Susan Ee Releases Long-Awaited Sequel to Angelfall
Priscilla Ng
Staff Writer
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Author Susan Ee has recently published World After, her second installment in her five-part fantasy thriller series Penryn and the End of Days.
The novel picks up right where Angelfall left off, with Penryn being returned to her family while her archangel partner Raffe searches for Beliel, the demon who stole his wings. Penryn struggles to adapt to the post-apocalyptic world the angels have brought, as well as her new relationship with her psychotic mother and her newly transformed little sister Paige.
While there may be many teen fiction books about the supernatural, largely catalyzed by the popularity of the Twilight franchise, Ee’s series has managed to stand out by not falling into the typical cliche of forbidden romance prevalent throughout fantasy novels. There are hints of romance, but Ee ensures that the focus of the novel is not on that aspect of the plot, as the male lead character is not even present for more than half the book.
Instead, the novel is much darker than many would expect, with often gruesome and bloody deaths. It explores the uglier side of human nature, where acceptance and compassion take a backseat to self-preservation and survival. However, the book is not all doom and gloom, and is punctuated by moments of humor and sarcasm, which help to lighten the mood of the rather bleak world the novel is set in.
Overall, World After is an action-packed, fast-paced novel that makes for light and easy reading. While it is clear that Ee mostly used this novel to build up to the next installment of the series, the book is still an interesting read that will not disappoint fans of Angelfall.
Ee has planned for three more books to continue Penryn’s story; titles and publish dates of the next installments are still to be announced.
Eagle Era 