Book Review + Giveaway: Angelfall and World After, ends 11/26

World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2) by Susan Ee.

I know that soon I'll have to think about Paige, Mom, and Clara. My priorities will be all about survival and getting my family together and keeping them safe from monsters and people alike.

But for now, for just this moment, I let myself be a seventeen-year-old girl in a strong guy's arms. I even let some of the what-ifs seep in, the kind of possibilities that might have blossomed between us in the World Before.

Just for a little while.

Before I carefully fold my dreams away into the vault in my head.

When I got the email asking me to review World After, I initially declined, since it was the second in a series and I hadn't read Angelfall. I was then offered Angelfall so I accepted, even though my TBR pile is getting out of control these days.

All I have to say is: I'm SO glad I did!

Official synopsis: Angelfall
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.

Official synopsis: World After
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?
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This is a review of World After, so there may be some spoilers if you haven't read Angelfall - you've been warned. The synopses above don't really give many spoilers, however, which is why I've included both.

I loved Angelfall and was so glad I had my advance copy of World After to delve in to the day after finishing the first book. Angelfall definitely ends with the plot wide open - anything could happen - so I was curious to see what would happen to Penryn and Raffe, her angel friend.

The world that Susan Ee has created here was a mix between the Blue Bloods series (Melissa de la Cruz), only with angels, and the atmosphere of The Walking Dead TV show (minus the zombies), in that Penryn is living in a post-apocalyptic world where she frequently has to hide out. The books take place in California, specifically the Bay Area, and as she hops from house to house, she sees the things that people have left behind: family photos, clothing, etc. (much like in the early seasons of TWD).

In World After, Penryn is trying to get her sister Paige back, who she was reunited with at the end of book 1, but who she has now lost again. Raffe is on the loose somewhere with new angel wings - actually, demon wings - and she would eventually like to reunite with him as well. She's been separated from her crazy mother as well, and wants to make sure she is safe.

These novels will be addicting for anyone who likes dystopian books, and I can't wait to read the third one in the series, which will be out in May 2014.

World After is in bookstores today, November 19th. 5 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I received an e-copy of Angelfall and an ARC of World After for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

GIVEAWAY:

You can win both books in paperback format! Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Contest ends Tuesday, November 26th at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified on November 27th via email and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen. U.S./Canada only, please.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway