Review : Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Let the Storm Break (Sky Fall #2)
Author : Shannon Messenger
Publication Date : March 4th 2014
Publisher : Simon Pulse
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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?

Personal Thoughts

Let the Storm Break was a terrific sequel, even better than the first book in the series and most definitely doesn't suffer from any form of middle-book syndrome. It's intense, romantic, action-packed and has a rich and complex world-building.

The characters in this series have grown tremendously from the Let the Sky Fall. Vane, especially, came as a surprise to me in this book. He is no longer that whiny and slightly annoying kid that he was in the first book, but instead, he has grown to accept his heritage and has learned to accept that he has an essential part in saving the world. Audra was as wonderful as she was in the first book. She's still suffering from the big deception that she faced in the first book, but she has also learned to overcome it. Audra is badass in every sense of the word and I loved all the scenes that were in her POV. We also get more insight into the character of Raiden, the main villain, in this series and like most villains, I found him absolutely fascinating. He is a truly sick guy who gets off on torturing people, but his intensity and utter evilness is what makes him such an alluring villain. There are also much more secondary characters in this book who play a more important role in the book and I thought they were all very well-developed. I especially grew very fond of Gus who provided some lovely scenes throughout the book.

Shannon Messenger went deeper into the history and background of the Sylphs, making the world-building in Let the Storms Break absolutely breath-taking. It was rich and so well-developed. I felt like I learned so much more than in the first book and most of all, I was fascinated with this unique and entertaining world. I found myself being completely immersed in the book for this reason. Another aspect I thoroughly enjoyed about Let the Storm Break was the plot. It was action-packed from start to finish, which made for a book that had me on the edge of my seat dying to know what happens. Because I enjoyed the book so much, I was thoroughly frustrated when it ended in a mild cliffhanger. The romance in this book has always been really intense. I'll admit that in book 1 I was slightly uncomfortable by the amount of romance this series, but I quite liked it in this book. For a moment, I worried that there would be a love triangle with the arrival of Solana, Vane's betrothed, but I was glad with the way the author tackled her presence in the book. Rest assured, there's no love triangle. Vane and Audra's love for each other is way too intense for the presence of a third person to cause any sort of kink in their relationship.

I'm in awe with what Shannon Messenger crafted with this sequel and I'm itching for the next book already. If you're a fan of mythology, romance and action, this is the series for you!

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 4/5

Thank you to Simon Pulse and Edelweiss for the e-ARC of Let the Storm Break.