Shannon Messenger is one to watch! This novel is the first in the Let the Sky Fall series, and I am eagerly anticipating the next one. The one thing I loved the most about this novel is its originality. We are introduced to the world of sylphs. I have never read a book that centered around sylphs, nor have I even really heard of one, so much kudos to Ms. Messenger for introducing an awesome new idea that is pure genius. Because this is a new idea, Ms. Messenger was able to create a fantastical world that was just plain amazing! I loved her writing, and there were many great lines throughout the novel that had me thinking and laughing. 
 The characters in this novel were well developed, and stand-outs. I loved Vane, who was hilarious and sarcastic...something that is great to have in a male lead character. Audra was a tough, kick-butt girl who is scared by her past, and what she thinks she did. The story is told from alternating perspectives, and was extremely well done. Not many authors can pull off dual POV's, and have it work, but Ms. Messenger accomplished that with flying colors. I can't imagine this book working and flowing as well as it did without the alternating POV's. This element added depth to both the characters and the storyline, and helped us understand and enjoy the story that much more. 
 The reason I gave this a 4 star rating (which really would be 4.5 if I could), was because the story was a little slow in the beginning. There was a large sense of urgency throughout the novel, but nothing really happened until the last 1/4 of the book. However, while I don't think much could have been cut out, it kind of bothered me. 
 The story flowed very nicely, and there were a lot of twists at the very end that will leave you guessing. I never saw some of the twists coming, and really liked that I was surprised at the end. The battle scene was fantastic and written extremely well and detailed. I honestly felt I was right there along with Vane and Audra. I highly recommend checking out this new series because it is sure to be a huge hit!