My TBR List Review *March* ~ End of Days ~ Susan Ee #MyTBRL #TakeControl #TravelingtotheTerminus

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. 

Gah! I'm late posting my review. I'm so sorry! I didn't start reading earlier enough and I was traveling this past week with my two younger kids doing college tours...which meant I was exhausted by the time we made it to our hotel every night so I never got much more than a paragraph read. *sigh* Anyway, here is my review served up with my apologies for my tardiness. :)


End of Days by Susan Ee
Penryn and the End of Days #3
Release Date: March 12, 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia
Source: Purchased Paperback
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Challenges: #MyTBRL, #ShelfLove, #TakeControl, #TravelingtotheTerminus
Goodreads

Synopsis
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?

This final installment was fantastic! Ee managed to end Penryn's and Raffe's story in a pulse-pounding, gritty, and riveting manner. 

Highlights

• Setting
  Ee expertly portrayed not only post-apocalyptic San Francisco but also the desolate, scorching landscape of Hell (the Pit)
• Characters
  Of course, Penryn and Raffe are well developed but Ee managed to instill such life into each of her characters. I felt emotion for or towards each of them - good or bad, positive or negative. She even managed to make me feel empathy for Beliel.
• Action
  There was never a dull moment with action, battles, important decisions being made. I was flipping through the pages quickly in anticipation of what came next.
• Romance
  Even though this is YA Romance-lite, it was enough of an element to count and I enjoyed how the process of falling in love changed both Penryn's and Raffe's perspectives on each other's "people".
• Message
  I'm sure it's always been present but it was more prevalent in this final installment and I so appreciate what Ee had to impart about topics like racism and bigotry and humanity in general. Using what humans survived "the Attack" as well as the hellions and Angels, Ee spoke to how our differences and our flaws are what make us what we are...what make us beautiful and decent. Perfection is over-rated and being perfect - looking perfect - doesn't equate to superiority. And I most appreciated her ability to renew my faith in humanity by bringing a group of humans together with a common purpose and being witness to what is possible when that happens.

I still felt that the actions of the characters were realistic and I liked how members on all sides - human, hellion, and angelic - were able to have open-minds and change their views in regards to some things. Overall, this was an incredibly satisfying ending to Penryn and Raffe's story. I'm only sorry it took me so long to finish it!

New Release Review ~ Angel of Shadow ~ D.H. Nevins #2018NewRelease

Angel of Shadow by D.H. Nevins
Wormwood #2
Release Date: January 13, 2018
Genre: Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Source: I received an eARC from the author. This did not affect my rating and my review is provided voluntarily.
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #2018NewRelease
Goodreads

Synopsis
D.H. Nevins hurtles you into a world of half-angels, demons and tormented love in this driving, dystopian sequel to Wormwood.

Half-angels, known as Nephilim, have all but destroyed the surface of the Earth. Yet for Kali Michaels, her life is now much more complicated than simply surviving. Grappling with her own powerful identity, she worries her connection to the world of Shadows could destroy those around her.
And what if she hurts Tiamat Wormwood, the Nephilim outcast who has given everything to save her?
Tiamat and Kali know hey have no future - not when outside forces and Kali's own power push both the humans and the Nephilim to the brink of extinction.
As she fights to stop the inevitable, she is led to question who her real enemies are, and whether the ultimate threat may actually be herself.

To say I'd been anxiously awaiting the release of Angel of Shadow is an understatement. Wormwood made much an impression I couldn't wait to see what Kali and Tiamat did next. But wait I did. And fortunately, Angel of Shadow was worth the wait!

Highlights

• Characters
  Of course, Kali and Tiamat are the central characters of the story but Nevins also further developed characters we'd previously met as well as weaving in some new ones. All the characters, particularly a demon named Richard, added complexity to the story overall as well as creating tension, suspense, and providing comic relief. I'm a fan of character growth and watching Kali in particular grow, change, and mature was a pleasure.
• Action/Suspense/Gritty Setting
  Angel of Shadow didn't skimp on action or suspense. Now that the Nephilim are split and no one is quite certain what the new missions is, I waited and watched with bated breath to see what was going to happen. Also a revelation concerning Kali had me biting my nails as the repercussions slowly revealed themselves. And of course Richard had to keep stirring things up for all involved.
  Nevins adeptly paints a post-apocalyptic landscape. I could almost taste the dust and ask, feel the crunch of dirt and small pebbles being walked on, feel the oppressive darkness of the caves. And the battle scenes had me gasping for air.
• Thought-provoking Elements
  Nevins had Kali, Tiamat, and other dealing with accepting new roles as well as accepting themselves when new characteristics/traits were realized. It was interesting and exciting to witness characters learning to deal when things went against long-held beliefs, when they reached deep and found inner strength they didn't realize was there, and try to understand that genetics don't make a person, it's the choices the person makes and the actions the take that make them who they are. Kali and Tiamat are also exploring love - what it means to love and to be loved.

And all this was delivered in Nevins' beautiful prose.

The future is uncertain for Kali, Tiamat, and their friends. Whatever comes, they'll face it together. I'm eager to see where things go from here.

My TBR List Review ~ June ~ World After ~ Susan Ee

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. 


World After by Susan Ee
Penryn & the End of Days #2
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased paperback
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #MyTBRList, #ShelfLove, #TravelingtotheTerminus
Goodreads

Synopsis
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?

