World After – Susan Ee (Penryn and the End of Days #2)

Title: World After

Author: Susan Ee

Genre: Post-apocalyptic, dystopia, drama

Thoughts: The amazing sequel to the bestselling Angelfall is here. And it was awesome!! It starts off right in the action with everyone thinking Penryn is dead. Her stitched up sister is holding her hand, her crazy mother is rambling in her made-up language and Raffe is still in shock from seeing Penryn ‘die’. Not to mention having deadly bat-like demon wings sewn on instead of his beautiful snowy white ones.

Also, sarcastic and funny comments are back in book 2. Ee is just great at creating the dark and sinister mood in the right places, but can also change it in an instant to a bright and happy one.

To tell the truth, this book was great but not as good as Angelfall, I just wasn’t into it as much. Still, it’s better than quite a few other books, and still a great read. I’m not sure why I didn’t like it as much. The writing is still amazing, the plot unfolding with unexpected events, and the characters are still generally the same. One reason might have been that most of the book was describing Penryn, her family and where she is, whereas in Angelfall, the book is more about Penryn and Raffe. I liked this feature in book one, especially the never-ending sarcasm between the two. Even though, World After does have a little more of Dee-Dum, which is quite entertaining.

“I’m gonna be sick,” I said
“I’m ordering you not to,” says Obi.
“Ah, don’t say that,” says Dee-Dum. “She’s a born rebel. She’ll puke just to make a point.”

Another thing that is talked about in this book is the ‘vault’ in Penryn’s head. This metaphor describes all the emotions, feelings and things that are going on around Penryn. In the book, she can’t let these things get to her head, as they will distract her from the responsibility of looking after her family. After something happens, or she feels a strong emotion, she will quickly throw it into the ‘vault’ in her head and lock the doors. Penryn can’t afford to open it, as all the memories, emotions and feelings will come flowing out.

The ending of this book, I think is in the right place at the right time. Even though I didn’t really want it to end, I knew there was the final book to come, so I took comfort in that.

Why should you read it: This book is still one of my favourites even though it’s not as good as the first. It was quite a bit of sarcastic humour, as well as some sad, slow-paced events. It still has the amazing Penryn and Raffe as the main heroes, with added ones on the side.

Book in a word: satisfying

Rating: 8/10

Angelfall – Susan Ee (Penryn and the End of Days #1)

Title: Angelfall

Author: Susan Ee

Genre: Post-apocalyptic, dystopian, drama

Thoughts: This book was awesome!!! Plot, setting, characters, and genre. It was perfect. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where angels rule. But these angels aren’t your normal angels. They have destroyed the human world, reducing them to barely less than animals. Tsunamis and earthquakes have ruined cities and towns. Street gangs rule the day, while fear and angels rule the night. Penryn, her younger, disabled sister Paige, and their crazy mother are just another one of these scavenging families trying to feed themselves. Until and angel warrior falls outside their doorstep. This book has a very fast paced story-line, dramatic and action-packed. Definitely not what I expected from a dark, dystopian story. Ee includes sarcastic dialogue, which made me snort out loud a couple of times, as well as some tragic events. The hero, Penryn, is a strong and fighting teen left in charge of the family when her mum went insane. She is smart, witty and knows how to lead.

“You’re lying. Why would you tell me that?”

“Maybe I’m not afraid of you.”

“Maybe you should be.”

Susan Ee (Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1))

But if you take all these witty comebacks and entertaining comments, Penryn is just a teenage girl struggling to deal with what the world has come to. Quite a few time in the book, she mentions taking the weight of the family, on her shoulders. As her mum is completely mad, her dad gone and her sister in a wheelchair, Penryn alone must deal with this huge responsibility. So she uses the attitude and sarcasm to hide this struggle. So really Ee has created, not only an amusing, laugh-out-loud story, but a novel which deals with troubles in the family and self-esteem.

“We have to get out of here,” says Mom with her arm protectively around Paige. Her voice is clear and full of purpose. I look up at her in surprise. Before I can stop myself, hope blooms inside me. She sounds full of authority and confidence. She sounds like a mother ready and determined to lead her daughters to safety. She sounds sane.

Then she says, “They’re after us.” Hope shrivels and dies inside me, leaving a hard lump where my heart should be. I don’t need to ask who “they” are. According to my mother, “they” have been after us for as long as I can remember… I nod, taking the weight of my family responsibilities back on my shoulders.

Susan Ee (Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1))

So as you can see, there’s actually quite a deep meaning.

Some parts of this book made me want to laugh, but Ee can change the mood so well from smart and happy, to dark and sad. Also the ending. The ending is just excellent, and explosive. And those are just the E’s. Totally unexpected. And the best thing is… It’s part of a trilogy. Two more books written by the amazing Susan Ee, just waiting to be read!

Should you read this book: This book is undoubtedly my favourite book at the moment, and I guarantee you’ll love it too. I will remember it and if you haven’t read it yet, get your hands on this book now! Reasons include strong female character, 5 star plot and characters, and just… Everything!

Book in a word: Enthralling

Rating: 9½ /10

Welcome to the Book Goddess blog!

Hi fellow book lovers, my name’s Isis, and I am The Book Goddess. Welcome to my book blog! Let me tell you a bit about myself. As you know, my name is Isis. Isis is also a name of an ancient Egyptian goddess, which is where the name of this blog came from. I’m thirteen years old, and I am new at blogging. This is the first blog I’ve ever written, but I wanted an easy way to record thoughts on the books that I have read. I’m also a bookworm, basically every chance I get, I’m reading.

Now, if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably either a book lover like me, or want to become one. Trust me, by reading this blog, you will realise what you have been missing out on by not reading!

“The more that you read, the more that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

I will be posting reviews on most of the books that I read. They will be fiction stories, but a whole lot of different genres. For example, fantasy, crime fiction, magic, sci-fi and maybe some classics.

I’ve created this blog for a couple of reasons. One, to remember the storyline and characters of my favourite novels. Too many times, I have forgotten a character’s name or the next part of the story. This is to help with that. The second reason is to encourage other people to read the books that I’ve read and third, to get readers, and non-readers, reading more!

I hope this blog achieves these goals, and once again… Welcome to the Book Goddess blog.

Happy reading!