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Piper McCloud #3
The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky
In The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky--the conclusion to the fantasy adventure series that began with the New York Times bestseller The Girl Who Could Fly--Victoria Forester shows readers that life is always exceptional, and "abilities" come in many forms.
What happens when the girl who could fly can't fly anymore?
Piper's ability to fly has disappeared, perhaps the result of some dark spell put on her, or perhaps because her ability has simply vanished forever. There is a worldwide calamity that Piper, Conrad, and their exceptional friends must tackle to save the planet, but Piper is left behind. If she can't fly, then what use is she?
Piper learns she can't do a lot of things—cook, clean, and help Ma around the house, among them. She feels more helpless than ever. What is she good at? How will she ever believe in herself again?
What happens when the girl who could fly can't fly anymore?
Piper's ability to fly has disappeared, perhaps the result of some dark spell put on her, or perhaps because her ability has simply vanished forever. There is a worldwide calamity that Piper, Conrad, and their exceptional friends must tackle to save the planet, but Piper is left behind. If she can't fly, then what use is she?
Piper learns she can't do a lot of things—cook, clean, and help Ma around the house, among them. She feels more helpless than ever. What is she good at? How will she ever believe in herself again?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2020
About the author
Victoria Forester
3 books343 followersVictoria grew up on a remote farm in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from the University of Toronto, her passion for storytelling led her to write and direct a short film for the CBC. When her next film was completed (The Pony’s Tale which aired on Global Television) she eagerly, and perhaps rashly, set off to Los Angeles.
The famous independent film producer, Roger Corman, mentored Victoria and gave her the opportunity to write and direct her first feature film, Circuit Breaker for Showtime starring Richard Grieco and Corben Bernsen.
This was soon followed by Macon County Jail with David Carradine and Ally Sheedy, and Cry of the White Wolf for the Disney Channel. Next Victoria directed Teen Scorcery, a fun story about mischievous teenage witches that was shot in Romania
The Girl Who Could Fly began as a screenplay that was optioned by Paramount Pictures. Victoria loved the story so much she decided to write it as a book as well. It is her very first book but she looks forward to the opportunity of writing many, many more.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, newborn daughter and ridiculously orange cat, Rufus.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/victor...
The famous independent film producer, Roger Corman, mentored Victoria and gave her the opportunity to write and direct her first feature film, Circuit Breaker for Showtime starring Richard Grieco and Corben Bernsen.
This was soon followed by Macon County Jail with David Carradine and Ally Sheedy, and Cry of the White Wolf for the Disney Channel. Next Victoria directed Teen Scorcery, a fun story about mischievous teenage witches that was shot in Romania
The Girl Who Could Fly began as a screenplay that was optioned by Paramount Pictures. Victoria loved the story so much she decided to write it as a book as well. It is her very first book but she looks forward to the opportunity of writing many, many more.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, newborn daughter and ridiculously orange cat, Rufus.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/victor...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
December 16, 2023
The book preceding The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky, The Boy Who Knew Everything, is not a masterpiece. It feels thematically off from The Girl Who Could Fly, adds in an unearned redemption arc, tries to fit weird twists that were not well-thought out at all, and relegates narrative-important-but-underdeveloped characters into little more than convenient plot threads to move around. (It also goes out of its way to state Lily Yakimoto’s age, totally ignoring the fact that the math does not at all line up with her previously stated age in the first book.)
The issues in the second book -and, yes I’m going to get into the book that this is actually a review for in a second- are birthed from problems set up in the first one. However, in the first book, they are easy to pass over in favor of the hopeful feels of the ending, Conrad’s well done redemption, and overall sweet, nostalgic story. But, the negative trickle down effect is in full force in the sequel, and by the time we get to The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky, it is as though all the charm and semblance of coherence left over from Boy Who Knew Everything have completely eroded away.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
The issues in the second book -and, yes I’m going to get into the book that this is actually a review for in a second- are birthed from problems set up in the first one. However, in the first book, they are easy to pass over in favor of the hopeful feels of the ending, Conrad’s well done redemption, and overall sweet, nostalgic story. But, the negative trickle down effect is in full force in the sequel, and by the time we get to The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky, it is as though all the charm and semblance of coherence left over from Boy Who Knew Everything have completely eroded away.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
April 3, 2021
Since reading the first book around the age of 10, the journey of this series has finally come to an end just as I hit 22. Personally, if the books came out at a faster rate it would've made the impact of this, and the previous book, significantly bigger. The audience that was first pulled in by the first book has long grown up following the release of the two subsequent books, and the likelihood that children will pick up the series as years go by gets exponentially lower. Regardless, as a 22 year old reading one of my most beloved childhood books, the writing style that remained for a 10 year-old audience did not bring me much entertainment.
The plot that was once so unique and thrilling to me suddenly became a cookie cutter generic plot, of black and white villains, "the chosen ones" (yes, literally) and heroes. The book was mostly quite dry and not as action-packed as the first 2 books, with the focus mostly on Piper being powerless and stuck on the farm doing mundane tasks. I was not thrilled at the 2 thousand year old villain acting like a kid and being evil for the sake of being evil, and judgmental "normal" people being assholes and mean for the sake of the plot in such a one-dimensional manner. I understand that this is a children's book, but I feel that other books have done a much decent job at explaining to young audiences about how evil people are not simply evil for no reason, and are all driven by inner turmoil and have different dimensions to them.
The ending was so rushed and explained nothing, leaving everything hanging in a big question mark. What happened to Max? Is it implied that they are going to continue stopping his plans (413 according to Conrad if I recall correctly), but you telling me that it has never occurred to anyone including Conrad to, i dunno, STOP MAX AND IMPRISON HIM?? Previous characters that were so important like J and Conrad's parents were never mentioned, and Xanthia is just like going full-on communist and when their most powerful children left for the outside world the president was just like k thanks bye and did nothing while still cursing the outsiders at how evil and dangerous they were. Liek logic amirite??
Also can we talk about Jimmy Joe's dad because he is just a walking illogical cardboard character who clearly was used by the author to solely be the evil archetype with zero personality? He gets pissed that Piper has to stay and threatens to whip her with his belt all the time, keeps saying that he wants her out ASAP but does not let her answer the phone when her family calls, making her stay at is house longer? Makes total sense!!
The more I read, the more I realised how stereotypical the author portrayed the farmlands and farm people, with and overuse of adjectives like simple, plain, mundane, routine etc and the farmland as close-minded people with extremely farm-like speech like from the 80's? Not sure if the author herself was a country girl but it was real in your face.
Overall, it just was a really dull plot and I would definitely have liked it as a kid, not so much as an adult. Still have a crush on Conrad (in my head he is of legal age ok), Conrad X Piper forever. Off to read some fanfic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OOOH MY GOD
THERE IS A THIRD BOOK IN PIPER McCLOUD SERIES MYLIFEIS COMPLETE I AM SO HAPPY I LOVE THIS BOOK SO SO SO MUCH. BUt it's ONLY OUT IN MAY 2020??? WTF NOO WHy
The plot that was once so unique and thrilling to me suddenly became a cookie cutter generic plot, of black and white villains, "the chosen ones" (yes, literally) and heroes. The book was mostly quite dry and not as action-packed as the first 2 books, with the focus mostly on Piper being powerless and stuck on the farm doing mundane tasks. I was not thrilled at the 2 thousand year old villain acting like a kid and being evil for the sake of being evil, and judgmental "normal" people being assholes and mean for the sake of the plot in such a one-dimensional manner. I understand that this is a children's book, but I feel that other books have done a much decent job at explaining to young audiences about how evil people are not simply evil for no reason, and are all driven by inner turmoil and have different dimensions to them.
The ending was so rushed and explained nothing, leaving everything hanging in a big question mark. What happened to Max? Is it implied that they are going to continue stopping his plans (413 according to Conrad if I recall correctly), but you telling me that it has never occurred to anyone including Conrad to, i dunno, STOP MAX AND IMPRISON HIM?? Previous characters that were so important like J and Conrad's parents were never mentioned, and Xanthia is just like going full-on communist and when their most powerful children left for the outside world the president was just like k thanks bye and did nothing while still cursing the outsiders at how evil and dangerous they were. Liek logic amirite??
Also can we talk about Jimmy Joe's dad because he is just a walking illogical cardboard character who clearly was used by the author to solely be the evil archetype with zero personality? He gets pissed that Piper has to stay and threatens to whip her with his belt all the time, keeps saying that he wants her out ASAP but does not let her answer the phone when her family calls, making her stay at is house longer? Makes total sense!!
The more I read, the more I realised how stereotypical the author portrayed the farmlands and farm people, with and overuse of adjectives like simple, plain, mundane, routine etc and the farmland as close-minded people with extremely farm-like speech like from the 80's? Not sure if the author herself was a country girl but it was real in your face.
