Let the Sky Fall

By: Shannon Messenger

Narrated by: Kristen Leigh, Nick Podehl

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

A broken past and a divided future can’t stop the electric connection of two teens in this "charged and romantic" (Becca Fitzpatrick), lush novel.

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.

©2013 Shannon Messenger (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Clever, fresh and fun.

I predict this is book/series is going to blow up so I urge everyone to get on board early!

The 'air elemental' angle was novel for me and I absolutely adored the lore that fleshed out the book. I found little things like the Southerly winds being tropical and lazy while Northern winds being frigid and demanding really clever.

I also had fun with the 'wind bending' techniques and was completely hooked waiting to see all the training come together in the final battle.

The dual male and female protagonists were very well drawn and I loved their relationship. The interplay was complex, clever, cute and so much better than the usual "he's hot and she's hot so they must get together" paint-by-numbers YA romance. The drama between them was genuine and the climax was sincere.

The story itself was also very strong and it moved purposely, never getting side-tracked or wallowing. It expertly weaved the respective pasts, presents and futures of Audra and Vane together for a tightly layered and well-paced story.

I will definitely check out the next book in the series as soon as it is released. I strongly recommend Let the Sky Fall to everyone into YA especially those looking for a fresh paranormal concept or just a well-written story!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

very interesting! imaginative!

What did you love best about Let the Sky Fall?

It was the kind of book in which you need a great imagination to follow . The characters are great!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Let the Sky Fall?

When he first realized his powers were real.

Which character – as performed by Kristen Leigh and Nick Podehl – was your favorite?

Both

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Let this book take you away with the wind.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Interesting World and Solid Narration

I enjoyed this unique world (sylphs). The male lead is an average teenager, with a dry sense of humor that I found to be charming.

I would have appreciated a bit more character development in the side characters, but overall I enjoyed this. I want to go on to book two, but I'm hesitating because book 3 is not yet an audiobook.

Unique Story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this to someone who digs scifi/fantasy but wants something different from the usual.

What did you like best about this story?

The world created by Messenger right over the top of our own was pretty sneaky and well done. She makes it believable and rational.

What does Kristen Leigh and Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love to see books narrated like this, it help to clearly identify the difference between the characters and highlights each characters personality.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

“Obey my command. Follow my voice. Race to my side and surrender your choice.”
― Shannon Messenger, Let the Sky Fall

One of my favorite listens this year!!

When I bought this audiobook on Audible, I had no clue what it was about or who the author was. My purchase was based solely on a search of books narrated by Nick Podehl and then narrowed by most fabulous covers (Yes, I judge books by their covers). This was a total WIN for me--I loved it! I am now a Shannon Messenger fan and will be reading everything she's written. I'm from Alabama so I'm used to people making fun of my southern drawl, but when she jokes on the Canadian accent, I laughed so hard driving down the road I thought I was going to have to pull over. I was really impressed with the authenticity of the characters and the originality of the story. I thought her writing style was fresh and age appropriate--it's nice to read something that I can wholeheartedly recommend to my teenage nieces who are constantly looking for something new and exciting to read. I can't wait to read the next installment!!

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Greatly Enjoyed This Book

Let the Sky Fall is an interesting urban fantasy with a strong heroine, funny and engaging hero, and some interesting concepts. I was quite surprised with how much I enjoyed this story, one I thought would be a throwaway YA.

Audra is a sylph/wind walker/air elemental. Though she has corporal form, her kind shuns much of the human race. Vane lives in the desert - the Coachella valley in California. His parents died in a horrific tornado and he survived, though he doesn't know how. All he remembers of his past is the face of a girl - a face that has haunted him since he was 10. Audra's sold purpose is to protect Vane - she's a warrior who won't let the past repeat and this time lose Vane in the same way his parents and her father was lost. But there are those who want Vane and are searching for him - and Audra can hide and protect him for only so long.

What I really liked in the book is that Audra is a strong character and has a good purpose. And though Vane is a bit smart alecky in the beginning, we never had situations where the two were snipping at each other just because. Audra stays fully focused on the mission and it is Vane, who doesn't know the full story of his heritage, that often gets sidetracked.

The world building here is interesting - the sylphs are pretty much like humans - just with the ability to manipulate air. Messenger has done a great job of establishing the rules of the 'magic' that controls the air, as well as giving clear limits as well.

There are some great twists and though the middle gets a bit slow as the two train and learn more about the sylph heritage, I still found I couldn't put the book down.

The narration was excellent.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very bad

I would not read anything from this person. This book is ready for a fire sale. Please do not buy........

0 of 13 people found this review helpful

Not as good as I expected.

I went into this thinking it was going to be great based on all the positive reviews I have read about it. But once again another book has been over hyped on what is an average story. I'm quite disappointed with the way this turned out, some parts dragged and others were rushed I think this could have been a great book with just a few changes made. Although this disappointed me I am glad I read this and I will probably read the next book In hopes that it's better than this one. I would recommend this to others as they may like it but if u don't like story's that drag then it's not the book for u.