{Review} Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1)

Susan Ee

Pages: 325

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Format: Paperback

Age Group: Young Adult

Date Published: May 21, 2011

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.
Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Most of the time I waste is spent on Tumblr, which is a useless hellhole that I can't seem to escape because I'm addicted, and very few good things come out of all the time I spend there. However, I follow a lot of people who are in love with this book. I've been hearing about it for a few months on there, so I finally requested it. I mean, angels, the apocalypse, and angsty love is totally up my alley. And I was not disappointed. Angelfall was incredible and it ripped my wittle heart into tinsy shreds. 

Penryn is both a badass and a normal girl. I mean, she learned to fight young because of years of self-defense classes (which reminds me I gotta start bugging my mom again to sign me up for one), but she also worries about her greasy hair and whether or not she smells. Of course, the way she looks isn't a priority. It's the apocalypse and she's got a mom and a sister who need her to take care of them. However, when she starts travelling with a sexy angel, she gets a little self-conscious. There's this one scene near the beginning-ish before either of them can really stand each other, and... well, read the book you'll know which one I'm referring to. I think my favorite parts of the book are where she beats up grown men. There was this one particularly raunchy guy who she just wiped out. It was impressive. I loved it when she fought, I loved it when she worried about her family, I loved it when she realized she though Raffe was hot... I loved her. Penryn rocks.

Raffe is like snark-master. I love the way his snarkasm is mixed with his vulnerability. Penryn would look at him every so often and realize that he's hurting, and he doesn't use his sarcasm to cover that side of himself. He's not open, of course, but he vulnerability is as much a part of his personality as his attitude is. I love Jace, don't get me wrong, but you know how he like loses the sarcastic, rude way he acts when Clary learns about all his problems? I feel like Raffe and Penryn aren't going to be like that. They're both rude dorks, but they're also caring and problematic around each other. I loved it. 

I'm not sure what ethnicity Penryn is, because all we know is that she has dark hair, but I liked to imagine her, or at least her mom, as Asian. Not because her mom was crazy (because there's plenty of crazy white ladies out there), but mainly because there was this Tumblr post with a series of texts from this girl's worrisome Asian mother and they made me think of Penryn's mom. (this is the link to the texts, it's not on Tumblr, but it's the same thing) 

Penryn's family really got me. I loved her little sister and we barely get to see her. Paige is disabled and her kindness and generally ability to be wonderful makes my heart swell. I don't want to spoil anything, because the way this information comes in made me cry and I want you to cry too, but we learn about Paige's friends from the World Before, and yeah. Get this tissues. The way Penryn loves her with all her heart is so wonderful to see in YA. I love sisters. Sister always get me crying. I sobbed throughout Frozen because Anna and Elsa weren't friends anymore. Seriously. Anyways, Penryn's treatment of her psychotic (literally) mother was really interesting. The way she both feared her and wanted to take care of her was a really interesting dynamic. 

Basically my heart has burst and I want you to read this book.Yes, you. Do it,  I dare you.