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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Actual rating 4.5
The final book in the trilogy, End of Days begins with a killer dedication to "readers like Penryn who have it tough at home...You are being fire forged, just like Penryn." Beautiful.
Overall, this whole series as a doozy. I struggle to think of many female characters that measure up to Penry's intelligence, loyalty, and general butt-kicking. I will remember her fondly.
This final book stood out from the first two in that it moved beyond looking for Paige and trying to survive while trying to deal with Raffe's wings. This time there is a clear mission, and we see Penryn taking charge in a big way. There's not a ton that's changed with Penryn that I saw between the books, because she was always very brave and exhibited leadership potential. She definitely steps into that role more in this book, but I wasn't surprised or like, “Wow, she really grew up!”
Penryn has some interesting thoughts about how people treat one another in the face of total destruction. Even when the enemy is not human, the humans still massacre each other, which I think is totally realistic. I image that if Earth were ever invaded that humans would rip each other apart. But despite all that, Penryn risks her life over and over to try to save humanity because it's the right thing to do. I admire her moral compass.
Especially in the beginning, I thought the book was getting a bit trope-y. There's the forbidden love between Raffe and Penryn. She knows she loves him but also knows she can't have him. She tries to push herself away but keeps falling for him and tries to push him away again… Just as I was getting sick of it, they get over it. Penryn has her mission, Raffe has his. It sucks and it hurts, but they move on. Such good romance writing.
Let's talk about that ending. There are a lot of ticked off and disappointed reviewers, which I do understand. The ending for me was okay. It was just okay. I wasn't disappointed and I wasn't elated. I was pleased with it.
I was okay with the ending because I was glad they were together. It wrapped up nice and neat without making me cringe. I think the ending could have been stronger had Penryn and Raffe gone their separate ways, because Penryn would have been strong enough to handle it. The epilogue could have been something like Raffe sending a message to her or visiting in secret. Or something. So I agree that the ending wasn't the greatest, but I wasn't about to throw the book across the room.
I'm confused about Paige. I wanted to know more of what happened to her to begin with. She can control the locusts, yes, but how? And why? Penryn just accepts it and moves on, but I wanted to know how she wound up being the “savior of humanity” or whatever that was mentioned in the last book. And she did indeed save a bunch of people, but all of humanity? Not so much. That little piece of the plot just fell apart for me.
I can't end te review without acknowledging the literary genius that is Dee and Dum. They were the comic relief and kind of reminded me of the Weasley twins. Even though I knew they were created to lighten the mood and not for a much greater purpose, I loved them. I was so scared that one of them would die (a la Fred Weasley). I think that would have broken my heart more than the idea of Raffe and Penryn not ending up together.
I'd recommend this series to fans of dark fantasy and lovers of solid but not soppy romance. It's most appropriate for about 9th grade and up.
The final book in the trilogy, End of Days begins with a killer dedication to "readers like Penryn who have it tough at home...You are being fire forged, just like Penryn." Beautiful.
Overall, this whole series as a doozy. I struggle to think of many female characters that measure up to Penry's intelligence, loyalty, and general butt-kicking. I will remember her fondly.
This final book stood out from the first two in that it moved beyond looking for Paige and trying to survive while trying to deal with Raffe's wings. This time there is a clear mission, and we see Penryn taking charge in a big way.
Spoiler
She leads Raffe into the Pit, helps lead the Watchers out of the Pit, and ultimately helps lead the Resistance's “last stand.”Penryn has some interesting thoughts about how people treat one another in the face of total destruction. Even when the enemy is not human, the humans still massacre each other, which I think is totally realistic. I image that if Earth were ever invaded that humans would rip each other apart. But despite all that, Penryn risks her life over and over to try to save humanity because it's the right thing to do. I admire her moral compass.
Especially in the beginning, I thought the book was getting a bit trope-y. There's the forbidden love between Raffe and Penryn. She knows she loves him but also knows she can't have him. She tries to push herself away but keeps falling for him and tries to push him away again… Just as I was getting sick of it, they get over it. Penryn has her mission, Raffe has his. It sucks and it hurts, but they move on. Such good romance writing.
Let's talk about that ending. There are a lot of ticked off and disappointed reviewers, which I do understand. The ending for me was okay. It was just okay. I wasn't disappointed and I wasn't elated. I was pleased with it.
