It's a full on angel Apocalypse....

Hey Bookies, long time no review! Sorry about that; so here goes nothing. At the beginning of this month I finished Susan Ee's novel End of Days; the final book in the Angelfall Trilogy. I was really dragged reading this out because I was so in love with the series. So reading this book was really bittersweet. It was very hard to leave behind Raffe and Penryn. In this book we are thrust back into a world that seems to have ended; however, the real apocalypse has not even happened yet. Which makes this book even more exciting. I know that seems messed up to wish an apocalyptic event on a books characters; but, if you've read these books you know that the action is often the best part. 

Honestly reading about Raffe and Penryn battling it out with scorpion like creatures and rogue Angels is the truly the best! It also happens to produce some of the funniest dialogue I have ever read. The best part of this particular book is when Raffe and Penryn decend into the underworld to bring back fallen angels to help Raffe fight for the human race. 

It was during their time in the underworld that I think Raffe's true feelings for Penryn are on full display. The tension between them had been building since the second book. However, Raffe made it clear that he could not be with her no matter how he felt because getting the heavenly hosts (the Angels) back in order is what is most important. He promises Penryn that he will do all he can to get the Angels back where they belong and perhaps they will even be able to fix what happened to her sister. What I loved about the story is that Susan Ee seemed to wrap things up so nicely. She really left no lose ends. What was most surprising was Raffe's sacrifice to keep Penryn safe. I really wish that Susan had showed us a little more of what happened after the finally battle to save humanity. All together I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads. 

Quotes I loved:

“He looks down at me with sincere eyes. 'If I were human, I would have been the first in line for you...' He looks away. 'But I'm not. I'm an archangel, and my people are in trouble. I have no choice but to try to set things straight. I can't get distracted by a Daughter of Man.” 

“Raffe arches his brow at me. ‘You should be with a nice human boy. One who takes your orders and puts up with your demands. Someone who dedicates his life to keeping you safe and well fed. Someone who can make you happy. Someone you can be proud of.’ He waves his hand at the Watchers. ‘There’s nobody like that in this lot.’ 
I glare at him. ‘I’ll be sure to pass him by you first before I’ – settle for – ‘choose him.’ 
‘You do that. I’ll let him know what’s expected of him.’ 
‘Assuming he survives your interrogation,’ says Howler. 
‘Big assumption,’ says Cyclone. 
‘I’d like to be there to watch,’ says Hawk. ‘Should be interesting.” 

"I challenge you to come find us.’ ‘This is Penryn Young, Daughter of Man, Killer of Angels." 

 

If your not reading her books you should be....

So on this day during Women's History Month I want to talk about one of my favorite Word Nerds (that all of you need to be reading), Susan Ee. Susan is the author of the Angelfall Trilogy. A group of YA dystopian novels that revolve around the Archangel Raphael and a teenage girl name Penryn. I was absolutely addicted to this series. I actually finished the last two books last month! I am posting about Susan because her character Penryn is one of the best developed YA characters I have read in sometime. For more information Susan Ee and her books visit www.susanee.com

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the Angelfall series:

First Impressions are everything; the Bookbabe Reads: End of Days by Susan Ee

Finally I have gotten done with book 2 of the Angelfall trilogy by Susan Ee (World After) and I am on to End of Days! I am now 128 pages in and I am absolutely in love. Penryn has finally allowed herself to think about her feelings for Raffe and we finally get to know his true feelings for her. I want this match to work out but I also know Raffe is dedicated to his "side"; though I have a suspicion that they will it be all that dedicated to him in the end. 

It dawned on me as I was reading the beginning of this book that the next time I recommend it I will would most likely  call it a cross between Mortal instruments and the Hunger Games. 

Here is the synopsis of the book (from Amazon.com):

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?

My Fall 2015 to Read List

                      

