a_novel_ty's review against another edition
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.75
I don’t like post apocalyptic or dystopian books. They just aren’t my cup of tea, and I’ve learned after reading and not liking a few books in the genre that, maybe its not the books or the genre...maybe its just ME. The last book I read that depicted characters trying to find their way and survive in a desolate world that I actually REALLY liked, was The Razorland Trilogy by Ann Aguirre. And I started that trilogy before I even started writing book reviews so that means it was more than five years ago.
So with that being said...I don’t know what possessed me to want to read this book but I am SO glad that I did. I absolutely LOVED Angelfall. It was so fun and action packed and pretty damn unique. I’ve read other books with Angels in them but none of them are quite like the angels in this story and their journey was definitely different.
Angelfall is about a teenage girl named Penryn Young, trying to take care of her wheelchair bound younger sister Paige and her schizophrenic mother in a post apocalyptic world where Angels have taken over and destroyed the earth. There’s no food, water or electricity and in all the chaos, humans are doing the only thing they know how to do when they’re terrified and desperate, killing one another. Penryn is trying to move her family to a safer shelter one night to avoid both the angels and any other humans when she runs into the middle of an angelic dispute. She finds herself saving one of the angels Raffe and her sister is taken by the attacking angels because of it. Wounded and half dead, Penryn figures the only way she’s going to get her sister back is to make this angel tell her where they’ve taken her...And the rest is history.
From the very beginning this book was action packed and elicited an adrenaline rush while I was reading it. Susan Ee’s writing style and the way she describes whats going on just gives of this energy where you KNOW things are dangerous and a single false move could cost Penryn her life. But while these angels are ethereal, strong, majestic and terrifying, she never lets her fear of them stop her from trying to get her sister back.
I knew I was going to love this book and Penryn when she and Raffe got into their first fight. I was just reading it and even though I knew he was so much stronger than her, the fact that she still fought and knew how to handle herself excited me so much. I was rooting for her even though I knew as well as she did, that she had no chance against him. That’s just the type of character she is. She makes you root for her even though you know her goals are hopeless, even though you know she’s trying to do the impossible. Penryn is a great character with a disturbing background but that only made it easier to fall in love with her.
One of the things I loved most about Angelfall was the witty and sarcastic banter between Penryn and Raffe. It was kind of weird but definitely entertaining watching this Angel make jokes and use sarcasm and puns and basically act like a regular teenage guy. Their interactions with one another and watching them travel together trying to survive and stay under the radar was one of the best things about this book. What I appreciated even more is the fact that Susan Ee didn’t try and shove a romance down your throat with these characters. Even though tensions were high and Penryn and Raffe spent a lot of time together, looking out for one another and protecting each other, it still would have been annoying for them to be all googly eyed and in love with one another when Raffe is responsible for the destruction of the world that Penryn knew and loved. A life that she is reminded that she can no longer have every time she steps outside, every time she as to run for her life or every time she has to eat cat food because she cant find any real food in the houses they slept in for the night.
I read the first half of this book in about four hours because it was just so good. It was fast paced and urgent. The second half while it was still good, lost that momentum for me which is why I’m not giving this book a full five star rating. I don’t know what changed but the pacing of the second half of this book was noticeably slower and not in a good way.
There are definitely a lot of questions that need to be answered as far as why the Angels are on earth and what they want, but I can tell from the events of the last 10 chapters of this book that those questions are far from being answered. But that’s a good thing in my book because I definitely want to see more of Penryn and Raffe. The second book in this trilogy, World After, has definitely been put at the top of my to be read list. I can’t wait!
I don’t like post apocalyptic or dystopian books. They just aren’t my cup of tea, and I’ve learned after reading and not liking a few books in the genre that, maybe its not the books or the genre...maybe its just ME. The last book I read that depicted characters trying to find their way and survive in a desolate world that I actually REALLY liked, was The Razorland Trilogy by Ann Aguirre. And I started that trilogy before I even started writing book reviews so that means it was more than five years ago.
So with that being said...I don’t know what possessed me to want to read this book but I am SO glad that I did. I absolutely LOVED Angelfall. It was so fun and action packed and pretty damn unique. I’ve read other books with Angels in them but none of them are quite like the angels in this story and their journey was definitely different.
