End of Days by Susan Ee

This is definitely a series you don't want to miss. If you're not into young adult books, you may change your mind after this one. If you're not too fond of books about angels, that's alright because these are not your ordinary angels and you should give them a try. If you're not crazy about post-apocalyptic worlds, this book may not be for you, but it's about so much more than that, so overlook that small aspect. What I'm trying to say is, pretty much everyone will enjoy this series because it's so original, entertaining an well written. End of Days is the last book of a trilogy that I highly recommend.

Penryn has gone through a lot in order to save and keep her family safe. She has even allied herself with the enemy by trusting and paring up with Raffe, an angel that has been trying to get his wings back. But what's worse, because she was seen killing an angel with an angel sword, which is unheard of, she now has a huge bounty on her head so she can't trust anyone, not even humans. Every fellow human could potentially be her enemy and being captured and brought to the angels would probably mean her death.

What's more, she needs to find a doctor that can help her sister, Paige. Her sister has been experimented on, cut open and put back together, and now the only way she can survive is by feeding off humans. At least Penryn and Paige's mother is back in the picture and somewhat able to help this time, instead of being a burden.

As you read the book, it becomes clearer why the angel Uriel is trying to create this fake apocalypse. He believes that in order to get elected as the Messenger, he needs to entice the angels with an apocalypse to wipe out the human race and prove his worth. The other potential candidates for the job, Raffe and Michael, have been absent from angel society, which may provide Uriel with a default win.

In my opinion, what makes this book even more special is the relationship between Penryn and Raffe. The emotional tension is definitely there and makes all their scenes together so much sweeter. Their relationship is doomed from the start because a relationship between an angel and a Daughter of Man is considered blasphemy and would make any angel Fall from angel society. As a reader, we don't give up hope, even if we see the impossibility of their relationship. I love, love these two characters together. Penryn has been such a strong character throughout the series, that I'm sad to see her go. She's the type of young adult heroines that we need to see more of. Just an ordinary girl trying to survive along with her family and the rest of humanity. Raffe is just Raffe. His mere presence makes you giddy and I wonder how Penryn is able to stay so cool around him.

Susan Ee excels in writing action scenes. She's not afraid of killing off characters, good or evil, which keeps her readers on their toes. Also, it almost feels like gore and blood is second nature in her writing because there's so much of it, and you just come to expect it. The last bit of End of Days did feel a little bit rushed, like she had so much to say in the end but didn't have enough room for everything.

I really wish there would be more, but all good things must come to an end. It's amazing how this series started off as a small book from a small publisher and it grew into such a big thing. It might have something to do with luck but it's mainly because of a great plot, exceptional characters and great writing. I highly recommend this one!

Read More

by Tynga at Monday, June 08, 2015

 angels, Paranormal, Penryn and the End of Days, Post-Apocalypse, Review, Skyscape, Susan Ee, young adult  1 Person left their mark

✎

World After by Susan Ee

If I would have read this book when if first came out a little more than a month ago, WORLD AFTER could have easily been my favorite Young Adult book of 2013 (along with the first book of the series). That being said, even if it's still early in the year, it will probably be at the top of my YA books of 2014. It's a great way to start the year that's for sure, and couldn't ask for a better book to kick off 2014.  The story is wickedly interesting, totally brilliant. I'm glad it's a direct continuation of book one and as one book flows into the other, the stories simply merge into an epic series.

"Rising from the dead" after being stung and paralyzed by an Angel-scorpion-abomination, Penryn, her sister that looks like a lab experiment gone wrong, and her crazy mother are given the cold shoulder by pretty much every member of the Resistance, a group they had more or less became friendly with in the previous book. Not knowing who to depend on, Penryn in still the rational teenager we met in book one and every little detail about her actions are well thought out.  At least at first. When her sister runs away from the Resistance camp after a bloody incident, her desperation becomes evident which makes her take more and more risks, despite her sister looking like a stitched up doll. Her ever crazy mother makes the search cumbersome but Penryn is so dedicated to her family that she does everything to keep them all alive.