Spoiler
What I didn't like was that Raffe made a huge sacrifice – the ULTIMATE sacrifice. He lost his wings that he painstakingly FINALLY got back, and he gave up his angel identity. I find it hard to believe that an entity who has lived as long as Raffe would give up so much of his identity to be with a mortal he's known for...not very long. And isn't he immortal or nearly so? Won't he outlive Penryn by a loooong time?I was okay with the ending because I was glad they were together. It wrapped up nice and neat without making me cringe. I think the ending could have been stronger had Penryn and Raffe gone their separate ways, because Penryn would have been strong enough to handle it. The epilogue could have been something like Raffe sending a message to her or visiting in secret. Or something. So I agree that the ending wasn't the greatest, but I wasn't about to throw the book across the room.
I'm confused about Paige. I wanted to know more of what happened to her to begin with. She can control the locusts, yes, but how? And why? Penryn just accepts it and moves on, but I wanted to know how she wound up being the “savior of humanity” or whatever that was mentioned in the last book. And she did indeed save a bunch of people, but all of humanity? Not so much. That little piece of the plot just fell apart for me.
I can't end te review without acknowledging the literary genius that is Dee and Dum. They were the comic relief and kind of reminded me of the Weasley twins. Even though I knew they were created to lighten the mood and not for a much greater purpose, I loved them. I was so scared that one of them would die (a la Fred Weasley). I think that would have broken my heart more than the idea of Raffe and Penryn not ending up together.
I'd recommend this series to fans of dark fantasy and lovers of solid but not soppy romance. It's most appropriate for about 9th grade and up.
This felt like a great conclusion to this trilogy - it wasn't perfect, but it felt right for the story. I liked the way that everything wrapped up and the fact that we were given a deeper understanding of different characters' motivations and struggles. The horror elements continued into this book and I was really happy to see where they went too.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well.....I didn't love it as much as I expected to....but I didn't hate it. That's the best I can do at the moment. 3 stars it is, then.
Ik heb zo enorm veel moeite gehad om dit boek te lezen. Na 150 bladzijdes werd het eindelijk weer een beetje leuk. Vanaf helft gebeuren er eindleijk weer spannende dingen die je aandacht pakken. Ik heb echt weken gedaan om de eerste 150-200 blz te lezen. De rest heb ik in 2 avonden gelezen. Ik ben ook niet zo blij met het einde ik had het zelf liever andersom gezien al is dit wel logischer.
Ik ben blij dat ik de serie uit heb gelezen maar zal deze niet snel aanraden.
Ik ben blij dat ik de serie uit heb gelezen maar zal deze niet snel aanraden.
3.5 stars
GOODREADS WHEN WILL YOU GIVE US HALF STAR RATINGS FOR THE LOVE OF
GOODREADS WHEN WILL YOU GIVE US HALF STAR RATINGS FOR THE LOVE OF
Book three KICKS ASS. I was worried. Trilogies like Divergent made me worry - would everything we've been through with Penryn be for NOTHING? Ee does not hold back from tragedy in her books, but the ending of the series is very satisfying. Let's count the ways.
1) Penryn continues to be fucking tough, smart and funny. She inherits an angel sword, disguises it with a teddy bear in a dress, and names the blade Pooky Bear. But man, does she ever kick a lot of ass with it.
2) The series was clearly plotted as a SERIES.
Read the rest of my review here!
1) Penryn continues to be fucking tough, smart and funny. She inherits an angel sword, disguises it with a teddy bear in a dress, and names the blade Pooky Bear. But man, does she ever kick a lot of ass with it.
2) The series was clearly plotted as a SERIES.
Read the rest of my review here!
This series was absolutely amazing. The writing style was unique and humorous, Penryn was badass, wonderful and relatable, Raffe was amazing and beautifully flawed and the twins were hilarious. The author has a talent for creating interesting characters and the way she describes even the most minor characters makes you care about them. There were soooo many moments where I thought there was no way Penryn would survive this and I was filled with so much anticipation with every major scene. The author really knows how to make humans the underdogs, so much so that I kept wondering how in the world any of them would come out of this alive! I absolutely adore Penryn's mom and her sister as they proved to be just as badass as Penryn and I can't believe how much this series got my emotions riled up. There were so many moments that were unexpected for me and although this series makes you feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions, when you reach the end it feels like it was all answered somewhere along the way and it's alot more simple than people think. What caused Penryn's mom to go crazy? She was a schizophrenic which is a mental condition and she was no longer on her meds. Why did Raffe's sword accept Penryn? No on really said that humans couldn't wield them. The sword chose to accept her. How did her mom know rotten eggs would work? According to Penryn, her mom has been living in her own hell and interestingly enough, that means the apocalyptic world makes sense to her. How could Penryn be thinking about Raffe all the time when she's trying to save herself, her family and basically all of mankind? If you were ever in love, you'd know there's no off switch for it. These are only a few, but you get the idea.
