World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2) in Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review

Oct 24, 2015 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reread, mythology, favorites, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, wish-list-physical

12/18/2020: Reread!
09/19/2018: Read for the second time. Upped from 4 Stars to 5 Stars!

I really enjoyed Penryn's character journey in this book. Penryn is on her own and is separated from Raffe through the entire beginning of the book. She thinks about him a lot, but she stands on her own two feet and handles the obstacles in her life as they come at her. Her perseverance really shines through in this book. So many horrific and terrible things are happening to her and she takes them in stride as 12/18/2020: Reread!
09/19/2018: Read for the second time. Upped from 4 Stars to 5 Stars!

I really enjoyed Penryn's character journey in this book. Penryn is on her own and is separated from Raffe through the entire beginning of the book. She thinks about him a lot, but she stands on her own two feet and handles the obstacles in her life as they come at her. Her perseverance really shines through in this book. So many horrific and terrible things are happening to her and she takes them in stride as best she can. There is a mention in the books of this series that whenever something gets to her she locks it away in the vault in her mind. It comes up a lot and I think that it is a very good representation of her strength and her ability to deal with all the crazy shit that happens to her in the series. I remember when I first read the book that I disliked the fact that the two main characters were separated through most of the book. I wanted to see them together interacting. Now that I've reread the book I still kind have that feeling, but I appreciate the separation more now because of what it adds to the story. Penryn needed to have her own self-journey with Raffe and he needed to deal with his grief over what he thought was her death. The separation made Penryn focus on her internal battles and her goals and is made Raffe really think about his attachment to Penryn and what it meant to him. I also really liked how atmospheric this world is. No matter where the characters are in the book, you can literally feel yourself there with them. You can experience the feel of a dystopian world with high stakes and constant fear. The feelings that the world building evokes are visceral and tangible. As far as middle books go, this one was better than most. It doesn't suffer from middle book slump and it adds some much-needed emotion to the story. I recommend this series wholeheartedly!

Reread of the series. Entire Series Review.
It's been over two and a half years since I first read this book and the world was just as vivid the second time around! I really fell in love with this dystopian world. I like that the author didn't skimp on the ugly and gritty things that would certainly be present in an apocalyptic environment. I guess I never really thought about it the first time through, but there are some very dark elements in this series. Not just the typical survival and life or death situations but there are other themes like mental illness, abandonment, and morality. I think that one of the things that I love most about this series is the idea of what it is to be human. The world building is really strong. It was so easy to visualize the landscape and the deterioration of human society. As a whole, the premise of the story is fantastic! I adore this story and the plot is so good!

I found myself fully immersed in the characters and the romance this time around as well! I have always been drawn to fierce, snarky, and determined female lead characters. Penryn is just exactly that and I love her! She doesn't back down and she is insanely loyal. I like Raffe and his struggle throughout the series. He is a strong character with a lot of history and pain in his background. I liked his tender moments and the romance that grew between him and Penryn. I liked that the romance was a slow burn. It felt very natural. I also loved the side characters. My favorites are Penryn's family and the Tweedle twins. Penryn's mom was a mentally unstable badass that you just could not predict. Her sister was a broken doll that overcame her obstacles with grace. And the twins were the perfect comedic relief in such a serious story. I really loved the overall theme of family and loyalty throughout the whole series. Penryn took care of her family and protected them and they always did the same for her. And her acquired family of Raffe, the Resistance, and the Watchers was really strong as well. Penryn made a point in the book that the bond of family doesn't only lie in blood.

I definitely recommend this to anyone that has thought about reading it. And even those that haven't! If you enjoy paranormal stories about angels and demons then you'll love this. If you are a dystopian fan, then this would be right up your alley as well. The blending of these genres is in this series is phenomenal!

Original Review 01/07/2016 - 4 Stars
This is such a great sequel! I was glued to this book from the beginning. It starts off right where the first book left off, so nothing is missed from one book to the next. There is so much going on in this book. There are so many things happening that it does not get boring. There are so many mysterious things to ponder while reading, but not so much that it is confusing. It is a perfect balance. I have quite a few theories as to what will happen in the final book. The second book just furthers myu curiosity!

What I liked
The ending! Oh, that ending, it was perfect! The fight scenes in this book were truly remarkable. I just couldn't get enough of them! A lot of fight scenes in books can seem tedious to read, unless they are written well. The fight scenes in this book were certainly written fantastically!

