Review - Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

It's been a while since I just HAD to stay up and read a book until I finished it. Not that there aren't books that weren't worth it, because in the last couple of months I've read several... but with Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger I kept telling myself I was going to "just finish this one chapter and then go to bed" and I kept forgetting. Before I knew it I was done (and it was 3am).

I loved this story because for once it wasn't a girl finding out she was this mysterious person and a guy being the one to help her once she did. Vane didn't know who he was or why he kept dreaming of Audra. Or why he had such bad luck with girls. He was good looking and charming, but something always seemed to go wrong on his dates. Audra is a dedicated guardian sworn to protect Vane at all costs. An oath she doesn't take lightly. She isn't there for fun and games or hugs and kisses (something she has to keep reminding him about). She's there to make sure he's ready for what's to come.

Vane is cocky. But not in a bad way. He's not arrogant and his attitude isn't one of superiority. He's just.. cocky, in a funny sort of way. I loved seeing his thought process throughout the story. Audra is sad. She's dedicated and she's persistant, but she's sad. An empty shell of a person..er... sylph. I could literally feel the guilt that radiated through her the entire book. As well as Vane's feelings for her.

The story reminded me of Harry Potter at first. Vane was "The Boy Who Lived". He survived the tornado that killed his parents. He was the Miracle Child. There's a whole world who knows who he is, but he has no clue. He's got a past he can't remember no matter how hard he tries. It also reminded me of Avatar: The Last Air Bender. But I'll let you read to find out why.

There wasn't a lot of action, not in the way I normally see it. But the book was fast paced. I didn't want to put it down (obviously after a while... I didn't). I have this Peter Pan thing where I've always wanted to be able to fly (the whole "If you could have one superhero power what would it be?" thing) and this book brings me about as close as I'm going to get to it. Weird, I know, but what can I say. Kind of makes me wish I had some secret past I didn't know about where I was a Windwalker like Audra.

This was a fantastic story and I'm really relieved to find it's the first in a series. After the curveball thrown at the end, I would have been super disappointed if it had been a stand alone novel. There are a few.... fantasies.... that Vane has that would make this inappropriate for younger audiences, but I would definitely recommend it for anyone 16 and over. In fact, I would probably INSIST that you read it. It was that good. I can't wait for book number 2!