Angelfall is about a teenage girl named Penryn Young, trying to take care of her wheelchair bound younger sister Paige and her schizophrenic mother in a post apocalyptic world where Angels have taken over and destroyed the earth. There’s no food, water or electricity and in all the chaos, humans are doing the only thing they know how to do when they’re terrified and desperate, killing one another. Penryn is trying to move her family to a safer shelter one night to avoid both the angels and any other humans when she runs into the middle of an angelic dispute. She finds herself saving one of the angels Raffe and her sister is taken by the attacking angels because of it. Wounded and half dead, Penryn figures the only way she’s going to get her sister back is to make this angel tell her where they’ve taken her...And the rest is history.
From the very beginning this book was action packed and elicited an adrenaline rush while I was reading it. Susan Ee’s writing style and the way she describes whats going on just gives of this energy where you KNOW things are dangerous and a single false move could cost Penryn her life. But while these angels are ethereal, strong, majestic and terrifying, she never lets her fear of them stop her from trying to get her sister back.
I knew I was going to love this book and Penryn when she and Raffe got into their first fight. I was just reading it and even though I knew he was so much stronger than her, the fact that she still fought and knew how to handle herself excited me so much. I was rooting for her even though I knew as well as she did, that she had no chance against him. That’s just the type of character she is. She makes you root for her even though you know her goals are hopeless, even though you know she’s trying to do the impossible. Penryn is a great character with a disturbing background but that only made it easier to fall in love with her.
One of the things I loved most about Angelfall was the witty and sarcastic banter between Penryn and Raffe. It was kind of weird but definitely entertaining watching this Angel make jokes and use sarcasm and puns and basically act like a regular teenage guy. Their interactions with one another and watching them travel together trying to survive and stay under the radar was one of the best things about this book. What I appreciated even more is the fact that Susan Ee didn’t try and shove a romance down your throat with these characters. Even though tensions were high and Penryn and Raffe spent a lot of time together, looking out for one another and protecting each other, it still would have been annoying for them to be all googly eyed and in love with one another when Raffe is responsible for the destruction of the world that Penryn knew and loved. A life that she is reminded that she can no longer have every time she steps outside, every time she as to run for her life or every time she has to eat cat food because she cant find any real food in the houses they slept in for the night.
I read the first half of this book in about four hours because it was just so good. It was fast paced and urgent. The second half while it was still good, lost that momentum for me which is why I’m not giving this book a full five star rating. I don’t know what changed but the pacing of the second half of this book was noticeably slower and not in a good way.
There are definitely a lot of questions that need to be answered as far as why the Angels are on earth and what they want, but I can tell from the events of the last 10 chapters of this book that those questions are far from being answered. But that’s a good thing in my book because I definitely want to see more of Penryn and Raffe. The second book in this trilogy, World After, has definitely been put at the top of my to be read list. I can’t wait!
ninakkr's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book a while back and was saving it to read on a plane where I wanted something to hold my interest the whole trip. "Angelfall" was a pretty good book and it did hold my interest for six hours. Despite a slow beginning, the characters are strong and the story is interesting.
The story is about seventeen year old Penryn, an older sister living with her younger sister and schizophrenic mother in a torn up world where alien invaders, angels, have created havoc. Penryn's sister is soon abducted by angels and Penryn must rescue her. She seeks the help of an abandoned angel Raffe and they journey to find Penryn's sister.
The love story is a bit predictable but still fun to watch unfold. Both Penryn and Raffe are strong characters and likable enough but they are really the only characters that are so.
Its a pretty entertaining read and I would read the sequel. My only qualms with it is that the dialogue between Penryn and Raffe is kind of corny and eye rolling. In addition some of the scenes were unneeded and equally cheesy AKA the cat fight. Really? So unnecessary and it wasn't funny. Also I felt like there wasn't anything climactic or huge that happens in the book. Oh wait there is, but its kind of weird and a little bit predictable and there wasn't enough information given, which was something I found missing throughout the book. I wanted to know more about the angels and the world than was given. I guess that's what the sequel is for.
Not really awed by the book but a solid three stars.
The story is about seventeen year old Penryn, an older sister living with her younger sister and schizophrenic mother in a torn up world where alien invaders, angels, have created havoc. Penryn's sister is soon abducted by angels and Penryn must rescue her. She seeks the help of an abandoned angel Raffe and they journey to find Penryn's sister.
The love story is a bit predictable but still fun to watch unfold. Both Penryn and Raffe are strong characters and likable enough but they are really the only characters that are so.
Its a pretty entertaining read and I would read the sequel. My only qualms with it is that the dialogue between Penryn and Raffe is kind of corny and eye rolling. In addition some of the scenes were unneeded and equally cheesy AKA the cat fight. Really? So unnecessary and it wasn't funny. Also I felt like there wasn't anything climactic or huge that happens in the book. Oh wait there is, but its kind of weird and a little bit predictable and there wasn't enough information given, which was something I found missing throughout the book. I wanted to know more about the angels and the world than was given. I guess that's what the sequel is for.
