Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days Series #1)

Wish I could give more than 5 stars!

I love it when an author drops you straight a story and that is exactly what happens here. Susan Ee puts you right into the action on page one and never stops. Action packed and infused with snarky humor that had me giggling between moments of holding my breath, this book never lets go.

Post apocalyptic, dystopian, and fantasy lovers will LOVE this book. Six weeks after angels of the apocalypse have destroyed the modern world, life as we know it is over and chaos ensues. The survival of her family falls on Penryn's shoulders and once her sister is taken by the angels, Penryn must rely on a wingless and broken angel, fighting his own battles, to help her get her back.

Angelfall runs the emotional gamut here and Susan Ee's ability to make you feel it all is amazing! Action packed, a touch of horror, a hint of romance, and always with a bit of humor. Susan Ee has written an amazing book and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

Congratulations Susan Ee on a wonderful debut book and for being a finalist in the 2011 Cybils Award for the Year's Best Fantasy & Science Fiction.

12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

"Who Will Guard Us from the Guardians?"

Angelfall deposits the reader right in the middle of this formidable post apocalyptic world where there are dangers lurking everywhere, both human and other. Angels have descended and ravaged the earth and those who are left resort to any means necessary to survive. Penryn is trying to take care of her small family since her father skipped out on them. She has to worry about a mother who is often lost in schizophrenic delusions as well as look out for her crippled and wheelchair bound little sister. Penryn is the one responsible for finding food and shelter as they try to constantly stay one step ahead of the dangerous street gangs and the bloodthirsty angels that can swoop down from above without warning. These angels have been in a really bad mood since their leader, Gabriel, was gunned down and they have been wreaking havoc, destroying so much of the world that the landscape has become unrecognizable and the few survivors struggle to endure day to day. It all seems rather hopeless and Penryn's only motivation to continue on is the little sister who couldn't survive without her. When Penryn impulsively saves an angel from being torn apart by his own kind, the other angels retaliate by flying off with her helpless little sister. Now Penryn will risk anything to get her back, including joining forces with one of the enemy.

Awed..speechless.blown away.these are the words I would use to describe how much I enjoyed Angelfall. The writing was impeccable, I was lost in the story from the first page and it only got better as it continued. The author created a desolate world using vivid imagery and fascinating characters. The angels were crazy scary. At one point Penryn sees a sign that says "Who will protect us from the guardians" and I think that pretty much sums it up. They view humans as talking monkeys and are ruthless in taking what they want. These are not the pretty creatures we see on Christmas cards. I was surprised that, although these were the angels and archangels of the apocalypse, Angelfall didn't stray too deeply into religion. It was interesting they way the author weaved bits and pieces of the angels background into the story, leaving them somewhat mysterious but giving enough of an explanation to satisfy, for now. I definitely want to understand more about them in the sequel.

The growing relationship, not necessarily romance, between Raffe and Penryn was one of the highlights of the story for me. There was the slow development of mutual respect for one another which then progressed into trust and loyalty as they helped each other through some pretty scary situations. There was also a physical attraction that was always there but didn't overshadow the more "real" things they started to feel for one another. I don't see that slow, realistic progression often in fiction but I liked it. And Raffe..wow..I can't wait to read more of HIM!!! His courage, strength, and loyalty was certainly swoon worthy for me.
Ultimately, this is one of the best, if not the best, book I have read in 2011. I can't recommend it enough. I can't believe this was only $2.99!!! Angelfall is as a fast paced exciting page turner that will keep you up late into the night reading. I devoured this in just one day, staying up until 4 in the morning to finish it! This dark and gritty and beautifully written novel is a must read for fans of fantasy, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, angels, or anyone who just enjoys an exciting and ext

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

As intense as the Hunger Games...

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Wow! It has the intensity of the Hunger Games with a stonger sense of hope. It's gritty, dark, action-packed, and fast-paced, with a dash of horror.

Penryn is an engaging heroine as she travels through a post-apocalyptic world to rescue her paraplegic sister from angels. She's a fighter and survivor. Love that! The chemistry between Penryn and Raffe, the maimed angel, pulls you in at emotional level. You root for each of them even as their interests seem to be conflicting.

I hope the next book releases soon! It's so exciting to see an indie author become successful. I can only see this author becoming a HUGE success.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

I couldn't put it down - write the next one fast!

Angelfall is an excellent read. The story is riveting, and though I don't know how I want this whole story to end, I definitely can't wait to read more. The characters are original and interesting, including the supporting characters. I've read plenty of teen lit and dystopian novels - and Angelfall is one of my favorites. If you like your fantasy reads with modern elements and some true creepiness in them, Angelfall is not to be missed. Plus, there's an agnostic angel, and who can turn that down?