Overall, it just was a really dull plot and I would definitely have liked it as a kid, not so much as an adult. Still have a crush on Conrad (in my head he is of legal age ok), Conrad X Piper forever. Off to read some fanfic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OOOH MY GOD
THERE IS A THIRD BOOK IN PIPER McCLOUD SERIES MYLIFEIS COMPLETE I AM SO HAPPY I LOVE THIS BOOK SO SO SO MUCH. BUt it's ONLY OUT IN MAY 2020??? WTF NOO WHy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2020
I felt like the ending was supposed to be totally different. This book felt thrown together and... Lost? There were so many loose ends, when Victoria did so well on tying things up in The Boy Who Knew Everything??? Anywho, the reason I feel like this book was not the original plan was because at the end of The Boy Who Knew Everything, there was an end page that said COMING SOON THE BOY WHO LIVED FOREVER. So I feel like it should have been more about Max (also there was no Color Girl in it at all) and not "coming of age". The book felt like a filler episode and that makes me quite sad because The Girl Who Could Fly is very dear and near to my heart and it was worthy of a better ending...
April 3, 2020
As a passionate fan of the first book since I was 11, reading this final book as an end to this series was somewhat saddening but at the same time exciting.
First and foremost, I have to come clear and be honest: there were many unresolved issues that did not have closure, which keeps me questioning what was truly supposed to happen in the story line before Forester changed her mind, as we can tell prior when the book was supposed to focus on Max.
Now, I think the biggest issue for me, above all, wasn't just pacing, but the amount of time dedicated to seemingly irrelevant characters. I think nearly a third of the book was literally just Piper living on the Miller farm and the abuse that came with it. I, for one, found it a little bit unnecessary to be focusing on such, especially because--in all honesty, I simply didn't care about Jimmy Joe or Rory Ray. I get it, though, they were needed to further the theme in the book about becoming your own person, so I understand that. I just wish a similar amount of depth went back into the characters that were major in the past, not into ones that were created all of a sudden. Quite a few new characters were introduced in the story that I, for one, didn't expect, because I knew that this was a conclusion book--meaning that things were going to have to wrap up soon.
The pacing was also a little strange to me, the last few chapters with the whole bug thing was kind of fast. Also, the threat of the world which was loss of technology, seemed a little underwhelming. The lack of technology is mostly inconvenience, technology is not necessity, so I didn't really feel like anything was truly at stake. And honestly, with how much was unsaid, regarding Max and Equilla the boomer and even the Hellions, it makes me feel like another book needs to be written just for the sake of tying things together.
Nonetheless, the one thing that saved this book for me was Piper and Conrad's friendship at the end of the story. If anything was constant within this series, it was that, and I felt blessed reading that last chapter. Piper and Conrad were literally the reason I stayed so loyal to this series, and they are what made it enjoyable for me. If anything was done right, it was their characters.
First and foremost, I have to come clear and be honest: there were many unresolved issues that did not have closure, which keeps me questioning what was truly supposed to happen in the story line before Forester changed her mind, as we can tell prior when the book was supposed to focus on Max.
Now, I think the biggest issue for me, above all, wasn't just pacing, but the amount of time dedicated to seemingly irrelevant characters. I think nearly a third of the book was literally just Piper living on the Miller farm and the abuse that came with it. I, for one, found it a little bit unnecessary to be focusing on such, especially because--in all honesty, I simply didn't care about Jimmy Joe or Rory Ray. I get it, though, they were needed to further the theme in the book about becoming your own person, so I understand that. I just wish a similar amount of depth went back into the characters that were major in the past, not into ones that were created all of a sudden. Quite a few new characters were introduced in the story that I, for one, didn't expect, because I knew that this was a conclusion book--meaning that things were going to have to wrap up soon.
The pacing was also a little strange to me, the last few chapters with the whole bug thing was kind of fast. Also, the threat of the world which was loss of technology, seemed a little underwhelming. The lack of technology is mostly inconvenience, technology is not necessity, so I didn't really feel like anything was truly at stake. And honestly, with how much was unsaid, regarding Max and Equilla the boomer and even the Hellions, it makes me feel like another book needs to be written just for the sake of tying things together.
Nonetheless, the one thing that saved this book for me was Piper and Conrad's friendship at the end of the story. If anything was constant within this series, it was that, and I felt blessed reading that last chapter. Piper and Conrad were literally the reason I stayed so loyal to this series, and they are what made it enjoyable for me. If anything was done right, it was their characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2019
Isn't the third book supposed to be called 'The Boy Who Lived Forever'?
June 27, 2020
i didnt even mean to read this book but whatever. the first two books will live in me forever, but this one is eh and nondescript lmao
November 12, 2020
I liked this book.It teaches kids to be who they are.And not lose their abilities.It also teaches to push through the hard times and nothing is gone for good.
April 7, 2022
Five years after TBWKE we receive the third and final book in the series. Oh, I’m sorry, did I say final? Yeah, this is meant to be the complete conclusion and end-all to the series, a fact that I wasn’t aware of until I finished the book and read Forester’s acknowledgments about how ‘she’s glad she gave Piper a happy ending’.
Excuse me?
This is meant to be the ending?
Because from the way this story has been treated it sure doesn’t feel like it. There are so many loose ends and unresolved story elements I can hardly keep track of them all, not to mention whole characters and plot points are just straight-up ignored from previous installments. Even ones that are introduced within this book itself!
Okay okay, I’ll be a little less vague and get right into it.
You know Max, right? Maximilian (what is the point of telling us his full name if it's never brought up again?), the whole evil antagonist that we witnessed torture, abuse and manipulate his way through the second book? The one that wants to cause absolute chaos on a global level it will bring back the dark ages? He’s hardly mentioned. Barely gets two chapters in this what, forty-two chapters book? His schemes and attempts at destruction are pretty much thwarted as soon as they occur (over four hundred possible times, as stated by Conrad) and he never actually does anything of note, except for releasing a ton of otherwise harmless (once they break from underground, they fly into the atmosphere and don’t directly attack anyone unless provoked) and indirectly getting Piper’s power removed. Maybe his plans would have actually worked if he didn’t just straight-up release his grandson who is prophesized to stop him. Kill Conrad, or if he doesn’t want to do that for whatever reason, lock him up in Xanthia and use him. Max is literally the dumbest fucking villain and he’s meant to be thousands of years old. A bunch of tweens are having a harder time taking college exams than ruining his schemes.
In the end, he’s never actually stopped. Piper, Conrad, and the gang never actually meet him face to face for the entire book and when they stop the bugs (who turn out to be literal dragons??? You gonna do anything about that Conrad???), he just pisses off on a zipline. Max is still out there, causing harm and misery to the world, and it’s meant to be a happy conclusion. I’m bashing my head into the wall as we speak.
That is just one character. While there was probably more to say about Max, that’s all I could really dredge up in my brain about him. There are plenty of other characters that are left in the dirt as well – Dr. Hellion is never mentioned after she saves Piper in the last book, I’m assuming J took her and pissed off to whatever hole he has been in all these years. Whatever happened to him wanting to be in Xanthia? Surely the place he has been searching for most of his life would not put him off after Piper’s rescue. He would attempt to breach it again and find out about it, surely? He’s literally invisible. I’m sure he could get Conrad to make him a hovercraft to get over the dangerous gorge, since Y’know, J saved him and Piper lives? This is just me speculating but I’ve comes up with more things J could do in the five years it took for him to become irrelevant again.
Other characters are completely ignored; Peter (never explained whether he went back to the White House or not, he could have at least helped Conrad with the whole bugs destroying the world thing), Aletha (who obviously has powers herself that is never explored), Starr (did they somehow retrieve her from Xanthia? I think they did but I honestly cannot even remember) and Fido (does nothing, gets teleported to Xanthia and just left there for a while. How did he not run away? Again, can’t even remember if they said they brought him back).
There are characters that get no satisfying ending or arc or explanation; literally all the other kids in Piper and Conrad’s group (the only ones ever really having any relevance is Myrtle, Smitty, Lilly, and Jasper. None of them change or grow or are explored), the head women who runs Xanthia (forgot her name, it’s just said that she is gonna build another wall to block out the outside world when 1. AnnA can literally jump in anytime and do whatever she wants and 2. Piper pretty much took a chunk of their adolescent population. Are they gonna do anything about that? Wouldn’t their populace start to get antsy?), Bella (what was even the point of including her and this weird cult thing she’s finding out about? It literally does not affect the story in any way and the only reason she’s put there is for Forester to point and be like ‘look! She recovered her powers! She’s all good now’) and AnnA (bro it’s literally implied Max is her father but again, it’s never brought up).
God, it’s so frustrating. I don’t know whether the ending to this is worse than Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children or not. It’s just gotten worse. The only thing that I can think of that I actually liked was when Piper threw herself from the roof again to try and get her powers back. It was a strong scene and throwback to the first book and actually made me feel some emotion for Piper and her situation. Other than that, that’s about it. If I ever re-read this train wreck, I would make a more in-depth review, but right now I am just dumbfounded at how horrible this ending is.
Rating: 2/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2020
Well, first off, I'm not one for writing book reviews. But this book really compelled me to do so.
