End of Days By Susan Ee | Review

Book Details
Author: Susan Ee
Ages: Young Adult
Rating: 7/10
Number of Pages: 435
Plot: The conclusion in the Angelfall trilogy, End of Days follows Penryn and Raffe in their search of a doctor who can fix Raffe's wings and reverse the monstrous changes inflicted on Penryn's sister. But Penryn and Raffe are also on the run from the angels they have wronged and the impeding doom of a biblical apocalypse. With the evil angel Uriel trying to drum up support for his campaign to become the messenger of the angels and the growth of the human refugee camps, Penryn and Raffe are faced with more problems then they can cope with on their own and must seek out allies from both their present and past. Thrust into a new age of apocalyptic war, Penryn and Raffe are divided between their kind and each other. In a dystopian take on the traditional biblical ideas of the apocalypse, Ee uses the perfect mix of humour and courage to modernise a traditional tale.

Review: As I haven't published reviews for the other books in the trilogy, this will act as an overall comment on the trilogy as a whole. I found the first in this trilogy, Angelfall, in a bookshop a few months back and was intrigued by the synopsis and the distressed cover (I am a major sucker for a beautiful book cover!) After reading the first book I was impressed by the unusual take on dystopian fiction Ee took and wanted to learn more about the characters she had created. One thing that Ee must be praised for is her amazing integration of comedy and action in such a way that doesn't feel overused or tiresome. The comedic elements of the books offered a needed break from the fast-paced action or the soppy scenes between Penryn and Raffe. Unlike other YA series, however, the comedic parts didn't feel forced. Instead they flowed naturally with the plot and didn't seem unnatural with her characters personalities. The ongoing banter between Penryn and the angels she meets along the way. It's because of this that Ee's series is truly enjoyable and easy to read and as a result helped eased me back into reading after such a long break.

The characterisation in this series is executed brilliantly. The characters of Penryn and Raffe are so well developed across the three books that you can actually really connect with them despite being in a fictitious world. I especially loved the character of Raffe. For those of you who haven't read this trilogy, Raffe is an archangel. Ee, however, humanises the character in such a way that by the end of the trilogy he actually felt like someone I've known for years rather than a character I've only read about for a few months or weeks. Although the books are exclusively from the perspective of Penryn, I feel as if Ee is still able to successfully portray Raffe's own emotions and thoughts.

"This is Penryn Young, Daughter of Man, Killer of Angels."

Despite all of the great characters and the intriguing plot there were points in the series where the pace seemed to slow down in such a way that chapters would begin to drag. And I know it is inevitable for a book to slow down in places but for me there seemed to be a pattern in all three of the books whereby any form of action would inevitably be followed by a few chapters of slow-paced dialogue. The build up to the final showdown was arguably the slowest and made the final action piece seem a little rushed. Although I totally loved the series overall it was a little disappointing to end on such a anti-climatic event, I just really hope that Susan Ee does return to Penryn's world.

So I would recommend this series to any dystopian fan, something I seem to say about most of the books I'm reading at the moment. What makes this series so enjoyable is the fact that it is one of the lesser-known dystopian series and yet covers a whole new take on the apocalyptic genre. The characterisation and the integration of comedy are also aspects that I feel are often overlooked in other YA series. Despite the ending I did really enjoy this series. The books were quick and easy to read and got me back into reading really quickly.

Have you read 'End of Days'? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!