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What to Eat When Reading Angelfall by Susan Ee

Oct 5 |07:49

Most of the times, I think about a book and THEN I think about the food I want to eat with the book – in the case of Angelfall, it was the opposite. I knew I wanted to make that special cake that is both fluffy and terrible for you first, and I thought of Angelfall second. NOM!

I’m sure you can guess what we’ll be making, but you should probably check this out in case I fooled you…

What to Eat When Reading Angelfall

Pages and Pairings insurgent read breathe relax

Pages & Pairings is a new Read.Breathe.Relax. feature that matches up our favorite book and stories with tasty food and drinks. Reading should be a full sensory experience!

In these posts I’ll include links to the recipes so you can make these tasty treats yourself.

Eat, read and be merry!

Ingredients in Angelfall

Angels aren’t as fluffy and gentle as you would think. At least not in Angelfall. Angels are harbringers of death and destruction, and it becomes all too real for Penryn when an angel plucks her little sister from the harsh LA streets.

Although this book doesn’t portray angels in the typical “messengers from God” type of way, I had to stick with the fluffy theme. It’s more delicious that way, I promise.

Angelfall’s menu includes:

Angel Food Cake

I hope everyone saw this coming. OF COURSE I chose Angel Food Cake! And, you’re lucky – the recipe I chose from Joy the Baker is a pretty simple one. Who knew this recipe can get crazy difficult?!

As the name implies, the cake is light and airy, very much like the strong but physically light Raffe from the novel. He has to be able to lift his body weight, so I’d hope we wasnt’ a chub. (Like me, after eating this!…still YOLO )

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

A bit more rich in taste, these Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies from Hot Polka Dot look amazing! I’m sure Penryn hasn’t eaten something that delicious since before the angel attacks.

Don’t let that make you feel guilty eating them though- there are plenty of other reasons for that!

These tasty treats will only serve to enhance the awesomeness that Angelfall already has – it’s a great book that’ll fly by!

Eat, read and be merry – Angelfall style!

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Oct 1 |08:10

INCOMING – Angelfall is an angel book I could actually stand! Shocking, I know! Susan Ee crafts an interesting post-apocalyptic world that I was fascinated with.

Plus – Angelfall is currently $2.99 as an ebook!

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

GoodReads | Amazon | Author Website

Title & Author: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Genre: YA Fantasy – Angels

Release Date: September 11, 2012

Series: 1st book in the Penryn & the End of Days series

Publisher: Feral Dream

How I Got the Book: Bought

Description:

“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.”

Angels We Have Heard Attacking on High

I really wish I knew what made angel books so divisive. Usually, people either love them or hate them. I’ve been on the hate(ish) site a few times (ahem, Dark Kiss), so I was bound to be a bit skeptical when I heard about Angelfall.

Other reviews absolutely GLOWED about this book though! If you don’t believe me, check out Angelfall’s average Goodreads rating: 4.36 (out of 5). Whoa, that’s a serious number.

And, once I cracked open Angelfall, I knew I had a winner. I was immediately plunged into the very scary world of Penryn, where angels mysteriously came to earth and literally tore it apart for no apparent reason.

Since that time, the economy, the country and the world has fallen in a shambles. Things were bad for Penryn, but they got much, much worse when angels swooped down and stole away her sister. Her only hope of finding her sister and keeping her schizophrenic mom safe is to trust the dangerous and mysterious Raffe – an angel who was left for dead after his wings were cut off and stolen.

What set Angelfall apart was the very dark nature of angels themselves. They say they were directed to come to earth to kill and destroy, and they seem to live wanton lifestyles like the best Hollywood starlets. I liked having my traditional notions of angelic beings challenged like that.

Heavenly Bodies

Angelfall has a lot going for it. It has a fast but non-confusing pace – I could keep track of where Penryn and Raffe were going and what new antics they got up to. Plus, there is some fantastic romantic tension between them. It plays out in a very subtle, unobtrusive way that I really enjoyed.

The whole setting of the world is great – California is the backdrop and still has it’s classic Hollywood charm…just with added hysteria.