I must say that when I found out that the final book was released, I felt excited and optimistic. I mean, the second book ended with a total cliff hanger and a huge expanse of future possibilities. So I really had my hopes up that the final book would add a terrific conclusion to this amazing series. Unfortunately, after reading it I was disappointed.
I admit that one of the few things that Victoria Forester consistently maintained was her storytelling. Her style of writing clearly depicts that familiar, heartwarming country slang and dialogue which is reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird (combined with a contemporary prose as well). It really provided me with a vivid setting to dwell in; transporting me back to the Lowland County that I once knew. Besides that, everything else was off.
First, the structure, organization, and overall content. I was a bit confused with the fact that so many events of the second book were omitted. For instance, the second book's ending left us with Conrad being found on the highway and this book abruptly started off without so much as a recollection of the past happenings, albeit small snippets of the former events. What happened after Conrad was found by his father? This book did not explain the process through which Conrad regained his memories and the circumstances which led up to this point. Most of the chapters too were solely based upon Piper's solitude and how she felt like an outsider among her friends. And also, her tribulations and abuse that she faced when she was at the Miller Farm. Yes, I can see that that meant to give us a scope about how Piper was trying to adjust to a normal life and self-discovery (but those chapters really took up nearly half of the book!). And like Piper, I too felt left out with the rest of the story. There were little to no descriptions about the missions that Conrad and crew faced whilst investigating the anomalies with the bugs. Up until the final chapters at least. And even that felt rushed. Most importantly, I truly expected chapters where Piper and Conrad would fend off trouble side by side (just like the first two books). But no! Piper was mostly exempted from such events and was left all by her lonesome on the farm.
Second, the characters. Yes, I get that Piper's friends must feel that way towards her (having lost her flight and all). And in their defense, they only wanted to ensure that Piper was safe and out of harm. But to hold secret meetings and completely avoid her was unnerving. And seeing how their relationship drastically changed towards Piper. Violet, for instance, one of Piper's closest friends (as mentioned in the previous books) was completely absent and distant from Piper's predicaments. Also, a lot of the characters from the former books were only mentioned once (or not at all). Like Peter and Abigail Harrington, Aletha, J., and Letitia Hellion. Those seemingly significant characters which were so crucial in the makings of the course of events from the first two books were given no major roles in this story whatsoever. The introduction of the new characters such as Jimmy Joe, Rory Ray, and the Xanthian kids were (in my opinion) unnecessary. Yes, it did shed some light about the Miller family situation, but it did not provide any significant or compelling relationships. The story of these characters kinda felt like it belonged to a 'filler' sequence rather than a major conclusion to the series. I would have liked to know more about the development of the main characters rather than the introduction of known locals and a few new kids.
Well, I got to give credit to Victoria Forester for Stark Raven though. Her eccentricities which made her seem like that 'crazy but wise old aunt' sort of character added a bit of colour and spark to the otherwise bland character mainframe, and Piper's development as well.
And finally, Max. Oh Max. I think his character lacked coherence of some sort since I expected some great revelation and progress about Max's character. And I genuinely thought that this was going to be a Max-centered story considering that the initial title of the final book was meant to be "The Boy Who Lived Forever", but alas, with minimal mentions to the story, he felt like a character who was hurriedly included and plainly depicted. The amount of significance and overall relevance of Max to the story plummeted.
In the end, this book came by as a blur and confusion. I did not quite feel the promising conviction that the previous books presented. There were really a lot of gaps and holes in this story. And given that it took 5 years for this book to be published, it did fill me with hopes that the conclusion of the story would turn out good. Yet, as aforementioned, it did not.
But hey, what do I know? :) Every book appeals differently to its readers.
I must say that when I found out that the final book was released, I felt excited and optimistic. I mean, the second book ended with a total cliff hanger and a huge expanse of future possibilities. So I really had my hopes up that the final book would add a terrific conclusion to this amazing series. Unfortunately, after reading it I was disappointed.
I admit that one of the few things that Victoria Forester consistently maintained was her storytelling. Her style of writing clearly depicts that familiar, heartwarming country slang and dialogue which is reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird (combined with a contemporary prose as well). It really provided me with a vivid setting to dwell in; transporting me back to the Lowland County that I once knew. Besides that, everything else was off.
First, the structure, organization, and overall content. I was a bit confused with the fact that so many events of the second book were omitted. For instance, the second book's ending left us with Conrad being found on the highway and this book abruptly started off without so much as a recollection of the past happenings, albeit small snippets of the former events. What happened after Conrad was found by his father? This book did not explain the process through which Conrad regained his memories and the circumstances which led up to this point. Most of the chapters too were solely based upon Piper's solitude and how she felt like an outsider among her friends. And also, her tribulations and abuse that she faced when she was at the Miller Farm. Yes, I can see that that meant to give us a scope about how Piper was trying to adjust to a normal life and self-discovery (but those chapters really took up nearly half of the book!). And like Piper, I too felt left out with the rest of the story. There were little to no descriptions about the missions that Conrad and crew faced whilst investigating the anomalies with the bugs. Up until the final chapters at least. And even that felt rushed. Most importantly, I truly expected chapters where Piper and Conrad would fend off trouble side by side (just like the first two books). But no! Piper was mostly exempted from such events and was left all by her lonesome on the farm.
Second, the characters. Yes, I get that Piper's friends must feel that way towards her (having lost her flight and all). And in their defense, they only wanted to ensure that Piper was safe and out of harm. But to hold secret meetings and completely avoid her was unnerving. And seeing how their relationship drastically changed towards Piper. Violet, for instance, one of Piper's closest friends (as mentioned in the previous books) was completely absent and distant from Piper's predicaments. Also, a lot of the characters from the former books were only mentioned once (or not at all). Like Peter and Abigail Harrington, Aletha, J., and Letitia Hellion. Those seemingly significant characters which were so crucial in the makings of the course of events from the first two books were given no major roles in this story whatsoever. The introduction of the new characters such as Jimmy Joe, Rory Ray, and the Xanthian kids were (in my opinion) unnecessary. Yes, it did shed some light about the Miller family situation, but it did not provide any significant or compelling relationships. The story of these characters kinda felt like it belonged to a 'filler' sequence rather than a major conclusion to the series. I would have liked to know more about the development of the main characters rather than the introduction of known locals and a few new kids.
Well, I got to give credit to Victoria Forester for Stark Raven though. Her eccentricities which made her seem like that 'crazy but wise old aunt' sort of character added a bit of colour and spark to the otherwise bland character mainframe, and Piper's development as well.
And finally, Max. Oh Max. I think his character lacked coherence of some sort since I expected some great revelation and progress about Max's character. And I genuinely thought that this was going to be a Max-centered story considering that the initial title of the final book was meant to be "The Boy Who Lived Forever", but alas, with minimal mentions to the story, he felt like a character who was hurriedly included and plainly depicted. The amount of significance and overall relevance of Max to the story plummeted.
In the end, this book came by as a blur and confusion. I did not quite feel the promising conviction that the previous books presented. There were really a lot of gaps and holes in this story. And given that it took 5 years for this book to be published, it did fill me with hopes that the conclusion of the story would turn out good. Yet, as aforementioned, it did not.
But hey, what do I know? :) Every book appeals differently to its readers.
March 19, 2021
4.5*
I’m really going to miss these characters! I think the 2nd book is still the best one, then the 1st book, & then this. I was just as engrossed in this book & flew through it..but there were some issues that left me a little unsatisfied. It’s like some characters were forgotten about, & we didn’t get closure w/them. A lot of closure issues basically. Those characters & another 1 that just walks away at the end-won’t say who. & we hardly saw any of the kids except Piper in this one-I love Piper, but I love the friendship dynamic & I missed that..not only that, they didn’t treat her very nice when they were around. Then those awful neighbors seem to get a bigger role than the friends do-b/n that & the problem being dealt w/in the story-I was constantly frustrated lol Then b/n 1 thing left unfinished in my opinion at the end, there’s a short scene also at the end where ANOTHER “villain” of sorts makes a threat/promise to themselves..so it feels like there should be more books to wrap it all up later-but the author says this is the ending for Piper she deserves..I’m so confused lol I give it a 4.5. I only rate MG 4 or 5, so this seemed the perfect score-b/c the writing was just as great, & I basically enjoyed it..just some frustrating parts, & an unfinished feeling at the end, & w/some past characters. I do highly recommend the whole trilogy though, & I can’t wait for the author to write more books. Such a gorgeous cover by Jason Chan. Of course, I love the 1st 2 beautiful covers by Iacopo Bruno too!💜
I’m really going to miss these characters! I think the 2nd book is still the best one, then the 1st book, & then this. I was just as engrossed in this book & flew through it..but there were some issues that left me a little unsatisfied. It’s like some characters were forgotten about, & we didn’t get closure w/them. A lot of closure issues basically. Those characters & another 1 that just walks away at the end-won’t say who. & we hardly saw any of the kids except Piper in this one-I love Piper, but I love the friendship dynamic & I missed that..not only that, they didn’t treat her very nice when they were around. Then those awful neighbors seem to get a bigger role than the friends do-b/n that & the problem being dealt w/in the story-I was constantly frustrated lol Then b/n 1 thing left unfinished in my opinion at the end, there’s a short scene also at the end where ANOTHER “villain” of sorts makes a threat/promise to themselves..so it feels like there should be more books to wrap it all up later-but the author says this is the ending for Piper she deserves..I’m so confused lol I give it a 4.5. I only rate MG 4 or 5, so this seemed the perfect score-b/c the writing was just as great, & I basically enjoyed it..just some frustrating parts, & an unfinished feeling at the end, & w/some past characters. I do highly recommend the whole trilogy though, & I can’t wait for the author to write more books. Such a gorgeous cover by Jason Chan. Of course, I love the 1st 2 beautiful covers by Iacopo Bruno too!💜
June 23, 2020
3.5 stars. Seeing the previous reviews on this book, I for sure thought that this book was gonna be so bad that I'd DNF it. HOWEVER, to my surprise, I actually kinda liked the different scenes that Victoria Forester served us. Though there are some things that could've gone way better and some things that seemed kinda rushed, the whole book was a JOURNEY. Though this is my least fave from the series, I'd still recommend reading it (and the whole series for that matter).
