REVIEW: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Series: Penryn & the End of Days #1

Published by Hodder & Stoughton on 23rd May 2013

Pages: 326

Source: *Received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

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.

Dark and compelling, Angelfall was incredibly addictive. In terms of the cover I think it is the simplicity that appeals. Nothing to flashy, it is subtle and beautiful.

It has been six weeks since the angels took over and began the apocalypse. Families must protect their loved ones from the angels alongside the mass of gangs that have evolved. When Penryn encounters an angel being stripped of his wings, which results in her younger sister being kidnapped, she takes it upon herself to dive straight into the angels liar. But to do this, she needs Raffe who could turn on her at any moment, to help find her sister and uncover the dark motives behind the angel's invasion.

"I am not afraid of you, your kind, or your god."

Angelfall by Susan Ee, Paperback page  

Penryn is strong, fierce and puts up with nothing. I mean nothing. Whether she knew what she was doing or not, Penryn would fight her way through it. I liked the fact that Penryn did not make a massive fuss or anything, she just got on with the job and fought her own battles. I think the other factor is, in most angel books, the angel always has to fight to save the girl. In Afterfall Penryn always fought and I respected her for that; alongside Raffe too for he left her to fight for herself as he knew she could handle it. The relationship between Penryn and Raffe was amazing. The banter and witty comments thrown back and forth gave some humorous moments amongst the dark within the novel.

This leads me onto the plot. Wow. I can now see why so many people have been raving about this book. It is dark and secretive, which is added to the fact that Ee does not hold back. The imagery of this novel was vivid, with a lot of creepy yet intriguing scenes that had you wishing you could shut your eyes, even though you still wanted to find out more. It was full of action too, from both Raffe and Penryn, but mostly Penryn. It was strong, fierce and at the same time heart-wrenching. It was just so imaginative, captivating and I felt at times horror-struck that I was unable to put it down.

Overall, Angelfall certainly lives up to the hype and I am now off to read the sequel World After.