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

I never write reviews, yet here I am. It's that good. First of a

I never write reviews, yet here I am. It's that good. First of all, I wasn't expecting a book written in first person present tense but the author uses this to its full advantage. The perspective is so limited so we only ever know exactly what our heroine, Penryn, knows which leaves space for the reader to wonder, hope, guess at the motives and thoughts of other characters. For one who relishes a well-written book, this is a delight. The story is fast-paced and takes place over only a handful of days. It was so easy to get caught up in the pace of the book that I read the whole thing in a day. Then, I went back to really savor it. This book was a steal at 99 cents and still is a steal at $1.99. As for the cliches, true, there's a lot of paranormal boy-meets-girl out there, but this book shakes it up enough to be something completely separate and other. The post-apocalyptic, survivalist attitude dominates. You end up being surprised when you're reminded that Penryn is only 17 instead of being kicked in the face with it (I mean really, there's only so much teenage angst you can put up with). Something else you aren't beaten to death with is the relationship between the two main characters. There is a tension and anticipation between the two main characters because of what is left UNsaid which is so much more compelling than the endless oaths of undying love or instantaneous attraction in other books. Angelfall is clever, insightful, vivid, and gripping. My favorite thing is that the story and characters feel like you could actually meet them and have a conversation about whatever. It's grounded. It's our human condition to survive, love, and fear. The characters are flawed but given room to grow. Susan Ee is on my list for authors to track. She should be on yours, too.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Angelfall is a unique combination of Dystopia and Angel Mytholog

Angelfall is a unique combination of Dystopia and Angel Mythology. Who would have thought that a novel uniting two of the most abused themes in the YA genre would end up as a shining example for both?

Penryn is a teenage girl trying to stay alive in a world torn apart by winged invaders who have taken earth. When her sister is kidnapped she must team up with Raffe, an angel who has had his wings ripped off my warriors of his own kind, and journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco. There she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll throw himself at the feet of his enemies for the chance to be whole again.

If my memory serves me well, Susan Ee has said there should be about five books in the Penryn and the End of Days series – and for the first time in a long long time, I’m not daunted by the thought of that many sequels. So many book franchises end up agonizingly drawn out – often several books longer than the world, plot and character development warrant. But the apocalyptic future that Ee has created is so chilling and mysterious and rich that I can’t wait to see how it will unfold, and Angelfall shows that Ee has the writing chops to pull it off.

What I Loved:
So many things about this book stood out. The relationship between the two main characters was a genuinely interesting one – no crude ploys were needed to bolster the drama. I cannot stand when the token obstacles placed in front of the coupling are so obviously a ruse to create tension. I also really loved the ‘Angel’ creatures that Ee has created – they are honestly fascinating. This book was pretty creepy too – it had its grotesque moments. I love that.

What Was Lacking:
The end of the book could have used a few more pages – it felt a bit out of whack with the pace of the rest of the book. Though, to be fair, this was effective in communicating a sense of turmoil and havoc in the final action.

Quote:
“Angels are violent creatures.”
“So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind.”
“Why would you think that? Even in your Bible, we’re harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn’t make us altruistic.”

The kindle edition of Angelfall cost me .99c, and after reading it I feel kind of guilty. I have paid up to 20 bucks for books that I didn’t enjoy half as much. When the writing is this good and such care has been taken with the characterisation and world building, you really want to support it. I will definitely be continuing with this series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Must Read!

I read Angelfall in less than 24 hour, I could not put this book down. It's great when you can put the world on hold and enjoy a book at least for a little while...

We meet Penryn surviving in the Silicon Valley in California, six weeks after angels have descended on earth and reeked havoc. The survival of her 7 year old sister, Paige and her schizophrenic mother rest on Penryn's 17 year old shoulders. Because gangs have taken over the streets, Penryn and her family decided to move away from the city into the hills. Things are not that easy, Paige is taken by the angels and Penryn is left with Raffe a fallen angel with no wings.

Penryn is smart, caring, strong, determined and brave. She looks Raffe, an angel with no wings right in the eye and demands that take her to the angels home base. Raffe is not quite sure what to think of Penryn, she's a daughter of man and off limits to angels but he finds this need to protect her.

Susan Ee's writing is outstanding. I'll admit that sometimes authors over describe characters actions but with Ee, you feel like you're running right along side Penryn and Raffe. Even her description of how Raffe's cut wing fold into themselves. I think what happily surprised me was the humor. I mean, Penryn and Raffe are at the cusp of the end of days and they still find the humor in everyday things.

