The Sky Is Mine (ARC)
Author: Amy Beashel
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Released: February 6th, 2020
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Characters: Izzy (Isabel), Steph (Stephanie), Daniel, Grace, …
No one has ever asked Izzy what she wants. She’s about to change all that…
In a house adept at sweeping problems under the carpet, seventeen-year-old Izzy feels silenced. As her safety grows uncertain, Izzy know three things for sure. She knows not to tell her mother that Jacob Mansfield has been threatening to spread those kinds of photos around college. She knows to quiet the grief that she’s been abandoned by her best friend Grace. And, seeing her mother conceal the truth of her stepdad’s control, Izzy also knows not to mention how her heart splinters and her stomach churns whenever he enters a room.
When the flimsy fabric of their life starts to unravel, Izzy and her mum must find their way out of the silence and use the power in their voices to rediscover their worth.
Source: Goodreads
TW: rape, coercive behaviour, domestic violence and abuse
The moment I started reading this book, it was a tough ride. It deals with hard, brutal reality and it discusses on issues such as rape and domestic violence. I admire how the author addressed these issues with well written thoughts, descriptions and it was done through and through. Nothing was left behind about the emotional and mental state of the victims. Their feelings is raw, true and won’t be washed away easily. This is surely not a book to be taken lightly.
When it comes to characters, especially our main character, Izzy. I empathized with her and what she went through. At the start, she was so caught up in the situation whereby she just went along with everything and was badly victimised. Usually I would feel frustrated at this kind of personality but with Izzy, she spoke to the reader, she was in a dark place that she couldn’t help but to go along with whatever that was taking place in her life. Her character development was a joy to be part of. She changes from being oppressed and helpless into a girl who’s strong and decided she won’t be silenced no more. Characters development is one of the highlight in this book. Many characters undergo changes and develop positively, including Steph, Izzy’s mother.
The bad guys in this book surely did their job well, which is they exist to be hated by the readers. So, thanks to the author, they definitely serve their purpose in this book. Daniel, Izzy’s stepfather was manipulative af while Jacob was just a f***ing asshole. All in all, they are successful characters and a precised depiction of abusers and rapists.
Not forgetting, we have a love interest as well. But I’m so glad that this not a story where love sweeps all the problems down the carpet and that’s the end of it. The love interest was more of a support system for Izzy, he makes her a better person and Harry is a joyful character that lit up the story.
What I like about The Sky Is Mine is the story got to the climax because of Steph’s decision and it hits the resolution because of Izzy’s decision. The main character and her mother are in charge of their own fate. Running away and love don’t solve everything but their voice and strength solved their problems. Absolutely admire this mother-daughter duo,
The Sky Is Mine also features many empowering songs and it tells how songs help to cope with difficult situations. How relatable the lyrics are for a person and how those lyrics lift up their spirit and makes surviving from day to day possible.
With that, I’m including a song and a description that has been selected by the author for my stop of the blog tour. It is Ordinary People by John Legend
I love a love song, how they can so perfectly capture the blind-sided euphoria of the beginnings of something. The flutterings of instant attraction. The will-they-won’t-they of unrequited lust. And then there’s the break-up ballads of the I’ll-never-love-again. The heart-broken, barely breathing devastation of loss. Like many love stories, love songs are usually at one end of the relationship or the other. And yet Ordinary People is extraordinary for its depiction of middling love, which can be fraught with the passions and frustrations of both the beginning and the end, weirdly existing alongside the mundanity of day-to-day coupledom. And that’s why I’d have it on the island. Because while separation can allow us to glorify romantic love, Ordinary People would be a reminder of its hardships, of its need for effort and compromise over its need for fast-beating hearts and thrills. It’s love with longevity. It’s real.
Overall, I wouldn’t say having a great time is apt to describe my reading experience with this book. But it was definitely an experience that affected me deeply. The Sky Is Mine was impactful, empowering, it gives hope because even during the darkest time, we gotta believe that there’s still hope for us to overcome whatever obstacle we are facing.
Thank you Rock The Boat for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is now out in the wild, you may want to check it out but do pay attention to the trigger warnings before getting it. Have a nice day!
Amy Beashel lives in Shropshire with her husband, two kids and a couple of kittens called Bird and Cat Dooku. She is passionate about inspiring young women to find their own voice. Incidentally, she is also the fastest woman in the world on a space hopper.
Endless Chapters 