Not really awed by the book but a solid three stars.
countessnena's review against another edition
5.0
Drool-worthy. Have re-read literally countless times. I only wish it had been a series (as was originally planned) and not ended abruptly as a trilogy.
snowbenton's review against another edition
3.0
Teenage Penryn is living in Silicon Valley with her wheelchair-bound young sister Paige and her paranoid schizophrenic mother when the angel Gabriel comes down from heaven and is killed by humans, kickstarting a global reign of angelic terror. Penryn is tough and brave and loyal and a wonderful heroine, and she is joined in her fight to save her family by the wingless angel Raffe, a brooding enigma of a creature (though I feel he should be allowed some slack as he did have his wings cut off). I wish Ee hadn't skirted around the issues of religion that make angel literature so much more compelling than, say, vampire literature, because an entire book about a human woman and an angel man running from place to place is never going to be as engrossing as a story that confronts the fears and needs of humanity.
geo_ix's review against another edition
5.0
I seriously hate most Angel books, especially YA because they're, as my partner calls it, airy-fairy. This is NOT one of them books. It's kickass, with a heroine that's actually realistic, and family members that are even more fascinating (schizophrenic mother, wheelchair bound sister), and they're shown realistically.
It's all kinds of crazy messed up, and while reading I would say that thanks to the action and headspace of the heroine, who's perspective is the only one we see, it's nothing like a normal YA book. It could pass easily as adult due to all the fighting, gambling and end of world shit that goes down. But still can pass as YA because it's not offensive. If that makes ANY sense?
Now I'm going to break my promise of reading more series I've already started before continuing the first in a series books I've picked to read each month, and go ahead and buy the second book in paperback so I can read it as a free read next month when it gets here. I'm not really sorry though.
It's all kinds of crazy messed up, and while reading I would say that thanks to the action and headspace of the heroine, who's perspective is the only one we see, it's nothing like a normal YA book. It could pass easily as adult due to all the fighting, gambling and end of world shit that goes down. But still can pass as YA because it's not offensive. If that makes ANY sense?
Now I'm going to break my promise of reading more series I've already started before continuing the first in a series books I've picked to read each month, and go ahead and buy the second book in paperback so I can read it as a free read next month when it gets here. I'm not really sorry though.
buffywnabe's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of the ARCs I got at BEA this past June. I took it because it sounded interesting, and it was a good read. I debated between a 4 and 5 when I first rated it, but since then I've decided to stick with the 4, and I'll explain why in a bit.
Our main character is 17-year-old Penryn, yeah, kind of a strange name, and a little weird to say in my head as I was reading. But unique! We begin in the future, after the angels have come to Earth and attacked humans. We don't know why they did this, or why some people are still alive, like Penryn and her mother and sister. They have decided to leave their home in search of a better, maybe even safer place to live. Her sister Paige is in a wheelchair. So that is one obstacle to travel. Another obstacle, is that they must travel during the night. The daytime is now when the human gangs are in charge. At night of course people are more scared because of the dark, and angels, etc. So as they start out, they get just a little ways when all of a sudden they see an angel come crashing down, being chased by other angels. The ones ganging up on this angel cut his wings off. Penryn feels that she must try to help, and so jumps out for a distraction, also hoping her mom and sister can get away while she distracts them. Unfortunately, Penryn's mom is a bit out of it, and doesn't think to grab Paige's wheelchair. So as Paige tries to get away on her own, one of the angels grabs her out of her wheelchair and flies away with her. Penryn now must find her sister, and obviously her mother won't be any help. So she decides that she must keep track of this angel and use him to get her sister back. She takes his wings as something to try to hold over him. Which does work.
The angel is Raffe. He doesn't want her help, but ends up finally giving in to a point. They travel to where he says her sister will be. Getting kidnapped at one point by a human resistance group. Luckily they have the sense to hide Raffe's wings, and when he's dressed, you can't tell he is an angel, other than just how drop dead gorgeous he is. Eventually they are able to get away from the resistance group, but they have gotten some info and made some friends here who will be helpful when they reach their final destination.
I won't give anymore away. Just to say that I like that Penryn's character is a strong girl. She's had to be, her home life wasn't great. You get to find that out through the story. The attraction/bond between her and Raffe unfolds at a reasonable pace. It's obvious she would be attracted to Mr. Perfection in looks. He has a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor that I liked as well. But he doesn't seem to care for her quite to the same degree, but enough to save her several times. I'm glad to hear that this is a sequel, as the ending leaves you really hanging.
