Title: Angelfall by Susan Ee
Published: May
21st, 2011 by Feral Dream
Format:
Paperback
Source: Library
Challenge(s): Dystopian
Grade rate: A+
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.
My Review
Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t find words to describe how awesome Angelfall is! Nonetheless, I will try my best to describe
it for you.
Angelfall has
been in my TBR list for a long time and then, last week I saw a great review in
another blog (I can’t remember which) that made me put it on hold at my local
library. I devoured it in no time :) Okay, let’s start with Penryn. First, let me say that I’ve ever heard this
name before. Penryn is an amazing
character, she reminds me a bit of Katniss (from The Hunger Games), in the
sense that they are survivors. She will do anything to keep her loved ones
safe in a world that’s been turned up-side-down in a very short span of time. Due to a schizophrenic mother, she was trained
in different forms of self-defense from a young age; she also feels she is in
charge and the protector of her little unusual family.
Raffe is the wingless angel that Penryn rescues in order
to help her find her sister (no spoilers, this is in the synopsis). He is physically perfect, lighter and bigger
than humans and willing to sacrifice a lot to get his wings back. Pernyn and Raffe form an uncomfortable alliance
based on need and a sense of loyalty that grows between them.
The characterization is amazing. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Penryn
and Raffe and suffer with them through every trial. Penryn’s mom is some kind of crazy and a
little abusive, I cannot imagine growing up like that, but it does make for a
good survival skills. My heart brakes
for all of them, especially for Paige, Penry’s little sister.
The plot is incredibly good. This is dystopia at its best. A story based on angels that descend to Earth
to destroy humanity. These are celestial
beings that are not fluffy or angelic, but ruthless and cruel. The entire world goes to heck in a matter of
weeks; with unreliable electricity, no food and gangs taking over the
streets. It’s amazing how people go
crazy so fast! The politics of angels is
very complicated and I can’t wait to understand what’s going on (although I
have my suspicions). Angelfall is not
for the weak of mind. It is dark, way dark. The survivors have to see and suffer many
horrors, not only from the angels, but from fellow humans. The writing is astounding; so, so good.
The ending was sort of a non-ending for me. I hope that Raffe and Pernyn find each other
again and soon. I’m still reeling from
the last few chapters, it’s all so unfair.
I’m glad I read Angelfall this
year, as book #2 in the series, still untitled, is not due for publication until
the fall of this year (with the projected five books, it means I will be
waiting for the series to end for a few more years!).
Here are some quotes for you:
“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 trees. And then, I’ll have to rescue you” I
give him a wary look. “Again” –
Penryn to Raffe.
“I lean into his strength
until I realize what I’m doing. I pull
back abruptly. I don’t have the luxury of leaning on anyone’s strength, least
of all an angel’s. My shoulder feels
cold and vulnerable once his warmth is gone.” – Penryn
“You should know”
he says. His whisper is low enough that even angels probably can’t hear it
beyond the background noise of conversations in the corridor. “I don’t even
like you”. – Raffee to Penryn
I saw this advertised on Amazon, but didn't really see what it was about, other than that it's a dystopian.
ReplyDeleteYour review makes it sounds so good! I'm definitely adding it to my list.
I loved it too! Can't wait for book 2.
ReplyDelete