But Octavia why did you feel this way?!
Well, that is a great question! I, like many other book lovers out there, have been the victim of hype.
We find out about a really epic sounding book and our skin begins to itch. Then a few of our friends say how great it really is, and our feet begin to tap. Next the blogs that you stalk and adore rubs in the full glory of that book and you begin to feel like your life will not be complete until said book is in your possession. Then the shoe begins to fall. You visit Goodreads and see countless five star reviews and your excitement slowly turns into fear. You can’t help but think that maybe you are falling into the hype of “the next big book”. I’ve personally fallen for the hype so many times I have started to wait months after a book is released to even buy a copy let alone read it. I know what it’s like to sit with a “better than The Hunger Games/Harry Potter/Daughter of Smoke and Bone/etc” book in my hands as my heart shatters into a million pieces. And I partially expected “Let The Sky Fall” to do exactly that.
BUT! Imagine the happiness I felt when I realized that not only would my heart remain intact, but somehow, this book would throw me into a fit of blissfulness that I was unable to shake for DAYS!
Something told me when I added this book to my TBR shelf back in October that I was in for a fantastical read, but I would have never guessed that Ms. Messenger would wreak such havoc on my emotions. If by some miracle Ms. Messenger lays eyes on this review let me just say you are awesome and bravo ma’am on such an amazing book. But I’m getting off topic lets get to the review!
“Let The Sky Falls” starts with Vane telling us that at 7 years old he survived the category F5 tornado that killed his parents, but he has absolutely no recollection of the storm, his parents or his childhood. The only thing he can remember is a girl with black hair. (pause for dramatic effect)….SAY WHAT NOW?! How does this not make you sit down and yearn to hear the rest of his story?! I knew the story had to do with tornado’s which is winning in itself but that’s one hell of a back-story and tie in.
Which brings me to the tellers of this amazing story; Vane and Audra. Ah the feels!
Vane is my new book husband. I loved his personality so much because it was believable. Even though he has dreamed of Audra his whole life he doesn’t just bend over and go along with anything she says. He questions her, he digs his heels in, and he blatantly tells her that he runs his life no matter what the outcome of his training. Too often in YA book does the main character discover that they are “special” and just start blindly following the person responsible for this revelation. No questions, no anger, no fear. And they are ALWAYS such a natural at being “special”! Maybe I’m just a pessimistic kill joy. Or maybe people need to stop living in worlds made of rainbows and candy drops and realized that CONTROLLING AN ELEMENT/POWER isn’t a easy feat. This is what I loved most about Vane! It took him seven tries to learn one defensive move. Seven freaking times! That is realistic sort of! That is training! That is the natural process for learning something new in 8 days! Not only did he work hard to protect the people he loved, he was scared shitless! I can’t remember the number of times he said he almost wet his pants, and while urine is a no no in my book, the fact that he could admit his fear made he just so damn lovable!
Next we have my darling Audra. I know I throw the phrase “kick ass heroine” around sometimes and no matter how much I want to call Audra a “kick ass heroine” that truly is a title that doesn’t fit her overwhelming badassery. So I will make up a new word for her:
Amaze-badass-fantast-gosh-I-love-you-sery
But I loved more than just her ability to snap you in two within seconds. She, like Vane, was tangible. I’m not into self pitying characters, in fact there are few things I hate more, but the guilt that she felt was justifiable. Except Audra wasn’t into self loathing, or pity, she accepted her mistake and was prepared to do what ever it took to make that mistake right. I wasn’t thrilled about her withholding information, but neither was Vane so it was something I got over fairly quickly. I don’t want to go too much further into Audra as a character because I loathe spoilers, just know that she is the kind of heroine I yearn for. She was brave, strong, smart, amaze-badass-fantast-gosh-I-love-you-sery.
Characters aside “Let The Sky Fall” was an incredible read. It had a perfectly paced plot, a surprising amount of twist and turns, and it flowed like Ms. Messenger wrote it just for me. I would deny it if anyone ever asks, but between you and me I may have been a little teary eyed at the end.
Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger 
