Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger: a review in comparison

Let the Storm Break
by Shannon Messenger
Read: January 13 - 17, 2014

Published: March 4, 2014 by Simon Pulse

Source: Edelweiss

Category: PNR, wind Sylph, YA
Series: Sky Fall #2
Find: Goodreads | Amazon

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?
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I was really excited to read Let the Sky Fall when it released last year, and while I thought the concept and mythology was unique and interesting, the story never grabbed me like I'd hoped. I actually wasn't sure if I'd continue the series or not. But then I read a post Shannon Messenger wrote on her blog about love triangles (find it HERE), and whether there would be one in book two, Let the Storm Break. In the post, Messenger said that she is not a fan of love triangles, but does believe in both tension and testing of a relationship.

As someone who thinks about love triangles a lot more than should be recommended, I was very curious about how Vane and Audra's relationship would play out in book two, and immediately decided to read it. That was a great decision, because Let the Storm Break blew my expectations out of the water, and completely changed my perspective on this series.  

A comparison of my experience reading the first two books:

Let the Sky Fall 
Go HERE to see my full review of this book.

1) This gorgeous cover immediately drew me to the book.

2) Besides the cover, I was excited that this story is about Sylph or wind walkers. Once I started reading, I found the mythology to be interesting, but I wanted to experience more of the Sylph culture, instead of just hearing about it from Audra.  

3) I thought the plot was slow moving moving overall (even though it takes place in just 5 days). I wished for a bit more tension and excitement.

4) The romance didn't give me as many feels as I'd hoped. I wanted to connect more to Vane and Audra as a pair. 

5) Loved Audra and Vane's distinct voices and especially how typical 'teen' Vane read. 

6) Missed the lack of strong secondary characters in the book. Mostly of the story is just Vane and Audra together. I wanted to interact with more of Audra's sylph world.

7) After finishing this book, I still thought the series had potential overall and was hesitant, but hopeful going forward.   

Let the Storm Break

1) Another beautiful cover.

2) This installment features a lot more information about Sylph power, how they manipulate winds and different gifts. This pleased me.  

3) The danger and excitement level is much higher. More windstorms and fighting. We also meet the bad guy Raiden and the fight with him becomes far more complicated and difficult. Book two felt much faster paced as a whole. 

4) Audra and Vane interact with a larger variety of people. Mostly other Sylphs. This added some great tension and complexity to their relationship and the overall plot. 

5) I like the way the book acknowledges Audra and Vane's quick bond. It is addressed by both Audra and Vane, as well as those who find out about it in this story, including Vane's parents and his formerly betrothed Solana. 

6) We see growth and maturity in Audra and Vane's relationship, but they also remain very much teens with teen impulses, insecurities, jealousies and funny moments. 

7) I continue to love Vane and Audra's unique voices and perspectives. I also got why they are drawn to each other. And I believed in the strength of their bond. 

While Let the Sky Fall was just an ok read for me, I ended up really, really liking the sequel Let the Storm Break. The action, excitement and danger picks up, and we learn a lot more about the four winds that Vane and Audra's sylph culture can manipulate and shockingly even break. I connected a lot better to Audra and Vane's relationship, and I think it helped to have a little tension from the outside (though no love triangles). It is still so much fun to be inside Vane's head, and I have grown quite attached to Audra as well, even though she worried me for a minute in the beginning of this book. I admire their determination to support and protect each other and their heritage no matter the cost. 

Let the Storm Break also asks some good questions about whether you have to be cruel to be strong, and whether we really have a choice when the bad option seems like the only right one. The one major downfall of this book is that it ends on a pretty major cliffhanger, but I am fully invested and already desperate to get my hands on the final installment.

Love Triangle Factor: None

Cliffhanger Scale: HIGH