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 (GoodReads).

Friends! I liked Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger. I was into the alternating POVS of Audra and Vane (Vane, get it, like weather vane!? Har har!). I am going to start a frat for male characters in books who I think would totally be friends (and with whom I would absolutely go to a mixer with). So far it includes: Vane, Cass from Anna Dressed in Blood, and Kaleb from the Hourglass series. These kids are totally going to rule campus.

Originality: 9! New myths right here people, get 'em while they're hot! I have a soft spot for Ariel, the sylph in the Theatre Illuminatee books, so I was ready to like this myth-making. The stuff about the temperaments of each wind was neat, and Messenger does a great job writing about the air and breezes and really evokes the windy, hot desert.

Absurdity: 7. Of course Vane finds the girl of his dreams AND his super powers.  'Cause that is how paranormal YA rolls.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 6. Forbidden romance between teens who control wind def counts. But do I love Vane's voice? Check. Since Vane's narration is funny but also seems to capture a teenage boy's perspective, I was into this romance.
Level of Harry Potterness: 5 This book was good, but did not stand out particularly as being writerly or poetic or moving in a larger sense. Nevertheless, it is better than a lot of fiction out there! Give it a go.