Angelfall by Susan EeGenre: Paranormal
Release Date: May 23, 2013
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Source: Publisher
Add it: Goodreads
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It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.
Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.
When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...
Ironically, since the attacks, the sunsets have been glorious.
—
Angelfall first entered my radar back when it was released in the US, and I knew it was receiving a lot of amazingly positive reviews, but… angels. I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of angel books. There are a couple that I have loved, but once the they started to become more heavily involved with religion I was out of there. Still, I got sent this as a surprise from the publisher, and friends had highly recommended it, so I decided to give it a go. And I’m very glad I did!
First of all, I want to make it clear to everyone that this book isn’t religion-heavy for the most part. There’s a lot of angel stuff, but Angelfall is mostly about the human side of things. How the humans are suffering during the apocalypse, how the (human) main character searches for her sister, how everyone is surviving. That kind of thing. So if you’re worried about a lot of references to God, like I was, don’t be. The theme starts to become a bit heavier towards the end of the novel, but that’s necessary to build upon the world and the reasons behind the apocalypse, as well as Raffe’s character development.
Penryn, the main character, was an absolute badass when it came to fighting. First of all, she’s out to find her sister. It’s that good ol’ sibling relationship coming into play again, and it killed me. Secondly, her mother had her train in several forms of self defence, so she’s got some moves. She can take out full grown adults and bulky men, so she gets a gold star from me for that. Her determination to find Paige filled my heart with joy, and at no point in the novel does she suddenly forget what she’s out to do and decide she wants to go off with the hot guy. Fair enough, the hot angel probably wouldn’t have ran away with her anyway, but that’s not the point I’m trying to get across here.
My only issue with Penryn’s character was that she wasn’t witty enough. Raffe came out with all these hilarious one-liners, which provided an opportunity for excellent banter between the two of them, but instead Penryn’s comebacks were either shit or non-existent. This may seem like a bit of a silly thing to complain about, but I didn’t like it because it made her look stupid next to him. Does that make sense? I hope it does.
Then there’s Raffe, the angel with no wings. Yes, he’s hot, and yes, I ship him and Penryn. But was he my favourite character? No. I’ve had my fill of broody guys, I think, and have turned to the funny guys like Stiles Stilinski as of late. Or Gannicus, the alcoholic hero. Penryn’s character far outshines Raffe, so I don’t mind not being as into him as everyone else seems to be. Penryn provides enough awesome for the both of them. But yes, some of his one-liners were brilliant.
I’m very excited to read the sequel in the autumn, because the ending of this one packed quite a punch. As well as some promising stuff going on with Raffe (seriously, there is potential for him to get BADASS), there’s also scary stuff to explore regarding Paige and Penryn. I’ll be holding my breath for the next couple of months, because I’m hoping that Susan Ee will focus on Paige and Penryn’s relationship, and I’m dying to know how that will turn out!
I LOVE Angelfall! It is one of my favorite books of all time. I couldn’t believe when I got this for $.99 for the nook and it was the best thing I’d read in ages. Just beautifully done and perfect to me in every way. I can not wait until World After. I’m so happy you loved it too!
My Friends Are Fiction
YAY! 😀 Great review & I’m glad you liked it. I can’t wait for the sequel either!!!
I’ve to say that I’m not a fan of angel books myself (I find them repeatable and unexciting). However, if you’ve been turned into angel books fan, then I sure don’t want to miss out on reading the book. It does sound exciting and I love me some badassery.
Great review! =D
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I’m reading this right now Amber and I’m absolutely gripped! I love Penryn so much and Raffe is hilarious! Awesome review, I’m looking forward to seeing how it all ends!
“I’ve had my fill of broody guys, I think, and have turned to the funny guys like Stiles Stilinski as of late.”
Amber, I totally love Raffe, but I know what you mean! I too was on the lookout for books with guys like Stiles, so do you have any recommendations?
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I’M A QUEEN OF BOOK PUSHING. ANOTHER TITLE.
I should start adding those to my twitter profile tbh.
Penryn is one of my favorite characters of all time. But I dunno, I didn’t pick up on her being less witty… it’s been a while though. I just love this book sfm. I feel you on the fear that angel books can get too preachy and religious, but I loved how that was incorporated here – just them being the villains was already enough to convince me I loved this world.
Glad you loved it 🙂 And glad we don’t have to fight over Raffe hahahahaha HE’S MINEEEEEE
I seriously have to read this one soon, I haven’t seen one negative review and it does sound freaking awesome! So glad you liked it!
QUEEN OF BOOK PUSHING OMG I LOVE THIS TITLE. I AM NOW ADDING IT TO MY TWITTER BIO.
*deep breath*
I have bought this and will be reading it soon. I HOPE I’ll like it!
Bahahaha, Queens of Book Pushing. They haven’t made me read anything…yet. I so feel rather left out. *pouts in corner*
Yay for few references to god! Wooo! That’s how I like my angel books, paranormal rather than religious.
The characters were where it fell a little flat for me too. I mean, I like them, but they lacked the spark to make me emotionally bond with them, you know? Like they entertained me, but, if they’d died, I’d be like OH WELL.