brittmariasbooks's profile picture

brittmariasbooks 's review for:

Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood
3.0

3.5 stars

I received an e-galley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing But Sky is a story about Grace Lafferty who is a wing walker aka she literally stands on the wing of a biplane to perform tricks. The book follows her and her team towards the World Expo in 1922 where they want to win the grand prize: a Hollywood contract. With the help of their new mechanic, Henry, The Soaring Eagles begin their journey to Chicago and the World Expo.

This book has some great character development, especially regarding Grace. When we meet her, she is very stubborn and even a bit selfish. However, at the end of the book,
Spoiler she recognises her growth and takes into account her team's wishes.
I always love to see some good character development since I want the characters I read about to grow into a better self.

Furthermore, this book has a great family element. The Soaring Eagles are Grace's family and she loves them.
Spoiler I loved Grace's relationship with her Uncle Warren. It was flawed but it felt natural since they were kind of forced upon each other.
Furthermore, it is really nice to see male/female friendships in this book. Nathan and Daniel really took up some brotherly roles regarding Grace.

Moreover, this book has some great sexual tension. I personally love that so that was a huge plus for me when reading this book. The foundations for the romance are carefully laid down so there is no insta-love. The romance itself was very nice
Spoiler however, from the ending of the book, I gathered that it is only the beginning of Grace and Henry's relationship.


Since this book takes place just a few years after World War I, Amy Trueblood really did well, in my opinion, by portraying what the trenches did to the minds and bodies of the young men who fought in World War I. Henry, Nathan and Daniel all fought in WWI and all still carried those scars after they came home.
Spoiler Henry has a few PTSD episodes, and I was glad that the author went there. It is an ugly side of the war but it is what happened.


Overall, the author - as she said in her author's note - really took her time to research the era. This includes the clothing, the language, the mechanics of the planes, the aftermath of WWI, and of course she researched wing walkers and barnstorming. I really appreciate her effort and the time she took to do this. I think it paid off well in her story.

Spoiler Finally, I want to talk about the betrayal. Trueblood really did a good job by making Henry the Red Herring. I doubted him many times although I thought he would have his excuses. Since he was new to the team, both the audience and Grace think he is the most likely suspect. Moreover, since Nathan and Grace go way back, both the audience and Grace do not doubt his loyalties. Therefore, the shock is all the higher when the truth comes out. I did not see it coming at all so that makes it, in my opinion, a well-done plot twist.