He shrugs in the dim light. "Angels are violent creatures." 
 "So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind." 
 "Why would you think that? Even in your Bible, we're harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn't make us altruistic." 
 I've been debating if I should make this review serious, or keep it light. Finally, I settled on a little of both. 
 I started this book with no expectations, but since one of my GR friends hated it, I secretly wondered if maybe I was going to dislike it too. It never happened, though. So it is a good tactic not to get your hopes too high about a book, of this I'm sure :) 
 The pace was quick enough to keep my interest, and the more I read, the more I wanted to know. 
 But I agree with many readers, that while the world building was certainly unique and interesting, almost nothing was explained. At the end of the book, it cracked me up to know that (view spoiler)[the angels also were in the dark as to their purpose on Earth and why they started all this apocalypse in the first place. (hide spoiler)] I hope to get more information about their motives in the next installment. 
 I think I liked Penryn all right. Her "voice" sounded nice and comfortable in my head, and she never annoyed me. Of course, like any other YA heroine, she made her share of reckless and not so smart decisions, but I really don't expect any protagonist to be perfect in every way. After all, it is their impulsive behaviour that often makes the plot interesting and propels it forward. 
 I liked Raffe too. And he certainly had chemistry with Penryn. I'm also grateful to the author that they haven't started to profess their eternal love verbally after only a couple of conversations. There was just one kiss in this book, but it felt all the more potent for that. Again, I hope the couple won't start obsessing over each other in World After. 
 I also liked Penryn's mother, I think she was an interesting character, and I feel like there is more to her craziness than everyone thinks. Maybe she really has some kind of connection with the world of demons and is a psychic of some sort. 
 I wish that all the characters were more developed, though. I want to know more about them all, because what I got in this book certainly didn't feel like enough. 
 The 'twist' about an agnostic angel made me smile, but I took this piece of information in stride. I mean, in our real world, according to common beliefs, such thing is impossible, but I don't get why people always project imaginary universes on real life. This book is fiction, and it doesn't have to stay true to our reality. Maybe it is so easy for me to accept because I'm agnostic myself, but I also didn't have a problem with sparkly vampires and many more weird things that baffled and annoyed other readers. 
 There was a certain amount of creepiness in this book, and of, course, I just had to read this part before going to bed. It really made me gag and feel uncomfortable and grossed out. I guess I'm not a horror fan. 
 Also, I didn't get the whole deal with angels and human women. (view spoiler)[As far as I understood, angels are forbidden to have sexual relationships with humans or they will be considered fallen and turn into demons. So why the whole aerie resembled one big brothel and all women except servants behaved as whores for hire is baffling. Was it just for the looks and image? No idea. (hide spoiler)] 
 Now comes the serious part. I was hesitant to touch it at all, lest all of you should think I'm some zealous PETA activist or something like that. I'm not. I rarely air my views about the way I see the world, and never to people who barely know me as a person. But since I want to be honest and something about this book touched me deep, here I go. 
 Before writing my review, I read several negative ones from random people, and some of them said they wanted to know what humanity had done to bring such apocalypse on themselves. My first reaction to this was: are you freaking kidding me? Have you lived your whole lives with your eyes sewn shut or something? 
 There were several times in the book where Raffe called humans monkeys, and Penryn felt deeply offended about it. Because, in her mind, humans are so much superior, so much cleverer, so much better. Maybe they are, if you are looking at the question through the prism of human eyes. But if you are a monkey, you may have a completely different opinion. 
 I was at the Zoo the other day. I should say that I hate the Moscow Zoo, but my nephew wanted badly to visit it and I just had to go. We spent a fair amount of time watching monkeys, too. And while we were at it, I imagined for the hundredth time how it must be for the monkeys to be constantly on display in the comparatively tiny space of their cages, being gawked at, laughed at, mocked and called names. Not that they understand what is going on, but if they could... 
 Humans are so used to being superior all the time. But what if there was a still more superior kind of creatures. Not better, just stronger. And they started treating humans like they treat monkeys and other animals. How would it feel to be caged and abused and be experimented on? 
 I see many people asking with indignation: How can you *gasp* compare animals to humans? My reply is: easily. So part of me felt vindicated on behalf of other species, when in this book humans finally got a taste of their own medicine. No matter that I'm obviously human too. Just, unlike Renryn, I'm often ashamed, not proud, to be a Daughter of Man. 
 I hope I haven't scared off those of you who read the review up until this point. I just want to be honest, I guess. Not that I'm generally not, I always say what I think, it is just that sometimes I hold back a lot too.