The exchange between Penryn and Raffe is truly enjoyable in this book. Maybe even more so than in Angelfall. They are comfortable with each other and play off of each other with ease. The dialogues between them were quite amusing. I even laughed out loud a few times.

What I didn't like
Things seemed a little slow at the beginning of the book, but I think that is just because the first half of the book is only about Penryn. The lack of Raffe was almost unbearable. I think that if the author would have included things from Raffe's perspective at the beginning of the book then it would be flawless! It's just that all we see is what Penryn is doing and experiencing. It would be great to know what Raffe is doing and feeling. I know that we get to see a little of his point of view from the dreams that Penryn has, but they are his feelings and experiences while they were together. Not what Raffe was doing or feeling after the first book. So I am on the fence about the dreams. I mean, I like that Penryn gets a small glimpse into Raffe, but in no way does it make up for his lack of presence through over half the book. ...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Becca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-ll-eat-you-up-i-love-you-so, im-a-warrior-hear-me-roar, and-i-am-waiting-for-the-next-one, love-this-author, buddy-read-buddy-read, na-no-not-that-n-a-new-adult

so that just happened.

...more

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Apr 07, 2014 Turhan Halil rated it liked it

I'm not going to give an outline of the story, several other reviewers have already done a great job doing so, plus you can read the blurb wherever you buy the book 'online'

I began wondering what the purpose of the POV characters were after reading the first 10 chapters, there wasn't a central story arc and it just seemed as though everyone was still just reacting to the "World After' they found themselves in, (world building?) with the central monologue of one person 'Penryn'

I was along for the I'm not going to give an outline of the story, several other reviewers have already done a great job doing so, plus you can read the blurb wherever you buy the book 'online'

I began wondering what the purpose of the POV characters were after reading the first 10 chapters, there wasn't a central story arc and it just seemed as though everyone was still just reacting to the "World After' they found themselves in, (world building?) with the central monologue of one person 'Penryn'

I was along for the ride, listening to her internal account about the circumstances the human race find themselves in. The problem I had with this book is that it was a little too much of the same all the way up to around two thirds of the book. It reminded me of ice cream, I luv ice cream, I luv Susan's 'voice' but there's only so many flavours I want to try before I feel like having something substantial to eat, in my case that would be fish fingers/sticks and french fries, for you, that may be a steak.

I know the story is of a dystopia, and I know it's the recounting of one person's quest to keep safe the fragments of what's left of her family and life after everything changed. But I'm assuming that the purpose of reading 'her' particular arc is that she is integral in a 'resolution' for all of 'us' humans. Not that it's her, 'Penryn's' purpose, because she is cast as the unassuming hero, not out of choice but more out of a 'hero rises out of the ashes' and finds herself repeatedly having to rescue her family which also means being faced with decisions about staying to fight the 'enemy' and rescue more victims.

The problem I'm having is that I need to know there is 'hope' for us all as humans, but what I'm reading is lot's of to'ing and fro'ing minutiae and not enough 'big picture' and is there a plan to get us out of Dodge?

What kept me turning the pages, because I was bored until the final third which I found thoroughly entertaining, was Susan's 'voice' and because I read 'Angelfall' if it wasn't for those two elements, I would have put the book down.

At this point I'm not sure that I'll be reading the third installment because I'm all 'ice-creamed out' and I'm screaming instead for 'real food' (although there are times that I have ice cream for my entree) I'll keep an eye on reviews for book three and if I'm compelled by substantial praise for it's merits, then I'll cave and read it.

I'm not sure how to configure the ratings 'stars' to show a half star, but for me, this was a 2 1/2 stars, so I'll have to give it a three star rating until I learn and edit the half star thing. ...more

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Jan 20, 2014 Amie's Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

WORLD AFTER by Susan Ee is the second book in the Penryn & The End of Days Series.

This Young Adult Fantasy Thriller is well written and richly detailed.

Penryn has recovered from her paralyzing scorpion/monster sting.
Raffe believes she is dead and wants nothing more than to get his stolen wings back from Beliel.

Paige has been turned into a nightmarish, twisted version of herself and everyone now views her as a monster rather than the scared and victimized little girl that she is.

Penryn and Paig ...more

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