Review: Let The Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

Let The Storm Break (Sky Fall #2) by Shannon Messenger

Whirlwind romance and breathtaking action continues in the sequel to Let the Sky Fall, which Becca Fitzpatrick called “charged and romantic.”
Vane Weston is haunted. By the searing pull of his bond to Audra. By the lies he’s told to cover for her disappearance. By the treacherous winds that slip into his mind, trying to trap him in his worst nightmares. And as his enemies grow stronger, Vane doesn’t know how much longer he can last on his own.
But Audra’s still running. From her past. From the Gales. Even from Vane, who she doesn’t believe she deserves. And the farther she flees, the more danger she finds. She possesses the secret power her enemy craves, and protecting it might be more than she can handle—especially when she discovers Raiden’s newest weapon.
With the Gale Force weakened by recent attacks, and the power of four collapsing, Vane and Audra are forced to make a choice: keep trusting the failing winds, or turn to the people who’ve betrayed them before. But even if they survive the storms sent to destroy them, will they have anything left to hold on to?

Publishes in US: March 4th 2014 by Simon Pulse
Genre: YA fantasy
Source: Simon via Edelweiss
Series? Sky Fall #2

Let the Sky Fall (Let the Sky Fall, #1) my review

Messenger, Shannon *

no info on release of book 3, untitled

Buy it: amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Indiebound
iTunes
The Book Depository

Author stalk away: Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

 

    I wanted to read Let The Storm Break because I enjoyed the world building and Audra's character in the last one, as well as the bond they had since childhood that developed into romance. Not to mention that before I ever started the series, the beautiful covers caught my eye, and this one lives up to the first as well. 

   Let the Storm Break was just as action packed as the last one, filled with suspense on what monstrosities Raiden will come up with next. As well as how to keep the language of the Westerlies, the "lost" language of the West Winds, who they think Vane is the only one with knowledge of how to wield it, and then you can harness the power of the four winds together, northerlies, southerlies, easterlies and westerlies. In this book even more so than the last one, I was beginning to see how the wind is almost personified because it sings songs, and it is drawn to the people who master and have the heritage of their language. They have personalities that are similar as well. 

    Especially the relationship that Audra forms with some of the westerly drafts, their fierce loyalty really amazed me, and as they are known for non-violence they have their own strengths and it was neat as both Audra and Vane learned more about their natures and how to best use the westerlies. But even with the power of the four, Raiden has figured out something even worse, the power of pain. This turns into a nightmare for those who are trying to conquer him and the storm troopers, hoping for peace. 

     I still enjoyed the romance although this one picks up right after the last, where Audra has left for the time being, and I have to see how that hurts both of them to be apart. But it definitely serves a purpose because Audra learns things she never would have otherwise that ends up giving them an advantage. It also allows Vane to get to know some of the other Gales, the other slyphs that are helping to protect him. He is knee deep in the politics though--learning what it means to be a leader to these people he just met in this supernatural world that he is still new to. And there is also the matter of Solara. She is a complex character and I find myself feeling for her, respecting her and understanding where she is coming from, but I also get pretty angry even though I understand some of her motivations. 

     I think that Vane has grown a lot in this one, and really has stepped up to what needs to be done instead of being so stubborn and wasting time where he could be making advancements to protect the people that he cares about and other innocents who will be caught in the crossfire. I think that he has gained even more strength, physical as well, but mental and letting some of his refusals be firm and that is the quiet strength and balance that I think the world of the sylph needs just a bit more of. 

     There were a few other new characters besides the above mentioned Solara-the lost princess that Vane was betrothed to. Gus, a guard that stepped in when Audra was figuring things out and Fang, uh Feng, lol both brought elements to the story, as well as some much needed lighter humorous moments. They also brought a different sort of training for Vane that he certainly needed and smacks on the head to get some sense into him, also when needed. 

     There is also a betrayal/traitor that made things much more difficult, but I am hoping that somehow there will be some major redemption or at least a major butt kicking. Not sure which I want to happen more. 

     The pacing was amazing, and there was always something going on action wise, setting things up or allowing the characters to discover things about themselves that they need to before moving on. There were some twists, some of which I predicted but hoped wouldn't actually be the case, and other things in the plot that I never saw coming. I love the set up of this world of the sylph and didn't want to leave it. This is a series that I will definitely be continuing to know what comes next. 

    The ending is really haunting and something that was hinted at so much in the first book. It made me respect but also strangle because of choices made, but I totally get why she did it and respect her too. I am certainly wanting to get my hands on the next one, but for now will contemplate how I think it will go down. 

Bottom Line: Haunting middle book with lots of high costs towards steps to victory.

My question to you, my lovely readers:

Do you think you could hold out information under torture?