Customer Reviews

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1)

5 star:		(238)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Totally captivating, a thrilling read, couldn't put it down!!

The pacing is furious and excellent. The relationship between Penryn and the angel a classic, filled with mistrust, desire and intrigue. The mother is hilarious (and terrifying). Very fresh and mysterious angel mythos, with pieces of the puzzle coming out throughout the book, always leaving you wanting to know more.

Ee sets up a world that has descended into madness, her writing always extremely visual and intoxicating, so close at hand it is searing.

Never a dull moment. Instantly engaging and breathtaking, all the way to multiple climaxes.

My teenage kids read Hunger Games like it was Sunday breakfast, but this book scared the hell out of them.

Read it if you dare!

Its 4:30 in the morning as I write this, and I have just finished reading Angelfall. I started reading it this evening, thinking it would be just another YA novel -- good, but typical of the recently popular genre. I ended up enjoying it SO much I finished it in one sitting, and I had to immediately write up the review.

There have been several popular supernatural themes popping up over the last several years, from vampires and werewolves to faeries, witches and angels. I have personally not been a fan of the angel theme so far -- although it seems to be increasing in its popularity. However, if they begin being as good as this one, they might win me over.

Angelfall begins in a post-apocalyptic time -- think along the lines of McCarthy's 'The Road,' or The Book of Eli -- after an "armageddon" initiated by angels. The reader doesn't really discover exactly why this has happened, although there are some hints provided along the way. The heroine, Penryn, is a tough-but-vulnerable mix, along the lines of Buffy or Katniss. Her mother is a wonderful character addition in the book -- a schizophrenic that swings between being wonderfully brilliant and creepily crazy. The 'hero' is a tough/sarcastic guy who remains likable yet mysterious throughout. The story line follows Penryn as she journeys to save her crippled younger sister, who has apparently been abducted by angels.

What sets this book apart is not only the richness of the variety of characters, but the layers of themes and histories that make up the story. There is simply so much there to explore -- from Penryn's history with her mother, to her sister's injury, to the mysteries surrounding Raffe and the and the events leading up to the apocalypse itself. The angelic lore is familiar, but nicely done, with the Biblical elements not over nor understated. The romance between the characters builds slowly, with none of the immediate "Love (or obsession) at First Sight" nonsense from so many novels out there today. It is also not one of the happy-ever-after books out there, at least at this point in the series. The action and the horror elements are the icing on the cake -- make no mistake, its not a book for weak of heart (or stomach, for that matter). Because of some of the horror involved, I would suggest this book may be more in the PG-13 arena than for a much younger pre-teen audience. Its not gory exactly, but there are some graphic and bloody moments.

My only hope is that it isn't too long before the next installment comes out, so I can stay up all night reading the next chapter in Penryn's story!

If dark urban fantasy is a genre, Susan Ee's Angelfall is the best example of it that I've come across this year. Angelfall is dark, though not oppressively so, and it's fun to read even at times when the characters aren't having fun at all. Maybe even especially at those times. Even though it's a few weeks after the end of the world and what's left of society is going downhill fast, I still found the book not just entertaining but fun...a lot more so than, say, The Road, though at times the situations aren't any less grim.

The book itself has an overall feel reminiscent of Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros stories, if, say, the Alph had won the big battle on the first page. Ee evokes a world, through snatches of imagery and introspection and conversation, where survival means working around/with/in hiding from several distinct outside forces, each with its own well-considered agenda. Characters' near-obsessive motivations are tempered by physical limitations, constant fear and danger that can come from behind, above or below at any time. This is not a violent book per se, by my standards at least, but it doesn't shy away when violence is called for by the story. It's also not the kind of story where super-powerful characters whale on each other until it's time for the good guy to win.

The thing that makes this story stand out from the crowd is its characters, and the characters in this book are right up there in the Stackhouse/Kate Daniels/Anita Blake league. While Penryn Young, Angelfall's narrator/main character, shares some attributes with all of these very different female hero characters, I'd say in my view she most reminds me of the Hunter Kiss character from the Marjorie Liu series of the same name...minus the tattoos. In the context of this story, Penryn isn't a "huntress" per se, though I'd imagine that could change to some extent as this series shapes up. But she's got the personality, values and unexpected skills to develop over the series into a thoroughly plausible action-hero-with-a-heart.

