The Reader's Shire - Book Reviews

Book Review: Angelfall

Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn and the End of the Days #1
Genres: Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Angels.
Format: Paperback
Length: 323 pages
Publication Date: May 23, 2013
Publisher: Skyscrape
Goodreads Avg. Rating: 4.19 out of 5 stars
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"Sometimes, as we're stumbling along in the dark, we hit something good."

Let me just say that I was very prejudiced against Angel books. I read the Mortal Instruments series back in 2013 and I was not very impressed. Due to raving reviews, I made the mistake of reading the infamous Hush, Hush and my feelings remained the same, if not worse. Not only did those two sagas mostly earn big and sad one stars from me, they also made me lose interest in the genre. However, most of my bookish friends insisted that Angelfall was not your typical young adult angel book so I decided to give Ee the benefit of the doubt.

And...I don't regret my decision.

See, I've come to the conclusion that most books only capture your interest when they're read during the right mood. Some books can be read during finals week. Some books can be read during a holiday with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Angelfall belongs to the latter.

Or at least, for me it does. I actually started this book during one of my busiest weeks and I found that I wasn't enjoying it. But then, I picked it up again ages later when I was relaxed, and I really liked it. I had extremely high expectations and the fact that this book was self published makes the four stars unbelievable.

"Even in your Bible, we're harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn't make us altruistic."

So, this book is set in an angel invaded and post-apocalyptic world. Food is scarce, the power-hungry angels scavange the earth for humans to use and occasionally, unfortunate souls may come across the effects of cannibalism. In Angelfall, Ee creates a haunting and vivid version of the San Francisco bay - deserted streets covered with broken glass and trails of blood, dead bodies occupying dark alleys, angel feathers floating in midair with hopelessness and fear hung in the cold atmosphere.

"Asleep, he looks like a bleeding Prince Charming chained in the dungeon. When I was little, I always thought I'd be Cinderella, but I guess this makes me the wicked witch."

After getting abandoned by their father - an engineer and the bread-winner - Penryn Young takes over as head of the family to look after her disabled, fragile sister and her crazy, comical and superstitous mom. One night, life becomes even more chaotic during one of their flights. The Youngs witness an angel fight, Penryn rescues the victim by throwing his sword at him and before she can act, her baby sister - Paige - gets kidnapped by one of the bloodthirsty beasts.

"Why would I want to go to Heaven anyway when it's crammed full of murderers and kidnappers like you and your buddies?"
"Who says I belong in Heaven?"

This does not make the desperate and stubborn older sister give up. With an animal instinct to protect her family, Penryn kidnaps Raffe - the injured angel she helped - and steals his severed wings inorder to help her find the kidnappers and rescue her sister. In return for returning his wings to him, helping him find an angel doctor to get them stitched back and then eventually, parting ways.

"I never thought about it before, but I'm proud to be human. We're ever so flawed. We're frail, confused, violent, and we struggle with so many issues. But all in all, I'm proud to be a Daughter of Man."

This is a story about a world where the angels have destroyed everything we once called humanity. A world where most humans have lost their values of morality, trust, friendship, unity and optimism. It's only survival: with food on the table, clothes on the back, a roof over your head and your family's safety being rare luxuries. The rules are simple: trust no one yet compromise when you really need them.

"You are nothing but a bird with an attitude. Okay, so you have a few muscles, I'll grant you that. But you know, a bird is nothing but a barely evolved lizard. That's what you are."

I really liked Penryn. I liked how she adapted into new circumstances, how she mistrusted Raffe despite having him under her control yet still caring about the poor guy's health and eventually, remaining loyal to him. She was resourceful, smart-mouthed, honest, badass with realistic intentions and she really knew her shit. Raffe was the handsome, extremely sarcastic and witty Angel with the mysterious and the funny side. I liked his fondness for his sword and his desire to protect Penryn despite being laughed upon for doing so.

"My friends call me Wrath," says Raffe. "My enemies call me Please Have Mercy."

Despite all the darkness, despite one being an angel and one a teenage girl, their conversations were hilarious. I'm glad Penryn wasn't drooling over him by the first chapter and going on and on about his dreamy eyes or his silky hair. I liked how they didn't start making out after their first meeting and I liked how they knew their boundaries. The forbidden love aspect was very intriguing and the chemistry between those two was very nicely paced - starting from mocking insults to harmless flirting and ending with a passionate kiss which...ended up meaning "nothing" as angels and humans do not form friendships, much less, affairs.

"A sense of humor is one more thing I don't think angels should have. The fact that his sense of humor is corny makes it even more wrong."

I didn't expect to learn everything about the angels in one book but I was satisfied with the bit we were given. The rules bestowed on them and if broken, punishable by excecution or banishment. The typical stereotypes of Angels - sweet, angelic, majestic - compared with how ruthless, violent, cold hearted and merciless they were in the real world. I am, however, hoping to know more about their history, their politics, if they have a god, etc in the upcoming books.

"I'm Penryn. I'm named after an exit off Interstate 80."

Ee's writing was very rich. The dialogue was very natural and smooth for a seventeen year old. I wasn't expecting Raffe to speak like a normal teenage boy, though. I was expecting a Shakespearen style to his voice but, nevertheless, it was very enjoyable and funny to read. To sum up, this was a fast paced, exciting and very well written beginning. I look forward to read what Ee has in store for us.

P.S: I know I should've posted this before my End of Days review but I forgot. Let's just pretend that I did.

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This review can also be found on my blog, Goodreads and Tumblr. (Links in bio.)