I don't quite understand what the angels are doing in their lab at the final destination, I really am interested in the reasoning behind that. Also, Raffe thinks he'll get other angels to put his wings back on, and I want to see what happens with what they do to him at that point.
A good story, but once again, reading it before it is published only makes it that much more torture to now have to wait for the next book in the series to be released.
Our main character is 17-year-old Penryn, yeah, kind of a strange name, and a little weird to say in my head as I was reading. But unique! We begin in the future, after the angels have come to Earth and attacked humans. We don't know why they did this, or why some people are still alive, like Penryn and her mother and sister. They have decided to leave their home in search of a better, maybe even safer place to live. Her sister Paige is in a wheelchair. So that is one obstacle to travel. Another obstacle, is that they must travel during the night. The daytime is now when the human gangs are in charge. At night of course people are more scared because of the dark, and angels, etc. So as they start out, they get just a little ways when all of a sudden they see an angel come crashing down, being chased by other angels. The ones ganging up on this angel cut his wings off. Penryn feels that she must try to help, and so jumps out for a distraction, also hoping her mom and sister can get away while she distracts them. Unfortunately, Penryn's mom is a bit out of it, and doesn't think to grab Paige's wheelchair. So as Paige tries to get away on her own, one of the angels grabs her out of her wheelchair and flies away with her. Penryn now must find her sister, and obviously her mother won't be any help. So she decides that she must keep track of this angel and use him to get her sister back. She takes his wings as something to try to hold over him. Which does work.
The angel is Raffe. He doesn't want her help, but ends up finally giving in to a point. They travel to where he says her sister will be. Getting kidnapped at one point by a human resistance group. Luckily they have the sense to hide Raffe's wings, and when he's dressed, you can't tell he is an angel, other than just how drop dead gorgeous he is. Eventually they are able to get away from the resistance group, but they have gotten some info and made some friends here who will be helpful when they reach their final destination.
I won't give anymore away. Just to say that I like that Penryn's character is a strong girl. She's had to be, her home life wasn't great. You get to find that out through the story. The attraction/bond between her and Raffe unfolds at a reasonable pace. It's obvious she would be attracted to Mr. Perfection in looks. He has a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor that I liked as well. But he doesn't seem to care for her quite to the same degree, but enough to save her several times. I'm glad to hear that this is a sequel, as the ending leaves you really hanging.
I don't quite understand what the angels are doing in their lab at the final destination, I really am interested in the reasoning behind that. Also, Raffe thinks he'll get other angels to put his wings back on, and I want to see what happens with what they do to him at that point.
A good story, but once again, reading it before it is published only makes it that much more torture to now have to wait for the next book in the series to be released.
demetria_books01's review against another edition
4.5
Nie ma już Ziemi jaką znaliśmy. Nasza cywilizacja upadła. Miasta płoną, wszelkie środki komunikacji zostały zniszczone, więzi społeczne prawie całkowicie zanikły. W dzień zgliszczami rządzą gangi, ale to nie ich ludzie obawiają się najbardziej. Anioły, do których przez wieki modliliśmy się o ochronę i pomoc, stały się naszymi największymi wrogami. Mordują tych, którym udało się przetrwać pierwszą falę ich ataku. Nie znają litości.
Siedemnastoletnia Penryn na własne oczy widzi jak uskrzydlone istoty porywają jej młodszą siostrę. Mimo przeciwności postanawia ją uratować. W tym celu sprzymierza się z jednym z oprawców, któremu podobni jemu obcięli skrzydła. Wyruszają w długą i męczącą podróż przez zrujnowaną Kalifornię, próbując dostać się Gniazda Aniołów. Czy ich wędrówka skończy się szczęśliwie? Czy Penryn uda się ocalić siostrę?
Niesamowita, wciągająca, niekiedy przerażająca powieść z bardzo dobrze przemyślaną, choć czasem pokręconą fabułą. Ogromnym plusem jest brak jakichkolwiek nudnych momentów, cały czas coś się dzieje, akcja cały czas jest wartka. Cały czas również wyczuwalne jest napięcie między bohaterami, a także ich strach przed tym, co będzie dalej. Powiem szczerze, że oczekiwałam czegoś odrobinę innego, czegoś w stylu ,, Nowej Ziemi". W pewnym sensie nie dostałam tego, czego oczekiwałam. Dostałam za to coś o wiele, wiele lepszego. Książka momentami jest przewidywalna aż do bólu, ale nie przeszkadza to w ogóle w jej odbiorze i wiem, że powinnam to zdanie umieścić w minusach, ale jest tak nieistotne w ogólnym rozrachunku, że nie widziałam potrzeby rozpoczynania nowego pseudo-akapitu.
