Review: This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Title: This is Not a Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: June 19, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic
Pages: 323
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5 stars
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"I woke up and the last piece of my heart disappeared. I opened my eyes and I felt it go.”
― Courtney Summers, This is Not a Test

Synopsis
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
First off, I love the author's name. The first name: Courtney. What an awesome name, huh? ;) Secondly, she has the same last name as Buffy Summers from my favorite show. I know, I'm ridiculous.

This is Not a Test was so fantastic I read almost all of it in one sitting. And I stayed up insanely late. It was gripping and creepy. It leaves a haunting feeling afterwards and gave me shivers. This is Not a Test had such a wild premise. In every other zombie novel, everyone fights to survive,desperate to keep living. Sloane isn't even hanging on anymore. She doesn't want to live. For her, life before the zombie attack was worse. This was a unique twist, and it really made the story unique.

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