Tag: penryn and the end of days

Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: End of Days by Susan Ee

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: End of Days by Susan Ee

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

goodreads summary:

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

my review:

Rating:
★★★☆☆

It begins right where World After left off—Raffe with Penryn in his arms, flying, and Paige sitting on Beliel’s body which is being carried by scorpion-tailed locusts. While Word After left me disappointed, I’m not gonna lie so did this. While WA was good for the last 30%, this whole book was a mix of really good/really disappointing.

The character development in this book is very profound. Penryn has always been an independent and strong female character, but in this final installment, Susan Ee takes her badass quality to a whole new level. Raffe, on the other hand, has always been a fierce believer but in this book, the battle between his responsibilities and his heart gets tougher. He’s not just an archangel; he’s a warrior. The story, pacing, and my overall excitement gives this book 3 stars. However, there were many disappointing scenes.

The romance in this series has always been subtle yet powerful. I really enjoyed their relationship because of their intense chemistry, but at some parts, I was disappointed. Especially when they’re lying in bed together, it turned a bit too desperate for me. She moved his hand so it would be on her nipple?????? I didn’t find it at all sexy or steamy but slightly creeped out at Penryn’s actions and Raffes response.

Penryn used to be smart but lost most of it as the story progressed. She let herself be manipulated and used for the most pathetic of reasons. She was seriously a TSTL character with Beliel, she knew he was manipulative, but she still let herself be tricked by him, all so she could spy on more of Raffe’s memories. Her actions probably resulted in the deaths of dozens of humans, those hellions she released must have killed a few people when they escaped, but that thought never crossed her mind.
Also, why was Paige the chosen one when it came to the locusts? How could she control them? Where did that power and ability to come from? Did Doc engineer it that way? If so, how? And why Paige? I felt like it was only put in to have that whole dramatic moment where Penryn was told her sister would be their savior.

That one page where Layla comes back on her side was way too convenient. One minute she was happy with being evil and then she turns back around to coincide with Raffe and Penryn needing help. I felt like a better ending would have been Raffe returning back to heaven, taking all the angels with him, as he initially promised with Penryn.

Overall, an unsatisfying ending to what could have been a decent series.
Books, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: World After by Susan Ee

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: World After by Susan Ee

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

goodreads summary:

In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what’s left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn’s sister Paige, thinking she’s a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

[..] Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can’t rejoin the angels, can’t take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

After reading Angelfall, I had very high expectations for the sequel. And I’m -almost- not wrong.If anything, this book is a page-turner. Like the first book, it has a lot of violence and action. There were definitely a lot of scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. But it all happened at the last 30% of the book.

I did enjoy the development of their family dynamics. Penryn’s mother and her sister page are mainly absent throughout Angelfall, so I liked that they played a more prominent role in the sequel. We get to experience and learn more about their relationship, which is very very complicated. I’m glad the dark humour stayed throughout the book. And the relationship between Penryn and the twins is my favourite relationship in the entire novel. In this book, I felt her struggle more, and it gave her more layers, and she was easier to relate to. Also, the romance doesn’t overwhelm the entire story. It could have quickly been pushed down the route where it was just full-on romance and love triangles and whatnot. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. There’s still that hint of romance, but without distracting too much from the actual conflict.

However, what didn’t work for was the pacing. It just felt too long at the beginning, and I think it’s just that it took a while to really get into the heart of the story. It just felt like a lot of build-ups rather than having its own robust and central plot. The end seemed to be moving towards a more significant conflict, but then it was cut off abruptly. I was also sort of disappointed by the reunion of Penryn and Raffe. The meeting between him and Penryn was anti-climatic. I mean, he thought she was dead, and then it was kind of like

Penryn: yooo I’m not dead
Raffe: k

The scene where he thought she was dead in the first book was so heartbreaking, and then the whole thing where he returned her (supposedly dead) body to her mother even though it could’ve gotten him killed. I guess I wanted the scene to be more emotional…

If the last 25% were the whole book, this probably would have gotten a five-star rating and went straight to the favourite shelf on Goodreads, but unfortunately, the first 75% felt complete filler that could have been sped up a little more. I had to force myself to read and not skim. However, the scenes explaining Paige and what happened to her was fascinating, and the relationship between her and Beliel was really creepy. Overall, it was still enjoyable and exciting, and I can’t wait to read the final book.

Books, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult/ Teen

BOOK REVIEW: Angelfall by Susan Ee

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on BOOK REVIEW: Angelfall by Susan Ee

you can find the book at:

GoodReads
Amazon
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my review:

Rating: ★★★★★

We have declared war on any being that dares to think they can wipe us out without a fight. No matter how celestial, no matter how powerful they are, this is our home and we will fight to keep it.

Six weeks after an attack on earth, the world has been torn apart by a war between angels and humans. Penryn accidentally finds herself watching an angel getting his wings brutally cut off. In trying to help, she is forced to watch as her wheelchair-bound little sister is taken away. Penryn demands that Raffe provides assistance in finding her sibling, and the two natural enemies must work together to outwit danger at every turn.

TO BEGIN WITH, SHOUTOUT TO SIAN FOR TELLING ME TO READ THIS BOOK.FOUR FOR YOU SIAN, YOU GO SIAN.

I’ve read my fair share of angel books, and they’ve all disappointed me. But Angelfall is different in a post-apocalyptic world where Angels have taken over, Penryn is only trying to survive with her schizophrenic mother and sister. Like most books about angels, the main character is usually swooning over these adonis looking people, but no, these angels are brutal and terrifying (and beautiful). Susan Ee’s fantastic debut is one of the best post-apocalyptic YA I’ve ever read, and it blew me away with its perfectly paced blend of action, story, and emotional tension.

Penryn is a fantastic heroine, a funny girl who happens to be amazing in combat. Her interactions with everyone else is so entertaining and hilarious. Raffe is not your usual broody YA main character. [ps agnostic angels was something I was not expecting!]. He’s so intriguing and funny it’s impossible not to be drawn to him anyway. His relationship with Penryn develops slowly and naturally as they struggle to find shelter and to survive in bleak circumstances, all against a dark backdrop of war and all kinds of unspeakable horrors.

Readers who are uneasy with gruesome books should be warned that there are some pretty intense scenarios, although they are well done and mostly appear in the aftermath.It’s exciting to find an author who writes such dark and vivid imagery and doesn’t shy away from the gory scene.

I have a few minor complaints, mostly about Penryn’s failure to ask enough questions, as this seemed entirely out of character for someone who tries to guess whether she can keep someone alive long enough to be of use to her. I also wish we’d learned a bit more about the war. (also, I heard this went from a 5 book series to 3…why?!!)

The action-packed story, funny dialogue, unforgettable characters all make for an incredible read. The twists and turns of this story are greatly done.