Let the Sky Fall (Sky Fall #1)

I was interested in Let the Sky Fall because it brought something new to the table – elementals are not really that common in paranormal YA and this was the first book on sylphs I heard about. The part of the book that really pulled me in was the sylphs. Mystical creatures, non-human but appearing human and able to talk to the wind and bend it to their will – yep, it was good! Then there were the four tribes – Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western, each with their own languages for their respective wind ties. Combining the winds has awesome effects but you need to know the languages. Now, Vane who is a Westerly, is under Witness Protection (something like that) with Audra assigned as his Guardian (as in bodyguard, not parent), to protect from the Stormers, who want the secrets of his language.

The plotline was good, not really unpredictable but engaging enough. The writing supplemented the feel of the story, neatly explaining breakthroughs, listening to the wind – it all seemed so lively and wonderful. The dual POV was distinct enough to define the characters in your mind and even works quite well for the story, and the voice for each lends beauty to the storyline. Vane is this pampered, lazy boy who has it tough with girls – he can get them to go out with them, but somehow his dates always end in disasters. Audra is the tough girl type – whose childhood has been spent watching over Vane, and guilt over her mistakes. Being in the Gale Force means she has made a lot of sacrifices and in the beginning she resents him for the easy life he has led in ignorance. When they meet, it is like sparks – literally – but she is keeping her distance and he is being hormonal (dude, seriously!). No, really – their love story didn’t really convince me, even if they had their connection or whatever. It just felt more like physical attraction than real feelings, which didn’t come until towards the ending of the book. Maybe that was the thing that felt a little off for me while reading the book.

The ending was quite surprising, considering most of the book was predictable and I quite appreciated how Audra made up her mind at the end of the book. It totally made up for the over-the-top romance at the start of the book. Quite an enjoyable read and looking forward to picking up the next one.

The cover is beautiful and I just loved the title, it fit nicely with the story. I thought Shannon Messenger gave Vane and Audra voices that were realistic and believable considering the events that take place. All the characters relationships worked well together. We got to see Vane grow and get stronger in the way he handled things, he pushed through even when he wanted to give up. Audra appeared strong and fearless at first but through Vane we got to see a girl who has grown up in guilt over something that really wasn’t her fault. Overall, the story is a fun quick read with romance, mystery and action. I look forward to seeing where this story will go.