Review: End of Days (Angelfall #3) by Susan Ee

End of Days

Author: Susan Ee

Series: Angelfall

Pages: 344

Publisher / Source: Hachette Books Australia

Release date: 12 May 2015

Amazon - Goodreads

Synopsis: 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?

Review: 5  out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the Angelfall and World After

End of Days would have to be one of my most anticipated reads for this year. Angel books are definitely hit or miss but I was absolutely captivated by the first two books in this series, Angelfall and World After with the wonderful characters and fabulous world-building so I dove straight into this as soon as I received my copy.

End of Days picks up right where World After left off, Penryn is now with Raffe, Paige and damaged Beliel and on their way to Angel Island with Paige’s locusts, but it’s a short stay on the island with the arrival of Hellhounds and the threat of an Angel/Human war.

Seventeen year-old Penryn is as snarky, witty as ever, she is one of my favourite heroines with her kick-butt awesomeness and her dedication and protectiveness of those she loves, in particular her sister Paige who has endured so much and continues to do so; the characters in this series are truly amazing and beautifully developed. Raffe was noticeably absent in World After so I am really pleased that he played a larger part and we were given many swoon worthy moments but his mind is still set on leading the Angels, returning home and not getting involved with a human. The dialogue between Penryn and Raffe and their chemistry was wonderful, I loved their stolen kissy moments, they were really sweet but I couldn’t help but hope for more.

Speaking of Raffe, his sarcasm, strength and surprising devotion to Penryn left me gushing, his main focus was to keep her safe and to rid himself of demon wings and reattach his angel wings so that he could reclaim his place amongst his own kind.

The secondary characters each played a pivotal part in this book, especially Penryn’s sister despite her changes; my heart broke for her and what she has been through which was pretty horrific, Uriel and Beliel are still unbelievably cruel but we get more background information into Beliel which I quite enjoyed. Dee and Dum were also great characters and Penryn’s mum continues to be a solid support despite her kooky ways.

The plot was engaging and filled with revelations I didn’t expect, the angels are fierce with their plans to take over the world; the element of surprise is one of the things I have appreciated, you never quite knew in which direction the author would take things which I liked but in the end it all came together nicely. There were some intense moments with brutal action sequences, they were written very well and Ms. Ee certainly didn’t hold back on the details; the world is so dark and bleak.

Susan Ee’s story-telling is mesmerising, I was enthralled by the events which took place, her dialogue and the banter is witty and the characters are strong, resilient and admirable. This is most definitely one of my favourite angel series and I am saddened to see it all end despite being satisfied with the conclusion.

Overall, End of Days is an impressive finale, filled with angel politics, unnatural abominations, violence and some wonderful action-scenes; I can’t wait to read more books written by Susan Ee.

Thank you to Hachette Books Australia for the opportunity to read and review End of Days.

About the author: Susan Ee is a USA Today bestselling author of the Penryn & the End of Days trilogy, ANGELFALL, WORLD AFTER, and END OF DAYS. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages, and her short films have played at major festivals. She used to be a lawyer but loves being a writer because it allows her imagination to bust out and go feral.

Sign up to hear about her next book at www.susanee.com or follow her on Twitter @Susan_Ee.

Review: World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

World After

Author: Susan Ee

Series: Penryn and the End of Days #2)

Pages: 314

Amazon

Release date: 19^th November 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

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?

Review: 4 ½  out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers from the first book

World After would have to be one of my most anticipated reads for this year. Angel books are definitely hit or miss but I was absolutely captivated by the first book in this series, Angelfall with its wonderful characters and fabulous world-building so I dove straight into this as soon as it was downloaded.

World After picks up right where Angelfall left off, Penryn is left temporarily paralysed after being stung by a scorpion-angel monster and believed dead, Paige her sister has been mutilated, mum is still a tad crazy and they have been left by Raffe with a Resistance group, other humans that have survived the angel apocalypse.

Seventeen year-old Penryn is snarky, witty and one of my fave heroines with her kick-butt awesomeness and her dedication and protectiveness of those she loves, in particular her sister Paige who has endured so much; the characters in this series are truly amazing and beautifully developed but there was a certain swoon worthy angel noticeably missing physically for the most part of this book which was a big letdown for me, in saying this when he did make an appearance it was definitely worth it, the banter between Penryn and Raffe and their chemistry was wonderful and I can’t help but hope for more for them.

