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laurellen_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Mental illness
Minor: Gore and Cannibalism
nikewls's review against another edition
5.0
OMG. This would be one of the best books I've read. Or actually the best of the bests. It was beyond what I expected. I like Penryn's voice in the story. AND RAFFE OMG FRUSTRATION ALL OVER. I need the 2nd book ok like N O W. And there has to be more Penryn + Raffe. HAS TO BE.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
5.0
[b:Angelfall|11500217|Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)|Susan Ee|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319887835s/11500217.jpg|16435765] has got a mix of all the things I love in a book.
Action, well developed relationships as well as fantastic characters, humour and lovely writing.
Very few books that I have read are about paranormal creatures in a dystopian or post-apocalyptic world.
Ee did a good job at pairing those two together without making it sound too far-fetched or confusing.
I find that it sometimes can get overwhelming when a book just keeps bringing up new things that I have no idea of what they are and can't get a grasp on what has happened and why.
Here, it's quite simple and then you just go with it without looking like a question mark.
Some of my questions from the beginning do remain. I hope we get to know more about what the world used to be like before the angels together. But it doesn't make it bad. The sequel might explain those, but for now I'm happy with it.
Penryn is now one of my favorite protagonists. She does remind me a little of Katniss Everdeen (another favorite), with her intelligence and how she's trying to look after her family in the middle of all this chaos.
She's strong, funny and I really enjoyed reading it all from her point of view.
Raffe is the angel who Penryn has to cooperate with while trying to find her sister. I absolutely loved the relationship he formed with Penryn, it was not a romance with extra cheese on like so many other ones I've read - they didn't just kiss and confess their love for each other five minutes after they
It was more of a really nice friendship. Not a romance exactly, but there is some tension between them that hints there's more to it.
He is funny and sarcastic without being a complete idiot or trying too hard.
Actually he's quite charming and sweet.
Shortly: I love him.
Then there's Penryn's mom. Well, you can't really explain what she's like. She keeps talking about these demons and sometimes I didn't know whether to trust her or not, she's very unpredictable.
I like how realistic yet confusing she is and that made me enjoy the book even more. You don't see a lot of people struggling with mental disorders in any genre other than contemporary (and in most of them the novel is based completely around that subject).
The ending was intense and all I could have wished for. Some scenes are pretty creepy and they shocked me but I loved it at the same time.
So excited for the next book!
I'm glad that I've found a new favorite book series to add to my list and I have high hopes for the next two books.
Action, well developed relationships as well as fantastic characters, humour and lovely writing.
Very few books that I have read are about paranormal creatures in a dystopian or post-apocalyptic world.
Ee did a good job at pairing those two together without making it sound too far-fetched or confusing.
I find that it sometimes can get overwhelming when a book just keeps bringing up new things that I have no idea of what they are and can't get a grasp on what has happened and why.
Here, it's quite simple and then you just go with it without looking like a question mark.
Some of my questions from the beginning do remain. I hope we get to know more about what the world used to be like before the angels together. But it doesn't make it bad. The sequel might explain those, but for now I'm happy with it.
Penryn is now one of my favorite protagonists. She does remind me a little of Katniss Everdeen (another favorite), with her intelligence and how she's trying to look after her family in the middle of all this chaos.
She's strong, funny and I really enjoyed reading it all from her point of view.
Raffe is the angel who Penryn has to cooperate with while trying to find her sister. I absolutely loved the relationship he formed with Penryn, it was not a romance with extra cheese on like so many other ones I've read - they didn't just kiss and confess their love for each other five minutes after they
It was more of a really nice friendship. Not a romance exactly, but there is some tension between them that hints there's more to it.
He is funny and sarcastic without being a complete idiot or trying too hard.
Actually he's quite charming and sweet.
Shortly: I love him.
Then there's Penryn's mom. Well, you can't really explain what she's like. She keeps talking about these demons and sometimes I didn't know whether to trust her or not, she's very unpredictable.
I like how realistic yet confusing she is and that made me enjoy the book even more. You don't see a lot of people struggling with mental disorders in any genre other than contemporary (and in most of them the novel is based completely around that subject).
The ending was intense and all I could have wished for. Some scenes are pretty creepy and they shocked me but I loved it at the same time.
So excited for the next book!
I'm glad that I've found a new favorite book series to add to my list and I have high hopes for the next two books.
linkorius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bluejaybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Post reread
Well, I reread this book again in one night. Since then, I've also reread most of the parts of book 2 where Penryn and Raffe are together. Book one is awesome, though in retrospect, I don't think that I like the rest of the series as much. Still an engaging read!
___
Original Review
When I told my friends I had read this book in one night they thought I was crazy. When I reached the “100%” mark on my e-reader in one sitting I was not at all surprised. I enjoyed this novel that much. Angelfall is the suspense grabbing, action-packed type of novel that leaves readers wondering “what happens next?”
I must admit that I came into this book with some doubts. To put it simply, I had a prejudice against self-published authors. But, this book has helped change that. If I hadn’t known before I started reading that this book had been self-published I never would have guessed.
One of the main reason this books works is our main character, Penryn. Unlike most of the heroine’s I’ve read lately Penryn is a very strong female lead who never forgets what’s at stake and is determined to find her sister no matter what the cost. Penryn isn’t about to let anyone push her around– not even Raffe.
Raffe knows this about Penryn. He lets Penryn fight her own battles and acknowledges her strengths. Some readers might be expecting some Penryn and Raffe insta-love thanks to all the paranormal romances in existence, but this was not the case. This book does contain a touch of romance, but it is mostly found in the last ten percent. Perhaps one of my favorite elements of this book was the absence of the “love triangle” cliche that plagues paranormal novels.
