On the End of Days: A Review of Angelfall by Susan Ee

I wish I could remember which reviewer first recommended this book to me, because I owe her a big thank you. Despite some minor flaws, which I'll address later, this was a pretty fantastic novel.

Angelfall takes place in a version of our world after it has undergone an apocalypse at the hands of the angels. That's right, the angels in this one are the bad guys. Penryn is a teenage girl struggling to survive in the now broken world, while taking care of her disabled sister, Paige, and their schizophrenic mother. When Paige is kidnapped by a group of angels, Penryn considers it her responsibility to rescue her at all costs. Even if it means forming an alliance with Raffe, a wingless angel of unknown loyalties.

Positive Comments

I loved the plot. It reminded me, a bit, of seasons four and five of Supernatural. You've got angels, demons, an arguably non-exist or uncaring God, and the humans caught in the crossfire. You can feel Penryn's motivation as she storms headlong into danger to rescue Paige. It's an excellent story of survival and heart.

I loved the characters and their relationships with one another. Penryn is supposed to be 16 or 17, but her maturity level makes her seem older, so she's a character that I could connect with. Penryn's mother has no grip on reality, and is arguably quite abusive. You can feel the pain that this causes Penryn, but at the same time you can understand her loyalty and the love she has for her mother. Of course, there's also Raffe, the ostensible love interest. Is his relationship with Penryn glowingly romantic? No, not at all. In fact, he keeps her at arms length for most of the book. But, they save each others lives, take care of one another, and begin to form an emotional connection despite themselves. I prefer reluctant love over insta-love any day.

Critical Comments

Just one, really. I hate cliffhangers. Oh God, do I hate cliffhangers. I could see this one coming, too. A lot of crap was not resolved, and my Kindle was telling me I was at the 98% mark, and I was ready to throw the damn thing because I knew I was getting cliffhanged (cliffhung?). So I'm sorry, Susan Ee, I love your book, but this cliffhanger cost it half a star.

Needless to say, I do recommend this book. It has a lot of action, a lot of horror and gore, all of the things that you expect in a post-apocalyptic novel. 4.5 stars.