Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron
Genre: Magical Realism
Release Date: 22nd March 2018
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Source: Publisher
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Rating: 
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.
Set against the backdrop of the frenzied Edinburgh festival, OUT OF THE BLUE tackles questions of grief and guilt and fear over who we really are. But it’s also about love and acceptance and finding your place in this world as angels drop out of another.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Out of the Blue considering paranormal books aren’t typically my thing. I picked this book up because I’d heard some amazing things from early reviewers, and thankfully it didn’t disappoint!
I liked how the paranormal aspect was in the background of the entire book. Out of the Blue was more about the main character, her family, and the relationships between the friends. It was about grief, and letting go. There wasn’t much focus on the Beings that fell from the sky at all really, as the characters didn’t try to find out where they came from.
One of the supporting characters had a disability, which was great to see as I’ve not seen CP portrayed in a book where it’s not the main plot point.
I also really liked the darker parts of the book as well which were to do with the cult. I wish that had been explored more because it was fascinating, but at the same time it didn’t detract from the main plot and there was the perfect amount of detail there for me.
I’d recommend this even to readers who don’t usually enjoy paranormal stories as it’s more of a contemporary about grief and friendship than angels.