end.

There was a time when I felt like all the heroines I'd been reading about were becoming stereotypical - smart, brave, short-tempered, and kickass - and then, suddenly, they stopped coming. Maybe I started looking for them in the wrong books, but the last kickass heroine I read of was Tris from Divergent, and that was last year, so Penryn was definitely like a breath of fresh air in the sea of lovesick girls - not that being in love is a weakness. Even when Penryn unknowingly started falling for Raffe, she still had her priorities sorted out, namely her family's safety. She always put herself second to them, even shoving her hurt, uncertainties, and fears into a locked compartment of her heart because she wouldn't let those puny feelings jeopardize her family's survival. 

Raffe, on the other hand, was like a closed book doused in sarcasm and danger. Except for the rare moments when he let his guard down, he was a mystery to solve. I could never guess what he'd do next, and aside from his love for his wings, sword, and Penryn, I now realize that I don't really know much else about him. Which is sad because he's probably the most honest-to-God angel I've ever read about. Also, there's just something about a superior creature's weakness and defeat that gets to me worse than a human's. The odds were not in Raffe's favor, and every time that proved true, my heart just broke.

Penryn and Raffe's romance is probably one of the most well-developed I've ever read. Their relationship may have been forged out of necessity, but they slowly started truly caring for one another and they unraveled each other with actions, not words. People say that communication is key, and I believe that too, but in a world like the one Susan Ee created, words are either a luxury or a detriment.

 

I was wary of the fact that we're given only the "angels came down from heaven and blasted everyone and everything apart" how of the apocalypse aspect and not much else. I've been a Catholic my entire life and I've always been taught that angels are God's minions in his heavenly work, not instruments to end humanity, and since this is fiction, I'm pretty sure we could have been given a damned reason for the angel apocalypse! Sadly, until the end, we are left in the dark, but only because the angels themselves are blindly following orders from way up, so fine, I'll let that go for now.

 

An intense and unpredictable adventure set in a uniquely-imagine future, Angelfall is a book to be devoured. I can't imagine anyone having a hard time reading this, and now I can say that it truly deserves all the hype. Thank heavens I have the sequel sitting beside me or I might have gone bonkers already.

 

MY FAVORITE PART was when Penryn Hulk-smashed the assclown soldier up in the hills/mountains. 

 

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