Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

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.

My Rating:

Angelfall had been on my to-read list forever. In 2011, the online world exploded with love for this self-published ebook about angels and the apocalypse. I’m usually a sucker for hype, but the idea of an angel book worried me a bit; after all, a lot of the more popular ones (Hush Hush, Fallen, Halo) had been incredibly disappointing. After reading all of my Goodreads friends’ five star reviews and seeing that my library had ordered in a copy, I finally got around to reading it — and I’m so glad that I did.

The post-apocalyptic world that Ee has created is horrifying, brutal, and very compelling. The cities have crumbled, street gangs run rampant, and humans have resorted to any means necessary to survive. Angels roam the skies, but they’re nothing like the cherubic image that probably popped into your head when you saw the word “angel” — they’re tough, menacing, and strongly resemble God’s warriors from Biblical times. You can certainly tell that Ee did her research: the mythology surrounding these angels is accurate and realistic without becoming too preachy.

Penryn is easily my favourite YA protagonist. Smart, funny, and a martial arts pro, Penryn is the ideal heroine in every way. Accompanied by a paranoid, schizophrenic mother and a wheelchair-bound sister, Penryn shoulders a lot more responsibility than your average seventeen year old girl, yet she rarely complains about it. Instead, she desperately wants to protect her family, and is willing to put herself straight into the path of danger to keep them safe.

One of my favourite things about Angelfall is the fact that there’s no instalove and no love triangle; instead, the relationship develops slowly and naturally, and takes a backseat to the action. There’s a suggestion of romance but both parties involved certainly have their priorities straight: after all, rescuing your sister and safely navigating a post-apocalyptic world are a bit more important than declaring your love for a perfect stranger.

Angelfall is certainly deserving of all of the hype. This quick-paced, action-packed story filled with unforgettable characters, witty banter, dark touches, and well-researched angelic lore made for an excellent read that will certainly be picked up again and again.