Author: Susan Ee
Genre: Young Adult, post apocalyptic
Series: Penryn & the End of Days #2
Publication: November 19, 2013; 314 pages
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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?
I’d be lying if I said I loved World After the way I loved Angelfall. Since reading Angelfall I have put a lot of distance between myself and the entire YA genre, which may play a big role, but ultimately I think World After just fell a bit short of what I was expecting in a sequel to the book that rocked my bookish world two years ago.
One thing that held firm was the world-building. I love the world that Ee has built in the series. It’s so vivid and dark that every page fills me with a disturbing amount of glee. I want this to be a movie and I want it now. I mean really, imagine the possibilities!
Another thing I had loved about Angelfall were the characters, and I loved them just as much in World After. While I certainly wished there was more of Raffe, I appreciate that this is still a post apocalyptic story before it is a romance.
What I didn’t love was the lack of progress. While I enjoyed World After and was never really bored, it left me wondering what comes next. It didn’t feel complete. I haven’t the vaguest idea of what to expect out of the next book in the series, and I’m not sure I like that idea. It leaves me void of anticipation, to be honest. Yes, I love these characters. Yes, I want more from them. Yes, I really really love the setting. But World After left me feeling like I should just wait for the entire series to be released before picking up the next installment, to avoid feeling like I just read another unfinished book. But I’d also be lying if I said I was actually going to wait. Penryn and Raffe have my attention.
I loved the first of this series. It seemed so unique to what I had read. Hopefully this sequel will do it justice for me.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Angelfall yet, but I do have it on my Kindle. I have been so excited for it because of all of the raving reviews, and plan to read it soon. It is disappointing that this sequel isn't quite up to par with the awesomeness of the first, but it does sound like it is pretty good!
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