Book Review: Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron

Title: Out of the Blue (2018)
Author: Sophie Cameron
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Contemporary and LGBT
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s
Release Date: 22nd March 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆
Reviewed by: Lois

Synopsis:

Ten days after Jaya Mackenzie’s mum dies, angels start falling from the sky. Smashing down to earth at extraordinary speeds, wings bent, faces contorted, not a single one has survived.

Hysteria mounting with every Being that drops, Jaya’s father uproots the family to Edinburgh intent on catching one alive. But Jaya can’t stand this obsession and, struggling to make sense of her mother’s sudden death and her own role on that fateful day, she’s determined to stay out of it.

When her best friend disappears and her father’s mania spirals, things hit rock bottom and it’s at that moment something extraordinary happens: An angel lands right at Jaya’s feet, and it’s alive. Finally she is forced to acknowledge just how significant these celestial beings are.

Review:

Jaya’s mother died two weeks before the first being fell. None of the beings have survived their fall. Jaya’s father has become obsessed with the beings and moved his family to Edinburgh for a while in the hopes of finding a being alive. Jaya stays clear of her father’s obsession with the hope that she can deal with the grief and make sense of her mother’s sudden death. Suddenly, something extraordinary happens to Jaya when a being crash-lands right in front of Jaya and it is still alive.

This is Sophie Cameron’s debut novel and it is incredible! I throughly enjoyed this book and I was a huge fan of the this setting of this novel. It is set in the wonderful Scottish city of Edinburgh which is unusual in a UKYA book. It was lovely to read a UKYA book that wasn’t set in London.

I connected to al of the character in this novel which meant I didn’t want the books to finish because I didn’t want to be done with these characters. Jaya is an incredible main character. She is Sri Lankan and a lesbian which made her character very interesting. I love how she views the beings as people with feeling and not just something to make money from. Jaya also has a lot to deal with throughout the novel. Her mother’s death, her girlfriend’s disappearance and the problems she is facing in her family. She seems to have no one to turn to talk about her problems. When Teacup the being falls in front of Jaya it suddenly gives Jaya something to work for and support but also means she pushes a lot of things away from her. Teacup stole my heart as soon as she arrived, she was a delight and so fun to read about. I love the relationship Jaya has with Allie who is disabled and bisexual. I also really enjoyed what Cameron (Allie’s brother), Rani (Jaya’s sister) and Jaya’s father brought to the story.

This book was so unique and I loved reading a book about angels which is something I have never done before and never dreamed of doing. The pacing was spot-on with everything mentioned throughout the novel. It kept me intrigued all the way through! I just wish we got to see more of Jaya and Rani and why they didn’t have much in common.

The diversity in this book is wonderful and covers many different aspects, like sexuality and race. I love Sophie Cameron’s writing and will certainly be picking up her next novel whenever it comes out.

Out of the Blue ended with me in tears but they were happy tears. Not many books make me cry but this one certainly did.

Overall, Out of the Blue is an extraordinary book about angels that I could not put down. It made me want to read some more books about angels. It is an emotional rollercoaster that I would recommend even if you aren’t a fan of fantasy books.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s, Netgalley, Nina Douglas and Sophie Cameron for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Don’t forget to check out the interview I did with Sophie Cameron, which you can find here!