Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

RATING:

Genre: Young Adult > Post-Apocalyptic | Dystopia |  Supernatural

(Penryn & The End of Days #1)

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

*****

OUTSTANDING.

Angelfall blew me away to kingdom come in different, massive movements! It was a brilliant take on the apocalypse and the angels of death. Surely, this is one hell of a YA book you definitely don’t want to miss. How come I did not read this sooner?!! I won an ebook copy from Bookish Ardour months ago and warm, kind Susan Ee sent me a copy. I read this on New Year’s Eve, so it was quite a ride!

Penryn (together with her little sister, Paige and her mother) can barely survive in Los Angeles. Gangs prowl the streets and mark territories by day; Angels sweep them at night. With nowhere to stay and not much food left, she braved the night to get on higher ground (supposedly it is safer there). Unfortunately, she witnessed an angelic conflict that made one of the angels snatched her sister. With her mom fading into darkness (she’s a schizophrenic), all that was left for her is one bleeding, dying angel. Raffe.

I gotta admire Penryn because she’s got spunk. She was terrified of Raffe and yet she threatens him when he refuses to take her to Aerie (where angels congregate & perhaps her sister is there?). She’s not a weakling (for she was trained to defend herself due to her mom’s mental instability), but compared to the magnificent angel, she’s nothing. Still, she bargained with Raffe to take her to Aerie until he said yes. Her determination, street-smarts, and loyalty made her my no. 1 heroine to date. Raffe is cruel, cold, and arrogant (as most angels are). But I saw softness in him when he held Penryn on that night she was plagued by nightmares. I found his character solid for an angel of death. In the end, I saw that perhaps Raffe has a tiny shred of humanity in him. Oh, and of course he’s beautiful! Aren’t all angels? 😉

The story is really good and credible. The pacing is fast but just right for a post-apocalyptic setting. The characters are strong and dependable (meaning I can rely on them staying in their character all throughout the book).

Angelfall‘s ending is not what i expected but it was the bomb nonetheless. So… are you tired of those angel-themed YA books that’s all cutesy and no plot? Then you better read this. Angelfall has the balls to shock you. You think angels are good and kind beings? *snickers* think again. Susan Ee will make you believe in the opposite.

I Highly Recommend Angelfall.

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.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”