Review: World After (Penryn & the End of Days #2) by Susan Ee

Published: November 19, 2013 by Skyscape
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy, Dystopia
Format: ebook
Source: purchased

Goodreads Summary

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?

The sun is rising, giving the dark ocean below a glow that shimmers with blue, gold, and green. It's a new day in the World After.

The Good

This ones starts where Angelfall lets off...like the exact second. There is still a lot of action and some amazing developments with some truly terrifying situations, but we were missing the connection that Penryn and Raffe share since they were apart through most of the story. I am glad to see that there is no love triangle though. Penryn is an excellent heroine for the story as she's always trying to help the ones that deserve it, but isn't at all upset about killing or hurting the ones that don't. She also knows when she's over-powered. She tries to deny being a hero, but that's exactly what she is in a world where everyone is just out to save their own hides.

The pacing was done well and the setting varied from place to place similar to the first one. We get to see more of Penryn's sister Paige and her mom, and my heart breaks for Penryn when it comes to her love for these two. Her sister has been experimented on and is often referred to as a "monster" while at the tender age of 7. Her mom is schizophrenic and while that comes off as sad a lot through the story, she is also one of those characters that make you laugh out loud. I really think she can survive anything.

I missed Raffe, but we see him on the sidelines throughout. I also got more time with the twins Dee and Dum though not a whole lot. I hope they play a bigger role in the conclusion.

The Bad

There's really nothing "bad" about World After, I just didn't love it as much as the first due to Raffe missing. The two of them together are rather fun with their bickering and bantering.

The Romance

Raffe isn't in the story for very long but you can tell that Penryn being so hurt in the first story really rattled him. I believe the angel that's not supposed to feel anything for the Daughters of Men may be developing a little of those pesky feelings.

Conclusion

A great story. A whole lot happens and often has me thinking how terrified I would be in Penryn's shoes. There are so incredibly scary things in this series, but the darkness is what makes it so great. I enjoy the characters a great deal and it absolutely makes me want to know how all this is going to end. Not as great as the first, but still wonderful. Recommended.

Excerpts

October winds seep through my blouse and I can't help looking at the overcast sky for a particular angel with bat-shaped wings and a corny sense of humor. I swipe my foot at the overgrown grass and make myself look away.

As soon as the bodies get splashed, they begin to move.

It's painful to see that people prefer a bad guy who looks like an angel to a good guy who looks like a demon.