Book Review: End of Days by Susan Ee

Title: End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days #3) 
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Skyscape
Pages: 331
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Reviews for book 1 & book 2

End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy.

After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.

When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

I'll start by saying that I ADORED Angelfall, I really enjoyed World After... I did not love End of Days. Let me cut to the chase. It was okay, but it was honestly an underwhelming conclusion to what was otherwise an amazing series. My ratings for this series have slowly declined and this one is the bottom of the super amazing barrel of angelic amazingness. That's not to say that I didn't like it, because I did. I just wanted (and expected) so much more.

Penryn and Raffe seem like as good a place as any to begin. In Angelfall, I loved the relationship between these two. They were hesitant and tried to resist any romantic feelings, but the pull seemed undeniable. Still, there was just the right amount of angst to make it a really good underlying romance. The key word there is underlying. It was on the back burner. Before all else were their missions. Each wanted to save their people and that was their top priority, which was why they knew no relationship could work out. This continued into World After, where Raffe was barely present. I hated that he wasn't there, but at least there wasn't any unrealistic romance. And then... End of Days happened. And Penryn lost her freaking mind. In book three of the series, both characters completely go off into left field, making decisions that are totally out of character and put others in danger. I mean, on the one hand I was glad that it ended the way it did. On the other, it just wasn't believable based on the first two books.

My other big issue was the pacing. I actually put this book down a hundred pages in and left it. For weeks. I was just so bored I couldn't keep going. It eventually picked up towards the end, but it picked up almost too much. Things were super slow throughout the first 2/3 of the book and then in the last 80 or so pages just BAM! Everything happens all at once and it's tied up way too quickly. As in HUGE BATTLE and then cut to epilogue. It was a little disappointing.

The world building was also a little shaky in this book. I really did like the descriptions of the aerie and the election. I loved the descriptions that accompanied the final battle and the place it all went down. But I was totally confused by "the pit." What was it? Where was it? It felt like they were in a virtual reality world or something and I just wish it had been laid out a little more clearly.

The whole time travel thing was also really confusing to me. The butterfly effect seemed to be missing completely and it just didn't make a ton of sense.

There were things I did like though! I enjoyed watching Paige come into her own even more than in World After and take control of her meager army. I really liked learning more about Beliel and understanding his character better (even though his character made no sense in light of the time travel). I also actually thought the final battle was really smart although I've seen others comment on how ridiculous it was.

Overall, this was a decent conclusion to the series, but it was not what I hoped it would be. Perhaps this is because it was originally supposed to be a 5 part series and was cut short? I'm honestly not sure what happened but it makes me really sad that I can't give this book the high rating I gave books one and two. I'd still recommend this series because it is incredibly unique, just be aware that the ending is really not on par with the rest.

Audiobook Review: Seed by Ania Ahlborn

Title: Seed
Author: Ania Ahlborn
Narrator: Eric G. Dove
Publication Date: May 28, 2011
Publisher: 47North
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With nothing but the clothes on his back—and something horrific snapping at his heels—Jack Winter fled his rural Georgia home when he was still just a boy. Watching the world he knew vanish in a trucker’s rearview mirror, he thought he was leaving an unspeakable nightmare behind forever. But years later, the bright new future he’s built suddenly turns pitch black, as something fiendishly familiar looms dead ahead.

When Jack, his wife Aimee, and their two small children survive a violent car crash, it seems like a miracle. But Jack knows what he saw on the road that night, and it wasn’t divine intervention. The profound evil from his past won’t let them die…at least not quickly. It’s back, and it’s hungry; ready to make Jack pay for running, to work its malignant magic on his angelic youngest daughter, and to whisper a chilling promise: I’ve always been here, and I’ll never leave.

Country comfort is no match for spine-tingling Southern gothic suspense in Ania Ahlborn’s tale of an ordinary man with a demon on his back. Seed plants its page-turning terror deep in your soul, and lets it grow wild.

Around this time last year I was reading The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn and being completely BLOWN AWAY by it! The obvious next step would be to locate every other book she's ever written, but for some reason I just now got around to reading (listening to) Seed. The premise sounds sufficiently spooky and i needed another read for my Horror Reading Challenge, so I went into Seed prepared to love it! Unfortunately, it wasn't everything I'd hoped for.

Seed is a possession story, plain and simple. It doesn't take very long for the story to pick up and this to be made clear. It still came as a shock though when I discovered that the one being possessed was a six-year-old little girl. (Why is it always the girls, by the way?)

