Let the Sky Fall (Sky Fall, #1)

by Shannon Messenger

Vane Weston should have died in the category-five tornado that killed his parents. Instead, he woke up in a pile of rubble with no memories of his past—except one: a beautiful, dark-haired girl standing in the winds. She's swept through his dreams ever since, and he clings to the hope that she's real.

Audra is real, but she isn't human. She's a sylph, an air elemental who can walk on the wind, translate its alluring songs, even twist it into a weapon. She's also a guardian—Vane's guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect him at all costs.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both their families, Audra has just days to help Vane unlock his memories. And as the storm winds gather, Audra and Vane start to realize that the greatest danger might not be the warriors coming to destroy them, but the forbidden romance between them.

• ISBN10: 1442450428
• ISBN13: 9781442450424
• Publish Date: 3 December 2013 (first published 5 March 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon Pulse
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

ETA REREAD: There was a lot of this story I didn’t remember. A lot more than I realized. Bits of it came back as I read but also I was expecting a few scenes I think actually happen in other YA books. 

The good part is it didn’t annoy me as much as the first time. 

* * *******

In some ways this is a pretty good book. For the most part the characters and the world building are decent enough. I think there was a lot of room for considerably more development in the world and with the characters but what we're given was enough to pull me into the story and it has to get a very solid three stars just for being a really fun, unique idea.

Oddly, my biggest criticism for this book is with the editor and not the author. I don't know why it feels like the editor dropped the ball more than the author wrote poorly but it just seems like Shannon Messenger had a really good, unique idea and was able to write it decently enough but that the editor didn't have a strong enough hand in helping her focus the story. 

I basically had three issues. 
One: it's really repetitive. Beyond sentences that repeated the same idea over and over, the characters often had an inner monologue reviewing what had just happened in the book. One chapter actually opens with a review, as if it's the opening to a sequel and apprising the reader to bring them up to speed. But the events covered in two pages weren't from a prior book, they were from two chapters ago.

Two: there were two key elements (Audra's special gift and her mother's) that were not distinguished at all.
"I can hear the even the softest whisper of change or dissent, translate any turbulence or unease, and adjust. It was my father's gift." pg 20

"The slightest ripple in the air speaks to her as clearly as the words of the wind's song. A secret language only she understands. A constant push and pull. An ebb and flow of power and drain, stillness and motion. A rare gift and burden none of us have ever understood." pg 71

The bland description and lack of really integrating them distinctly into the fabric of the story makes them essentially meaningless. We get little more of it than that one line of the mother's gift - there's not nearly enough substance to it to support the incredibly important role it plays in the story.

Three: there's this one thing in the story that's pretty obvious in less than 50 pages, as soon as the word "bond" is uttered in the narrative at all. It's not explained until page 139 and the characters don't even get it until 393 and even then it's something alluded to rather than any sort of full understanding. Characters should never be dumb about something so obvious to the audience.

Three is really just an annoying thing and fairly little in the grand scope. But fixing One and Two would have made a real difference. Especially the repetition thing - it's a 400 page book and instead of letting us get to know the characters by telling us everything we already knew about them and about the situation that space could have been filled with letting us get to know the characters by telling us new things about them and and new things about the world and that would have been a whole lot more interesting.

And even with all that you know I'm going to read the sequel.

[layawaydragon]

Pros
Liked Audra
Though I couldn’t stand them, Vane and his mom are realistic characters
Interesting concept & magic system
Different, not many books about sylphs (wind elementals)
Enjoyed unraveling the mystery behind Vane’s missing memory

Cons
Disliked spoiled, pushy, entitled Vane
Hated Vane’s mother who treated Audra like she’s tarnishing her perfect baby boy
Plot holes
Won’t take no for an answer “seduction” driven by insta-lust and called love
Wind terms sylphs use aren’t explained (There’s no time!) and wanted more than a novel length swish and flick (gif) minus all the charm
Heavy-handed chastity promoting justified by bizarre magical bonding; Might as well say simply breathing on each other cause spiritbonding marriage, it makes as much sense.


Recommendation: No. But if you gotta have a disrespectful, entitled boy who whines that no girls will kiss him and nags a girl until she relents; insta-love where one’s driven by lust and the other by guilt and loneliness; and don’t mind having to avoid story-killing plot holes, you’ll at least have a different magical element and a decent mystery to unravel.

