Sophie Cameron's debut really is something special! I'm calling Carnegie and Waterstones Book Prize nominations for next year! It's about Jaya, whose father is a Wingding, someone who is obsessed with the angels falling to their deaths all over the world, and as such has hauled their family to Edinburgh in search of the next angel. Jaya then, in secret, comes across a rose gold and pink angel who unlike all the other has survived the fall, and with the help of two new friends tried to help her get back home. 

Out of the Blue is the sort of story that's just effortlessly beautiful and sweeps you up with its easy-to-follow emotional journeys. The secondary characters were absolutely stellar, in fact, all of the characters were complex and intriguing, and I loved what Cameron did with the dad towards the end of the book. 

I really love books like this where the 'dystopian' element feels so magically realistic - you find it more in films, but Laura Dockrill's 'Lorali' is a comp title. It's also kind of similar to the Penryn and the End of Days trilogy by Susan Ee, just pre-Rapture. We're really seeing the beginnings of a changing world, and while the reasons behind the Falls aren't explained, I was surprised how little that actually mattered in the scheme of things. Also, I love anything that has the whole 'teaching the outsider how to be human' thing. Think, the mermaid from 'Splash' and Eleven from 'Stranger Things'.

The pacing was spot-on for everything: the romance, Jaya's coming to terms with the death of her mother, the reveal of what happened to Leah. For a novel so short, it was doing a lot . The ending was really satisfactory too since it was quite overt with 'what Jaya learned' but at least you could tell she's had character development!

I only have a few reasons why this book didn't quite make it to five stars: the sibling relationship between Jaya and Rani - I could've spent more time on how they don't have much in common, what it's like to be the eldest, etc. Also, I felt like the lyricism of the story as a whole was beautifully sustained, but there were some paragraphs that stood out as more purple than the rest, which really threw me off, but I'm not the biggest fan of that style of writing, so I'm sure it's actually a pro for more people!

I haven't yet mentioned the diversity which covered so many aspects like race, sexuality and even medical (I think Jaya uses ableist language to begin with, but it's part of her re-education. Still, I'll be interested to see what other people make of that). Undoubtedly this is the best angel book I've ever read!

Out of the Blue by @toomanysophies explores what would happen if angels began to fall to earth. Would we all carry on as before? How would individuals react? Would there be mass movements? cults? And what would happen to the Beings? Jaya, her dad and her sister arrive in Edinburgh for the summer and the story begins to unfold. The pace is quick and consuming, the plot is immersive and you really feel like you're in modern day Edinburgh...and that you'd quite like a kit kat or a turnocks teacake and a cuppa. As the plot unravels so does the backstory, and the reason why this little family are in Edinburgh, leaving their home for a few weeks of angel chasing. The ending is poignant and there aren't many stories that make me cry, but I definitely shed a tear for the MC! This is one of those books, in a time where every story strives to be epic, that tackles some pretty big issues in a quiet, meaningful way and really strikes a chord. Do look out for it and enjoy a builders brew whilst you follow this delightful story. It's set for release in March 2018, published by Pan Macmillan @panmacmillan #outoftheblue #2018release

Review posted to YouTube -- https://youtu.be/PRgqNXJFtns

A fun, light read with angels and a great LGBT romance. Jaya is a really relatable character and her journey to come to terms with her mother's death is really moving. I expected to fall in love with this book because of the angels falling premise, but in some ways, that was actually the least interesting thing about it. Not to say that the angels storyline wasn't amazing, because it really was and I loved how the author handled it. The feeling of Edinburgh during the Fringe festival was captured perfectly. I just adored the relationship between Jaya and her new Edinburgh friends, not to mention the reappearance of her ex-girlfriend. A+ worldbuilding: the reaction of the world to falling angels felt painfully real.

Oh, wow. I really loved this book. I was immediately gripped by the concept - angelic beings falling from the sky with no explanation - and was delighted to find that not only was the book written in such a gripping, intriguing way, but it had a great relatable heroine (who was also gay and mixed race!), an adorable angel, a sweet f/f romantic subplot, and carefully drawn relationships between the main character and her family. It didn't go down the route I expected, either, and so felt fresh and original. The Standing Fallen were creepy antagonists who felt very realistic, and the pain Jaya is hiding inside her is heartbreaking. Definitely one of my favourite books I've read this year.