Jack, the dad in the story, has a past that is not made clear for much of the book. He seems like a good father and husband, never doing anything to make the reader seriously question his character. But as he slowly starts unraveling throughout the story and his past starts to come to light, it becomes obvious that he's not the most upstanding of citizens. I actually really liked Jack as a character. Seeing things unfold through his eyes and living with his secrets really made the feelings of dread that much more tangible.

His wife, Aimee, was an okay character, and it was almost painful to see her go through the events of the book completely in the dark. And then there's Charlie...

I'm not sure whether I loved or hated her. She dripped evil, which is impressive from a six-year-old character, and really makes me wonder how her mom was so oblivious. I guess people see what they want to see.

The southern gothic setting was actually kind of perfect for this story! I don't know much about Louisiana, but this book made me want to avoid it a little... The backwoods towns alone are enough to keep me out! But seriously, Ania Ahlborn did a great job of setting a creepy deep south mood for this story.

The demonic possession in this book, while pretty creepy, was not the absolutely terrifying ordeal I had been hoping for. This book was really more of a slow burn horror novel than a collection jump-scares. While it was okay, it just wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. The tension builds very slowly from page one and it all culminates at the very (very) end. And honestly, the ending wasn't as shocking as I thought it might be. It had become pretty obvious what would happen by then time the big finish occurred.

Overall, I did enjoy Seed. It was a good, slow-burn horror novel and I would recommend it to people who are a fan of horror, or maybe those who want to start with a lighter horror novel before jumping right into Stephen King!

---

°o°  Notes on the Audiobook  °o°

Truthfully, I didn't love Eric G. Dove as a narrator. His voice was a little... bland. But I'm honestly really picky when it comes to male voice actors.

Book Review: World After by Susan Ee

Title: World After (Penryn and the End of Days #2)
Author: Susan Ee (Penryn & the End of Days #2)
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Publisher: Skyscape
Pages: 314
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Review for #1

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 picked up World After as soon as I could possibly get my hands on it after finishing Angelfall and wanted to yell at myself for waiting so long on this series! Angelfall left off in a very abrupt place, which would really make me mad if I had been reading this series as it was released. As it was, I only had to wait a few days to see what happened next and even that was torture!

This book gives so much more depth to the secondary characters than Angelfall did! Normally I don't care a whole heck of a lot about any characters other than the main one (or two), but this time I was really interested in finding out more about Penryn's mom, Paige, and even Beliel (don't judge me, I thought he was a really interesting character). I'm still not sure quite what to make of Penryn's mom. I'm still not decided on whether she's as insane as we think she is nor not... And poor Paige! I mean, I don't want to give her a hug, but... Suffice it to say I greatly enjoyed the characters in this book and was grateful to get to know them better!

Which brings me to Raffe and Penryn... If there's one thing that really drives me INSANE it's when the main love interests aren't actually together for most of a book. And this book did that. And I thought I was going to lose it (I survived). All of that being said, their reunion was so incredibly satisfying! I have nothing negative to say! I do have some questions about the logistics of the flying situation though.

World After took the story to a whole new level with the archangel schemes and politics. I really enjoyed the descriptions of San Fransisco in Ruins, especially since I was just there recently. I also LOVED the use of Alcatraz! That's a conspiracy theorists' dream! I mean, seriously, Susan Ee. You've outdone yourself with that one!

And then there's pretty much my favorite thing from this book:

I can't say much more or I might spoil the fun, but seriously. That ^ was awesome!

Overall, World After was basically amazing! I can't say it was quite as epic as Angelfall was, but it's still amazing enough to warrant a five star review! I am pretty much dying while I wait for the final installment of this series! I'm just glad I don't have long to wait!

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1)
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: January 1, 2011
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Pages: 326
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Review for #2

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back... 

This is one of those books when, after I've finished it, I just sit there for a moment and think, "What did I just read?"

But in a good way. Angelfall was recommended to me by a ton of people over the last few weeks. Like, I'd never even heard of it (obviously very behind) and once I did hear of it, it was EVERYWHERE. I saw it on lists, I put it on lists! And every single person who I heard from was completely in love with it. So I took the plunge. I ordered it and had it in my hands in two days. And it had been read a very short time later.

Angelfall is only the second angel book I've read, the first being Fallen, and I'm happy to say that this one blows that out of the water!