Niesamowicie przypadli mi do gustu bohaterowie, no może z wyjątkiem matki Pen, która jest... jak to delikatnie ująć- psychopatką, totalną świruską, kimś kogo należy się obawiać. Książce dodają uroku zabawne dialogi między postaciami oraz cięty język i zadziorny charakter Penryn. Ta dziewczyna to istne tornado- wie czego chce, walczy o to, co kocha, uparcie dąży do celu, lawiruje między różnymi sferami swojej osobowości równie bezproblemowo jak ja między półkami w bibliotece. Odrobinę przypominała mi Celaenę Sardothien ze ,, Szklanego Tronu", pod niektórymi względami była do niej zadziwiająco podobna. O Raffem mogę powiedzieć tylko tyle- odrobinę irytująca postać, której mimo to nie potrafię nie darzyć sympatią.
Co do zakończenia, jest nieziemskie, zaskakujące, zatrważające, czyli cytując Anitę - ,, ROZPIERNICZAJĄCE SYSTEM" !!! Nie mogę się doczekać sięgnięcia po kolejny tom!!!
Podsumowując, książka jest genialna. Równie genialna jak jej okładka, która jest tak niesamowita, prześliczna i zachwycająca, że aż mogłabym na nią patrzeć godzinami... gdybym tylko posiadała prywatny egzemplarz ,, Angelfall".
Siedemnastoletnia Penryn na własne oczy widzi jak uskrzydlone istoty porywają jej młodszą siostrę. Mimo przeciwności postanawia ją uratować. W tym celu sprzymierza się z jednym z oprawców, któremu podobni jemu obcięli skrzydła. Wyruszają w długą i męczącą podróż przez zrujnowaną Kalifornię, próbując dostać się Gniazda Aniołów. Czy ich wędrówka skończy się szczęśliwie? Czy Penryn uda się ocalić siostrę?
Niesamowita, wciągająca, niekiedy przerażająca powieść z bardzo dobrze przemyślaną, choć czasem pokręconą fabułą. Ogromnym plusem jest brak jakichkolwiek nudnych momentów, cały czas coś się dzieje, akcja cały czas jest wartka. Cały czas również wyczuwalne jest napięcie między bohaterami, a także ich strach przed tym, co będzie dalej. Powiem szczerze, że oczekiwałam czegoś odrobinę innego, czegoś w stylu ,, Nowej Ziemi". W pewnym sensie nie dostałam tego, czego oczekiwałam. Dostałam za to coś o wiele, wiele lepszego. Książka momentami jest przewidywalna aż do bólu, ale nie przeszkadza to w ogóle w jej odbiorze i wiem, że powinnam to zdanie umieścić w minusach, ale jest tak nieistotne w ogólnym rozrachunku, że nie widziałam potrzeby rozpoczynania nowego pseudo-akapitu.
Niesamowicie przypadli mi do gustu bohaterowie, no może z wyjątkiem matki Pen, która jest... jak to delikatnie ująć- psychopatką, totalną świruską, kimś kogo należy się obawiać. Książce dodają uroku zabawne dialogi między postaciami oraz cięty język i zadziorny charakter Penryn. Ta dziewczyna to istne tornado- wie czego chce, walczy o to, co kocha, uparcie dąży do celu, lawiruje między różnymi sferami swojej osobowości równie bezproblemowo jak ja między półkami w bibliotece. Odrobinę przypominała mi Celaenę Sardothien ze ,, Szklanego Tronu", pod niektórymi względami była do niej zadziwiająco podobna. O Raffem mogę powiedzieć tylko tyle- odrobinę irytująca postać, której mimo to nie potrafię nie darzyć sympatią.
Co do zakończenia, jest nieziemskie, zaskakujące, zatrważające, czyli cytując Anitę - ,, ROZPIERNICZAJĄCE SYSTEM" !!! Nie mogę się doczekać sięgnięcia po kolejny tom!!!
Podsumowując, książka jest genialna. Równie genialna jak jej okładka, która jest tak niesamowita, prześliczna i zachwycająca, że aż mogłabym na nią patrzeć godzinami... gdybym tylko posiadała prywatny egzemplarz ,, Angelfall".