World after by Susan Ee

Hodder and Stoughton, 2013. ISBN 9781444778533.
(Age: 15+) Fantasy. Angels. Dystopian fiction. In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, Penryn is back with her mother and sister Paige with other survivors of the angel apocalypse. Paige is attacked by a group who believe that she is a monster, and she disappears after a massacre. Penryn follows trying to find her and her search leads her to the angels' hotel where she discovers just what they plan for the world. Meanwhile the angel Raffe, who believes Penryn is dead, continues in his search for his wings and his place as a leader of the angels.
The first in the series, Angelfall, was self-published by the author and was a bestselling e-book. The second has less romance (Raffe and Penryn are separated for a large part of the book) but there is plenty of action, lots of bloodshed, sibling angst and a major fight against angels, all of which combined to make this an escapist read. The characters are rather scary, Penryn's mother is obsessive and schizophrenic, Paige has razor-like teeth and the angel Uriel is evil, and it appears as if the local inhabitants are on the verge of cannibalism. Penryn puts her family before everything else and this leads her into many dark adventures in her search for her sister and her attempts to survive in terrible circumstances.
This books picks up immediately where Angelfall ended, so it doesn't read as a stand-alone and should be read in sequence. Action packed and gritty, it will appeal to fans of the angel genre who will look forward to a third book in the series.
Pat Pledger