Nothing But Sky

by Amy Trueblood

Grace Lafferty only feels alive when she's dangling 500 feet above ground. As a post-World War I wing walker, Grace is determined to get to the World Aviation Expo, proving her team's worth against flashier competitors and earning a coveted Hollywood contract. No one's ever questioned Grace's ambition until Henry Patton, a mechanic with plenty of scars from the battlefield, joins her barnstorming team. With each new death-defying trick, Henry pushes Grace to consider her reasons for being a daredevil. Annoyed with Henry's constant interference, and her growing attraction to him, Grace continues to test the powers of the sky. After one of her risky maneuvers saves a pilot's life, a Hollywood studio offers Grace a chance to perform at the Expo. She jumps at the opportunity to secure her future. But when a stunt goes wrong, Grace must decide whether Henry, and her life, are worth risking for one final trick.

• ISBN10: 0606412468
• ISBN13: 9780606412469
• Publish Date: 27 March 2018 (first published 1 December 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 July 2022
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 300
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

3.75 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for the e-copy in exchange for my honest review.
Grace is an eighteen-year-old young woman who is a daredevil who walks on the wings of planes. This was a part of history that happened after WWI and was called Barnstorming and went on through most of the 20's. For Grace's story though while it is fiction it is based on several real-life women.
Grace, her uncle, Nathan, and Daniel are a team with two planes. Daniel and Grace are the 'stunt' people and they do amazing daredevil tricks. All the men are very protective of Grace and don't want her to do a lot of the stunts that she comes up with. Grace is determined though and doesn't let them stop her from achieving her dream of them getting a big contract that will provide them with some financial security. One problem, they need a new mechanic again... This is something that's a reoccurring problem for the crew and they are out of options it seems until Henry shows up and gets the job. Henry, Nathan, and Daniel are all war veterans and while only Henry talks about it it does affect the others as well.
Overall I really did like this book. I loved how strong of a character Grace was and how she didn't take anything from anyone. She knew what she wanted for her and her team and wasn't going to let anything stand in their way. And there was a lot at times, between the government, an opposing team doing everything they can to stop them, and financial troubles. I loved Grace's friendships though and how they had side stories as well. I do wish we had gotten to know more about Nathan and Daniel though and even the Uncle. Besides them being important parts of the team and very protective of Grace, I didn't really feel like we knew them at all.
I also really wasn't expecting the romance part of this book, and when it started to happen, I kept hoping it wouldn't. I didn't mind the characters together, I just wished it hadn't of become a bigger portion of the book towards the end.
I did like how the side effects of WWI were talked about with the PTSD episodes that Henry has.
I'm very interested to see what the author writes next as I did really enjoy learning about barnstorming.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

My favorite part about this novel was the history of flying and the actual description of the stunts. It truly felt like I was taking part in the stunts as I was reading. The plot itself is predictable, but is exciting due how the airplanes and the stunts are worked into the story to create tension.
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Ever since reading Code Name Verity a few years ago I have been seeking more stories featuring women in aviation. I was delighted to be approved for Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood.

Nothing But Sky is a high-flying adventure story set the post-World War I era. Its shining star is Grace Lafferty. Always pushing the men in her life to reach for more and be more, Grace is a force to be reckoned with. Not one to take no for an answer, Grace sets her sights on competing at the World Aviation Expo in Chicago. Grade’s tenacity and ingenuity for unique breath-taking stunts might just get her barnstorming team the money and fame she desires, but it also places them in danger in the air and one the ground. Grace’s excitement and passion oozes off the page and the reader can’t help but be taken up in her dreams and stunts hoping and praying she survives.

Trueblood’s research into flying and its history is to be admired. When describing Grace’s crazy stunts, the reader will feel like they are on the wing of the plane or dangling from the struts with her – wind in their hair. It all feels so real. Even the technical jargon and detailed stunt planning is well written. Not once do these details bog the story down. They are a natural part of the storytelling and help to build the excitement and drive the plot forward.

Nothing But Sky falls a bit short on the plot. While Grace’s passion for flying feels new and Trueblood’s explanations of the ins and outs of stunt flying is a natural part of the story, the rest of the plot is predictable. As the reader reaches the book’s end point all the loose threads of the story come together in a nearly impossible and unbelievable way. It’s unfortunate that when the plot is not focused on flying or Grace’s goal to get to the World Aviation Expo, the story falls flat.

Grace is such a lively character that the other characters that play a part in her story are caricatures compared to her. Not enough time is spent exploring and delving deeper into Grace’s relationships and developing the characters who mean the most to her and become key players in the plot. The love story between Grace and Henry happens a little too quickly and easily and ends up being too sweet. Unless Grace is with Henry, she never comes across as a girlie-girl so her head-over-heels feelings for Henry seem uncharacteristic and in opposition to how Grace acts the rest of the time. And when it comes to the big reveal in the story, confusion reigns as there is little indication earlier in the story that the culprit was someone much closer to Grace than even she imagined.

Women played a big role in aviation history, and Nothing But Sky captures the excitement, passion, technical details and danger, for both men and women, associated with early aviation. Trueblood gives readers a strong female character to admire and shows them a picture of early American History that is not well known. Nothing But Sky is a strong entry into the genre of historical fiction with a fierce female protagonist to admire.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.