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Rating:
Kids, if it's a dystopian, it will get compared to The Hunger Games.
I could easily single out the differences between THG and Angelfall, because there are loads of them. Angelfall takes a more paranormal side, with an apocalypse caused by deadly angels. Penryn has managed to survive those angels so far, but when her sister gets kidnapped by one, Penryn has to make a deal with an enemy angel.
Aaaaand the awesomeness ensues.
I know what you're thinking, is this one of those novels where two characters are stuck together, start going all mushy and goewy, ruining the entire plot?
I could easily single out the differences between THG and Angelfall, because there are loads of them. Angelfall takes a more paranormal side, with an apocalypse caused by deadly angels. Penryn has managed to survive those angels so far, but when her sister gets kidnapped by one, Penryn has to make a deal with an enemy angel.
Aaaaand the awesomeness ensues.
I know what you're thinking, is this one of those novels where two characters are stuck together, start going all mushy and goewy, ruining the entire plot?
This is the thing that I like the most about this book. Ee had the opportunity to ruin this book big time, and yet she chose to go with a route that didn't make me want to tear my hair out. Don't get me wrong, there is romance, it just didn't over shadow the main plot. Penryn had her priorities straight, and saving her sister came first.
Penryn is what I like to call a bad ass, who actually act like their age entitles. If you have to compare her to Katniss, I'm going to say while Katniss was more on the analytical/mature side, Penryn was on the humorous side. Many a times I found my self smiling because of something she said, which is a new thing to me, because the one liners usually come from the love interest's side.
Oooh, the love interest! Can we talk about Raffe? Matter of fact, can we dump everything and just talk about him?
Raffe shrugged every single cliche YA love interests have, and walked straight into my open arms. OK, he was drop dead gorgeous, just like 99% of the guys, but come on.. HE'S AN ANGEL! He also wasn't an ass hole. Detached? Maybe. Just not an asshole, which is something that matters to me a lot.
If I am so in love with this book, then why did I greedily take a star away? Well, because both the world building and the ending could have been done better. While this book was fast paced and there was always something happening, I would have liked it to slow down just a tiny bit, and explain some elements of the story. Until page 200, I was unsure of why the angels had descended in the first place, and why did they target the holy sites. Also, the ending fell a bit weak to me. It's not entirely unsatisfactory, but you know.. I just wanted more.
Would I recommend this? Hell yes. Fast paced, entertaining, with a great protagonist and an equally great love interest. The side characters were fleshed out as well. Also, I noticed Susan Ee doesn't shy from gory scenes (like.. REALLY gory), which is good considering this is an apocalyptic novel, and some crap is bound to go down.
Final Words: *Boston accent* Read this, pumpkin.
Oooh, the love interest! Can we talk about Raffe? Matter of fact, can we dump everything and just talk about him?
Raffe shrugged every single cliche YA love interests have, and walked straight into my open arms. OK, he was drop dead gorgeous, just like 99% of the guys, but come on.. HE'S AN ANGEL! He also wasn't an ass hole. Detached? Maybe. Just not an asshole, which is something that matters to me a lot.
If I am so in love with this book, then why did I greedily take a star away? Well, because both the world building and the ending could have been done better. While this book was fast paced and there was always something happening, I would have liked it to slow down just a tiny bit, and explain some elements of the story. Until page 200, I was unsure of why the angels had descended in the first place, and why did they target the holy sites. Also, the ending fell a bit weak to me. It's not entirely unsatisfactory, but you know.. I just wanted more.
Would I recommend this? Hell yes. Fast paced, entertaining, with a great protagonist and an equally great love interest. The side characters were fleshed out as well. Also, I noticed Susan Ee doesn't shy from gory scenes (like.. REALLY gory), which is good considering this is an apocalyptic novel, and some crap is bound to go down.
Final Words: *Boston accent* Read this, pumpkin.
Have you read the books? Then let's discuss the hell out of it!
PS: Do NOT click the button below if you haven't read the books. It's very spoilery.
I think that I would join the resistance BUT making sure Raffe is with me, becuase I like... like him, right?
