Review: wonderful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 1, 2014
5683originially posted here: [...]After reading Chasing Forever Down and American Girl on Saturn, I’ve been a big Nikki Godwin fan. What can I say? Those two books were so easy to love, especially being stuck in summer vacation with swoon-worthy guys. But with Falling from the Sky, Nikki took a whole different turn. Her voice is still very clear in this one, but the composition feels different somehow. I must admit that I was afraid I wouldn’t like this book, but I actually found myself loving it. I actually don’t know how I could keep my review simple and concise when I have so many thoughts about this book. I will probably leave out a lot of them, and I hope I’m able to express myself clear enough.Ridge McCoy is not a normal boy. Thankfully, Micah Youngblood isn’t that normal either. Ever since Ridge’s father died in a plane accident, Ridge has been praying for airplanes so that they won’t meet the sad fate his father did. His relationships back home fell apart, and the summer basketball camp is a good way to escape these people. And Micah somehow wheedles himself into Ridge’s life with the help of a couple of carousel horses. Oh, and zombies too. (Are you curious yet? I hope you are.)I actually like the whole idea of the carousel horses and how each one could be special. Micah shows Ridge a lot about Bear Creek, his lifestyle, his culture, his relationships, and himself. I don’t really see a lot of Amerindians in books so I liked that somewhat unique aspect of the book. It’s also funny how Ridge could get intimidated being in the reservation, being different from everyone.I liked seeing how the relationship between Ridge and Micah developed as Ridge tried to keep Micah at an arm’s length. But Micah surely doesn’t back down easily. I actually love him more than Ridge for all of his quirks. I even relate to his hate for labels. But they are both adorable throughout the book, especially when they show more and more of themselves. I loved the equality in their relationship. I really loved this book, but I think it could have used more dialogue. Or maybe I’m just a little biased. I want to see more of Micah and Ridge’s text message exchange.I don’t think I’ve fallen in love with a Nikki Godwin book without falling in love with the side characters too. FFTS was no exception. There are actually a couple, but I will just mention the ones that are the most memorable to me – Abby, Jade, and Terrence. From the moment Abby and Jade came bounding up to the carousel calling out “Uncle Micah,” I knew I would love them already. They were these really adorable twins. And they have the innocence of the young, yet still have such distinct personalities. Jade naturally has the dominant personality, but Abby is actually a lot stronger. And then we have Terrence who is just one of the best friends ever. He’s not really around a lot, but he leaves impressions in all of the chapters he is present in so he is hard to forget. Also I loved how he stuck with Ridge throughout everything he went through.There’s this big part about the book that I can’t really talk about because it’s the ending, but I loved it and it was perfect. It also reminded me how much technology has changed,and it brought me to my younger years when we had flip-up phones and not touch screen ones. (yes, I am vague)If Ridge was praying for airplanes, I was praying for Nikki Godwin books. I hit a reading slump a few weeks back, and I just really wanted a book to enjoy. Thankfully, I got this early and it sure helped a lot. Of course I was being presumptuous, but I thought what could go wrong. Nikki’s books have certain charms that make me love them. She makes me laugh and melt. She also has a theme that she uses for each one that makes them stand apart from each other so there’s always something new to find. There are also a lot of people (yes, people. not characters :P) to meet and love.Also, for those who are familiar with the Godwin (Nikki and Emily) sisters’ works, you will find a couple of familiar events or names. I actually really like this about their books. It feels like the sisters are letting you in their secret world.**************************************************OVERALL, Falling From The Sky was just wonderful. I totally shipped Micah and Ridge all throughout. It was impossible not to do so. But there’s also more to it than just the romance. It’s also about acceptance and letting one’s self let go and just fall. It’s about relationships and how others can affect another person. It’s about a lot of things, and I truly enjoyed it. I would certainly recommend this book.