Just know that Susan Ee is not afraid of a little gore. There are several scenes at the end that are very graphic in their gruesome nature, and I do not recommend reading those parts while eating lunch or before going to sleep (if you’re like me and can’t handle scary things). *shivers*.

OVERALL

Angelfall really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting a book that was so heart-pounding in its action and suspense and so soft and tentative with it’s delicate friendships and bonds. I definitely recommend Angelfall, as it is easily the best angel book I’ve yet to read.

Book Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

May 18 |08:23

Sweet Evil – there’s so much to say. It was another serious page-turner, but I had a few issues with the plot and back story.

Book Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

GoodReads | Amazon | Author Website

Title & Author: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy (Angels & Demons)

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Series: 1st book in a trilogy

Publisher: HarperTeen

How I Got the Book: ARC via HarperTeen

Description:

“What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences?
This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?”

Angel Book Coming Atcha

If I just think about the story of Sweet Evil as a whole and really consider how I felt when I finished the book, I would use these words to describe the book as a whole: highly engaging, seductive and strangely spiritual.

Starting with the strangely spiritual part, you may know how I feel about books with religion that is borrowed from actual faiths practiced currently, but Sweet Evil came at things with a very different approach.

In the book, demons roam the Earth trying to tempt humans in any way they can, and the demons have specialities – substance abuse, lust, etc. When Anna meets Kaiden (pronounced ky-den), she knows something is off about him. It’s partly because she can read people’s emotions (in an interesting color-associated way) and she sees his essence is black.

Fast forward to Anna realizing she’s part demon and part angel, and here’s where things get dicey. Demons are essentially evil and aren’t supposed to have a conscious. Yet, there are times throughout Sweet Evil that both Kaiden and the other demons actively fight their nature of tempting and hurting humans. This confused me so much, but I just went with it.

Also, Anna is basically the biggest goody-goody in the world, so there are a TON of cringe-worthy moments and cheesy inner-dialogue. Like, when Anna refuses to lie and takes it to the extreme by offering up uncomfortable truths in awkward situations.

Sweetly Sinful

On to seductive and engaging: The overall idea of the book is really, really interesting – demons battling it out every day to bring humanity down and one girl who’s fighting her base nature to be truly angelic. Most of the spiritual things mentioned in the book seem theologically sound, and as that’s my usual gripe, I came away giving that aspect of the book a nod of approval.

When Anna meets Kaiden, she has no idea that his demonic specialty is lust. …I’m sure you can only imagine how their natural attraction to each other is intensified by THAT little complication. And, I appreciated that Higgins didn’t make anything raunchy or over-the-top.

Anna was a fairly well-rounded character, but I had trouble connecting with her and understanding her at times. But I gotta give her props: Kaiden pull an Edward on her at one point and she handles it infinitely better than Bella ever did.

Other notes:

The cover is crazy: What is Kaiden doing? Why is Anna wearing that insane dress? It doesn’t make any sense
The conclusion ends at a really awkward part, in my opinion
There’s one relationship in the book that I really love but cannot share because it’s a spoiler!
Kaiden has a British accent and I’m def a fan

OVERALL:

What a toss up. I was both intrigued and annoyed with Sweet Evil. It had be burning through its pages at warp speed but left me feeing confused and frustrated at times. If you dislike angel-type books, I don’t know how much you would like Sweet Evil, but if you’re up for a fast read that will keep you interested definitely give it a try.

Books About Angels & Why Some Book Bloggers Don’t Like Them

Apr 3 |08:00

There are just some topics that divide the masses – in the book blogging world one divider is books about angels. I feel like I’ve heard more conflicting opinions about angel books than any other type of YA fiction.

So what’s the deal with these supernatural novels? You tell me…

Books About Angels: Let’s Discuss

Personally, I’ve only read a few angel-type books. They were: Archangel by Sharon Shinn and Halfings by Heather Burch. I loved the former and really didn’t like the latter.

For me, creating something completely fictional is easier to read because I have nothing to compare it to. Reading about a religion that I know exists in real life is weird…and it has the potential to turn away those of that faith.