June 19, 2021
This book was... Not good. I adored the first book. It was so charming and precious and delightful. I felt like it stood on its own very well and didn't need a sequel. But, I was excited to read the follow up books, bc surely, they'd be delightful too.... But, alas. The sequel was ok, but tried too hard to make things "fancy" and just made things kinda annoying, convenient and convoluted. But it was ok enough that I wanted to see the resolution in the third book.
But dude... There was no resolution. There was barely any plot and nothing fit together well. Almost every single character in this story acted in ways completely out of the character previously established, everyone was annoying and so much of the plot was ridiculous and contrived. Sigh.
I'm going to keep my copy of the first book and just pretend these sequels don't exist 🤷🏻♀️
*****Spoiler-ish*****
This is the end of the series and you expect me to believe that THAT is the "resolution" we leave Max at?? 🙄
But dude... There was no resolution. There was barely any plot and nothing fit together well. Almost every single character in this story acted in ways completely out of the character previously established, everyone was annoying and so much of the plot was ridiculous and contrived. Sigh.
I'm going to keep my copy of the first book and just pretend these sequels don't exist 🤷🏻♀️
*****Spoiler-ish*****
This is the end of the series and you expect me to believe that THAT is the "resolution" we leave Max at?? 🙄
June 18, 2020
This book in my opinion wasn't as strong as the first two books. I kind of feel like the author had originally planned for there to be two books and then had an idea for a third? It was still interesting enough for me to finish, but out of all the major characters from the first two books, the only one we got to see much of was Piper and I was kind of hoping we would see more of the original group instead of the locals of Lowland County... I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't had the other two books to compare it to. It actually felt a lot like it could have been made into a companion short story, then had another full book after it. Also, the story didn't change much especially since it was the last book in the series ... I wish these characters had gotten a better ending.
August 14, 2020
Not worth the wait.
Dnf
...not sure what happened there
Dnf
...not sure what happened there
October 27, 2021
disappointing - many untied loose ends and totally did not fit with the rest of the series, felt like a filler instead of a conclusion
October 28, 2021
This book was a disappointment. Seriously, the first two books in the series were great and had so much conflict, and then this book, the grand finale, it just…flopped. All the things that had been built up by the first two books just kind of vanished. And the main character didn’t leave her farm for most of the book. The conflicts were dumb. I thought the main problems in the book were not fleshed out well enough and were solved too easily. It felt like the author ran out of ideas, or was just making stuff up on the spot. This book was originally going to be a story about Max, the main villain, called “The boy who lived forever” or something, but then it got turned into this. On that note, let’s talk about Max.
The big villain for the entire series, the huge bad guy, an evil immortal child who gets fuelled by chaos - he isn’t even in most of the book and gets reduced to a comically mischievous cartoon villain caricature when he is. Why. Just why.
Also, the whole Piper-loses-her-powers-so-she-stays-at-home-and-whines-for-most-of-the-book thing was really annoying. Again, the previous two books and tons of tension, conflict, action, this one fell so short of that. And don’t get me started on the Miller family. And the attempts at some sort of actual conflict at the end. The characters just got turned into caricatures of themselves. Piper got super annoying, the millers got a really dumb redemption arc, max got turned into a cartoon villain, Conrad wasn’t even in most of the book, and neither were most of the main kids.
Overall, I found myself to be very disappointed in this book.
The big villain for the entire series, the huge bad guy, an evil immortal child who gets fuelled by chaos - he isn’t even in most of the book and gets reduced to a comically mischievous cartoon villain caricature when he is. Why. Just why.
Also, the whole Piper-loses-her-powers-so-she-stays-at-home-and-whines-for-most-of-the-book thing was really annoying. Again, the previous two books and tons of tension, conflict, action, this one fell so short of that. And don’t get me started on the Miller family. And the attempts at some sort of actual conflict at the end. The characters just got turned into caricatures of themselves. Piper got super annoying, the millers got a really dumb redemption arc, max got turned into a cartoon villain, Conrad wasn’t even in most of the book, and neither were most of the main kids.
Overall, I found myself to be very disappointed in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
3.5 stars
Although I didn't love this book, I liked it a lot better than the previous one. My favorite theme was probably how Piper struggled to be herself and overcame that. She had a lot of development in this book that was enjoyable to read about. I also was happy when Conrad asked her out at the end. I'd sort of shipped them for a while but I didn't expect it to happen, seeing as they were little at the beginning of the series and her parents had sort of adopted him.
I thought that the plot was entertaining, although it felt pretty unrealistic and I didn't really like that. The moments when Piper experienced the bugs/dragons trying to communicate with her really drew me in, but I wish that those scenes had been more drawn out and detailed. Another thing I wished would have happened is more parts from the other characters' perspective and not just Piper's. I also would have liked to see more of Max, as I still think he's a really cool villain. I was confused at the climax scene when he escaped from the Empire State Building and just kind of disappeared. I thought that it was setting up for a sequel, but apparently this is the last book.
Overall, I thought this was a cute series, but I probably won't read them again.
Although I didn't love this book, I liked it a lot better than the previous one. My favorite theme was probably how Piper struggled to be herself and overcame that. She had a lot of development in this book that was enjoyable to read about. I also was happy when Conrad asked her out at the end. I'd sort of shipped them for a while but I didn't expect it to happen, seeing as they were little at the beginning of the series and her parents had sort of adopted him.
I thought that the plot was entertaining, although it felt pretty unrealistic and I didn't really like that. The moments when Piper experienced the bugs/dragons trying to communicate with her really drew me in, but I wish that those scenes had been more drawn out and detailed. Another thing I wished would have happened is more parts from the other characters' perspective and not just Piper's. I also would have liked to see more of Max, as I still think he's a really cool villain. I was confused at the climax scene when he escaped from the Empire State Building and just kind of disappeared. I thought that it was setting up for a sequel, but apparently this is the last book.
Overall, I thought this was a cute series, but I probably won't read them again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2020
The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky (Girl Who Flew #3) by Victoria Forester, 328 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2020. $17.
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When giant beetles erupt from under the earth, Piper is bit and loses her power to fly. Now that she is no longer super, she feels at loose ends. The others are off trying to figure out this new danger, while Piper is told to stay home and be safe. But Piper has bigger plans. And if her friends with powers won’t help, then she will just have to recruit normals – even if it means bringing in two of the Miller brothers – her nosy, hostile neighbors. With a little help from her AnnA, one of the Chosen Ones, they just might have a chance.
At first I had a hard time Piper whine about her changed status. But once the Millers became involved, it became much more exciting. Max, the villain, is as frustrating as ever. In fact, I can’t believe this is the conclusion of the series, because Max is still out there working to wreak havoc. I only rate it lower because the beginning drags a bit and the series is not as accessible as other fantasy series.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
Content: G
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When giant beetles erupt from under the earth, Piper is bit and loses her power to fly. Now that she is no longer super, she feels at loose ends. The others are off trying to figure out this new danger, while Piper is told to stay home and be safe. But Piper has bigger plans. And if her friends with powers won’t help, then she will just have to recruit normals – even if it means bringing in two of the Miller brothers – her nosy, hostile neighbors. With a little help from her AnnA, one of the Chosen Ones, they just might have a chance.