¿My friends call me Wrath,¿ says Raffe. ¿My enemies call me Please Have Mercy. What¿s your name, soldier boy?¿

¿A sense of humor is one more thing I don't think angels should have. The fact that his sense of humor is corny makes it even more wrong.¿


Ee makes me wish I was a writer, that I could blend and move my words with her grace and quickness. Alas, I'm but a reader...

¿I'm Penryn. I'm named after an exit off Interstate 80."
"Nice." They nod as if to say they understand what it's like to have parents like that.¿

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great story.

I loved the story and characters. I would have loved some better descriptions, but the original story line made up for it. Cant wait for book 2.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

WOW!!!!!

Fantastic book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

Will blow your mind! Fans of hunger games and angels both!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You should READ THIS BOOK!!

Loved it!!! Seriously Loved it ~ but when the heck is the second book gonna come out already? I need to know more NOW, not later, not next year, but right NOW! I really loved the flow of the book, and the purpose the characters are given from the very beginning. I could dig being in a world with some hot angels hanging around. I'm not sure why it took me so long to hear about this book, but trust me YOU should read THIS BOOK!

*WET SLIDING* Before I start, please don't hurt me. I know ther

*WET SLIDING*

Before I start, please don't hurt me. I know there are many of you out there who are obsessed with this book, who go to bed with it and make sweet love to the pages, but please don't hurt me for not loving it too. I'm delicate.

I'll start by saying that I dearly wanted to like this book. Really. All that hype had me thinking it was a wondrous tale of unrequited love and originality. I launched into the first few pages with hope in my heart and my eyes a-glaze with anticipation. Not worth it. I've just finished this book, and I feel as if I've wasted hours of my life for no real gain.

Why?

1. What does Penryn actually look like? There's a brief mention of her height, and I think she has dark hair. But that's it. Oh yes. Of course she's beautiful. But why? What makes people says she's beautiful? Is she quirky? Classical? Hard-featured or soft? I get the overwhelming impression that she's another one of these 'insertion hole' characters. They're basically a one-size-fits-all mould, into which any fantasising reader can easily paste themselves. Meh.

2. Her character. She knows a bit of martial arts, which is fine. I'm all for self defence in situations like this. And in her favour, she never loses sight of her goal - great. But there are points in the plot where her whole character vacillates. Raffe tells her to 'run' a lot, and she obeys. I can't help feeling that she should have a bit more, er, 'spunk' than that! Other than that, she's kinda empty. No one seems to react to her in interesting ways (other than saying she's hot, of course). 

3. The writing. I become terribly offended by poor writing. Ee hasn't helped herself by writing in the first person present, which is very difficult to do without sounding like a &quot;My First Reader&quot; book. But the language is just lazy. The metaphors and similes are atrocious in places - utterly inappropriate and clumsy enough to spoil my reading experience. There are <i>real</i>
s instead of <i>really</i>
s (okay, I know that's how kids speak, but do we truly have to do away with all adverbs?), and there are loads of instances of 'if it was' that should be 'if it were'. Oh, and I spotted a <i>'til</i>
that should be a <i>till</i>
.

4. Depiction of scientists. Oh, what a surprise. They're evil and they're experimenting again. Even science in the angel world is bad. Never mind that human science got you your TV and iPad.

5. The kiss scene, which should be a highlight, is terribly executed. &quot;My body melts into his and I’m hyper aware of the hard muscles of his chest against my breasts, the warm grip of his hands around my waist and shoulders, the wet sliding of his mouth on mine.&quot; <b>WET SLIDING?!!</b>
Eurgh! ARGHHHGHG. No. There are a million other books that do this better. Read those.

6. No way can you hide facial bruises with make up and still look sexy. Your visage would be uneven, lumpy and swollen.

7. They have to &quot;leave in an hour&quot;. How the hell do they tell the time? Does an hour mean anything in post-apocalyptia? No one mentions having a watch to tell the time with, and I'm guessing mobile phones would be out of charge after two months. Maybe she has a Kindle on her.

8. Paige is seven, yet apparently to other disabled kids (who aren't as good-looking as she is, of course) &quot;Paige was their cheerleader, counsel(l)or, and best friend all rolled into one&quot;. That's pretty good going for someone who barely seems to speak at all during the appearances she does have.

9. They find an SUV to drive and it starts first time. The battery would be flat after two months. Plus, car batteries die faster if you leave your car unlocked. Trufax.