I read Let the Sky Fall for free on Pulse It while it was available.

Weathering through Vane and Company

My hatred of Vane can be explained with three quotes. One, where he defends invading Audra’s personal space and doesn’t give a fuck:
"She’s probably referring to the fact that I’ve rested my head in her lap. Hey, when I see an opportunity, I take it."

Two, is when he’s way past just pushing her buttons and just nags her for like half the book:
"Yes, you can. If you can eat a cheeseburger -and enjoy it - you can let yourself love me. You can do anything want. You just have to want to."

This is seriously condescending and dismissive of what Audra’s going through. He’s lead a great life where he’s been able to get something just because he wants it with the sole exception of girls because you know, they’re people so he assumes it has to be just as easy for her.

Furthermore, he doesn’t accept that she doesn’t want to. She’s chosen differently, which is just intolerable. He doesn’t care that she weighs the consequences and risks that she’ll bare (and not him because male Chosen One) more important than the tingly feeling in his pants.

This isn’t about being a prude, disgust of male lust thoughts or not understanding the pain of unrequited love. This is about Vane feeling fucking entitled and demanding Audra accommodate him while disregarding her. He doesn’t treat her like a person. She’s a thing, an ideal to obtain. For instance, he tells her:
“This is Audra. Not the fierce guardian always ready to fight. Just the girl from dreams.”

WTF? She can’t be both? She fucking is both! Why is it so important to make Audra a non-fighter to him? Why does he want to break her down? He sounds emasculated because she can kick his ass (for now, remember: The Chosen One’s powers will kick in eventually) and desperate to change her to please himself. In short, he’s an asshole.

Supporting characters aren’t any better. His mother babies the fuck out of him, is paranoid like a Fox News viewer and worries about Audra corrupting her precious baby boy.

Dad’s absent or distance with the largest contribution being “get a job” and “boys will be boys” in the vein of “be a man” toxic masculinity. It’s so white, retro-idealized and middle class it feels disconnected from reality or at least oblivious to it.

Thank fuck for Audra. Even with the interesting side trip down memory lane, I wouldn’t have made it through without her. She had information on the magic, sylph’s society, and backbone. I felt so irritated with how Vane treated her and couldn’t celebrate the ending. She had little choices beforehand and then she’s forced to go another way. It doesn’t feel right to applaud when she’s pensive, hesitant and regretful.

Audra’s yearning for a connection with someone is believable but I never bought her attraction to Vane. How free is your choice when there are no other options? They could’ve rebelliously gotten together and saved the day without the romantic deus ex machina. Instead, Audra remains a tool.

Vane could’ve respected her while defying others. Saying “I won’t pressure you into choosing me. My choice remains the same, I won’t be with another” then giving her time and proving that (perhaps into the next book when the sylph society comes into play) would’ve been admirable. I’d happily rejoice if Audra chose him after that instead of what happened, which feels skeevy as fuck.

Not to mention that the deus ex machina doesn’t even make sense. What little we learned of sylphs and their magic’s suddenly negated. Hell, the whole story is because if it worked like that Vane wouldn’t need training in the first place. Then there’s how it’s never convincing why Audra’s the only guardian for Vane. I was willing to overlook that until it kept barreling downhill running over all charity I had to give.

Adding more people would’ve been a welcome addition that creates wonderful opportunities to show non-asshole Vane (if he exists), provide Audra opportunities and maybe even demonstrate their supposedly mutual feelings. Instead, an interesting fantasy world and mystery is bogged down by terribly executed tropes, an asshole protagonist, and objectionable romance.

[reveriesociety_]

I loved the idea of people being able to harness the power of the wind. And the premise and cover look good (what can I say? I'm a cover whore), but I must say, I was disappointed.

Oh no, don't worry, it was good enough, but I really expected more.

One of the things that bugged me the most was the fact that there isn't much explanation as to how syplhs survive without food or water, except for a vague: "Our bodies are different from human's." I hope in the next book I can find these answers...

[wyvernfriend]

Some interesting concepts

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Let the Sky Fall. There were several things I didn't like about this book, but there were a few things I did like. Ultimately, I wasn't left with a sense of either love or hate. For the most part, I'm kind of indifferent.

