Book: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1)
Author: Susan Ee
Website: http://susanee.com/
Category: Young Adult - Fantasy
My thoughts ...
Short summary: It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse have taken over and destroyed most of the modern world. Seventeen-year-old Penryn and her family have managed to survive by staying out of harm's way but when warrior angels take Penryn's sister, she will do anything to get her back. Which is how she finds herself making a deal with an enemy angel named Raffe who's just been attacked and left wingless on the street. Together they journey towards the angels' stronghold with only each other to rely on for survival.
The good: To say this book is fast-paced would be an understatement. The reader is literally thrown into the middle of all this chaos but it's easy to follow the plot and even easier to get sucked into the story. The world this author has built is a scary one (vividly scary) and her angels are definitely the villains. They're portrayed in a way that I've never read before. Then there's Penryn - who is officially on my list of favorite heroines. She's a strong protagonist and someone who's going to fight until the very end, whether it's for survival or for her family. She also has a vulnerable side which makes her easy to relate to. And of course I loved the uneasy alliance between her and Raffe (especially their snarky banter; you know I'm a sucker for that). We don't get to know him as well but I think his actions pretty much tell you all you need to know about him. Plus the mystery around his character makes sense.
The bad: To be perfectly honest, the story is a bit flawed. There are a couple plot holes that I wish the author had taken more time to explain. Like - how did the world fall apart in only 6 weeks? How exactly did the angels come down on everyone and everything? And why? This series is supposed to be a total of five books so maybe for now, we're meant to be kept in the dark. But I would've preferred a little more detail.
Do I recommend?: I do! I already convinced Loren to buy it. It's only 99 cents for the e-book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Or if you're still not sure, you can read the first five chapters here. It's definitely a good read if you like fantasy (again some parts are definitely on the darker side - so consider yourself warned!).
Happy reading!
I've read very few angel books, but this one sounds intriguing because it's much darker than the ones I've tried! Definitely going to try this out.
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