The Laughing Listener
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Caitlin Davies
Length: 9 hours & 7 minutes

Story Rating: 3.5 Stars
Performance Rating: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

*[b:Angelfall|15863832|Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, #1)|Susan Ee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464206558s/15863832.jpg|16435765] spoilers ahead*

Whoa... Well. Another random and exciting installment for the Penryn series. These books have a special way of making my head spin. Jury is still out on if that's a good or bad thing though... After the last book ended with our favorite couple separated, I reeeeeeeeeeeally dragged my feet on this one. I had no interest in watching Penryn's long and drawn out search for Raffe, but I'll be damned if my curiosity didn't get the better of me.

THE GOOD

The biggest thing driving my interest in the first book was the romance factor (#SorryNotSorry), so when Raffe and Penryn got separated at the end, I thought I'd be annoyed with this second installment for sure. I mean, a whole book of them just pining for one another?! Gag me.



But surprisingly, I thought Susan Ee did a really great job with it! Who knew I'd grow so attached to a sword like it was an individual character?! Even though Raffe and Penryn are apart, the angel sword reveals some of Raffe's memories, which helps in building up that romantic tension despite the separation. It was awesome! I loved seeing little snippets of the last book from Raffe's perspective and getting a more in-depth look at his past.

Plus, it made their reunion at the end that much more swoon-worthy! UGH. So adorable.

I'm also still loving how completely weird and random this plot line is??? One second Penryn is sitting in camp talking to a sword and the next, a herd of weird scorpion men are stinging the hell out of civilians and there's blood everywhere. What?? Sometimes I just had to laugh because I'd be listening to the audio and wondering "how the hell did we get here?" But somehow I don't hate it??? I actually love how weird and creepy these books can be because it's so different! It keeps me engaged and interested. I mean, a guy getting dismembered at a party is definitely memorable for readers.

THE UGLY

Even though this was a pretty quick listen that I finished (almost) in one work day, the middle of this book felt like it dragged on and on and on.



Part of that is probably my frustration at Raffe's absence because I was anxious for our favorite couple to reunite. But I hated all the camp stuff in the last book and that takes up a large chunk of the beginning this time around. I don't trust any of those soldiers and they all seem fairly terrible, so I just wanted Penryn to get out of there. Then there was that whole part where they get dragged to Alcatraz??? It felt completely pointless. Penryn manages to learn some stuff about Paige's transformation while she's there, but that was kind of it?? And they spend a long time planning a huge escape for the Alcatraz prisoners that Penryn isn't even a part of in the end. Wtf was the point of listening to them plan it?!?

FINAL WORD

Not as good as Angelfall, but this random, creepy romance was definitely entertaining and made me curious about how the hell this could possibly end.

The Laughing Listener
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Caitlin Davies
Length: 8 hours & 44 minutes

Story Rating: 4 Stars
Performance Rating: 3.5 Stars
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Welp. I would have never thought I’d be reading an urban fantasy angel book, but here we are. A couple weeks ago Audible had a huge sale on the first books of major hit series and I sort of went a little crazy. I had never heard of this before in my life and it was a complete impulse buy after I read the description and saw the great reviews.

Ummmm… I don’t really know how I feel about this book???



It’s given me contradicting emotions that are leaving me confused. Most of the story is fairly predictable in a young-adult-y kind of way, but the angels of the apocalypse premise was completely UNpredictable in a creative way that I liked. Overall, I think I liked it????? As I was listening, I went through about 85% of the book thinking it was just pretty good, but then the last few chapters completely sucker-punched me in the feels. I JUST DON’T KNOW ANYMORE.

THE GOOD

I really REALLY loved the premise of this book and thought it was amazingly compelling. I’ve never read a book like this before and I love when that happens. Despite the fact that this novel initially follows the YA-star-crossed-lovers formula in a predictable kind of way, I didn’t even care because I wanted to see more of these angels. Why did they come to earth? Why are they fighting with one another? How can beings that are suppose to be so inherently good, act in such a depraved manner? I wanted to know more! I still do because we never really get the answers.

Also, this book is completely wacked out of it’s mind. That should be a negative, but I completely loved it??? It sort of lulls you into a false sense of security in the beginning but progressively gets weirder the more you read. By the end, it’s completely creepy and off the wall, but I was SO INTO IT. It was so unexpected with a book about angels that it totally caught me off guard and the contrasting ideas were awesome.

I also fell in love with the characters almost immediately. Penryn is a strong, sassy, competent girl who loves her family. Her baby sister Paige is full of happiness and sunshine despite the card she’s been dealt. And Raffe is a hottie angel with heart of gold, so OBVIOUSLY we’re all in love with him now. It took me no time to fall for Paige and I was just as upset as Penryn when she gets taken away. It was also adorable to watch Penryn and Raffe’s relationship develop over the course of the book.

THE UGLY

Like I said before, the beginning of this book suffers from trope syndrome. Girl meets paranormal guy. Girls falls for paranormal guy despite it being a TERRIBLE idea. Just like The Mediator series, The Lunar Chronicles, [b:Twilight|41865|Twilight (Twilight, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361039443s/41865.jpg|3212258], [b:The 5th Wave|16101128|The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave, #1)|Rick Yancey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1359853842s/16101128.jpg|19187812], blah blah blah. It almost made me roll my eyes initially, but the intriguing premise and the lovable characters won me over. But for the first half, there’s a predictability to this book that I wasn’t a huge fan of.

I also wasn’t a fan of the whole human military base thing?? When Raffe and Penryn get captured I thought they trusted those humans waaaaay too readily. You’re being detained in a cell and forced to do chores, why are you trusting these people? I still think there’s something fishy about them. It was all a little too 5th Wave for me and I don’t trust it at all. Call me jaded, but I think they’re hiding something. And when Penryn gets into a fight with that officer and no one helps her, I really don’t think she was mad enough about it. I would have been PISSED. You’re all suppose to be fighting to save humanity and you’re taking bets on fights?? WHAT THE HELL????

FINAL WORD

This book completely caught me off guard and threw me off balance, but in a good way??? Somehow despite it all, I really loved this book and totally recommend it.