I don’t know if you’re already a fan of McCall Hoyle, author of the new EPIC YA novel
Meet the Sky, but if you are not yet a fan, you should be, and I will tell you why:
Her books are very, very good.
I know, I know… you are probably completely unimpressed with my explanation, and so I’ve put together a list of the top reasons why I have been seriously digging her newest novel,
Meet the Sky. And, if you need more convincing, you’re in luck: you can listen to the first chapter of the
Meet the Sky audiobook!
Top Reasons I’m Digging McCall Hoyle’s Meet the Sky
Man Vs. Nature
It’s always a sucker for the Man Vs. Nature struggle. Sue me: I loved
Hatchet as a kid. And
Island of the Blue Dolphins? That book was my JAM. So, the overall premise of trying to struggle with an external hurricane and your own
internal storms is A++++ in my book.
Thunderous applause for the internal vs. external parallel.
Also, I have recurring dreams where I must survive a hurricane. I… don’t know. It’s a thing, and therefore, I am here for the man vs. nature adventure in
Meet the Sky.
The characters are well-written and totally bomb
Sophie, our main characters, is a nerd. This, I appreciate. She’s got a dose of Meg Murray (who I raved about earlier in my post about Madeleine L’Engle) and a little bit of Hermione Granger (especially the love for hard-to-love cats). And Finn… oh, loveable Finn. He’s a little headstrong, and misunderstood, but deep down, you find his heart of gold. Plus, these two characters have a great repertoire, so you don’t mind that the entire novel is their EPIC adventure
The cover is pretty
Yes, I'm a shallow person. No, I won't apologize.
Look at this cover! IT. IS. PRETTY.
Linear Romance Sub-plot (AKA THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE HALLELUJER)
I officially confess: I’m so burnt out on the love triangle trope. I’m totally down with an awesome and even angsty romance subplot, but I’m just not in the mood for it at this current stage in my life. And so, I totally appreciate the ~*feelings*~ subplot in this one was between two people who I enjoyed reading about. General applause all around.
Love triangles never really happen in real life, right?
THE ANIMALS DO NOT DIE
We’ve already discussed how this is important in
7 Books Where the Dog Doesn’t Die. But let me reiterate: THIS IS IMPORTANT. THE ANIMALS MAKE IT. Lest your anxiety be cranked up by the fact that this book has an adorable crippled cat in it, rest assured: your heart will not be traumatized by any animal’s demise in this novel.
Also, I was able to get my hands on the Meet the Sky audiobook and it is STELLAR. Be sure to give it a listen:
Want to dive into another EPIC YA novel? Check out these Page Chaser posts:
