A review by thefox22
Surrender the Sky by Meradeth Houston
4.0
*Full review can be found at Part of that World.
I didn't realize this was part of a series until I started reading the book. It freaked me out for a minute there, because I hate reading books out of order. But these books of the Sary Society can be read as standalones, and I really enjoyed this story a lot that I think I'll read the other two that I missed. :)
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars!
The Sary reminded me of angels, though I'm not sure that is what they are exactly supposed to be. Sary are immortal beings with wings who are sent on jobs to try and stop people from committing the worst act imaginable: suicide. They're guardian angels who are recruited when they die (Gabby herself never actually took her first breath). When they fail, it sucks and it hurts. Then they just get another assignment. But when they show their wings, severe consequences follow. They're never, ever in any circumstances supposed to show their true forms. Unfortunately for Gabby, an unforeseen incident causes chaos in her world.
After failing her assignment and showing her true form, Gabby is sure of one thing: she'll be released. But when the Sary leader offers her a solution, she's still unsure she'll take it. After all, she wasn't able to save her assignment and the kids in the classroom saw her wings. She thinks she deserves to be released. Gabby was a likable character who just wants to do her job, save her assignments, and keep her wings. She's spunky, loves her job, and has been around a long time that she's pretty much seen everything. But when both of her worlds collide, Gabby is forced to question herself, her job, and what she wants out of life. All the while dodging kids who know her secret, a rebel intent on exposing the Sary to the world, and a one-sided love with a guy who will always put duty above everything else.
I thought the secondary characters were great, as well. They added more layers to the story-line and brought on some much needed fun and comedic relief.
But the romance felt rushed, between both Gabby and Jassen and Bea and Nathan (which never felt that believable to me). I would have liked more development between Gabby and Jassen, a little more interactions and depth of feeling. And I never fully understood why either of them had fallen for the other.
I truly loved this concept! The idea that these Sary try and help people who are contemplating suicide or straddling that line is something I haven't read before. And I adored the concept. Suicide is such a sensitive subject, and I thought the author handled it with such care. I felt the emotions in this story, the heart-wrenching stories and Gabby's grief at being unable to save Chad (her assignment). But I thought the plot centering around Leon and his evil intent felt rushed. The scenes were sort of smoothed over, and I would have liked more action and depth surrounding him and his plans. And I would have loved more background info on Gabby herself, especially about other assignments and people she's met over the course of the century she's been a Sary.
The book was very fast-paced and didn't take me that long to finish. Gabby's voice drew me in, and the concept of the Sary and what they do held my attention until the end. I'm definitely going to be reading the first two books! :)
I didn't realize this was part of a series until I started reading the book. It freaked me out for a minute there, because I hate reading books out of order. But these books of the Sary Society can be read as standalones, and I really enjoyed this story a lot that I think I'll read the other two that I missed. :)
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars!
The Sary reminded me of angels, though I'm not sure that is what they are exactly supposed to be. Sary are immortal beings with wings who are sent on jobs to try and stop people from committing the worst act imaginable: suicide. They're guardian angels who are recruited when they die (Gabby herself never actually took her first breath). When they fail, it sucks and it hurts. Then they just get another assignment. But when they show their wings, severe consequences follow. They're never, ever in any circumstances supposed to show their true forms. Unfortunately for Gabby, an unforeseen incident causes chaos in her world.
After failing her assignment and showing her true form, Gabby is sure of one thing: she'll be released. But when the Sary leader offers her a solution, she's still unsure she'll take it. After all, she wasn't able to save her assignment and the kids in the classroom saw her wings. She thinks she deserves to be released. Gabby was a likable character who just wants to do her job, save her assignments, and keep her wings. She's spunky, loves her job, and has been around a long time that she's pretty much seen everything. But when both of her worlds collide, Gabby is forced to question herself, her job, and what she wants out of life. All the while dodging kids who know her secret, a rebel intent on exposing the Sary to the world, and a one-sided love with a guy who will always put duty above everything else.
I thought the secondary characters were great, as well. They added more layers to the story-line and brought on some much needed fun and comedic relief.
But the romance felt rushed, between both Gabby and Jassen and Bea and Nathan (which never felt that believable to me). I would have liked more development between Gabby and Jassen, a little more interactions and depth of feeling. And I never fully understood why either of them had fallen for the other.
I truly loved this concept! The idea that these Sary try and help people who are contemplating suicide or straddling that line is something I haven't read before. And I adored the concept. Suicide is such a sensitive subject, and I thought the author handled it with such care. I felt the emotions in this story, the heart-wrenching stories and Gabby's grief at being unable to save Chad (her assignment). But I thought the plot centering around Leon and his evil intent felt rushed. The scenes were sort of smoothed over, and I would have liked more action and depth surrounding him and his plans. And I would have loved more background info on Gabby herself, especially about other assignments and people she's met over the course of the century she's been a Sary.
The book was very fast-paced and didn't take me that long to finish. Gabby's voice drew me in, and the concept of the Sary and what they do held my attention until the end. I'm definitely going to be reading the first two books! :)