ReplyDeleteI really thought her sister was gone and looking for her was an excuse for the plot. How is she gonna go back to normal? But given that angels gave powers....
This is the only angel/demon book I like!
EXACTLY. Your comparison to Katniss is spot-on. That's probably why I could not identify with Katniss much but Penryn rocked my socks off. Her humor was snarktastic. And thank god that she didn't lose her head when it came to Raffe. The plot was its own as were they.
ReplyDeleteAnd YES!!! Raffe broke the cliches. Yeah, he's gorgeous but I don't know, I liked that contrast with all the death and destruction. AND YES to him not being an ass! Penryn had a bunch of one-liners, but together they had a bunch of banter too! Here's my question: Do you like Raffe or Akiva more :D?
World-building: totally agree. I found it really weird to picture the angels coming to instigate the apocalypse and meshing that with Raffe's comment on watching humans on the television. I thought the pacing went well with the commercial story, though. It could've been slower, to make the impact of the gore and horror more, but I don't know. The fast-pace made it almost... more addictive?
OKAY SPOILER SECTION. Yay.
No, I don't think I would've stayed with the resistance. I agree with you that it made sense to - that there's a lot of food and that she shouldn't have had such high hopes to find Paige alive... but I also feel like that was her last hope, and in that kind of world, you've got to have something like that to keep you going. "I might as well accompany him to the aerie and stop him from spreading the news while trying to find my sister." <-- That too, though Raffe, at that point, did seem decently trust-worthy.... but I don't think Penryn had trusted him just yet.
I don't think she hurt Paige. Yeah, those articles were shudder-worthy and she does obsess over the self-defense classes, but I think that's more a product of being afraid of what you might be capable of rather than what you've actually done. I think it is just that she felt responsible that she might have been in a state, in an episode while Paige got hurt - as you said: what Penryn referred to at the end.
Penryn and Raffe. Did you read the excerpt for World After and look at the synopsis? Somehow she's going to help him get his wings back but for these middle novels, they're going to fall in love. Maybe at one point Raffe will end up in hell and she'll have to save him. He might end up human by the end of the series. I'm thinking that's the only thing that could happen, if they were to stay together. With the ending Ee pulled in this first novel, though, I wouldn't consider it guaranteed that she keep them together.
Raffe <33333 I love this book so much! And I'm beyong excited that the next book is coming out soooo~n :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic review!
Reem, I've also seen that both Kat and Steph gave this book a 5-star rating. Okay. Fine. Your combined awesome ratings for this book is enough to convince me to shelve it on my WTR list.
ReplyDeleteHang on, maybe I just have to buy it since it's for 3.99$ only on Amazon.
Ha! Makes sense. I think there would have been a way to convince him of staying, had she lied and said she didn't save the wings.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, angel books are usually a miss with me too, but this was an exception! :)
I wouldn't say I didn't identify with Katniss, but she gave the novel a more serious tone, you know? It was always some one else who was lightening the setting, while she analyzed and dreamed of killing President Snow. But like you said in your review, both the mother and the sister were fleshed out so much better here.
ReplyDeleteOOOOOOOH, you can't ask me that question. That is soooo not fair!! I mean, Raffe is more light hearted, but Akiva is well.. Akiva. I think he's more emotional/sensitive/romantic and ughh... he is just Akiva, okay? I don't think I can choose over him. But man this is a good question! Who would you pick??
YES! I didn't understand how he could have watched them on TV. Wasn't he with them? Or did he just live a normal life on Earth? Ugh, I don't know.
SPOILERSSS
Oh, I was wondering the same thing! Penryn seemed so untrustworthy of him for so long, and considering that he was attacked by his own people, I'd say he could be trusted a bit more than that?
I don't know about that. I mean, I don't think it will ever be cleared up, but then how did Paige hurt herself? Maybe her mother was unconscious enough, that after whatever happened, she couldn't really tell whether she did it or not? Maybe.
Hmmm, I don't know what I'll do if he turns into a human. Is it possible? Remember when he said that before getting a Daughter of Man pregnant, it was a grey area? Maybe that's how they'll be together.