10. There is never any question of their mutual attraction, never any real fight. It's just so.. obvious and in your face. There is absolutely no subtlety. I <i>hate</i>
books that don't even try to hide the outcome.

11. The exhibition fantasy: i.e. men looking her up and down and assessing her when she's in an embarrassingly tight dress. She claims to dislike the attention, but the reader's supposed to get a kick out of it. Why do women think other women reading about it get off on this? Do you want people to think of you as meat? Oh, and all the other women in this are horrid. Her mother's mad. Laylah's evil. The 'cheerleader type' is also evil. Why do grown women in these books never get along?!! Must they always fight over a man?

12. Women wash things while the men do latrines and guard. It turns out that post-apocalyptia has a sexist division of labour too. Why - WHY do the other women in the camp accept it? A century of feminism, wiped out in two months? Come on.

13. Common enemies UNITE people - they don't send everyone into looters, murderers and rapists after only two months. In WWII, countries that had formerly warred joined forces to fight Nazism. Not everyone got along, and it wasn't all love and joy in the righteous fight against Hitler, but the Allies weren't all trying to kill each other either. The whole 'destruction of societal bonds in the face of a common threat' idea is pretty unbelievable.

14. A 5'2&quot;, skinny girl gets beaten up by a big guy, and no one tries to stop it. And this happens when they have a common enemy. Ee struggled to fill this particular plot hole by having Obi say that it was for the benefit of morale. What about boxing? Or a football game? Or other games where opponents are fairly matched beforehand? Cards? Isn't that how troops normally take out their frustrations without killing each other!!? It's basically a contrived plot line to give Penryn the opportunity to kick some ass. I hate contrived plot lines.

15. Why doesn't Raffe speak with an accent? Is he that likely to speak American? He's been around for centuries and probably speaks a load of other languages, but sounds like he's been raised in the USA during the last few decades. I find that very odd.

16. What happened to the word 'whom'?

17. Why does Raffe instantly protect her by shielding her from flying glass when they first meet? Surely he'd let her get a bit bloody before deciding he likes her. If you're going to write a good 'enemies fall in love' plot line, at least make them actual enemies. Instead it's going to turn out that he's always loved humans and *snores*

18. Too many descriptions of how gorgeous he is. There were so many references to his being 'Olympian', 'godlike' and bluergh. He's fit. We get it. If you're going to fight your urges over a Mr Perfect, try writing a character who at least attempts to avoid worshipping what she sees. In reality, we tend to look for faults in the good looking guys we cannot have. We don't drool with terrible metaphorical descriptions.

19. If Raffe had never really walked on his feet before, he'd have wasted calves and thighs like a disabled man in a wheelchair would. Except he's perfect and muscled everywhere. A couple of days after they meet, he can run faster than she can. DOES NOT COMPUTE.

20. Bite marks are not identifiable by 'flat teeth' but by the arch imprint and the tearing. If you're looking at scratches on bones where gnawing has occurred, then you might start talking about pointy vs blunt teeth.

21. I saw some of the reviews say, &quot;OMG they ate CAT FOOD&quot;. Have you ever tried kibbles? Not that big of a deal when there's nothing else around. I felt like this was supposed to be a highlight of hilarity, but it's not. They just eat some kibbles. Who hasn't?

22. If there are female angels, why is the rule only about male angels and female humans? What about female angels and male humans? MASSIVE SEXISM.

23. Penryn showers in the hotel - aren't her bruises now visible or is the make up magically waterproof?

24. &quot;I wonder&quot; sentences with question marks at the end.

25. Wouldn't social services (or its equ

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loved Angelfall! It was creepy and totally awesome. It had a d

I loved Angelfall! It was creepy and totally awesome. It had a different take on angels which I found to be very interesting and great. The world building was fantastic and with the descriptive writing and amazing storytelling of Susan Ee, I found myself transported into a world where angels brought complete destruction and chaos on the world and humans were struggling to survive. Penryn was one awesome heroine, and I really loved her determination and loyalty. She doesn't make stupid choices and her ability to cope with her situations was admirable. I loved Raffe too. Raffe was also a sympathetic character and yet he was strong, protective, and completely awesome. I loved Penryn and Raffe's interaction with one another. Their arguments were hilarious. I honestly don't know how they are going to get their HEA, but I'm very looking forward to finding out. The ending of this book left me wanting more and wishing that the sequel would come out sooner.

Great book

Great book

I cannot wait for the next in the series!!

I cannot wait for the next in the series!!