Angelfall doesn't portray its characters as superhuman (except the non-human ones, and they have plenty of flaws of their own) or gloss over the hardships they face. They squeeze a lot of mileage out of what they have, though, often in unexpected ways. Penryn, as the narrator, is naturally the most fully developed character, and is thoroughly likable for her strengths and human weaknesses. We learn about her enemy/ally/inappropriate love interest in dribs and drabs as she pieces his story together over time, and an interesting character portrait emerges with lot of potential to develop further over additional volumes. But I'd have to say the prize for creepiest character, and my personal favorite, is her mother. Completely squawking insane, though loving in her own way, she's the part of the story that caught my attention early on. With her increasingly bizarre contributions, chilling comments and hidden capabilities and predilections, I loved every appearance she made, and the sense that she's always lurking somewhere nearby while simultaneously trapped in her own dreadful little world. That the world outside more and more resembles her inner world is not lost on the observant reader, and you wonder where that aspect of the story will go over time. I can think of five or six more characters easily meriting mention here, but I don't want to plant spoilers by talking about characters introduced later in the story.

The book is written in a narrative style that I don't think I've ever seen done before, at least not that I can recall, and I can't remember ever even hearing of it being done well until now. It's told in the first person, present tense. It took me a couple of pages to get used to it, but then I found myself liking it--a lot, actually. (If you write an email or something after reading a chapter or two of this book, you might find yourself writing that way...don't hit send until you check!) The advantages of this style are readily apparent and more significant than you would think until you see it. It's the fastest-paced of all possible styles, since you feel as if it's happening in real time right now. There's none of that standard sense of anticlimax that comes from knowing that a typical first-person past-tense "narrator" would have had to come through everything alive and well, more or less, to "write the book" later. There also isn't that sense of retrospective omniscience that comes from a "narrator" character supposedly recounting the story later with the blanks filled in. We have only the information the character has, and the result is an exceptionally engaging experience of feeling yourself in her shoes.

This book is a winner, and its author has it going on with this lineup of unique characters and their "beginning-after-the-end" post-apocalyptic backdrop. There an experience here that's definitely worth expanding on; I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series.

This is my favorite book of 2011! This review may contain extreme amounts of gushing!

There simply were no words to describe how much I loved it, how it horrified me, shocked me, tore at my heart again and again. Brilliant.

2011 turned out to be a great year for Angel books for me. I know that might seem strange when you think of the more popular ones **cough* Hush, Hush*cough*Halo*cough*Fallen*cough**. But there is indeed hope for this paranormal genre. I thought this genre couldn't get any better than Unearthly, Angel, or Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Then, I read Angelfall. Are the literary gods playing a joke on me? How ironic for me to find my favorite book of 2011 in the last week of the year.
I'm going to do this review a little differently. I'm not going to go in some extreme in-depth talk about how awesome this book is because there are a few other reviews that do that and I don't think I could do the book any justice even if I tried. Instead, I'm going to give you ten reasons why you should go purchase this book RIGHT NOW.


1. Angelfall kicks off right from the start with plenty of action and never settles down. Expect little to no sleep until you've finished.

2. Penryn is my pick for strongest heroine of 2011. In fact, I created a new shelf just for her: "Ass-kickin' heroine." Between how she sticks up for herself and her awesomely cool, Kung Fu Panda-type skills, she's a freakin' boss. Bet on it.

3.Witty Dialogue. There are so many quotes I could paste into my review, but I can't because I'd end up just pasting the entire book. But I will paste my absolute favorite:

"My friends call me Wrath," says Raffe. "My enemies call me Please Have Mercy. What's your name, soldier boy?"

Yeah, he's a badass `G.' Susan, how do you come up with this stuff? I was thoroughly entertained!

4. The post-apocalyptic world. It's shocking, horrifying, and any other adjective you can possibly use to describe the emotion you feel while reading this book. It's a world I could never live in. I'd pretty much put my head between my legs and kiss my ass goodbye.

5. Susan did her research. Angel books run the risk of not being true to their mythological "rules." I think you know what I'm talking about here. Halo: Only eight angels fell from Heaven? Let's get real. The Mortal Instruments: Nephilim are the good guys? You've got to be kidding me. The Succubus series: Angels hanging out with Demons playing cards? Really? Really, dude? Susan created a realistic world of angels while somehow managing to not sound preachy and staying true to their original mythical cannon.

6. Because I said so.

7. The plot twists will leave you twisted. You will never see the climax or the ending coming. It blows you away.

8. Angelfall is like a weird mix between Planet of the Apes, Resident Evil and Frankenstein. Yes, it is possible for a book to be that awesome. This is that book.

9. Did I mention the dialogue? I did? Oh, well...it was so amazeballs that it deserves another separate reason. Annnddddd...I quote:

"I never kid about my warrior demigod status." "Oh. My. God." I lower my voice, having forgotten to whisper. "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."

