Discovered: Goodreads
Status: Read
Purchased: Barnes & Noble Online
Mode: Paperback
Goodreads Rating: ****
Did you grow up in a Christian family or at least around one? If so, you
probably heard about the Second Coming and Christian apocalypse. Susan Ee takes this religious expectation and fear and spins it into a YA epic of survival, family, and loyalty.
I began my summer with a vampire apocalypse and now I'm ending it with an angel apocalypse!
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Synopsis:
The world as Penryn knows it has come to an end. Angels, the ethereal creatures we've often dreamed of, have descended from heaven and destroyed civilization. The surviving humans have scattered, some forming dangerous gangs, while angels parole our cities. The only thing on Penryn's mind is to keep her mentally unstable mother and disabled younger sister, Paige, alive while moving from point A to point B. However things go awry when she and her family get caught in a battle among angels. Paige is kidnapped and Penryn is stuck with the dying angel, Raffe. Now she must form an unlikely pact with her enemy in order to save Paige and keep her family together. Their mission takes them through the ruins of Silicon Valley and San Francisco as they try to come to terms with a world overrun with angels and other creatures that were never meant to dwell on earth.
In Depth:
If I can describe Angelfall with one word it would be refreshing. It's unbelievable how fast I finished the book. It easily eclipsed the primary book I was reading. Heck, it eclipsed work, food, and sleep. I was an hour late to work because I couldn't get up in time after reading Angelfall until 3 in the morning. I was hooked!
What's refreshing about the structure of Angelfall is that the chapters are short. Usually when a book has long chapters (25-40 pages) I need to take breaks before I start on another one. But the short chapters of Angelfall increased my pace. I just needed to read one more chapter, then another and another... and another.
Penryn is a refreshing heroine. Sure, she's ruthless, brave, and sassy like many other YA heroines, but her interaction with Raffe is unique. I've read many badass heroines kind of wilt and soften when interacting with their male love interests; however Penryn is different. She asserts her strength with Raffe by saving his ass multiple times, getting into fights, and throwing herself in danger for the ones she loves. Although Raffe is the ancient and powerful angel, Penryn is stronger.
Also, her overall goal is a refreshing change from the goals of other dystopia heroines. Many heroines are fighting to save the fate of humanity and bringing down an evil, all-powerful enemy. But Angelfall stands out with Penryn's less ambitious goals. She just wants to save her sister and keep her family together. She's accepted the fact that the world sucks and angels are hateful. Now she's going to deal by not budging from her very realistic priority. She's very human with realistic goals many young adults can relate to.
Lastly, I personally loved the Silicon Valley and San Francisco setting. Susan Ee does an amazing job describing the nature and culture of Northern California. I lived there for four years while in college, so it was startling to visualize such a familiar place flipped upside down.
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I definitely recommend Angelfall to those looking for a unique take on YA dystopias and fallen angels.
