Review: World After

Book Two of Penryn & the End of Days
By Susan Ee
Available now from Skyscape (Amazon Publishing)
Review copy

I kept hearing good things about ANGELFALL, so I bought myself a copy.  Then I let it molder on my Kindle for awhile because I didn't really know what it was about or anything. That was only a good decision inasmuch as it meant when I read ANGELFALL I didn't have long to wait before reading WORLD AFTER.

Penryn & the End of Days is set in the world were an angelic apocalypse is happening.  The humans are majorly outclassed and dying out fast.  But, as Penryn discovered, the angels don't have much more clue what's going on.  But Penryn's real focus is on her family - crazy mom who is out of meds, sister who has been experimented on - and Raffe, her unlikely ally.  Penryn's just one of my absolute favorite characters.  She uses her head, but let's herself be guided by her heart.  And I love the way Susan Ee writes her fights - always thinking, always analyzing how she might be able to take down a bigger, stronger opponent.

I also love Raffe, so I was a little sad that there's less of him in WORLD AFTER.  Ee does come up with an ingenious way to involve him in the action and help Penryn gain the abilities she needs to reach her goals at the same time.  And when Raffe and Penryn reunite, it is so delicious and worth it.  The tension between the two of them catches fire and keeps smoldering.

But really, the focus of WORLD AFTER isn't romance.  It's horror, what with all the crazy monsters running around and the humans sometimes not acting much better than the monsters.  It's a survival story, and sometimes the people who survive are the hardest and coldest.  But it's also a tale of connection, and how the bonds people make with each other inspire heroism and offer the ability for humans to thrive.

I enjoyed the continued, slow build of just what is happening.  Penryn stumbles upon bits and pieces of angelic plans, and the more she learns, the more the enormity of what's going on falls into place.  At the same time, it offers hope.  If Penryn knows what she's up against, maybe she can stop it.  Her, Paige, her mom, and Raffe, possibly the most rag-tag army ever.

ANGELFALL and WORLD AFTER are just sheer fun, despite their dark subject matter.  There's something about this series that makes me giddy and excited.  I can't wait for book three - I sure hope it comes faster than WORLD AFTER did!  (ANGELFALL came out in 2011.  I mean, two years isn't that long, but it seems like most series release a book a year nowadays.)