At first I had a hard time Piper whine about her changed status. But once the Millers became involved, it became much more exciting. Max, the villain, is as frustrating as ever. In fact, I can’t believe this is the conclusion of the series, because Max is still out there working to wreak havoc. I only rate it lower because the beginning drags a bit and the series is not as accessible as other fantasy series.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
March 10, 2020
This kind of felt like the author forgot about the rest of the series. Things that were previously important got no mention at all, and characters got sidelined. I was disappointed and felt unsatisfied :(
July 17, 2020
I didn't really like this book as much as the other two in the series. The ending was okayish and I didn't really like the way Max just disappears. Was disappointed compared to the others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2023
Edited to add: After reading other reviews, I realized that my copy of The Boy Who Knew Everything was missing the last five chapters! I immediately purchased and read a complete copy, and oh my gosh! I previously thought that Book 2 ended in a devastating cliffhanger, but things were actually wrapped up fairly well! There are still a some things in The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky that I feel could have been explained or resolved better, but overall, things make way more sense! I have bumped up the stars from 2 to 3! Now that I am no longer completely confused, I can say that the whole Piper McCloud series was one of the best I have ever read!
(Below is my former review, which isn’t entirely relevant any longer.)
I really loved the first two books in the Piper McCloud series, with its strong characters and unique storyline. The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, however, fell far, far beneath its predecessors. The characters somehow did not feel the same, and the story didn’t seem to have any real purpose. The devastating cliffhanger at the end of The Boy Who Knew Everything was completely ignored. That cliffhanger was the reason why I was particularly eager to read The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, but it was never again mentioned. We don’t actually know how Piper and Conrad got from the end of Book Two to the beginning of Book Three. There were many other similar situations throughout the book; things that were very briefly mentioned once but never explained at all. It feels to me like an unfinished draft instead of the completed published copy. I am hoping that there will be another book explaining what Piper and Conrad did between books two and three. Overall, there was no point in writing the book. I am extremely disappointed.
(And below once more is my extended opinion of the book.)
Although those extra pages in The Boy Who Knew Everything did fix some things for me, I still have a lot of problems with The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, particularly with the characters’ sudden personality differences.
I’ll start with Max. Max, in my opinion, is a very interesting villain. He’s a teenager who has lived for thousands of years by feeding off the energy of others. In the last book, we learned of his wicked plans and past. But in The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, he does literally nothing except have weird conversations with himself. Okay, yes, he did release the bug…dragon…things. But why didn’t he release them before a bunch of magical kids were there to stop it? Actually, if Max really wanted to end the world, why did he use the bug-dragon-things at all? I mean, they’re only destructive purpose was eradicating technology, right? I feel like humans could have easily gotten through that. After all, humans lived for thousands of years without technology, and since they’ve already gone through the process of figuring it out, they could have built it back up again with relative ease. If Max was so eager to destroy the world, I feel like there were much more efficient ways he could have done it. Honestly, the bugs were probably the most ineffective and useless way to end the world ever. (But doesn’t he realize that if the world ends, he’ll have nothing to do, therefore breaking his Golden Rules of Fun?) It’s disappointing especially because Max had so much potential to be this huge villain raising and commanding armies of the dead or something, but all he did was marvel over cup holders and sit back to watch a couple of bugs explode. He was capable of doing way more; he was controlling people with rocks for goodness sake, including his own kids! And obviously, he felt no remorse over this! I seriously don’t think that bugs was the best he could do. And then he just gets away! He never actually fights the kids, and Piper and Conrad are perfectly content to just let him wander around in search of more ways to cause chaos. Um, hello? Doesn’t Conrad remember all the stuff Max did to Peter, Starr, and to Conrad himself? Maybe you want to make sure he can’t do that again?
Oh, and on the subject of Conrad…what is his problem??? He regained his memories at the end of The Boy Who Knew Everything, so why did it feel like he was a totally different person? He treated Piper like she was nothing, which just isn’t like him! He hasn’t treated her so badly since the first book, and at least then he had a reason; he didn’t want her to lose her ability to fly. But when she does lose it, he does basically nothing to help! (Okay, he did make her a pair of wings to get her back into the sky, but other then that, nothing.) He just goes around acting superior towards her, and basically saying, “Well, too bad about your power, Piper, but suck it up. I’m way too busy to help you. Have fun prancing around your farm while I go save the world!” It’s just not like him. Piper is his best friend! The normal Conrad would be staying up day and night looking for ways to help her. He would have been losing sleep, desperately searching for ways to fix her, because he cares about her! I do understand why he didn’t want her to continue going on dangerous missions with him and the other kids, since often their powers were the only things keeping them safe. When she comes along anyway, and an alligator promptly pulls her down into the water and tries to eat her, Conrad is not even a tiny bit worried! Literally, all he says is, “We seriously don’t have time for this.” He should have been in a panic! Maybe show a little concern for your friend?!? Figure out your life, dude!!!! Okay, so it’s true that he’s a teenager now and bound to be surly at times, but would it have been so hard to be sympathetic and kind to the one person who’s ever been there for him, the only person who ever really believed in him? Now, am I being too hard on him? I do think that Conrad is probably the team member who is under the most pressure. Everybody always expects everything from him, and the other kids constantly depend on him for answers, both as a genius and as team leader. Maybe he just cracked under the pressure, or maybe he blamed himself for Piper’s loss of power and couldn’t cope with that. Even so, he had no right to act the way he did toward Piper. I think the only considerate thing he did for her in this book was try and eat her disgusting breakfast.
And Piper. Oh, Piper. She may not be as smart as Conrad, or some of the other kids for that matter, but she is absolutely not stupid. She should know that it it impossible for Conrad to make her a new immune system. She should also know that the breakfast she made was completely inedible. Eggshells do not, do not, go into baking batter. If bacon is so black and hard that it won’t bend, it’s not going to be chewable. If eggs are so runny that they’re like soup, they are not fit for human digestion. I will, however, give her credit for the pancakes. It takes real talent to make what should be a flat pancake into a rubbery ball.
In previous books, Piper was so energetic, spirited, optimistic. In this book, she was just…not. I get that she’s disappointed. She’s lost one of the things that was most important to her, and literally no one cares; not her parents, not her best friend. But she really didn’t do anything of any importance for most of the book. She was desperate to get her flying back, I understand, but jumping off of the roof and dying is not going to help! Neither is running to some crazy old witch, who she has been warned to stay away from!
(I also think it was weird that she couldn’t find any way to use her spare time. Since she wasn’t going on missions anymore, there was no reason why she couldn’t have gone to school. Other than that, there were plenty activities to prevent such boredom. She could draw, read, learn to play an instrument, maybe take some COOKING LESSONS?!?)
(Just a thought.)
The way that she regained her flying was also kind of dumb. All she did was believe that she could fly again, and then she did! That’s like saying, “I have a super deadly illness, but if I think about not having it, then I won’t!” Yep, makes sense to me!
And then there was that thing with her new baby sister, Jane. It’s kinda weird that Betty had no idea she was pregnant, and it’s weirder that she decided that while she was in the hospital, Piper should be looked after by the Millers, who make no secret of detesting her. I mean, Betty doesn’t even like Millie Mae Miller, so why on earth would she send Piper into her household? It makes no sense!
Rory Ray and Jimmy Joe Miller feature several times throughout the books, but why do they suddenly become the heroes? And why is Piper willing to forgive them without hesitation, after everything they did to her? They relentlessly picked on her, and for quite a while they were always beating up Conrad. But she’s just like, “I’m willing to forgive you for being so merciless to me and my friends because I’m a perfect angel!” We get it, Piper, you’re basically the definition of forgiveness and kindness! But these are the people who, for your entire life, have called you crazy and said not one nice word to you! I mean, whatever. It doesn’t matter, but it’s still irritating.
I’m not going to bother with the rest of the team, really, because they were barely in it. I’ll just say that they also didn’t care about their friend’s plight. And that maybe they deserved to have those power-restricting collars put on them in Xanthia, because it gave them a taste of how Piper felt. Yet, they were still not sympathetic. (Also, while I did think it was funny when Lily said to Piper that Conrad probably loved Piper, it was also kind of mean. It gave Piper the wrong impression and she and Conrad are still quite young. But I will admit that I had been thinking similar things since the first book.)
There were some characters, previously so important to the story, who were not even in The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky at all. For instance, J. and Letitia Hellion. Their names were mentioned just once, and they were apparently entering Xanthia? Along with Conrad’s family? Why, then, did Piper, when she returned to Xanthia to rescue her friends, not find them and get their help, instead of just relying on a bunch of kids she barely knows?
Also, Elder Equilla. She hears that the world is ending, but she’s just like, “Sorry, not my problem.” Obviously the Chosen Ones have no technology and the threat of its eradication was not important to them, but what if it had been worse? And didn’t she care that it was Max, the Guardian of Xanthia, who was behind it? Not only that, but how is building a wall around Xanthia going to solve anything? AnnA can jump in or out whenever the heck she wants to, and she can take any Outsider in or any Chosen One out! And there might have been other ways to get in or out, even with the wall. After all, Rory Ray literally blew it up. Oh yeah, with a wall in place, nobody can enter or exit Xanthia!
And then there’s AnnA. In the second book, she told Piper she was the only one on Xanthia who doesn’t have a father. Was this just a random piece of information, or are we supposed to believe that Max is her father? (Which would also make AnnA Conrad’s aunt.)
