Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Goodreads Blurb

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.

Okay, you know those books that you have such high expectations for, but they just fall flat? This was so not one of those. I officially love anything Shannon Messenger writes. I absolutely loved her MG book, Keeper of the Lost Cities and the same definitely goes for Let the Sky Fall! She's just a genius with worldbuilding and plot!

Seriously. Worldbuilding first. The world of the sylphs/Windwalkers was so completely vivid and so well thought out! It was stunningly real and beautifully breathtaking (pun intended). I probably wouldn't make a lot of sense if I tried to explain the complexities of the world, but trust me, you;ll get it when you read it! It was definitely took a ton of creative power though, I'll say that!

Audra was such a strong character. I know I say that a lot, but she really was. She took the blame for her father's death but she never, not once, wallowed in self pity. Instead, she honored her promise to protect a boy, who was unbelievably stubborn, with her life. She sacrificed her own wants and needs for him and always put Vane first. She's a hardworking character who, even though she belongs in the air, is actually pretty down-to-earth.
Vane was...a guy. Or, like the stereotypical guys you roll your eyes at sometimes. He made a few perverted jokes throughout the series that really irritated me sometimes, but he really came through in the end. If anything, he's loyal to a fault, but it's one of the best things about him!

The romance was a bit insta-lovey, honestly, but you can quickly forget that once you see how perfect Vane and Audra are! They just complete each other so well, but ugh, forbidden love strikes again! So much conflicting feelings on Audra's part! Like I said, majorly strong character here.

The plot. Oh God, this killed me. The ending. The ending. Talk about a twist! I never saw it coming. Actually, I never saw a lot of things coming! Shannon Messenger has a way of throwing things at you that you never see coming. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry for out main characters. It was horrible. 

Let the Sky Fall was absolutely captivating from start to finish. I never wanted to put it down and throughout the entire thing, I was both dreading and anticipating the ending. (Which, again, nearly killed me.) With the ultimate sacrifices, the ultimate betrayal, this one's going to send you in an explosion of feelings. Trust me. I've been there.

Also, couldn't Raiden (that's his name, right) just google Vane Weston? He never changed his name and it's rather...unique.

Pages: 416
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Let the Sky Fall #1
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date:  March 5, 2013
Rating: 4.5-->5 stars