I seriously can't understand why all the hype is around Fallen. There's literally no reason that I should never have heard of Angelfall before now because it's awesome. I'll admit, I was a little wary when I saw the names Penryn and Raffe (I had an old supervisor in the military named Raffy so that was a little weird for me), but I gave it a chance and I was seriously not disappointed.

The post-apocalyptic world presented by Susan Ee was just awesome. Nothing in this book was typical YA and I loved it because it was so real. No fantasy here (okay, other than the angels) - it's dark and grimy and realistic, which is really just so much better in this context than the romanticized versions that often appear in YA fiction. I could feel the hoplessness surrounding everyone throughout her journey to San Fransisco and the setting definitely contributed to the mood.

The story itself was like nothing I've ever read. Most books that are labeled post-apocalyptic really deal with the "post." Angelfall, however, is right in the middle of the apocalypse itself. And it's caused by angels. Not humans, not global warming - angels. The good guys. What?

I am so intrigued by the little tidbits about where their orders came from. I cannot wait to read more!

And then there were the characters. I could never quite tell how I felt about Penryn. I didn't have any real beefs with her, but there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on that I didn't really love. I think a lot of it had to do with her attitude, but then, it wouldn't have been the same story with her bleak outlook. Raffe, on the other hand...

Oh my god. Come on. How could I resist? Seriously though, Raffe was probably one of my favorite book love interests of all time - he's up there almost equal with Morpheus. And that's saying something. I could feel his anguish over his wings and even over his feelings that steadily grew. The romance, for that matter was so subtle and just so good! I can't wait to get to book two because I'm thinking that will probably be fleshed out a little more. Overall I feel like Susan Ee wrote her characters in such a sympathetic way. Even with the things I didn't like about Penryn, I still felt for her and didn't -not- like her.

So, in case you hadn't picked up on it, I loved this book. I loved it. I already ordered book two and I'm having kind of a fit to get my hands on it. Oh, and I'll just leave this here...

©Dominique Wesson

Audiobook Mini Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment (Fallen #2)
Author: Lauren Kate
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 452
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Review for Part 1

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for?

In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean – and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future . . . and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened . . . what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

Torment was really more of the same for me. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing. It opens with Luce at her new school in California where she's supposed to be hiding from the bad guys. Unfortunately, that means it's very, very similar to the first book since she goes through getting used to a new school and making new friends all over again. Also similarly, Luce makes a lot of the same mistakes. She constantly ignores warnings from Daniel to stay on school property and ends up putting everyone in danger - again.

Throughout this book, Luce is angsty and distrusting over Daniel's lack of physical presence by her side. Her immaturity is glaring throughout the book as she constantly goes off on Daniel over every little inconvenience to her. I'm just not her biggest fan. I mean, she's not a total bitch, she's just a teenager, I guess. Daniel remains one of my favorite characters. He tries so hard to keep Luce safe! Again, Adrianne was a super fun character!

Lauren Kate does a lot right with this book, she just doesn't do enough to keep me interested. I liked it... But despite the blurb's claims, the Fallen series isn't nearly addictive enough to make me read (or even listen to) the third book.

Notes on the Audiobook

Nothing much to add here either! I really enjoyed the narration provided by Justine Eyre and would certainly listen to something else performed by her.

Book Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 342
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Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

If we're being completely honest with each other, my buying Cruel Beauty was kind of a happy accident. See, I had gotten a promotional gift card to Barnes and Noble and had gone in to buy a different book. Unfortunately, there were only two copies of that one and both were in pretty poor condition. So I looked around and spotted this one, which had been on my to-read list for close to a year. I'm not sure why I hadn't picked it up sooner. Perhaps it had something to do with my Beauty and the Beast obsession and not wanting to hate it. After I bought this book, I stared at it on the shelf for about a week before I finally decided to open to chapter one. I am so glad I did!

Rosamund Hodge has created a world in Cruel Beauty that was 100% not what I was expecting. The story is dark and creepy and the characters are not the kind that you would want to love. I knew from the very first page that this book would be different. Arcadia was such a mystery but I felt like I could picture it completely in my head! I've never even heard of hermeticism, but Hodge did a fantastic job of explaining it and keeping it interesting. This is definitely one of those books that makes me sit back and think every time I close it and wonder where in the world the author could have come up with such an amazingly unique story. The combination of mythology and fairy tale, while complex, worked so well and, as a classics buff, I was totally intrigued. Rosamund Hodge really knows her myths, unlike some other authors who have tried similar techniques.