I half liked, half disliked Vane. On the one hand, Vane definitely had the most personality of all the characters. I could feel him coming off the page (for better or for worse). He had a distinct voice that made him easily recognizable. A lot of the time I enjoyed his sarcasm and casual, informal speech. He sounded exactly like what he was: a teenage boy. But, Vane also had a tendency to be excessively and annoyingly obsessed with skimpy clothes on women. I laughed at the first few comments, but then they just kept coming and coming and coming. I felt like I was being hit with a hammer again and again. I JUST WANTED IT TO STOP!

I shift my weight, leaning at an awkward angle, but I manage to stay upright as Audra starts unbuttoning her jacket.
Man, I hope whatever she has under there is thin and lacy.
[..] she slips the heavy coat off her shoulders, revealing a plain black tank and a whole lot of creamy skin. Not exactly the sexy bra I'd been hoping for, but at least it's tight and cut low.
—Page 167

"Either way, you need to stay grounded, so it's safer to stay away from temptation."
The only temptation I'm feeling is to run my hands along the sliver of midriff peeking from the bottom of her tank top.
—Page 168

Audra on the other hand, felt like an empty shell. Vane had all the personality, but I felt like Audra had none. Maybe it's because she was so weighed down with guilt and self-loathing, but she always came off as so... monotone and robotic. She was lifeless. It made me wonder why the heck Vane liked her. I saw no personality from her, so what was there to like??? And honestly her whole "Vane will hate me! I killed everyone! Waaa" attitude really started to bug me. I mean, yes, it was sad and there were some scenes where I really felt for her, but this was something she complained about throughout the entire book and it just got so old.

And that brings me to my final point: the romance. I felt absolutely zero chemistry between Vane and Audra. And on top of that, their relationship was a little insta-lovey. They know each other for like four days and then they're in love?? Ugh. What's a bummer is that I felt like if there was actual chemistry between them, I think I would have loved the romance. It was one of those all encompassing, "I'd do anything for you" romances. If those are done well, I usually love them. But since this one had no chemistry and too much insta-love I couldn't connect to it at all, so the whole thing was ruined for me.

But that out of the way, I did mostly enjoy the plot of Let the Sky Fall. I was pretty into the whole wind thing, the battles, and the sense of impending doom. Let the Sky Fall was not very fast-paced (until the end), but at least the book kept me going and wanting to find out how things would get wrapped up. I really liked the antagonist who was revealed at the end Audra's mother. That's the kind of character that I love to hate! It's the kind that drives you nuts and you want them to get what's coming to them.

So, ultimately, Let the Sky Fall was only okay for me. I think I would have enjoyed it massively more if I was a fan of the romance.

[Stephanie]

I had high hopes for this book the moment I heard of the book deal announcement. There's not many books in YA that are about Sylphs, and it sounds pretty awesome. And I can say the book was good, but I did feel like it dragged a little.

I liked that Let the Sky Fall jumps between Vane and Audra's POV's. I really liked that we got Audra's side of the story, just because there's more information about the Sylph's and what they do and how they manage everything. I found the world very fascinating. With Vane, we don't get any of that because he doesn't remember anything from his childhood when the tornado came and killed his parents.

The story did seem kind of boring at times. I think the one thing that made me feel like this was because a lot of the book is about Audra preparing Vane for this big fight with some evil guy. So all it was, was Audra yelling at Vane to take it seriously and trying to get him to learn his Westerly language. Which, like I said, the concept is really interesting, I just wish more happened.

Vane drove me a little crazy at times with his refusal to accept that he's a sylph. I mean, I get that it's a little crazy to find out you're a sylph, but he just got under my skin a bit. I really liked Audra though, she had a very tragic background and has gone through a lot and I really appreciated how she handled everything, even when she wasn't handling something's very well. And I really appreciated how the book ended.

I also really enjoyed the writing. It's really simple and easy to read.

Overall, I really liked the story, there were just some moments where I felt like nothing was really happening. But all in all, a quick and easy read.

[inlibrisveritas]

Let the Sky Fall is the first book I’ve ever read about elemental slyphs and I think that Messenger really managed to give us something interesting and unique.