"You're like a little girl demanding answers to questions during a covert operation. Why is the sky blue, daddy? Can I ask that man with the machine gun where the bathroom is? If you don't stay quiet, I'm going to have to dump you."

"Leaking sacks of mutated maggots?" He raises his perfectly arched eyebrow as though I'd just failed my verbal insult exam."

"Oh, please. Your giant head is getting too big for this forest. Pretty soon, you're going to get stuck trying to walk between two tress. And then, I'll have to rescue you." I give him a weary look. "Again."

"Those pigeons couldn't take us out if they send their entire chirping flock."

Must.Stop.Quoting.


10. Let us not forget the most important reason of all: NO INSTA-LOVE FOUND HERE! I like my romance slow burning and taking a backseat to the plot and action. Angelfall did just that. I likey. I likey a lot.

It is (at the time of me writing this review) only $.99! You have no reason NOT to buy this book! Go do it now!

More of my reviews at my blog: [..]

6 weeks ago, the Angels showed up and well... things really went to hell after that.

Our protagonist is Penryn, a somewhat atypical girl, or at least atypical of the ones I knew when I was that age. She has her act together (no small feat in and of itself for anyone, let alone a teenager), and is able to keep her mother and wheelchair-bound younger sister (Paige) alive in their condo in this post-apocalyptic scenario. The story starts with them finally deciding to leave said condo, and from there the hijinks (obviously) ensue; it seems that despite their precautions and general sneakiness, they suddenly find themselves witnessing a fight between angels. Well, more specifically 5 angels are ganging up on another, though he is holding his own, despite being outnumbered.

The family realizes this isn't something they need to stick around for, but as they try to sneak away the angels take notice and capture Paige, which sets the stage for the rest of the book. Penryn and Raffe (pronounced: raw fee), the lone (and now wingless) angel, come to an uneasy alliance and head toward angel-central, meeting an interesting cast along the way.

I found this to be a very quick and enjoyable read. If you are intrigued by the notion of angels being the bad guys (though not necessarily evil), then definitely give this a read.

This is more of a YA horror/thriller paranormal novel with outstanding world building and well developed characters.

The actions will keep you absolutely glued to the book, reading as quickly as you can in order to turn to the next page - to find out what happens next.

I don't usually enjoy a novel that is done in mostly the 1st person narrative style - but this author pulled it off fantastically. You see and feel everything that Penryn does! The book draws you in despite the gore and terror. You just can't stop reading!

The plot, world building, characterization, and writing style are unigue and compelling.

WARNINGS:
This book will give you chills and possibly nightmares - it's that well done. Even though it was late when I finished the book - I went back and started to reread one of my more humorous, feel-good books so that I did not go to sleep with this novel on my mind.

I would not recommend this novel to anyone under the age of 16 and only then if they are mature enough to handle a horror story (think Stephen King for YA). It is definitely not for the sensitive type.

There is no real HEA - this is just a start to a series and I have a feeling that Penryn has a long way to go.

Why I rated this book only a 3:
I reserve 4 or 5 star ratings for books that I consider keepers - which I may reread again. While this book was an actual well written novel, I have no desire to continue the series - reading about the world situation now gives me enough chills and nightmares! I do and have read novels that have a lot more gore and/or violence in them but this novel was just so unnerving that I do not want to go back for more.

Am I sorry I purchased the novel - yes and no. Yes, it was a well written page-turner. No, I really could do without the post-apocalyptic, armageddon world that still comes to mind every now and then.

My first thought: another book about angels? I have to confess, it's the supernatural category I somehow like less. I find the whole religious issue a bit tricky in most cases, and it takes a solid world-building and a systematic and logical approach to metaphysical dilemmas not to have my brain turned into a useless heap of mush (see the Hallowed: An Unearthly Novel case).

In Angelfall though, Susan Ee managed to do a masterful job in dealing with all these nuances and I loved this book to bits.

So first of all, angels here are not... angelic. They're the bad guys, real harbingers of doom. They have come to Earth and have destroyed society as we know it, causing natural disasters, decimating the population, spreading pestilence. The call humans "the monkeys" and if they don't kill them straight away, they enslave them.
The world has turned to anarchy, people hide, try to survive and gangs have formed, looting and killing whatever and whoever they find.

Penryn is on the run, like everybody else. Homeless, after squatting in an apt for a while, she's trying to take her family - her crazy mother and her paralytic sister - to a safer place, up the hills surrounding Silicon Valley. They're escaping during the night, hoping not to be seen. During the escape though, Penryn witnesses a gang of angels settling a score with another angel. She should run and think only about her family but one of them spots them and her sister gets taken away. Penryn's left with only one choice: help the "fallen" angel the gang was trying to kill and oblige him to tell her where they took the kid.

