Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Review: World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)

Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn & the End of Days, #2
Publisher: Skyscape (self published work)
Release: Nov 19th 2013
Source: Purchased
Pages: 320 (ebook)
( Amazon | Goodreads )
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

It wasn't too long ago when I was left completely awestruck by Susan Ee's stunning debut Angelfall - an apocalyptic fantasy so flawlessly mixed with paranormal elements. It is a work of utter excellence and superiority when compared with many others. Hence, as soon as I got my hands on its sequel World After, I devoured it as fast as I could with eager anticipations. And believe me when I say it, Susan Ee does not disappoint. World After is yet another YA masterpiece you all ought to appreciate.

The story picked up exactly where Angelfall left off, bringing us right back to the aftermath of the aerie strike. Finally reunited with her family, Penryn was invigorated, but at the same time struggling to face the "new" Paige. Something had changed in her innocent little sister, she knew it. And when the false pretenses of peace shuttered, Penryn once again found herself in search of her sister in the rubble of San Francisco, though this time she was about to unearth much more than she expected. 

Although most of the book is devoid of Raffe's presence - which I absolutely screamed and protested about, the alone time I had with Penryn was downright phenomenal. Without distractions of Raffe and the mild romantic tension, I got to witness Penryn kick ass all on her own and I must say it was GLORIOUS. She was just as strong as I remembered, if not more, and she earned my sincerest admirations in countless situations; which, I must remind you, were quite gruesome and horrific. When Raffe showed up in the end, the woman stood in front of him was more fierce and confident than ever, even he couldn't mask the praises tinged his eyes. 

I would be lying now if I say I do not care about this romance anymore, but the truth is that there is so much more in this story than just romance. Angel politics, the looming apocalypse, rebel uprising, and even Penryn's little messed up family, ... They all deserve the fullest of our hearts. I'm sure I will break into tears if I don't see Penryn and Raffe together. Their future holds many unknowns as well as hopes, but you never know where Susan Ee is going to take us, though either way it would not be the only determinant of my devotion to this series. 

In World After, Paige's development surprised me the most. I admit that I suspected something, but not at all to the scale which Susan Ee is proposing. If you still think Paige is a harmless little soul, well, think again, because soon you will realize that she may, in fact, be the pivotal point of all of this. No longer helpless and frail, Paige's not-yet-clear role in the war between humans and angels is one I shall not dare overlook.

There are no words to describe how much I enjoy Penryn's story and there is nothing I can say to give this series justice, I only hope you will all give this book a chance. Even though the wait ahead will be terribly agonizing, you, my friend, will regret nothing. 


My Rating: ★ (4 stars)
(I read this book along with Aneta from Angelic Reviews. You can see her review here.)

22 comments:

  1. Glad that you enjoyed this one! A lot of people seem to be picking up these books recently, so I might just have to jump on that wagon as well! Awesome review, I love character development, especially when it's SOO drastic, like you said Paige's was! Excited to get this one!

    Lisa
    www.turningpages94.blogspot.com

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    1. You should!! I really think you would like this one :) I'm not usually a fan for apocalyptic novels but Susan Ee totally knocked my socks off. It is such an action-packed story, you will not be bored.

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  2. I didn't really enjoy the first book, Angelfall, but I've been hearing nothing but good things about this one! I'm glad I'm not the only one who sometimes cares less about the romance. It doesn't always have to be the main focus, right? Lovely review!

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    1. Aww that's too bad. Although I liked World After as well, but if I need to pick a favorite out of the two, I would probably still go with Angelfall. And yeah, the second book really doesn't have much romance, but that does not stop it from being awesome at all :)

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  3. Oh I'm dying here. >.< I want to read this SO badly. After that cliff-hanger with what happened to Paige in book #1....come ooon. I need this. ;) I'm glad it lives up to the first! OH, and while I love romance just fine, I'm glad there's more depth to the book then just romance and smushy stuff. Both is always awesome.

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    1. Cait!!! You need to squeeze this into your reading schedule somehow! I can lend you my copy too since I'm pretty sure you use Kindle right?

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  4. YES! I'm so glad you liked this so much Angel! I remember how much you loved Angelfall, and I'm so glad World After was just as successful! Definitely going to have to read this at one point...I read Angelfall a little while back, but for some reason I haven't gotten to reading this one yet - I'll definitely have to squeeze it into my reading schedule because the amazing characterization and beautiful writing definitely has me intrigued!

    Thanks for sharing, Angel, and as always, brilliant review! :D

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    1. Zoe!!! <3 You should read this one ASAP. The only bad thing is that the next one is not gonna come out until summer :(

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    2. I put it on hold at the library, so I can't wait to read it!
      Aww...it's a shame that the wait is so long for the 3rd book! WHY MUST AUTHORS KEEP TORTURING US LIKE THAT???! ;)
      I'll definitely let you know what I think when I finish it! :D

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    3. Also.... (not yet verified) someone told me this is a 5-part series. *covers head and hides*

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  5. I have heard really good things about this series, I need to read it!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  6. I just left a comment and somehow it vanished. Perhaps in your spam comments, for some reason. :)
    I liked this much better than the first book. Partly because I have it in audio format, but also because I felt it was more emotionally mature and better focused.
    I can't WAIT for the next one to come out.

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    1. I know!! I really have no idea where Susan Ee is gone go from here. There are so many loose ends that I feel like this series will take forever to have a proper closure. But whatever, I wouldn't complain too hard :P

      Welcome back Maja, I have missed you and your reviews!

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  7. I love your review! It's definitely better than mine haha :P
    Ah just reading your review makes me want to read the book again, it was that good!!
    We have to buddy read together again, it was so much fun!
    Have a lovely week.

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    1. Haha thanks Aneta. And we definitely should buddy read the next book :D Can't wait!

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  8. I think it's great when a story can hold its own without the romance but I know what you mean when you miss a main character like that :) Bec has been telling me to read the books in this series for ages! I own them so I guess I have no excuse haha

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    1. Haha you should. They are both relatively short books, and the plot is so captivating I'm sure you will finish it before you even realize time has passed :) So yeah, come join the Penryn fan club!

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  9. How frustrating that Raffe is absent from most of the book, but I do like the sound of hearing Penryn kick ass. Lovely review, it sounds completely amazing! I need to read this soon!

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    1. I know :( I definitely miss him and hopefully we can get more glimpses of him in the next book. Penryn is AWESOME just like usual. I was very much engaged to the story even though Penryn was alone most of the time through this book.

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  10. I remember reading Angelfall and not being all that impressed with it. I expected so much more because of the hype. I still really want to read World After since it looks awesome! And I just realized that Penryn is always going after Paige. Why can't Paige not be lost for once? AND NOOOO.. I've heard from other reviews that there wasn't much of Raffe so I'll be really sad. It's not because he's the love interest but because I like having him around to make the entire mood better. Great review, Angel :)

    - Ariella @ Secrets of Lost Words

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    1. Haha yeah, but Paige has changed so much!! I'm sure she is gonna super important later on and probably plenty of ass-kicking by herself. It is definitely sad Raffe wasn't around as much I'd like, their bantering can always make me laugh, but I'm sure you will still have a good time!

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