Besides the fact that there was a marked difference in writing style, subject matter and characterization, I think how the authors handled the spirituality made the biggest difference. In Archangel, the spirituality was purely fiction, and in Halflings, it twisted a real religion that thousands of people believe in.

For some perspective, below are some popular books about angels and their average rating on Amazon:

fallen by lauren kate books about angels

Fallen by Lauren Kate – 3 and a half stars
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick – 4 stars
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand – 4 and a half stars
Halo by Alexandria Adornetto – 3 stars
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – 4 and a half starts
City of Bones by Cassandra Claire – 4 stars

Books About Angels – Yay or Nay?

What books about angels have you read? Did you like/dislike them?
What did you like/dislike about the books?
Was there anything that bothered you more than a book you didn’t like in a different genre?
Is there a different genre you think divides bloggers more? If so, what?

With my limited experience reading angel-type books, I am definitely going to try reading them again. I had a great experience and a mediocre one. If you have any recommendations for great books about angels, please let me know!

Book Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

Jan 30 |08:59

Halflings is another “angel” book out right now. I didn’t understand at first why so many readers were ambivalent about this very specific type of YA/Fantasy, but I think I finally comprehend their concerns a little bit better now…

Book Review: Halflings by Heather Burch

GoodReads | Amazon | Author Website

Title & Author: Halflings by Heather Burch

Genre: YA – Fantasy (Angels)

Release Date: February 1, 2012

Series: 1st in plannes series (Halflings #1)

Publisher: Zondervan Publishing

How I Got the Book: ARC via NetGalley

Description:

“After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world..”

Halflings at Half-Potential

There wasn’t anything inherently bad about Halflings – in fact there were a handful of things I really liked about this angel-filled book. But the main problem with this novel was its missed potential.

With a slew of angel books out on the market (Unearthly, Hush, Hush, Fallen, A Beautiful Dark, etc.), Halflings needed to define itself apart from the pack. Granted, I don’t have a ton of angel-type books to compare it too, but knowing about the “hooks” for all of the novels can tell you a lot by itself.

Halfling’s premise: Nikki is the hot human that Mace, Raven and Vine have been assigned to protect. Born as a result of fallen angels mating with humans, the boys are Halflings – neither fully human nor fully angel. They have no rights to enter heaven, but hope to redeem themselves by protecting Earth’s inhabitants.

While I liked the whole, halfsie angel/human spin, the execution was just OK. As you might have guessed from learning in the book description that Nikki has TWO love interests, there is instalove out the ying yang. But, for once, I didn’t waffle about who’s side to be on. IT WAS OBVIOUS, and I honestly think the other guy is thrown in just to “keep things interesting.”

Inconsistencies

Halflings references and sites the actual Bible several times throughout the book. Faith, praying and choosing between what’s right and what’s easy are prevalent themes in the novel. The problem is that the very existence of the Halflings didn’t sit well with me because it seemed to contradict what the whole Bible is about.

Now, I know religion is a dicey topic for some people, so please understand that what I’m about to talk about is the basis for the storyline in Halflings. Using a highly recognizable and dominant faith in a book and twisting it a bit was a risk that Burch took, and I wonder if it was the right one.

At one point in the book, Mace says that “even humans have a covenant with God,” (i.e. Jesus and the promise of the cross) yet Halflings were doomed to serve humans and to try to make up for the sins of their fathers AND not even be guaranteed heaven in the end.

The problem with this is: Why would the God they serve in the book forgive humans of their wrongs YET not forgive his wrongs that the Halflings’ fathers committed (not even their sins)? It just doesn’t work for me. Other readers may not have a problem with this fallacy, but as someone who has a very strong faith, it irritated me to no end.

OVERALL:

For me, Halflings wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either. While I wanted to enjoy the book’s unique take on angels, I couldn’t get past the confusing love triangle, the instalove and the doctrinal inconsistencies in the novel. I would still recommend that readers try Halflings, as some of the issues I had with it may not bother most people in general.

What angel book like Halflings have you loved OR hated??

Posts Tagged ‘Angels’

What to Eat When Reading Angelfall by Susan Ee

What to Eat When Reading Angelfall