The usage of angels in this book was fairly well done. The author was trying to write an angel book that appeals to the general audience. I know that a lot of people are hesitant to read books containing angels because they either a) don’t read books that are preachy or b) don’t read books that are the opposite of preachy. As this book takes a neutral stance, neither audience is likely to have a problem with it on this regard.
Raffe is not your stereotypical angel from modern YA novels either– none of the angels in this novel are. Most novelists either decide to have the focus of their angel novel be on fallen angels or morally perfect beings who can do no wrong but Mrs. Ee has decided for her angels to be more like the angels of the Old Testament. Meaning that there is destruction to the point that the world can say goodbye to most of its major cities.
The world building was another strong point. This novel is set only a few weeks after the start of the apocalypses which results in characters who still remember their lives before and most modern infrastructure is still around but useless. I liked the way the author intermixed the highly popular Apocalyptic and Paranormal genres. I often see the two apart but almost never written into the same book, and I found the combination of angels and the end of the world to be a refreshing twist.
One of the only element that I didn’t enjoy was the cannibalism. I give a detailed analysis of my reasoning without giving away major spoilers so all I can say is I felt it was unnecessary.
This book was one of the best apocalyptic novels I’ve read in a while.
Well, I reread this book again in one night. Since then, I've also reread most of the parts of book 2 where Penryn and Raffe are together. Book one is awesome, though in retrospect, I don't think that I like the rest of the series as much. Still an engaging read!
___
Original Review
When I told my friends I had read this book in one night they thought I was crazy. When I reached the “100%” mark on my e-reader in one sitting I was not at all surprised. I enjoyed this novel that much. Angelfall is the suspense grabbing, action-packed type of novel that leaves readers wondering “what happens next?”
I must admit that I came into this book with some doubts. To put it simply, I had a prejudice against self-published authors. But, this book has helped change that. If I hadn’t known before I started reading that this book had been self-published I never would have guessed.
One of the main reason this books works is our main character, Penryn. Unlike most of the heroine’s I’ve read lately Penryn is a very strong female lead who never forgets what’s at stake and is determined to find her sister no matter what the cost. Penryn isn’t about to let anyone push her around– not even Raffe.
Raffe knows this about Penryn. He lets Penryn fight her own battles and acknowledges her strengths. Some readers might be expecting some Penryn and Raffe insta-love thanks to all the paranormal romances in existence, but this was not the case. This book does contain a touch of romance, but it is mostly found in the last ten percent. Perhaps one of my favorite elements of this book was the absence of the “love triangle” cliche that plagues paranormal novels.
The usage of angels in this book was fairly well done. The author was trying to write an angel book that appeals to the general audience. I know that a lot of people are hesitant to read books containing angels because they either a) don’t read books that are preachy or b) don’t read books that are the opposite of preachy. As this book takes a neutral stance, neither audience is likely to have a problem with it on this regard.
Raffe is not your stereotypical angel from modern YA novels either– none of the angels in this novel are. Most novelists either decide to have the focus of their angel novel be on fallen angels or morally perfect beings who can do no wrong but Mrs. Ee has decided for her angels to be more like the angels of the Old Testament. Meaning that there is destruction to the point that the world can say goodbye to most of its major cities.
The world building was another strong point. This novel is set only a few weeks after the start of the apocalypses which results in characters who still remember their lives before and most modern infrastructure is still around but useless. I liked the way the author intermixed the highly popular Apocalyptic and Paranormal genres. I often see the two apart but almost never written into the same book, and I found the combination of angels and the end of the world to be a refreshing twist.
One of the only element that I didn’t enjoy was the cannibalism. I give a detailed analysis of my reasoning without giving away major spoilers so all I can say is I felt it was unnecessary.
This book was one of the best apocalyptic novels I’ve read in a while.
mothercrow's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second angel based fictional world to dabble into… and it is by far my favorite of the two. It’s an easy breeze to read through, and the story moves at a fantastic pace. (Post apocalyptic stories are some of my favorites), and this one is a very different twist to that sort of setting for me. There was one moment where I worried that the book could become a bit… cheese ball… but actually it surprised me and just became “dark” and sort of creepy instead. Which was great…. And did I mention creepy? Yeah it has some creepiness…I Loved it. I would love to see this in a live action feature film. I’m also planning on reading book 2. It’s not written in the most sophisticated way.. and it’s not like the best book I’ve ever read.. but I did enjoy the hell out of it. So solid 4 for me.
uruseibaka's review against another edition
4.0
Angelfall was a quick read for me, it just had me hooked since the beginning. I mean, A HOT ANGEL WITH A FUNNY SENSE OF HUMOR AND A BADASS ASS-KICKING LADY! What more could a reader ask for? From the mysterious angels to the laugh-inducing banter between Raffe and Penryn, this book was such a fun read. Though there were some parts where I felt extremely confused and had to read back a few pages to fully understand what was happening. I don't know if it was my lack of attention for detail or it was just unclear. But either way, I still loved this book! A must read if you're into that apocalyptic supernatural shiz.
kingkarl's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
harleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 Stars
I LOVED this book! It was really good, 10 times better than I was expecting. I loved the writing style, it drew me in from the beginning and refused to let me go. It parts that were somewhat disturbing, bit really interesting. I loved the high and lows of the book, it was all around a fantastic book.
All in all I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the next book and see what is going to happen!
I LOVED this book! It was really good, 10 times better than I was expecting. I loved the writing style, it drew me in from the beginning and refused to let me go. It parts that were somewhat disturbing, bit really interesting. I loved the high and lows of the book, it was all around a fantastic book.
All in all I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the next book and see what is going to happen!