Angelfall by Susan Ee Book Review

Angelfall by Susan Ee
Publisher: Feral Dream
Published: May 21, 2011
Series: Peryn & the End of Days #1
Rating: 5 stars
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“Angels are violent creatures.” 
“So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind.” 
“Why would you think that? 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.” 
― Susan Ee, Angelfall


Synopsis

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. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts

It is difficult for me to even describe why I love Angelfall or how much I love it. But I'll try. I just love everything about it! It's frightening and touching all at the same time. It gave me chills with its monstrosities. You can try to organize humans and angels into neat categories, dividing them into the good and bad guys but it doesn't work. There's so many shades of grey which is fascinating. Humanity itself appears beastly at times. Angels can surprise you. It makes the story unpredictable. 

As for the characters, I loved them. The mother kind of amused and frightened me. She was a wild card. I don't know if I've ever heard of a schizophrenic being so violent from my days as a psychology minor (they're more likely to harm themselves than others contrary to belief and Hollywood movies), but the mother offered such a wicked twist with her constant reappearance. I adored Penryn and Raffe. Penryn was so strong and she kicked butt. Like Katsa, Tris, Hermione, and Katniss, I admired her. If I could go back in time, I would definitely add Penryn to my 10 characters I would switch places with. She had the fighting skills from dealing with her crazy mother, and she had a reckless bravery and gut instinct that impressed me. 

Raffe and Penryn were adorable together. This is one of the best romances I have ever read. It's not instalove. It's certainly not cheesy. It actually was a very light romance so far. It sneaked up on you at times (though the reader knew it was bound to happen). They just seemed to fit together, and not just romantically. They eased each other's loneliness and offered each other companionship. Their conversation flowed naturally and smoothly. Their banter was amusing and entertaining. I think they worked well in every scenario. It was hilarious how Penryn kept saving him when he's an angel. Their debt to each other kept switching back and forth. 

While there's romance in Angelfall, it doesn't drive the plot and it's hardly present. There was so much more to the story. There's plenty of action. The book was fast-paced and entertaining. I love me some action with fights and tight situations, and this book provided so much. It has some angel mythology, but it takes a different twist with these monstrous offspring that sound so lovely and friendly (sarcasm). While the book takes place entirely in California, the reader is given a broad, convincing look into this new, terrifying world. It's dismal but moving to see tragedy and hope alongside each other. Btw, there are dark twists at the end that are immensely intriguing  (no spoilers). 

I cannot wait for the next book in the series! The sequel is expected in 2013. Series have exhausted me (there's so many and I miss independent, standalone books), but I am relieved this one is not finished! That would be devastating!

Happy reading,

Courtney