Yes!! I'm glad I didn't have to wait until like those who read it when it first came out. Ha.
ReplyDeleteYES! It's the gushing reviews that got me to read this in the first place. It's awesome and full of fun and you should definitely read it :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, I feel like I've been waiting since forever. But hopefully the wait will end soon :)
ReplyDeleteYay! So glad you enjoyed this one. I might have set my expectations a little too high, but I still gave it four stars so we're cool, okay? ;)
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't know this was categorized as a dystopian! But yeah, there's definitely nothing Angelfall and THG have in common. And RAFFE. So I didn't feel as strongly about him as you did, but I was SO glad there weren't any mushy scenes and Susan just let the relationship develop by itself.
1. I'd definitely choose Raffe :). Akiva is so crush-worthy and emotional/sensitive/romantic, but his situation with Karou is so.... depressing at times. Raffe is more light-hearted than Akiva. But it's a very, very close race.
ReplyDelete2. Right??? Did they come down here for like 10 years before the apocalypse just to watch our behavior or what? Do they have tvs in heaven? :O
Spoiler!
As for the Paige part... I nearly hurt myself on a daily basis o.O. There've been times when I know that if I didn't have faster reflexes, I would've fallen down the stairs and potentially cracked my neck. Accidents happen. I see what you're saying about her mom not being aware of what she did, but since she was so aware in the novel... the egg shells... so capable, I just really want to believe, I guess, that it was an accident.
Grey area is a definite maybe. There's been only one other series with angels that I've seen involving the angel getting some sort of humanity back... so that human part... but how else? I think he's going to end up as leader of the angels by the end, but if anything wouldn't he be held up to higher standards so grey area doesn't apply? *confused* *intrigued* WHY SUSAN EE WHY november-come-now-plskthx.
Raffe is more approachable than Akiva, definitely. If I were to be stuck with either of them, I'm choosing Raffe. But Akiva makes for a better boyfriend ;) You know, once you get past his unapproachable, detached persona.
ReplyDeleteSPOILERS
That was definitely one of the the things that needed explanation. I was hoping we'd get an explanation for why the apocalypse occurred in the first place, and I guess we did, with the whole messenger doing what he was told. But I needed more.
I think he'll be a leader too! How he'll do that with his dark wings, I don't know, but he is meant to be, obviously. Ugh, I could come up with a thousand different scenarios, and they'll all be wrong.
We're totally cool ;) It is a categorized as a dystopian, even though I have no idea why. It's mostly paranormal/apocalyptic. Is is because there's an apocalypse? Hmm..
ReplyDeleteI know, right? This book could have been easily ruined, but Penryn had her priorities straight. Plus, the tension they had made for lots of banter :P
WE NEED TO HUG THIS OUT OKAY
ReplyDeleteI'm so freakishly excited that you liked Angelfall!! And Raffe is hot, isn't he? So not like the usual love interests. But I think I have this girl-crush on Penryn ever since she called him a bird with an attitude <33
And the questions now..
Nope. I wouldn't stay with the resistance. It's nice that they're fighting back, but abandoning Raffe and losing the only chance I have to find my sister? Out of the question. I wouldn't believe she's dead until I see the body.
I don't remember what I thought of Penryn's mother. I was meh, I think. But if she really crippled Paige...
I don't care what they do, they only have to end up together!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I've ever rooted so much for a couple. I'm just in love with both of them. And the scene where Raffe floated over the truck Penryn was in? I nearly cried. That sweet bastard.
YES WE DOO!! Ugh, I forgot to write this was your recommendation in the post. I ALWAYS forget to do that. Blekh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Penryn is AWESOME! You weren't overreacting when you said that. It was very interesting being in her head.
And yeah, that makes sense. Plus, I didn't put much hope in the resistance doing anything of significance anyway. I though they were going to blow up some fireworks that say ANGELS SUCK at the sky. I dunno.
I'm having a hard time figuring Penryn's mother. Maybe things will be cleared out in the next book.
I know, right?!?!! They're the perfect couple, and would probably spend their first date bickering. Should be interesting.