World After by Susan Ee | Review

Discovered: Goodreads

Status: Read

Purchased: Barnes & Noble Online

Mode: Paperback

Goodreads Rating: ****

Have you once imagined angels as ethereal cherubs, floating on cotton candy clouds? Well, the angels of World After will turn every perception you had upside down. 

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Synopsis:

After dipping her feet in the world of angels, Penryn attempts to recuperate her family with the fledgling human encampment called The Resistance. However the Youngs are too strange even for a group of apocalypse survivors. Paige has become a child-Frankenstein with a questionable appetite and Penryn's close encounter with death has people convinced that she's much closer to the devil. Also, her mother's continued psychotic shenanigans aren't exactly neighborly. Amid rising tensions, people capture Paige thinking she's a monster; however, chaos ensues as the angels' latest science experiment descends upon the encampment. The encampment is in shatters and Paige has disappeared. In order to get Paige back, Penryn must embark on another mission that takes her deeper into the schemes and politics of angels.

In Depth:

World After is fascinating due to its blend of science fiction and horror. Angels running mad-scientist experiments? Maddening! I would've never imagined such a scenario in the angel trope as such scenarios are usually found in science fiction and extraterrestrial books. Yet, the angels of World After are like a different species altogether. They're cold, ruthless, and sterile. Although Susan Ee's take on angels is refreshing, I personally believe she may have strayed a bit too far from the angel trope. If you ignore the small bit about Judgement Day, World After is another novel of extraterrestrial invasion and human experimentation. Fortunately, this issue did not divert my enjoyment from the book. I found the angels' agenda shocking and their politics intricate and surprisingly human.

Revisiting Penryn's POV was also a delight. She is a force to be reckoned with in the YA genre. In World After, her strength, bravery, and sass grew as she was bombarded with more apocalyptic dilemmas and obligations. But Susan Ee painfully reminds us that Penryn is not a robot. She is very human and very young. Her act of locking away her problems behind a steel door shows that she's clearly a girl who was forced to grow up too early.

Yes, Penryn is mature beyond her years but she still has a lot to learn, regarding the complexities of humanity and sisterhood. Don't get me wrong, Penryn is an amazing older sister but after Paige's change, she has a hard time reconciling her sisterly emotions and familial obligations. Her sisterly emotions have not caught up to her post-apocalypse logic as she learns that providing food and shelter are not all there is to being an older sister.

Penryn faces more apocalyptic dilemmas regarding her feelings for Raffe. I'm going to agree with other reviewers and bemoan the lack of Raffe in World After. C'mon, he the YA eye candy! Yet, I do like how Penryn and Raffe's relationship isn't as explosive as other YA couples. In many paranormal romances, characters get together with such eagerness despite the obvious taboo; however, Penryn and Raffe are slow and definitely wary of each other. There is definitely a lot trust building in both Angelfall and World After and I'm sure the character building/romance will be phenomenal once we progress with the series.