Spoilers ahead!
I thought the talent show was a beautiful and heartwrenching moment for both the story and human beings in general. The way it was described and the way it tugged on the heartstrings made me want to shout at the angels to not come and ruin that moment. The return of the Watchers was very interesting surprise and I loved how the way they talked with Penryn was such a stark contrast to how other angels saw humans. If I have to name one thing that really bothered me it would have to be Beliel. He did many things to make us love to hate him especially with Paige, but it proved impossible for me not to feel terrible about him. It seems to me that he did nothing to deserve the pain and suffering he went through and only became the way he was because of that pain and suffering. His sin was no greater than the other Watchers and I understood why he felt betrayed by Raffe. I was really hoping he would get some kind of redemption but instead he died still not wanted or loved. That was very depressing for me. The author was amazing in emphasizing just how important Raffe's wings were to him to the point where I was absolutely shocked and sad that he gave them up in the end. I was rooting for them to be together but I thought it would be one of those rare YAs where the girl doesn't end up with the guy she loves. In this case, I'm glad to have been wrong about that.
Spoilers ahead!
I thought the talent show was a beautiful and heartwrenching moment for both the story and human beings in general. The way it was described and the way it tugged on the heartstrings made me want to shout at the angels to not come and ruin that moment. The return of the Watchers was very interesting surprise and I loved how the way they talked with Penryn was such a stark contrast to how other angels saw humans. If I have to name one thing that really bothered me it would have to be Beliel. He did many things to make us love to hate him especially with Paige, but it proved impossible for me not to feel terrible about him. It seems to me that he did nothing to deserve the pain and suffering he went through and only became the way he was because of that pain and suffering. His sin was no greater than the other Watchers and I understood why he felt betrayed by Raffe. I was really hoping he would get some kind of redemption but instead he died still not wanted or loved. That was very depressing for me. The author was amazing in emphasizing just how important Raffe's wings were to him to the point where I was absolutely shocked and sad that he gave them up in the end. I was rooting for them to be together but I thought it would be one of those rare YAs where the girl doesn't end up with the guy she loves. In this case, I'm glad to have been wrong about that.
I thought this was supposed to be a five book series? I planned on stopping after the second book, but since there was only one book left I decided to finish.
The whole time I was reading this I kept thinking, "I don’t know how much more eye rolling I can take before I go blind."
Penryn changed so much throughout the series. She went from caring about her family to swooning over Raffe. Girl, there are more important things to worry about during an apocalypse than your sexual desires. How about you worry about your poor little sister who was completely mutilated and help her find a way to feed without harming anyone instead of thinking she’s a freak?
Towards the very beginning Raffe and Penryn are sleeping in the same bed, Penryn grabs Raffe’s arm while he’s asleep and moves his hand up to her breast. This bothered me A LOT and made me lose all respect for Penryn. It really bothered me how sexual the “romance” was because the age difference. Why is an ancient angel even attracted to a teenage girl in the first place?
This book was weak and generic, and the ending was anticlimactic. The end battle scene was lame. I’m a bit disappointed how Raffe ended up having his wings cut off so he could be with Penryn. And what was with that talent show?
The whole time I was reading this I kept thinking, "I don’t know how much more eye rolling I can take before I go blind."
Penryn changed so much throughout the series. She went from caring about her family to swooning over Raffe. Girl, there are more important things to worry about during an apocalypse than your sexual desires. How about you worry about your poor little sister who was completely mutilated and help her find a way to feed without harming anyone instead of thinking she’s a freak?
Towards the very beginning Raffe and Penryn are sleeping in the same bed, Penryn grabs Raffe’s arm while he’s asleep and moves his hand up to her breast. This bothered me A LOT and made me lose all respect for Penryn. It really bothered me how sexual the “romance” was because the age difference. Why is an ancient angel even attracted to a teenage girl in the first place?
This book was weak and generic, and the ending was anticlimactic. The end battle scene was lame. I’m a bit disappointed how Raffe ended up having his wings cut off so he could be with Penryn. And what was with that talent show?