(Quote 77%) He puts his fingers to my lips and whispers, “Don’t talk. You’ll just spoil my fantasy of rescuing an innocent damsel in distress as soon as you open your mouth.”

Speaking of Raffe, his sarcasm, strength and surprising devotion to Penryn left me swooning, he is a fierce warrior now sporting a pair of demon wings, and his main focus is to retrieve his own wings to reclaim his place amongst his kind. I enjoyed this aspect and I’m curious to see what is to come of him.

The secondary characters each played a pivotal part in this book, especially Penryn’s mother despite her craziness; my heart broke for Paige and what she has been through which was pretty horrific, Uriel and Beliel are unbelievably cruel and power hungry and I have to mention Pooky Bear the sentient sword, some parts had me giggling.

(Quote 91%) Do you realize that when she fights battles, she's going to have to announce herself to the opposing sword?  She'll be forced to say something ridiculous like, 'I am Pooky Bear, from an ancient line of archangel swords.'

There were some intense moments with brutal action sequences, they were written very well and Ms. Ee certainly didn’t hold back on the details; the world is a lot darker and bleak. The plot was engaging and filled with revelations I didn’t see coming, the angels are fierce with their plans to take over the world; the element of surprise is one of the things I have appreciated, you never quite knew in which direction the author would take things which I liked but in the end it all came together nicely.

Susan Ee’s story-telling is mesmerising, I was captivated by the events which took place, her dialogue is witty and the characters loveable. This is most definitely one of my favourite angel series.

Overall, World After is an impressive sequel, filled with angel politics, unnatural abominations, violence and some wonderful action-scenes, I’m more than eager to get hold of the next book in this amazing series but have my fingers crossed our wait won’t be as lengthy.

(Quote 37%) “You broke me out of the grasp of a living horror when I thought all hope was gone. You gave me the opportunity to crawl back to life when no one else could."
She glances over at me, her eyes shining in the dark. "You're a hero, Penryn, whether you like it or not.”

About the author: (Taken from http://www.susanee.com)  Susan Ee has eaten mezze in the old city of Jerusalem, surfed the warm waters of Costa Rica, and played her short film at a major festival. She used to be a lawyer but loves being a writer because it allows her imagination to bust out and go feral.

Her debut novel was the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days series). Angelfall Has been translated in 19 languages and the film rights have been optioned by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Good Universe.

You are invited to become her friend on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.

REVIEW: Angelfall (Penryn and The End of Days) by Susan Ee

 Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & the End of Days

Publisher: Self

Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 255

Amazon: Angelfall 0.99c

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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.

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 stars

Angelfall is the first book in the Penryn and End of Days series by Susan Ee.

Seventeen year old Penryn Young fights a daily struggle to keep her 7 year old wheelchair bound sister Paige and her seemingly insane mother fed and safe from the street gangs who now rule the city. It has been 6 weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world and each day is a fight for survival.

When Penryn witnesses an Angel being slaughtered by his own kind, she steps in to help him despite her feelings for his type but because of her selfless act her little sister is whisked away by another angel.

Raffe is broken and now wingless, surprised to have been saved by a mere teenage girl but agrees to help her to find her sister despite him believing she is dead.

Wow, the main characters in Angelfall were absolutely amazing! Penryn was kick-butt, capable and certainly determined in her quest to find Paige; she was selfless and independent but needed to rely on Raffe to get to the Angel Aeris. Raffe {swoon} I loved! He spoke and acted like a typical human which I really enjoyed but I wasn’t completely sure where his loyalties lay.

It was a fight for survival for them both as they battled not only a form of Demon consuming human flesh but they also needed to avoid the resistance, a group determined to put a stop to the Angels takeover.

Some parts of Angelfall were actually quite dark and gruesome and there was a lot of death and destruction typical of a post apocalyptic scene, there were a number of action scenes which conveyed the looming danger vividly, put it all together and it was a fast paced, completely mesmerizing page turner.

The only time the story confused me was when they went to a San Francisco 1920's themed club, it was a tad odd and I didn’t truly understand the purpose of it but it was nothing that distracted too much from the story.

Ms Ee’s writing is superb, the plot is solid, entertaining and enjoyable and I really liked the unexpected twist on Angels and Demons, it was refreshing and certainly unique.

The ending is left open and there are so many questions I still have about this world and the wonderful characters.

All in all, Angelfall is a captivating read and an amazing debut novel that I would highly recommend to any fan of the YA/Paranormal/Dystopian genres - also a bargain at only 0.99c.