This story revolves around Vane and Audra. Vane Weston is the last Westerly thanks to a terrifying storm that killed his family. He’s unaware and thrown into the world when he meets the girl of dreams (literally) Audra, who takes it upon herself to train him in his heritage. I like Vane. I thought he was sweet, funny, and when added with the sarcasm he just comes across as a character I can really appreciate. He also doesn’t immediately fall to the ground and worship Audra, he doesn’t jump whenever she tells him too and I found that to be perfect. I get tired of people just accepting these out there revelations without so much as a fight, and Vane needs proof. His training takes up a good portion of the book because it takes a good bit of work on his part, however I kind of felt with amount of build up we would get more out of it overall. Audra is a very determined but guilt ridden character and even though she carries a tremendous weight on her she felt a bit stiff and a hard character to really ‘like’. Though she does kick butt and she’s incredibly tough, so she has that going for her. She does slowly evolve into a softer person so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how much she’s changed in book two.

I loved the whole concept of the slyphs and how they control the winds, and this is the first book that I’d ever seen them used as a prominent feature. While the training does take up most of the book I think it’s important to keep in mind that this book actually takes place in about a week or so, but the detail and attention to development really gives you a good sense of the growth. The ‘bad guys’ are really interesting but at the same time we don’t get to see very much of them yet and before the book ends we learn a bit more about a few other side characters that really opens up more possibilities for the next book. I wish I could be more specific about certain aspects but it would spoil the book.

The Sky Fall series is definitely off to a great start with this one and I can’t wait to see how Vane and Audra grow and face the new and old challenges ahead.

[jnikkir]

I preordered this quite some time ago, because the premise sounded like something that's right up my alley - YA paranormal romance with sylphs and tornadoes. I am fascinated by tornadoes, so combining them with my favorite genre sounded like a recipe for my perfect book. Now, having read the book, I can say that tornadoes don't make very many appearances in the traditional sense, other than being a part of Vane's and Audra's past (his parents and Audra's father were killed in the same tornado). But the sylph thing was obviously a main part of the book; sylphs have always sounded fascinating to me, but they are seriously underrepresented in YA lit--or at least, I haven't seen much of them. (Is there something I'm missing??)

Anyway, what we had was a recipe for a GREAT book, and it turned out beautifully.

The chapters were written in Vane's and Audra's alternating perspectives, and this is one reason I loved LTSF. A lot of the time, alternating perspectives end up sounding too much like each other, especially when the book is all narrated in the first person. But Audra and Vane each had completely distinct voices, and I don't think I ever had a problem telling them apart, even when I didn't glance at the character designation at the beginning of the chapters. Vane is sarcastic and really funny; I laughed out loud more than once at his lines. Audra is extremely serious most of the time: Her actions, and her outlook on life, are dictated by the guilt she places on herself for what happened to hers and Vane's parents. So both characters' voices are the result by very different pasts, and it completely shows through in their narration.

Another thing I loved was the sylph mythology that's being built. Some of it confused me a little at first, when Audra would be narrating and say things without explanation. But most of that was just a slow reveal; the details start to fill in as Audra explains things to Vane about his heritage, abilities, and what happened to their parents and why. Most of first 2/3rds of the book is taken up by Audra training Vane so he's prepared when the warriors come after them - it's a sort of slow built-up to the ending. But I didn't mind the pacing, since it allowed for the cool explanations of sylphs and their abilities.

Obviously, another thing that made the slow pacing totally worth it was the relationship between Vane and Audra. Vane is already head over heels for Audra when he first sets eyes on her, because he's been dreaming about her since the tornado. But even though she's been Vane's unseen guardian ever since, and might-possibly-maybe have feelings for him, Audra is determined not to let herself fall for Vane. I was pretty sure that she'd end up with him in the end, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the tension. ;) Audra's personality and history gave her completely legitimate reasons to put a wall between herself and Vane, and I really enjoyed her slow growth and change of perspective.

And all of that leads to a very climactic ending. I thought it would be a pretty straightforward end-game -- the warriors find them, they fight, Vane and Audra beat the odds and survive -- but there were plenty of surprises that I was NOT expecting at all.

And now I'm dying to find out what happens next. 2014 is WAY too long a wait for the sequel. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't get this book now, and endure the wait with the rest of us. ;)

(This review is also posted at: There were books involved...)