In the last book, Bella Lovely, former student at I.N.S.A.N.E., got her powers back, but how? Why? It was totally irrelevant to the rest of the story, and she didn’t even get the right power back! At first she could make rainbows and alter the colors of objects, so why was she suddenly able to make plants grow?
Peter, we know, had an ability when he was a child, but supposedly it vanished. It seems as thought he got it back, also, but again, how? Aletha called him “conjuror”, and it appears that he can, indeed, conjure thoughts into people’s heads. Wouldn’t that have been incredibly useful on Max, or even with the freaking bugs???
Aletha herself seems to have a power also. It sounds like she’s psychic, but I wish it were better explained.
We know quite a bit about Piper’s and Conrad’s families, but what about the other kids’ parents? Do they know what their kids are actually doing? How do they feel about all this saving-the-world-shenanigans? Do they even know about it?
Also, just a little question that was floating through my head, when the kids go on missions, who drives their transports? Nalen and Ahmed are old enough, but honestly, I don’t think I would trust them to drive a car(plus, it states that they usually windsurf to their location). Both Smitty and Kimber are also of legal driving age, but on one such trip, they were doing college exams. My best guess is that either the trucks, helicopters, and whatever else they use are self-driving, or Conrad drives. Technically, he isn’t legally old enough, but he is also by the far the most responsible of the team.
The kids’ ages also don’t stay constant throughout the series. Piper’s and Conrad’s do stay pretty constant. Piper was probably about nine in the book one, which covers about one year, and Conrad eleven. She was eleven in book two, which covers one year exactly, and Conrad was twelve. Then I think about one year or so elapses between books two and three, because Piper is twelve and Conrad is fourteen. So the entire series takes up three to four years. But here’s the problem. Lily was six in book one, nine in book two, and still nine in book three. Jasper was five in book one, six in book two, and nine in book three. The Mustafa twins were twelve in book one and seventeen in book three. See what I mean? (But I did find it kind of funny when Conrad kept lecturing and bossing the twins around, considering their age difference.)
Even the title confuses me. Piper did not actually fall out of the sky in this book. Is it referring to when she fell out of the sky in book 2, after she was struck by lighting multiple times? I saw that Victoria Forester’s original title for this book was supposed to be The Girl Who Saved The World, which I think would have suited it better.
The scene that I think was written the best was the one where Piper and Conrad were arguing on the roof. To me, it was the only one where anything of value actually happened, and where anything important was discussed.
My favorite scenes were the ones where Conrad and Piper are dancing. I thought it was really sweet, and at that point, I was willing to forgive Conrad for his treatment of Piper. It was so cute how he got all dressed up for her, and didn’t know what to say or do, and how he was all blushing and stuff. Sooo adorable!!! May they dance many more dances together!
I know the acknowledgments stated that Piper “got the ending she deserved”, but originally there was going to a book called “The Boy Who Lived Forever”. Maybe Victoria Forester will still write this book, because even if this was the end for Piper, it might not be for Max. If the Piper McCloud series is in fact over, that makes me really sad, because I loved it so, so much. For now at least, goodbye, Piper and Conrad. Until we meet again….
(Below is my former review, which isn’t entirely relevant any longer.)
I really loved the first two books in the Piper McCloud series, with its strong characters and unique storyline. The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, however, fell far, far beneath its predecessors. The characters somehow did not feel the same, and the story didn’t seem to have any real purpose. The devastating cliffhanger at the end of The Boy Who Knew Everything was completely ignored. That cliffhanger was the reason why I was particularly eager to read The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, but it was never again mentioned. We don’t actually know how Piper and Conrad got from the end of Book Two to the beginning of Book Three. There were many other similar situations throughout the book; things that were very briefly mentioned once but never explained at all. It feels to me like an unfinished draft instead of the completed published copy. I am hoping that there will be another book explaining what Piper and Conrad did between books two and three. Overall, there was no point in writing the book. I am extremely disappointed.
(And below once more is my extended opinion of the book.)
Although those extra pages in The Boy Who Knew Everything did fix some things for me, I still have a lot of problems with The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, particularly with the characters’ sudden personality differences.
I’ll start with Max. Max, in my opinion, is a very interesting villain. He’s a teenager who has lived for thousands of years by feeding off the energy of others. In the last book, we learned of his wicked plans and past. But in The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky, he does literally nothing except have weird conversations with himself. Okay, yes, he did release the bug…dragon…things. But why didn’t he release them before a bunch of magical kids were there to stop it? Actually, if Max really wanted to end the world, why did he use the bug-dragon-things at all? I mean, they’re only destructive purpose was eradicating technology, right? I feel like humans could have easily gotten through that. After all, humans lived for thousands of years without technology, and since they’ve already gone through the process of figuring it out, they could have built it back up again with relative ease. If Max was so eager to destroy the world, I feel like there were much more efficient ways he could have done it. Honestly, the bugs were probably the most ineffective and useless way to end the world ever. (But doesn’t he realize that if the world ends, he’ll have nothing to do, therefore breaking his Golden Rules of Fun?) It’s disappointing especially because Max had so much potential to be this huge villain raising and commanding armies of the dead or something, but all he did was marvel over cup holders and sit back to watch a couple of bugs explode. He was capable of doing way more; he was controlling people with rocks for goodness sake, including his own kids! And obviously, he felt no remorse over this! I seriously don’t think that bugs was the best he could do. And then he just gets away! He never actually fights the kids, and Piper and Conrad are perfectly content to just let him wander around in search of more ways to cause chaos. Um, hello? Doesn’t Conrad remember all the stuff Max did to Peter, Starr, and to Conrad himself? Maybe you want to make sure he can’t do that again?
Oh, and on the subject of Conrad…what is his problem??? He regained his memories at the end of The Boy Who Knew Everything, so why did it feel like he was a totally different person? He treated Piper like she was nothing, which just isn’t like him! He hasn’t treated her so badly since the first book, and at least then he had a reason; he didn’t want her to lose her ability to fly. But when she does lose it, he does basically nothing to help! (Okay, he did make her a pair of wings to get her back into the sky, but other then that, nothing.) He just goes around acting superior towards her, and basically saying, “Well, too bad about your power, Piper, but suck it up. I’m way too busy to help you. Have fun prancing around your farm while I go save the world!” It’s just not like him. Piper is his best friend! The normal Conrad would be staying up day and night looking for ways to help her. He would have been losing sleep, desperately searching for ways to fix her, because he cares about her! I do understand why he didn’t want her to continue going on dangerous missions with him and the other kids, since often their powers were the only things keeping them safe. When she comes along anyway, and an alligator promptly pulls her down into the water and tries to eat her, Conrad is not even a tiny bit worried! Literally, all he says is, “We seriously don’t have time for this.” He should have been in a panic! Maybe show a little concern for your friend?!? Figure out your life, dude!!!! Okay, so it’s true that he’s a teenager now and bound to be surly at times, but would it have been so hard to be sympathetic and kind to the one person who’s ever been there for him, the only person who ever really believed in him? Now, am I being too hard on him? I do think that Conrad is probably the team member who is under the most pressure. Everybody always expects everything from him, and the other kids constantly depend on him for answers, both as a genius and as team leader. Maybe he just cracked under the pressure, or maybe he blamed himself for Piper’s loss of power and couldn’t cope with that. Even so, he had no right to act the way he did toward Piper. I think the only considerate thing he did for her in this book was try and eat her disgusting breakfast.
And Piper. Oh, Piper. She may not be as smart as Conrad, or some of the other kids for that matter, but she is absolutely not stupid. She should know that it it impossible for Conrad to make her a new immune system. She should also know that the breakfast she made was completely inedible. Eggshells do not, do not, go into baking batter. If bacon is so black and hard that it won’t bend, it’s not going to be chewable. If eggs are so runny that they’re like soup, they are not fit for human digestion. I will, however, give her credit for the pancakes. It takes real talent to make what should be a flat pancake into a rubbery ball.
In previous books, Piper was so energetic, spirited, optimistic. In this book, she was just…not. I get that she’s disappointed. She’s lost one of the things that was most important to her, and literally no one cares; not her parents, not her best friend. But she really didn’t do anything of any importance for most of the book. She was desperate to get her flying back, I understand, but jumping off of the roof and dying is not going to help! Neither is running to some crazy old witch, who she has been warned to stay away from!
(I also think it was weird that she couldn’t find any way to use her spare time. Since she wasn’t going on missions anymore, there was no reason why she couldn’t have gone to school. Other than that, there were plenty activities to prevent such boredom. She could draw, read, learn to play an instrument, maybe take some COOKING LESSONS?!?)
(Just a thought.)
The way that she regained her flying was also kind of dumb. All she did was believe that she could fly again, and then she did! That’s like saying, “I have a super deadly illness, but if I think about not having it, then I won’t!” Yep, makes sense to me!
And then there was that thing with her new baby sister, Jane. It’s kinda weird that Betty had no idea she was pregnant, and it’s weirder that she decided that while she was in the hospital, Piper should be looked after by the Millers, who make no secret of detesting her. I mean, Betty doesn’t even like Millie Mae Miller, so why on earth would she send Piper into her household? It makes no sense!
