Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days, #1)

by Susan Ee

[Katie King]

**4 stars**

Angelfall leads off with our heroine, Penryn, and her mother and sister making a desperate attempt to escape the condo they live in. Six weeks earlier, angels had come to Earth, bringing a wave of death and mass destruction. Penryn and her family come across a group of angels punishing another angel by cutting off his wings. Penryn interferes, but pays the price: her sister Paige is taken during the angels' retreat. Thus begins the journey to the angel stronghold; Penryn for her sister, and the angel, Raffe, for his wings.

Okay, so the premise sounds really unoriginal. Before reading this, it's easy to predict that the angel is called "hot" and "sexy" numerous times and falls in insta-love with Penryn. In a way...that's true. But this is so much more.

Raffe is strong, secretive, and NOT tripping over himself at the sight of Penryn. Penryn is a tough cookie, banding together with Raffe only as a means of finding and rescuing her sister. They take turns helping each other out, but only to advance their cause or prevent detection. As they make their way across California, they situations they face help the reader feel how they learn to rely on another. When it came time for the kiss, Ee wrote the scene perfectly. You'll see what I mean.

The mother is utterly insane and it is too easy to sympathize with Penryn when she is reluctant to see her. Paige goes from a feeble, disabled girl into something creepy as hell in a scene that's delightfully disturbing.

As for the plot, Ee took something decidedly trendy and gave it a creepy twist. Though you see bits and pieces of the twist in the beginning, the last 1/4 really takes the cake. Some may say it felt 'unnatural' in the story, but I say it was a welcome breath of fresh air. Being a self-published, self-edited debut, it is hard to criticize Ee's writing. It obviously isn't the best, but pointing out any flaws just feels like nitpicking to me. Ee did such a great job on her own that I cannot in good conscience complain.

The one flaw I will mention is the lack of information we receive. Although the angels don't know why they are on Earth, someone must have an idea. What was it like when they first came? Why was Uriel experimenting? What was he up to in general?? What is the divide between the different archangels/angels/demons? Et cetera. Most things we learn about the angels just add to the confusion. Maybe this is on purpose. Maybe Ee wants us to experience Earth from a human's point of view - becoming consistently more confused about what's going on. Maybe it was just a simple oversight. I hope she addresses this is further novels.

Summary
A strong debut that brings a welcome change to an oversaturated genre. The almost horror-like twist is refreshing. Limited background information leads the reader astray and sometimes, off a cliff. Regardless, I eagerly await the sequel.