Confession: I wouldn't have thought I'd have enjoyed this as much as I did knowing Raffe wasn't as big a presence. But there you have it.... :D

For me, World After was fantastic! It was fast-paced, gritty, and enthralling. I'm overly anxious to see how it all ends so it's a good thing book 3 is already on my shelf.

What Worked

• The anticipation. Ee kept me glued to the pages and on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.
• The thought-provoking actions of both humans and angels. Seeing how the humans reacted to and in situations, their fear of the unknown and of the "different". It was at times gut-wrenching. Would I react differently? Hmm... And learning more about the "why" behind all that's going on - the angels' appearance on Earth and the destruction they've wrought - was rather chilling. We see angels as benevolent beings and these angels are far from that description.
• The detail. Ee deftly crafted this "world after" with San Francisco as its focal point. Her description of the landscape, the buildings, the people left following the attack is gritty, brutal, and terrifying. She doesn't shy away from the violence wrought by either side.

What Could Have Worked Better

• More Raffe *sigh*

Okay, okay so there's not really much of anything I'd change. I think the actions of the characters is so realistic and I find it fascination to see how far both side - human and angel - are willing to go for what they want...what they're willing to sacrifice - be it to save themselves or those they love. Like I said, I'm overly anxious to see this to the end.

**#Jumble Your Genres Review ~ Unravel Me ~ Tahereh Mafi**

The genre for May was Dystopian. I chose to read Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. Obviously, my review is late. :)

***

Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi
Shatter Me #2
Release Date: Genre: YA Dystopian/Fantasy
Source: I purchased a paperback
Rating: 5 Bookworms

Synopsis
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it's almost

time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her - people with gifts - and it is also the headquarters of the rebel restistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart - and Adam's life.

Wow! Unravel Me was an excellent followup to Shatter Me. It has a slightly different feel - mainly because we aren't reading Juliette's journal - but the story is even more exciting and is told in Mafi's exquisite prose.

In Unravel Me, we see Juliette working with Omega Point - training and trying to learn more about and how to control her gift. Along the way, Juliette's relationship with Adam evolves in unexpected ways. We see her begin to make attempts at friendship with others. And she's still thinking of Warner. (*swoon*)

What makes this story amazing is that Mafi creates this stark world - a world heading toward war, with characters set in their belief that their way is the right way - this suspenseful, exciting fantasy/dystopian story, and wraps it around very important lessons. It's incredible that Mafi weaves lessons on learning to love and accept yourself...that it's our differences that make us special. And lessons on not judging others based on preconceived notions. Juliette suffered horribly because of people judging her and then she did the same thing to Warner.

I was so offended and upset on Juliette's behalf. The people of Omega Point treated her no differently than anyone ever has. And Castle - he tells her she's selfish - not trying to make friends or fit in. I couldn't wrap my head around his not understanding that she's had 17 years of no love, no friends, no compassion, no touching. How would she even know how to go about making friends?

It was an incredibly awe-inspiring thing to witness Juliette mature - accept herself and decide to use her gift in a way she chooses. She had to endure even more pain but she made some decisions on her own, stood up for herself. Good stuff!

Mafi also throws in some twists and turns in the plot that were very unexpected and yet made things so clear. I don't what to say much about Adam and Warner to avoid being spoilery. Y'all know I have a thing for Warner and my feelings grew even deeper in this installment.

I cannot wait to read Adam's novella and Ignite Me! I need to know how it all turns out. I only wish I could read them NOW! :)

**That's What HE Said ~ #6**

That's What He Said is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies @Chapter Break. Here's the deal: every Thursday, post a line from your book boyfriend to his heroine. Keep in mind, these are direct quotes from dialog in the books. The quote doesn't have to be romantic - just something our hunky hero said to his lucky lady. Be sure to link up over at Chapter Break as well.

This week's That's What He Said is from Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi.

***

"I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend." he says. 

-Warner to Juliette

I'm so in love this with this series and with Warner! ;) This is Warner essentially making sure Juliette is aware of his intentions. It was an amazing scene. If you haven't yet read this series, it is a MUST read.

**Review ~ Destroy Me ~ Tahereh Mafi**

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me Series #1.5 
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Genre: YA Dystopian/Fantasy
Source: I purchased an ecopy on my Kindle
Rating: 5 Bookworms

Synopsis
In Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from the Reestablishment by seducing Warner - and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she'll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of...

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner's father, The Supreme Commander of the Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son's mistakes, it's clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45. 

 

Oh my GOOD.NESS! Destroy Me is an intimate and fascinating look inside Warner's head. Yep...Warner! *swoon*

Destroy Me allows us a view into Warner's thoughts and actions, both past and present, following the events at the end of Shatter Me. I must say I've fallen even harder for this seemingly ruthless young man.

Here we get a few answers as to why Warner became obsessed with Juliette. We are made privy to a few inside secrets of Warner's. And through Warner's reading of Juliette's journal, we learn that Warner and Juliette truly are more alike than either would probably like to admit.

We also witness the interactions between Warner and his father, The Supreme Commander. These interactions are very telling and explain so much about the man Warner has become. 

We're also allowed more glimpses of Warner's softer side - those underlying redeeming qualities I knew existed in him. My heart kinda broke for him. His intentions towards Juliette are good and noble. He truly does care for Juliette and although they may have been brought together under inauspicious circumstances, Warner saw something of himself in Juliette. And he's determined to get her back - to win her.