Source

The romance between Nyx and Ignifex, The Gentle Lord, was kind of strange. Then again, so was everything else. I couldn't put my finger on the moment when Nyx started to love Ignifex and I'm not entirely sure that it was love in the beginning. Like I said, these aren't characters that make you want to love them initially. Nyx was a bitch, but in a way that was totally sympathetic. Ignifex was mysterious, sometimes a little frightening, and charming for reasons I really can't identify, but I love him! Shade was equally mysterious and exciting. The love triangle in the book also worked for me, and they can definitely be pretty hit or miss.

I loved the subtle nods to Beauty and the Beast - the mirror Nyx used to see her sister, the witch's (Kindly One's) curse, the rose(s), the Gentle Lord's cat-like eyes (okay, maybe that's just me wanting to see him as the Beast). I also really loved that it was nothing like what I was expecting!

As each piece of the mystery was revealed, I felt confused at first. Once I let it sink in though, I didn't have any issues understanding what was happening. I really appreciate that everything wasn't overly spelled out or dumbed down. There was a terrifying moment near the end when I thought it was over and was ready to throw the book across the room, but then Rosamund Hodge graciously softened the blow.

Cruel Beauty was a totally amazing book. Now that it's over, I'm not sure if I should be happy that it was wrapped up at the end or sad that it isn't a trilogy. I know that I definitely want to read more from this author and soon! I highly recommend this book to... anyone! Everyone should read this book!

Book Review: The Appeal of Evil by Pembroke Sinclair

Title: The Appeal of Evil
Author: Pembroke Sinclair
Publication Date: January 13, 2014
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Pages: 210
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I received this book from the author 

in exchange for an honest review.

Katie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell.

Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the "good" guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the "bad" guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell. Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him?

When I first read the synopsis for The Appeal of Evil I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy it. It's not often you come across a paranormal romance about demons instead of vampires or werewolves! Unfortunately, it was not all I had hoped it would be (not even close).

The Appeal of Evil begins with Katie and Wes arguing and the reader is immediately made privy to their relationship woes. Honestly, there is no relationship. Katie has a crush on Wes and Wes is an unreliable jerk. The end. But not for Katie. She's been pining over him for years even though he's literally never kept a promise and she doesn't really know anything about him (though that hasn't stopped her from sharing every detail of her life with him for whatever reason). But suddenly a new guy named Josh shows up and - INSTALOVE - she can't decide who she cares more about. Even when she finds out he's a demon who wants to kill Wes (who, by the way, is a demon slayer), she can't decide who to side with. Did I mention this is like, one day after she meets Josh?

I cannot wrap my head around the relationships in this book. There is literally no reason whatsoever for Katie to have any loyalty whatsoever to Josh. To be honest, there's no reason she should feel any loyalty towards Wes either since he's a total ass. But she does. And I can't handle it.

This book, despite what I read in other reviews, is not written in such a way that I would want to continue reading it. Apart from the annoyingly unbelievable relationships, Katie is irritating. There are literally full pages of her wondering about various scenarios. For example:

Katie's breath caught in her throat. What was she going to do? In either scenario, someone was going to get hurt. Did she want to alleviate her pain by helping Josh fight against Wes? Josh was right: she did want Wes out of her life, but not permanently. And she didn't want to watch him die. Sure, he'd been a jerk and broken her heart for eleven years, but that didn't mean he deserved to be killed. And why would Josh want her to travel around with him? He was a demon; what could he possibly like about her? What could she possibly see in a demon? Did she have any other choices? If she protected Wes, she'd probably be right back to where they started. If he didn't get close to anyone for fear of them getting hurt, he would totally abandon her after they got out of this alive. Or would he? What if he continued to play the same game, claiming he just wanted to make sure she was safe? Wes popping in and out of her life would drive her insane. It already did. If she helped Josh, she was helping evil, but he'd stayed true to his word and never let her down. Could she count the last day as him keeping his word? She thought so. Wes had never kept his word hours after giving it. What was she going to do? 

Please tell me that's not the most infuriating paragraph you've ever read in your life. That's just one of several I ran across in the 22% of the book that I made it through.

Alas, I cannot say much about the world building. All I can say is the main character is one of the most annoying I've ever come across and the plot is ridiculous (so far). It seems that other people enjoyed it and maybe you would too, but I couldn't make it.