Rory Ray and Jimmy Joe Miller feature several times throughout the books, but why do they suddenly become the heroes? And why is Piper willing to forgive them without hesitation, after everything they did to her? They relentlessly picked on her, and for quite a while they were always beating up Conrad. But she’s just like, “I’m willing to forgive you for being so merciless to me and my friends because I’m a perfect angel!” We get it, Piper, you’re basically the definition of forgiveness and kindness! But these are the people who, for your entire life, have called you crazy and said not one nice word to you! I mean, whatever. It doesn’t matter, but it’s still irritating.
I’m not going to bother with the rest of the team, really, because they were barely in it. I’ll just say that they also didn’t care about their friend’s plight. And that maybe they deserved to have those power-restricting collars put on them in Xanthia, because it gave them a taste of how Piper felt. Yet, they were still not sympathetic. (Also, while I did think it was funny when Lily said to Piper that Conrad probably loved Piper, it was also kind of mean. It gave Piper the wrong impression and she and Conrad are still quite young. But I will admit that I had been thinking similar things since the first book.)
There were some characters, previously so important to the story, who were not even in The Girl Who Fell Out Of The Sky at all. For instance, J. and Letitia Hellion. Their names were mentioned just once, and they were apparently entering Xanthia? Along with Conrad’s family? Why, then, did Piper, when she returned to Xanthia to rescue her friends, not find them and get their help, instead of just relying on a bunch of kids she barely knows?
Also, Elder Equilla. She hears that the world is ending, but she’s just like, “Sorry, not my problem.” Obviously the Chosen Ones have no technology and the threat of its eradication was not important to them, but what if it had been worse? And didn’t she care that it was Max, the Guardian of Xanthia, who was behind it? Not only that, but how is building a wall around Xanthia going to solve anything? AnnA can jump in or out whenever the heck she wants to, and she can take any Outsider in or any Chosen One out! And there might have been other ways to get in or out, even with the wall. After all, Rory Ray literally blew it up. Oh yeah, with a wall in place, nobody can enter or exit Xanthia!
And then there’s AnnA. In the second book, she told Piper she was the only one on Xanthia who doesn’t have a father. Was this just a random piece of information, or are we supposed to believe that Max is her father? (Which would also make AnnA Conrad’s aunt.)
In the last book, Bella Lovely, former student at I.N.S.A.N.E., got her powers back, but how? Why? It was totally irrelevant to the rest of the story, and she didn’t even get the right power back! At first she could make rainbows and alter the colors of objects, so why was she suddenly able to make plants grow?
Peter, we know, had an ability when he was a child, but supposedly it vanished. It seems as thought he got it back, also, but again, how? Aletha called him “conjuror”, and it appears that he can, indeed, conjure thoughts into people’s heads. Wouldn’t that have been incredibly useful on Max, or even with the freaking bugs???
Aletha herself seems to have a power also. It sounds like she’s psychic, but I wish it were better explained.
We know quite a bit about Piper’s and Conrad’s families, but what about the other kids’ parents? Do they know what their kids are actually doing? How do they feel about all this saving-the-world-shenanigans? Do they even know about it?
Also, just a little question that was floating through my head, when the kids go on missions, who drives their transports? Nalen and Ahmed are old enough, but honestly, I don’t think I would trust them to drive a car(plus, it states that they usually windsurf to their location). Both Smitty and Kimber are also of legal driving age, but on one such trip, they were doing college exams. My best guess is that either the trucks, helicopters, and whatever else they use are self-driving, or Conrad drives. Technically, he isn’t legally old enough, but he is also by the far the most responsible of the team.
The kids’ ages also don’t stay constant throughout the series. Piper’s and Conrad’s do stay pretty constant. Piper was probably about nine in the book one, which covers about one year, and Conrad eleven. She was eleven in book two, which covers one year exactly, and Conrad was twelve. Then I think about one year or so elapses between books two and three, because Piper is twelve and Conrad is fourteen. So the entire series takes up three to four years. But here’s the problem. Lily was six in book one, nine in book two, and still nine in book three. Jasper was five in book one, six in book two, and nine in book three. The Mustafa twins were twelve in book one and seventeen in book three. See what I mean? (But I did find it kind of funny when Conrad kept lecturing and bossing the twins around, considering their age difference.)
Even the title confuses me. Piper did not actually fall out of the sky in this book. Is it referring to when she fell out of the sky in book 2, after she was struck by lighting multiple times? I saw that Victoria Forester’s original title for this book was supposed to be The Girl Who Saved The World, which I think would have suited it better.
The scene that I think was written the best was the one where Piper and Conrad were arguing on the roof. To me, it was the only one where anything of value actually happened, and where anything important was discussed.
My favorite scenes were the ones where Conrad and Piper are dancing. I thought it was really sweet, and at that point, I was willing to forgive Conrad for his treatment of Piper. It was so cute how he got all dressed up for her, and didn’t know what to say or do, and how he was all blushing and stuff. Sooo adorable!!! May they dance many more dances together!
I know the acknowledgments stated that Piper “got the ending she deserved”, but originally there was going to a book called “The Boy Who Lived Forever”. Maybe Victoria Forester will still write this book, because even if this was the end for Piper, it might not be for Max. If the Piper McCloud series is in fact over, that makes me really sad, because I loved it so, so much. For now at least, goodbye, Piper and Conrad. Until we meet again….
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2024
yes i finished this in possibly less than four hours, and i am mourning 😭; will write a full review tmrw when i’m more awake sob
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okay so i’m more awake now so i can finally say what’s on my mind regarding this book (may contain spoilers from the first and second book and this one too)
so i read the first two books back in 2017 after i got the first book as a present and the second from my mom cuz i begged for the sequel. and i l o v e d them so bad. probs cuz the kids had superpowers and stuff and i’m a sucker for characters with superpowers. i’ve likely read those two books more than three times over becuz of how much i loved them.
now the third book.
tbh i was sad it wasn’t thicker 😂😂😭😭 cuz the second book was chonky 😭😭 i wanted more stuff to happen, esp since (from what i remember) the second book ended with max’s reveal and i wanted to see the kids defeat him once and for all y’know.
but then again, perhaps that is the formula that has been used again and again for multiple books, and victoria forester didn’t want to fall for that same trap.
because I LOVED WHAT SHE DID HERE.
the third book is about piper mccloud (of c) and how she lost her ability to fly. and like?? the way the author wrote abt growing up and change and losing what you thought u did best >>> i was devastated in that scene when kimber and smitty talked abt college and piper was so lost like 😭😭 if i read this earlier my younger self would have been appeased.
and like THE PROSE. it’s been ages since i read the first two books but i do remember thinking the writing for the first book was fun, and the descriptions in the second book were just BRILLIANT. and the third book still kept that up, which i love sm. (can u tell i’m obsessed w the world of piper mccloud plz)
i was a little confused that dr hellion, j., and conrad’s dad didn’t appear in this book cuz like,, weren’t they key major players in the first and second books 💀 why did they not show up 💀 but then again it could be that this story is just centered on the kids so i’m not too picky. (i am biased)
also JIMMY JOE AND RORY RAY REDEMPTION ARC?? i disliked them in the first two books but the way they were redeemed here >>>> 😭 like the way they changed their mind abt piper after meeting special kids in xanthia is just perfect. i love it sm.
AND HELLO CONRAD X PIPER- like I WANTED MORE MOMENTS I’VE SHIPPED THEM SINCE THAT XANTHIA SCENE IN THE LATTER HALF OF BOOK 2 PLZZZZ. like objectively i understand not having too much BUT AS A READER I AM DESPERATE (is it my time to write piper x conrad fic?). but regardless THAT ASKING TO THE DANCE SCENE WAS PERFECT. i’m telling u i panicked when i thought it was gonna be in summary but no!! she pulled a 180 and put it in scene!!! i love victoria forester girl if u write and publish another book i’m buying it. esp if it’s still from the piper mccloud universe. BECUZ I LOVE THESE GUYS SM
yeah i do wish that there’s a fourth book tbh, cuz i do want to see the end of max. or no i want to see the side characters expanded upon. violet, jasper, lily, daisy, myrtle, ahmed, nalen, kimber, and smitty,, 😭 there’s so much potential there i want her to take it. make a whole novel for these little guys please i want to know their backstories. maybe have them aged up a little too, in their late teens and early twenties. orrrr maybe i can write a fic abt it idk 😂🤡
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okay so i’m more awake now so i can finally say what’s on my mind regarding this book (may contain spoilers from the first and second book and this one too)
so i read the first two books back in 2017 after i got the first book as a present and the second from my mom cuz i begged for the sequel. and i l o v e d them so bad. probs cuz the kids had superpowers and stuff and i’m a sucker for characters with superpowers. i’ve likely read those two books more than three times over becuz of how much i loved them.
now the third book.