The book was amazing. I usually don't like books with angels bec

The book was amazing. I usually don't like books with angels because they are too perfect and perfection gets boring. But in this book they are as flawed as humans. I love the whole plot and the story is very original and unique. I
I'm so glad I read it. It's one of my favorites now. It's about angels that destroyed the modern world. A girl named Paige is stolen by angels. Her older sister Penryn allies herself with an angel as he is the only who can lead her to her sister Paige. Penryn and Raffe have great chemistry but I wished there were more romantic scenes between them. Overall this was a great read, and I recommend it for anyone who loves dystopian societies.

whoa!!! It started with a bang and ended with me wanting more. N

whoa!!!
It started with a bang and ended with me wanting more.
No waiting for a dramatic entrance, it was right there when I opened the book.
Not all that drawn out description, BOOM it just happened...right now.
LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!!

i loved this book with out a doubt i couldnt put it down it just

i loved this book with out a doubt i couldnt put it down it just draws you in with every sentence with every chapter more and more into this world and you just want to know what happens

When I picked up this book I expected it to be another distop

When I picked up this book I expected it to be another distopian tale, with a gorgeous angel falling in love with a normal girl. I expected there to be that random other guy, who for some reason was also madly in love with her, even though that doesn't happen. I expected it to be like all the other books that I've been reading lately. But it wasn't. It was much better. In fact, I might even say that it helped renew my faith in Young Adult books. I've been reading a lot more lately than I used to, and with every book I read the characters seemed more and more distant, and more fake. I was having a hard time really caring. I thought it was just a by-product of reading a lot of books where everybody acts the same. BUT then I read Angelfall. It was different from the beginning, starting with a girl and her family of misfits, 6 weeks after the apocalypse. Thankfully, it wasn't about the perfect girl with the perfect family and her drama. It was more realistic to what the apocalypse would probably be like. Cities would fall, people would be desperate.

Relationships:
There was no insta-love. In fact, Penryn didn't even realize she had fallen for Raffe until close to the end. They were just helping each other, they weren't friends or lovers, just two people (well, a person and an angel without wings) who needed each other to get to where they needed to be, which happened to be in the same place. Penryn didn't make the stupid kinds of decisions that YA novel heroins usually do, which involve lots of whining about life and love and how they know everything about life even though they're only 17. The decisions Penryn made were to save her family. She needed to find her little sister, and her mom, and she wasn't going to give up.

Setting:
This is what the world would be like after an apocalypse. Distopian books are fun to read, and all, but also totally ridiculous. When the world ends, people are going to abandon all notion of being civilized, they're going to stick with each other, and fight others for the necessities of life. The buildings are crumbling and society is falling apart completely. In a way this reminded me of the TV show Falling Skies, only replace the aliens with angels. Especially when they were at Obi's camp, it really felt like the 2nd Mass from Falling Skies, which made it very easy for me to picture not only the setting, but the way that the people there interacted with each other.

There were quite a few questions left unanswered at the end (like, what was up with those scorpion angels?) but since its the first book in a series, I know they'll be answered eventually, so its okay.

All in all, I loved this book! I definitely recommend it to teens and adults alike!

Seventeen-year-old Penryn used to live in what was known as Cali

Seventeen-year-old Penryn used to live in what was known as California. Six weeks ago she was concerned with makeup and teenage angst. Now it’s fight for survival. Food is scarce, safe shelter unheard of and above all else; watch the skies. The skies are the keepers of the danger that rip off limbs: Angels.
All Penryn tried to do was keep her seven-year-old paralysed sister Paige safe. Together with their schizophrenic mother they fled their home for a new hiding place. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, but they didn’t think a group of angels would fall to the ground, trying to execute an archangel.  One false sound and Paige is abducted. Gone. Taken away in the sky.
Penryn will do anything to find her sister, even if it means saving a dying angel. It’ll take going into the lion’s den and seeking help from the angelic demon himself to bring her family together.
This isn’t your traditional Angelic story. The tales of angels being godly and kind are transformed into the opposite. Instead they are evil beings that are unsure of why they are on Earth, this story only gets more interesting as each page is turned. This is a totally surprising read and as one progresses through the chapters the better it gets. Penryn reads a bit younger than seventeen, where the rest of book follows along general fiction.
For a Young Adult read it’s also startlingly grown up. Violence is present and shockingly adult. For being post-apocalyptic, Ee has hit the nail on the head with how humanity loses all aspects of right and wrong. Yet, there is also hope in this novel, on a scale that even Penryn is surprised to see. I really enjoyed this book, but I’d recommend this to older readers. I loved changing the Angel theme from good to evil, it’s not something I expected and there is lots of room for the story to grow. I patiently await the second book!