             My Fall 2015 Reading  List

1) World After by Susan Ee

2) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

3) First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

4) Eve by Wm. Paul Young

5) The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

6) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

7) Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

8) Siddhartha by Herman Heese

9) Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

10) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

11) Inferno by Dan Brown

12) Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

13) 1984 by George Orwell

14) Kalona's Fall by P.C. and Kristin Cast

The Bookbabe Reviews....Angelfall by Susan Ee

What is not to like about this book? Susan Ee gives us all the things that we love about current YA (young adult fiction). It has fallen angels, a post apocalyptic world, a kick ass main character and a hot forbidden love interest. What I really loved about this book is that it was so different from all the others that I have read over the years. Some could say that it is like Hunger games. We have our main character Penryn trying to protect her family after Angels have descended on the world and ripped it apart. She has to deal with a Schizophrenic mother that is off her meds. She also has to support her

handicapped sister. They have little food and have made a decision to make a run for it and so that they can be in a safer environment.
Along the way the stumble across a fight between a few Angels and here is where we meet our hot, sarcastic angel named Raffe. Raffe becomes a very likeable character right off the start. He is not very much unlike many of the other male characters we find in this kind of YA
novel.  In fact when he is first introduced he reminds me so much of Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
   Raffe seems distant and unwilling to help Penryn after her sister is kidnapped by Angels. However, he seems drawn to her and duty bound to help. So they make and alliance that seems fragile at first but later as the book progresses we see that it so something all together deeper that will keep them together a bit longer. Another thing that I really
enjoyed about this book is that Susan Ee is not afraid to be gory and to create creatures that will scare the living mess out of you. The monsters at the end of this book will make you cringe. I can’t wait to see what she does in the next two installments of the series. I will
definitely say that this book is really worth your time and will be a great and very fast read that will keep you turning the pages.

Quote I loved:
“When I was little, I always thought I’d be Cinderella, but I guess
this makes me the wicked witch. But then again, Cinderella didn’t live
in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by avenging angels”.



For personal book recommendations you can email me at thebookbabe84@gmail.com

My Reads For February/March....

 

1) Angelfall by Susan Ee

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again. 

2) Until I Saw Your Smile by J.J. Murray

At Smith's Sweet Treats and Coffee, you'll find Brooklyn's best house blend and the freshest homemade pastries. It's more than a business to owner Angela Smith. It's her home and her refuge--one she stands to lose thanks to her gouging landlord. Then a new regular offers to cover her rent increase if Angela lets him meet his clients there. If Matthew McConnell weren't such a persuasive lawyer--and so sweet, funny, and sexy--she wouldn't dream of letting him in.

Since he left a high-paying, soul-sucking legal firm to go solo, Matthew has been striking out, professionally and personally. The best part of his love life is regaling Angela with date-from-hell stories over steaming, fragrant coffee. Behind her captivating smile is a smart, sensual woman he'd love to get close to. And when a secret from her past is suddenly exposed, he gets a chance to prove he's the man she needs, in every way that matters.

3) The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As told to Alex Haley

 With its first great victory in the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the civil rights movement gained the powerful momentum it needed to sweep forward into its crucial decade, the 1960s. As voices of protest and change rose above the din of history and false promises, one voice sounded more urgently, more passionately, than the rest. Malcolm X—once called the most dangerous man in America—challenged the world to listen and learn the truth as he experienced it. And his enduring message is as relevant today as when he first delivered it.
 
In the searing pages of this classic autobiography, originally published in 1964, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and anti-integrationist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Black Muslim movement to veteran writer and journalist Alex Haley . In a unique collaboration, Haley worked with Malcolm X for nearly two years, interviewing, listening to, and understanding the most controversial leader of his time.
 
Raised in Lansing, Michigan, Malcolm Little journeyed on a road to fame as astonishing as it was unpredictable. Drifting from childhood poverty to petty crime, Malcolm found himself in jail. It was there that he came into contact with the teachings of a little-known Black Muslim leader renamed Elijah Muhammad. The newly renamed Malcolm X devoted himself body and soul to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the world of Islam, becoming the Nation’s foremost spokesman. When his conscience forced him to break with Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity to reach African Americans across the country with an inspiring message of pride, power, and self-determination.
 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X defines American culture and the African American struggle for social and economic equality that has now become a battle for survival. Malcolm’s fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American Dream, and the inherent racism in a society that denies its nonwhite citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand America.
 

4) Sally Hemings: A Novel by Barbara Chase - Riboud

One of the greatest love stories in American history is also one of the most controversial. Thomas Jefferson had a mistress for 38 years whom he loved and lived with until he died—the beautiful and elusive Sally Hemings. But it was not simply that Jefferson had a mistress that provoked such a scandal in both his time and ours. It was that Sally Hemings was a quadroon slave and that Jefferson fathered a slave family whose descendants are alive today. In this moving novel, originally published in 1979 and having sold over two million copies worldwide, Barbara Chase-Riboud re-creates one of America’s most powerful love stories, based on the documents and evidence of the day, and gives us a poignant, tragic, and unforgettable meditation on the history of race and sex in America.