Monday, December 9, 2013

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Angelfall (Penryn & The End of Days #1)
By Susan Ee
Publisher:
Amazon Children’s Publishing
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Angels have brought destruction to the world, and Penryn Young is just another human trying to survive, one day at a time. She shoulders a particularly heavy load of responsibilities, having to look after both her schizophrenic mother and wheelchair-bound younger sister, Paige. When Paige is taken by angels, Penryn vows to find her, even if it takes striking a bargain with one of the very beings who’s made life on Earth hell for humanity. Penryn’s mission seems impossible, but she refuses to give up until she’s been reunited with her sister.

Review: If you’ve ever wondered what the world would be like if angels weren’t benevolent protectors and instead fearsome instruments of the apocalypse, look no further than Angelfall. I don’t normally associate angels with dystopia, but thanks to this novel, I do now. Angelfall is brilliantly dark and unlike any of the other angel books I’ve read.

At just under 300 pages, Angelfall packs a punch with its tightly paced story. You’re immediately pulled into a bleak, battered world where you do whatever’s necessary in order to live one more day. This can range from eating cat food to fighting off roving street gangs. Penryn, the protagonist, counts both of these among her life experiences, and they’re actually some of the least horrible things she faces in the novel. Penryn is a tough young lady, though, and she doesn’t back down from whatever’s thrown at her. And a lot of stuff gets thrown at her. From the outset of the book, you quickly learn that she’s essentially holding her family together. Her mother is schizophrenic, and her little sister, Paige, is wheelchair-bound. Penryn’s battle to rescue Paige after she’s abducted by a group of super scary angels drives this novel, and I was riveted. There are no lulls in the story, and I turned the pages eagerly.

While you never lose the sense that this is a world that’s been shattered and forever altered, the desolation is broken up by the crackling banter between Penryn and Raffe, the angel with whom she forms a very tenuous alliance. I loved their attempts to out-snark each other. The tension between the pair is perfect; just when you think one of them has had the last word, the other comes back with an even wittier retort. The sarcasm was definitely a standout for me, but I also want to say that there’s so much more depth to Penryn and Raffe’s relationship than that. You bet it’s complicated and it takes some surprising turns, but those are the elements that make it so compelling to read about.

Penryn and Raffe encounter a good many brushes with danger as they try to make their way to the angel aerie, where Penryn hopes to find Paige and Raffe hopes to have his severed wings reattached. But nothing could have prepared me for the craziness that goes down in the last quarter or so of the book. “Chilling” and “creepy” don’t even begin to describe it, and, as usual, I happened to read these chapters at night. For every impulse I felt to hide under a blanket or something, I also couldn’t stop reading. I reached a point where I didn’t care how late it was or how many pages remained, I had to finish the book then, and I did, and it was totally worth the bleary eyes the following morning.

In imagining angels as bearers of darkness and destruction, I thought Angelfall put a very unique spin on them. Add some really insane plot twists, and what you have here is a book that will not only keep you guessing but also unwilling to put it down.

All in All: This is an impressively written debut, and I can’t wait to read the sequel, World After. I can’t reiterate enough how different Angelfall is—if you decide to read it or have read it, you’ll understand completely.

16 comments:

  1. I've had this book for A LONG time. I really need to get to it since the sequel is out. Thanks for the great review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My copy sat around for months and months, and I really regret not reading it as soon as I bought it. Hope you enjoy reading it!

      Delete
  2. This was one of the biggest surprises for me in terms of the books I read this year because I wasn't sure about it all before I started but I loved it! It really does suck you in right from the beginning and it doesn't really let go! I'm dying to read the sequel and hoping to get it for Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That'd be awesome to get World After for Christmas! Angelfall was such an addictive read; I hope that the sequel is just as impossible to put down!

      Delete
  3. You are so right on here Lee! I put this book off forever because I don't usually find myself liking anything with angels. Man, was I off base on this one. I LOVED it, so so much. The snark battle between the two was a favorite bit of mine too and it is just so different and dark and twisted. I could go on and on and on...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read quite a few meh angel books in a row before my luck with them finally started turning around. I loved how these angels were completely unlike my normal notion of them, and I also loved how all-out weird this story got.

      Delete
  4. I keep hearing good things about this one! Need to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely read it! I'd love to see what you think of it!

      Delete
  5. I've honestly heard nothing but good things about Angelfall. I can't wait to finally read it! I've read about angels as villains before and I enjoyed it, so I do need to bump this one up my TBR. Thanks for the review!

    -P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really, really wish I'd read this a lot sooner. It was SO good! I love the idea of angels as the villains, too!

      Delete
  6. Your review made this book sound so good! I love snarky characters, and crazy plot twists (as long as they make sense for the story) and I'm really intrigued by the creepiness of the last quarter of the book. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is probably the creepiest angel book I've read, lol, but I loved the book all the more for the direction it went in because it was so unexpected.

      Delete
  7. Now I regret avoiding this book; I assumed it was like most angel books, but it sounds intriguing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The combo of angels and dystopia worked perfectly for this book, in the way that vampires and dystopia made such a great pair in The Immortal Rules. That reminds me- I still need to read The Eternity Cure, lol.

      Delete
  8. Oh man, I have had a copy of this book sitting on my shelf for ages. At least two years. I keep telling myself I need to read it, I keep reading more rave reviews but I just never manage it haha I don't know why!? Reading your review certainly reminded me that I need to get off my butt and read it! I used to shy away from angel books too but this one most definitely sounds like something else altogether! And as much as the darkness appeals to me, I'm glad you mentioned getting creeped out while reading at night - I'll try to start reading as early in the day as possible LOL Thanks for the fantastic review Lee and I can't wait to see how you'll enjoy book 2 :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My copy of Angefall just sat and sat and sat on my bookshelf until all of the fantastic reviews of the sequel finally compelled me to read the first book. I was truly missing out on an awesome read all of this time. And I definitely recommend avoiding reading the later chapters too late at night, lol.

      Delete

We love hearing from our readers and do our best to reply. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!