Her sister isn't the only person she's looking for. Secretly she wishes to also reunite with her angel ally, Raffe. Now that she is the possessor of Raffe's angel sword, she forms a bond with it and in turn the sentient sword shows her glimpses of Raffe's life through dreams and feelings. As we learn more and more about Raffe, it confirms that he's unlike the other angels. While many angels long for the apocalypse, Raffe's conscience makes him doubt his brethren and the bond he forms with Penryn is something he thought would never happen to him. He was taught that having feelings for a Daughter of Man is sinful and against the rules, but it's like something invisible draws them constantly together.

The scenes with Penryn and Raffe together make this book complete. Raffe's sarcastic comments and their undeniable bond makes this book so much more interesting, it's almost sinful to read their impossible relationship. You might expect a book about angels to be all about doing good and shinny things but WORLD AFTER is exactly that: the world after the invasions of the angels. These angels aren't friendly. In fact they are brutal, some are insane, and one might even say some are evil. Their enthusiasm for the apocalypse and the end of human kind makes you shiver and rethink your definition of angel.

Despite all the awful things these angels are doing to earth and humankind, it's the perseverance of humans and their fight for freedom that shines through. Imprisoned, some humans seem passive and seem to accept their faiths but deep down, humanity's desire to survive guide many of their actions. Humanity is strange and difficult  to write about but I think Susan Ee has done an excellent job in describing it in her version of the end of the world. Perseverance is the key message to this book and I think it's something we all need to read about, from time to time. I can't get enough of this series and I really hope the series continue to inspire us with the goodness of humanity.

Read More

by Tynga at Sunday, January 05, 2014

 angels, Dystopian, Paranormal, Penryn and the End of Days, Post-Apocalypse, Purchased, Review, Skyscape, Susan Ee, YA  3 People left their mark

✎

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

When I first received this book, I was a little hesitant because it contained angels, and they’re not usually my thing. I kept putting it off  but Lili kept insisting on how great it was. This last week, she urged me to read as soon as possible, to the point where I folded and removed the dust the cover had accumulated. She even dared all of us to read it in December, but I didn’t listen to her then. However, I should have listened because ANGELFALL ended up being my first 5 star read of 2013. I absolutely adored it and from now on, when Lili tells me to read a certain book or series, I’ll have to listen to her.

That being said, I think I see angels in a totally different way now. I don’t picture them as little cherubs or valentine’s-day-looking cupids anymore. No. These angels can be mean, warrior-like strong and sometimes, even mental. They look down on human beings and that’s proven multiples times as they keep calling humans “monkeys.” For one reason or another, the angels have recently appeared on earth and are slowly killing off the human race. Or at least that’s what it looks like at first. Susan Ee can definitely keep her readers on edge because she reveals just enough information to keep us entertained, yet doesn’t reveal enough to have you guessing the ending.

Seventeen year old Penryn is the type of YA character I love to read about. A strong and self-sufficient teenage girl that admittedly, can sometimes make mistakes and find herself in dangerous situations. The sort of situation that has her kidnap a warrior angel who has just gotten is majestic white wings cut off, and uses the wings as a bargaining chip. This angel ends up being Raffe, a good looking angel that seems to be on the run. Obviously, Penryn makes a lot of assumption about the angels because very little is known about them, especially why they’ve suddenly appeared on Earth. As she slowly befriends Raffe, they join forces to help each other get to their final goal: Penryn wants to find her sister who has been kidnaped by angels, and Raffe wants his wings sewn back on. Their journey eventually leads them to the aerie in San Francisco, but not before encountering “low demons” and a human resistance. Their journey is not only a mission to get from one place to another, but it’s also one of self-discovery and physical challenges.

Please note that the story is quite dark for a young adult book. Some scene aren’t for the faint of heart, especially the one where the angel wing dismemberment is described. Some scenes include gore-y details of wounds and other have awful children-like demons eating their way through human survivors.

It’s safe to say that you can’t always trust your first instincts about books. For a book that I decided to put on standby, I adored every bit of it. Take my word for it (and Lili’s of course) that this is a book you must read. The mix of dystopian elements and vengeful angels definitely works and results in a captivating YA read.  The only thing I regret, is not having read it sooner. Susan Ee has been granted a spot on my auto-buy list.

Read More

by Unknown at Sunday, January 27, 2013

 Amazon Children's Publishing, Angel, Demon, Review, Susan Ee, young adult  8 People left their mark

✎