Photo credits: Kelle pics
Edited by Vaishali
Title: ‘World After'
Author: Susan Ee Series: (Penryn & the End of Days #2) Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Angles, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Year of Publication: 2013 Version: Paperback ISBN: 978-1-444-77853-3
Themes: Forbidden love, oppresion, mother/daughter family dynamics, suspense, Post Apocalypse
NOTE: Would recommend reading the first book in the 'Penryn & the End of Days' series (Angelfall) before reading this review as there may be spoilers!
Review
“Finally.
It’s time for Judgment Day. The legendary apocalypse is here!”
‘World After’ follows on from the Resistance uprising’s attack on the angel’s stronghold, igniting chance but also hope for the oppressed humans strewn all over world, enduring the apocalypse by any means necessary. Walking different paths, Raffe and Penryn are separate in their individual quests; Raffe (believing Penryn is dead) is on the hunt for his wings and the brutish angel Beliel who stole them; Penryn is still leading her family’s survival, searching for her haunted sister after her brutal capture. Paige is irrevocably altered, seen as nothing more than a monster for what has become of her in the hands of the angel persecutors.
‘I watch the men watching me, and I know that there is no such thing as a safe harbour in the World After.’
The prejudice of difference and diversity is addressed, as the changed and maltreated are outcasted for their obscure appearances alone, namely Paige, who herself is so heartbrokenly unaccompanied in her suffering, misunderstood by even the people she loves and calls family. Though Penryn’s heart is in the right place, she too is predisposed in distancing herself from her little sister’s isolation (being seen as less than human and a prey of abuse). Yearning for the one angel who could understand her rejection and the ongoing hostility she faces by her own people, Paige follows her own quest in finding her manipulative angel captor. As unfortunate as Paige’s circumstances are though, she could be a potential aid in humanity’s rising against the angels, her abilities possibly being pivotal in what will become of the World After.
“I may have lost faith in humanity. Maybe they’re right to exterminate us…You’re a hero. I’m hoping you’ll restore my faith and show me that we’re worth saving."
There is nothing civilised about this world that Susan Ee has engineered. Survival is always at the forefront of Penryn’s mind, dreams and possibilities are void impossibilities for her when she has to rely on instinct and knack alone. Penryn is self-controlled, and even though she doesn’t know the right course of action most of the time, her drive and forthright attitude always pushes her in the right direction, that’s not to say though that she doesn’t always entangle herself in troubling situations. I love that Penryn as a woman always succeeds in facing off male attackers who underestimate her, and I can’t help but cheer for her when she proves that she is more than her size.
‘I leap up at the last second and stab my blade into his crotch with all the force of my sprinting legs. Why bother attacking their strengths when you can go straight for their weaknesses?'
This instalment is bundled with ongoing action and suspense, and granted there is new content, but I would have liked more backstory, information and angel history, how the apocalypse came about precisely and why the angels are actually here on earth. Raffe is absent for about 75% of the book, and even though there is mention and memory of him throughout, I felt that his separation from Penryn eliminated something from the story and I didn’t feel that it was necessary for their parting to be prolonged. 'World After' is gory and ominously divisive, heart-wrenching and heart-provoking, and sometimes heart-restoring. Often the hero is the person who doesn’t feel like the hero, but their actions are heroic without intending to be heroic because it's about a person’s incentive and inspiration for being courageous, and Penryn does what she does not for herself as herself has always been subordinate. She does it because of her faithfulness to her family, and because she maintains a sense of ethics in this broken world of ruin and dilapidation. This gives her prominence in her own right.
‘Anyone who is alive now is a survivor. They’ve done what it takes to make it this far, and they can’t help but keep going.’
Even at the end of the world, groupings, categorisations and biases never cease, and outsiders exist more than ever. Though an apocalypse can at times bring out the best in people, it can more often than not bring out the worst…and though the masses are slaves to the harbingers of catastrophe, humans are surreptitiously climbing the ladders in this fight, and faith isn’t adrift yet.
A story of forbidden love between a human and an angel, wanting what rules won’t allow them to have in any lifetime.
‘He is the one pocket of warmth in a sea of ice. Being in his arms feels like the home I never had.’
Penryn and Raffe’s hearts are aligned, but their goals are not. Dire punishment is reserved for the Fallen but will they both cross drastic lines to unite in love, or will this putrefying world of political machinations divide them…
“It’s dangerous to be with me.”
“It’s dangerous to be without you.” ‘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.’ I gave this book 3.8 stars -
Warning: Distressing scenes involving children. A lot of physical violence and inhumane treatment of humans, and slavery.
My Rating System:
★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read
THIS PART WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Favourite Parts/Things I liked:
1) Penryn and Raffe’s reunion! 2) Pooky Bear 3) Clara reuniting with her family. 4) Paige’s vengeance on Beliel. 5) Raffe getting his wings back! 6) Penryn’s kill at the end of the book.
Favourite Quotes:
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“You broke me out of the grasp of a living horror when I thought all hope was gone. You gave me the opportunity to crawl back to life when no one else could.” She glances over at me, her eyes shining in the dark. “You’re a hero. Penryn, whether you like It or not.” “The right thing is a luxury for rich and sheltered people. For the rest of us, the only right thing is staying out of trouble and surviving as best we can.” ‘It’s amazing how many times we have to go against our survival instincts to survive.’ ‘His laugh is weak and in need of air but it may still be the greatest sound I’ve ever heard.’ “I hadn’t realised just how attached I’d gotten.” He reaches and moves a strand of wet hair out of my face. “How dangerously addictive she could be.” “We’re mortal enemies and I should be trying to kill you and everyone like you.” He leans over, touches the tip of his forehead to mine, and closes his eyes. “Yes.
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