Post-apocalyptic literature cannot get much better than this in my opinion and this is certainly the best I've read this year. Ee's world-building is simply amazing and I loved, loved, loved the idea behind the story. If "even angels have their wicked schemes", these ones are really, really wicked ones. They're warriors, sent to Earth by, supposedly, God, who seems to talk only to The Messenger, a chosen one. But The Messenger has been killed at the beginning of the invasion without leaving directions and now they're clueless as to their purpose.
I really liked the idea of a non all-loving god. To be precise, nobody even knows IF He's there, there's just The Messenger's word. The religious theme here is clearly treated in a very laical way, with no preaching on either side, which I appreciated a lot. I found it really brilliant that one of those same angels is barely a believer. Basically, the message here has little to do with religion or deity: angels could be just another race, aliens, as debauched and vicious as humans are, while this just another story of oppression and racism of one people towards another.

Character-wise, on the one hand there's Penryn, a human girl, a Daughter of Men. A badass, in my head she's reminiscent of Katniss from The Hunger Games. She's a survivor, all intent on saving her mother and her little sick sister. I liked her. A lot. She's not perfect and will make you want to smack her with her pig-headedness at times, but she's a good girl who's doing her best to care for her loved ones in a dreadful situation. There's just one sentence in the whole book she should never have uttered according to me: "I just want to be an ordinary girl living an ordinary life" - ohhh, puhhhleasse, but aside from that, she is a likable character.
On the other hand Raffe, the oppressor, though apparently gone rogue. He's borderline good/jerk, and alas, that mix I really like (see Barrons from the Fever Series). There will be times you won't like this guy for things he does or says but end in end, you see there's some good in him, and he just needs to work out his angelic issues.
I really liked the process of these two having to collaborate, come to terms with each other and overcome their prejudices and suspicions toward the otherness.

While the first part of the book, with all their hiding and escaping was great, the second part when they get to San Francisco was stunning. Very dark, a bit gory, definitely sick in some parts, I was blown away. I'll just say that there will be some cannibal monsters, some scorpion-angels and metallic teeth involved.
Even the ending was extremely good and while it ends with a sort of cliffhanger that left me craving for the next book, it's bearable.
I will be the first in line waiting for the sequel...
... and maybe I forgot to mention this is a self-published book? So, so, sorry for many published authors, this book puts to shame so many of them.

This is a truly outstanding exploration of the coming-of-age of a teenage girl in the midst of an apocalypse. Penryn is finding her way in the world as a young woman in especially trying circumstances, as angels have taken over the world, and they're not of the "Touched by an Angel" variety - these are Old Testament warrior angels, finely drawn with a dramatic flair informed by what seems to be a deep knowledge of their folkways.

She teams up with an angel in trouble, and they form an unlikely partnership that explores the landscape of devastation, new feelings forming in Penryn as they will in many young women, her troubled but fascinating relationship with her mother, and the dawning of both new horrors and perhaps new hope.

This book walks a very fine line - it is riveting and suspenseful while exploring characters and their motivations and evolution, and captures many ambiguous relationships with sensitivity. It's a tribute to Ee's versatility that it all comes together so effectively. Penryn and Raffe (the angel) don't really trust one another, and they each keep secrets from the other, but they nonetheless find a way to work together. Penryn's relationship with her mother is even more fascinating - I don't want to give too much away, but there are forms of madness that suddenly might (possibly) not be actual madness, and revelations that may or may not be true about terrible childhood events...

Highly recommended for anyone who likes adventure. Or supernatural fiction. Or romance. Or horror. Or angels. Or people. Or reading. This is an author to watch - she'll be coming up with a lot of great things in the future, and I for one am looking forward to reading it all! Getting familiar with her work now will be a good thing to brag about in the future.

This isn't really my usual reading material, but on the recommendation of a friend, I gave it a shot. Despite some intitial misgivings about the subject matter (I prefer Space Marines to Angels), I quickly found myself submerged in the story.

Definitely a quick read and highly recommended.

You must read this book. Susan Ee has reached into the very depths of humanity to create a captivating stage for the "End of Days". This book is soaked in blood, yet reinforced with hope. Your reading journey will be complete with darkness, humor, and the slightest stirring of romance between unlikely beings. I cannot wait to read the rest in the series! Susan, unleash your beast of an imagination and let it wreak some havoc!