Penryn and the End of Days

Ever since I read Margit Sandemo's Legend of the Ice People, I've been a sucker for fallen angels. Over the years I've reads some crappy books, some decent books and few good books about fallen angles and nasty angles. And then I read Penryn and the End of days.

The first book Angelfall really, REALLY knocked my socks off. It was really good. Dystopian, non-stereotypical urban-fantasy world with a kick-ass underdog heroine, who has no mysterious magical powers, just her wits and determination, with some martial-art skills she has trained several years. She has no saviour-of-the-world-syndrome, she just wants to save her loved ones. And then she wants to get revenge.

Penryn is a 17-year old girl in a world after angel invasion. For unknown reason, angels decided to invade our world and caused a series of natural catastrophes by doing so. Humans were enraged and responded with gun blazing, and managed to kill the head-honco, archangel Michael, which in turn made angles really angry and they started to oppress humankind. Penryn's mother has serious case of schizophrenia, and her little sister is crippled and bound to a wheelchair. When she's trying to move them to a safer place from a gang-controlled neighbourhood, she runs to a group of angles trying to kill another angel after they cut his wings off. Against her better judgement, she helps the injured wingless angel and the attackers in respond kidnap her sister and, in the mayhem, her mother vanishes.

Raffe is an archangel who has roamed the earth for thousands of years, trying to find and kill every nephilim that the fallen Grigori made when they fell. He has not been a part of the angel society and has no part in the invasion. When he's attacked by few of his fallen comrades, he loses his wings and is saved by a human girl. He needs her help to get to the angel headquarters, and agrees to accompany her there, because she needs to get there to save her sister.

Pairing up with the injured, sulky angel whom she saved, Penryn starts a journey towards the angel headquarters. They don't trust each other one bit, but they need each other to get to their destination. When they get there, they discover that the angels on top have serious conspiracy going on and Penryn has to discover their plans with Raffr to save her sister... and the humankind.

Series ranting: Mercy Thompson

Since I've read all the books in Mercy Thompson series, I decided to rant about the series instead of separate books.

I'm really ass-kicker heroine (heh) junkie. I love strong female leads. Sorry, I just do. I hate whining damsels in distress. And I also hate instalove, Mary Sue's, perfect characters, teen-anst, lack of action, too much erotica. But, I love an ass-kicker. Mercy Thompson is one. I have to admit, the first book (Moon Called) was a bit dull. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Somehow the references to religion bothered me to no end. What a good Christian Mercy was.. Blah, dull. But I picked up the next two books too, until I lost interest.

But then I had nothing interesting to read, so I  started again, this time as audiobook. Lorelei King was familiar to me, because of Charley Davidson (She really is an excellent narrator) And wow, did I had a whole new interest in these books. Mercy has huge character development without becoming omnipotent goddess. She always stays as an underdog. The best book in my opinions was River Marked, but that was before I read (listened) Silence Fallen, which really is the best so far.

Mercy is tough without being overkill, she's a bit underdog, sneaky, strong but not invincible. Really big part of her strength lies in her loved ones and in her connections, as she mentions in Silence Fallen.

Adam is perfectly likeable, although not amazing, male lead.

Worldbuilding is deep and elaborate, but not too much so it's easy to keep up.

And Patricia loses the Christianity-crap in these books, yay!

I have to admit, this is the only series so far that I could read (listen) in a row without getting tired. Okay, Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews was an another one, but still. Charley Davidson is still waiting for me to finish it.

Books in this series
1. Moon Called
2. Blood Bound
3. Iron Kissed
4. Bone Crossed
5. Silver Borne
6. River Marked
7. Frost Burned
8. Night Broken
9. Fire Touched
10 Silence Fallen

Patricia Briggs has also written the Alpha and Omega series, which takes place in the same world as Mercy Thompson, but different protagonists. It is a really good series too, check it out!