tbh i was sad it wasn’t thicker 😂😂😭😭 cuz the second book was chonky 😭😭 i wanted more stuff to happen, esp since (from what i remember) the second book ended with max’s reveal and i wanted to see the kids defeat him once and for all y’know.
but then again, perhaps that is the formula that has been used again and again for multiple books, and victoria forester didn’t want to fall for that same trap.
because I LOVED WHAT SHE DID HERE.
the third book is about piper mccloud (of c) and how she lost her ability to fly. and like?? the way the author wrote abt growing up and change and losing what you thought u did best >>> i was devastated in that scene when kimber and smitty talked abt college and piper was so lost like 😭😭 if i read this earlier my younger self would have been appeased.
and like THE PROSE. it’s been ages since i read the first two books but i do remember thinking the writing for the first book was fun, and the descriptions in the second book were just BRILLIANT. and the third book still kept that up, which i love sm. (can u tell i’m obsessed w the world of piper mccloud plz)
i was a little confused that dr hellion, j., and conrad’s dad didn’t appear in this book cuz like,, weren’t they key major players in the first and second books 💀 why did they not show up 💀 but then again it could be that this story is just centered on the kids so i’m not too picky. (i am biased)
also JIMMY JOE AND RORY RAY REDEMPTION ARC?? i disliked them in the first two books but the way they were redeemed here >>>> 😭 like the way they changed their mind abt piper after meeting special kids in xanthia is just perfect. i love it sm.
AND HELLO CONRAD X PIPER- like I WANTED MORE MOMENTS I’VE SHIPPED THEM SINCE THAT XANTHIA SCENE IN THE LATTER HALF OF BOOK 2 PLZZZZ. like objectively i understand not having too much BUT AS A READER I AM DESPERATE (is it my time to write piper x conrad fic?). but regardless THAT ASKING TO THE DANCE SCENE WAS PERFECT. i’m telling u i panicked when i thought it was gonna be in summary but no!! she pulled a 180 and put it in scene!!! i love victoria forester girl if u write and publish another book i’m buying it. esp if it’s still from the piper mccloud universe. BECUZ I LOVE THESE GUYS SM
yeah i do wish that there’s a fourth book tbh, cuz i do want to see the end of max. or no i want to see the side characters expanded upon. violet, jasper, lily, daisy, myrtle, ahmed, nalen, kimber, and smitty,, 😭 there’s so much potential there i want her to take it. make a whole novel for these little guys please i want to know their backstories. maybe have them aged up a little too, in their late teens and early twenties. orrrr maybe i can write a fic abt it idk 😂🤡
January 15, 2023
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2020
This book was lovely. I loved how it centered around Piper's self-development and realization that she isn't worthless without her flight abilities, and how she still managed to without them. There were many great moments: Jimmy Joe's development and subsequent friendship with Piper, the spring dance , the whole Fortune Flier scene...
However, this book had a lot of flaws. Practically every character wasn't present - Piper's parents left and all her friends were gone so we got essentially no Conrad/Piper interactions, except for at the end. The whole Bella Lovely plotline completely vanished. In TBWKE the movement of the "Watchers" seemed like it would get incredibly important, and I thought this book would have a "final battle" type scene where the Chosen Ones and Outsiders like the Watchers would team up and defeat Max together. But this novel didn't feel conclusive at all to the series. J. barely made an appearance, and Dr. Hellion never reappeared. And Max It just ended with him being like "I'm going to make more plans!". Not very conclusive at all. AND Piper + Co. have always been like "we can't let anybody know about our gifts" in the prior books, yet are now suddenly okay with flaunting them in front of all Lowland County?? So strange. Also, side note: I feel like Forester can't make up her mind about the series' genre. TGWCF was very realistic fiction with a bit of sci-fi, TBWKE was super heavy fantasy, with high stakes and lots of drama, and then this one is like... coming of age w/ some sci-fi again?? I don't even know.
Even though there were a looooot of things I didn't like, I couldn't rate this under 4 stars. It was a heartwarming and sweet book which I did enjoy reading. I just wish it wasn't the last one, because a lot of things didn't get real conclusions.
However, this book had a lot of flaws. Practically every character wasn't present - Piper's parents left and all her friends were gone so we got essentially no Conrad/Piper interactions, except for at the end. The whole Bella Lovely plotline completely vanished. In TBWKE the movement of the "Watchers" seemed like it would get incredibly important, and I thought this book would have a "final battle" type scene where the Chosen Ones and Outsiders like the Watchers would team up and defeat Max together. But this novel didn't feel conclusive at all to the series. J. barely made an appearance, and Dr. Hellion never reappeared. And Max It just ended with him being like "I'm going to make more plans!". Not very conclusive at all. AND Piper + Co. have always been like "we can't let anybody know about our gifts" in the prior books, yet are now suddenly okay with flaunting them in front of all Lowland County?? So strange. Also, side note: I feel like Forester can't make up her mind about the series' genre. TGWCF was very realistic fiction with a bit of sci-fi, TBWKE was super heavy fantasy, with high stakes and lots of drama, and then this one is like... coming of age w/ some sci-fi again?? I don't even know.
Even though there were a looooot of things I didn't like, I couldn't rate this under 4 stars. It was a heartwarming and sweet book which I did enjoy reading. I just wish it wasn't the last one, because a lot of things didn't get real conclusions.
January 6, 2022
Ah this was such a sweet ending to the trilogy I’ve waited for and loved! The first book still takes my breath away and I’ve adored reading it again, so for me, this last one would have had to be incredible in order to supersede the other one for me. I still liked it, but didn’t quite feel the magic like I felt in the first book.
January 25, 2020
This is the most biased review I'll ever write, as I could not possibly overstate how important this book series has been to me. Blessedly, The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky kept with the amazing track record Forester has set. The tone of the narration remains as witty and loving as ever, and this book sets forth perhaps the best metaphor for acceptance of self and of others that I've encountered in a middle-school-targeted novel. Absolutely heartbroken that it's being marketed as the conclusion to the series, as it very clearly lays ground for future stories, but I look forward to reading whatever Forester does next.
July 7, 2022
the problem with this series is continuity.
on its own, this book would probably be 4 stars. it was enjoyable, and i read it fast. the first book is still without a doubt the best of the series, but i really liked the beginning when piper was stuck on the farm, getting character development.
but the thing is.....so many plotlines from book 2 were abandoned. or at least two. there was whatever was going on with bella on her computer — absolutely nothing came of it, and it could have been removed from book 2 and changed nothing. and of course, there was conrad losing is memory and being picked up on the highway by his dad which should have been HUGE. but minus max and the xanthia lore, everyone started out this book the same way they started out book 2.
and speaking of characters being the same, i feel like only piper and conrad got any development out of their group. rory ray and jimmy joe have more depth to them than daisy or myrtle or ahmen and nalen, who, by the way, i am pretty sure have not had any lines since book one. i know myrtle, lily, kimber, and smitty spoke in this book and i know jasper had some lines and pov in book 2, but they feel almost like background characters as opposed to the main character's closest friends.
even though this book was good on its own, and the series is easy to focus on and fun to read, i can't get over a couple things which dampen my rating.
on its own, this book would probably be 4 stars. it was enjoyable, and i read it fast. the first book is still without a doubt the best of the series, but i really liked the beginning when piper was stuck on the farm, getting character development.
but the thing is.....so many plotlines from book 2 were abandoned. or at least two. there was whatever was going on with bella on her computer — absolutely nothing came of it, and it could have been removed from book 2 and changed nothing. and of course, there was conrad losing is memory and being picked up on the highway by his dad which should have been HUGE. but minus max and the xanthia lore, everyone started out this book the same way they started out book 2.
and speaking of characters being the same, i feel like only piper and conrad got any development out of their group. rory ray and jimmy joe have more depth to them than daisy or myrtle or ahmen and nalen, who, by the way, i am pretty sure have not had any lines since book one. i know myrtle, lily, kimber, and smitty spoke in this book and i know jasper had some lines and pov in book 2, but they feel almost like background characters as opposed to the main character's closest friends.
even though this book was good on its own, and the series is easy to focus on and fun to read, i can't get over a couple things which dampen my rating.
June 6, 2024
This book took me about three hours to read. After waiting more than five years to read this book I was really excited about it, but after reading it it felt kinda anticlimatic. I read the first book several years ago and absolutely loved it. I read the second one shortly after and couldn't wait for the third book. I remember when I found out a third book then to be called The Boy Who Lived Forever that focused on Max and his redemption journey as he discovered the important things in life I was really happy, but The Girl Who Fell From The Sky is not the book that was promised. This book is all about what would happen if due to a mysterious creature Piper lost her abilities. This book never mentioned anything about what happened to Bella after she regained her powers at the end of book two. It never mentioned what happened with Conrad's parents after his father regained his memories. It didn't even mention J. This book created more plot issues and cliffhangers than it solved. Despite my views of it, I am glad I read the book. While I was unsatisfied with the ending and will probably never read it again I am happy I was able to read the book after waiting so long for it.
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