Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

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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 took me a while to really get into this book.  I liked Vane. He’s a typical teenage boy though he has a bit of a problem in the girlfriend department i.e. he can’t keep a girlfriend. Turns out every time he’s tried to date someone, there’s always some sort of mishap and he inevitably ends up looking like a jerk. Though that bothers him, he’s more intrigued by the mysterious girl who haunts his dreams. She could hold the answers to his past that he can’t remember.

Audra, on the other hand, is quite single-minded about her mission to guard and train Vane. She struggles to compose herself throughout the story whether she’s working with Vane, dealing with her unaffectionate mother or the untimely death of her beloved father. Those mixed emotions fuel her determination to help Vane remember his heritage so that they can fight the oncoming evil together.

As far as characters go, Vane is a fun, sarcastic guy who is not quite as inept as he comes off initially. He’s a great kid who gets along with his parents so when Audra finally steps into his life and he starts behaving strangely, his parents have cause to worry. Audra took a bit longer to grow on me. Nothing irritates me more than when one character keeps the other in the dark because they think they can’t handle whatever the truth is. I was so annoyed by Audra’s stance to not clue Vane in on what was going on especially because she herself knows how time is running out. It’s bad judgment on her part and a major waste of time.

Let The Sky Fall was fun to read and worth it especially if you’re looking for something  different. The idea of windwalkers is refreshing though it took me a while to get into it. Give me vampires, shadowhunters, dragons, fallen angels, werewolves but for some reason, I was initially skeptical about people who can control wind. I know – it makes no sense. Once I became more fully invested in Vane and wanting him to succeed and be safe, I got over it and enjoyed this fantastic new world.

~ Bel