Review: Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood

Infinite Sky is narrated by Iris, a girl about to embark on a life-changing summer. Her mother has recently left home and as Iris, her dad and her older brother, Sam, cling to any sense of normality, a traveller family set up camp in the family's field, sparking yet more unrest in Iris' homelife. As tensions heighten, the family begins to unravel, and Sam goes off the rails, but among all the hostility and confusion, Iris falls in love for the very first time.

The story opens with a funeral; Iris is mourning the boy in the casket - but who is it? Sam, her tearaway brother, or Trick, her tentative boyfriend? Over one long hot summer, we find out just how their three lives were turned upside-down.

When I first heard of Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood, I knew it was a book that I was going to have to read as soon as possible.  Firstly, because I have a thing for Irish travellers.  I find them fascinating.  Secondly, it sounded like a really good read.  I must say that I fell in love with this story.

Infinite Sky is a coming of age story told by thirteen year old Iris.  Iris' mother has left her, her brother, and her dad behind so she can go to traveling.  Iris' brother, Sam, takes this extremely hard and starts to become a moody, violent person.  To top it off, travellers, or gypsies as Iris's dad and brother call them, have moved into their field.  Sam and Iris' dad are enraged about this, but Iris in intrigued especially when she catches a glimpse of fourteen year old Trick.  Day by day, Trick and Iris spend time together and just talking about life.  Irish begins to fall in love with Trick.  However, Sam and Iris' dad aren't going to make it easy for the two love birds to spend time together.  Due to prejudices, someone close to Iris ends up dead.

I love the title of this book.  Infinite Sky sounds so innocent and makes me think of a world of possibilities.  For a middle grade/young adult book, I don't think the title could've been any better.  

I do like the cover of Infinite Sky.  It has a sort of classic look about it.  It looks like it'd be a happy book, but after reading the synopsis, we know it's not all full of sunshine and rainbows, or in this case, cornfields and birds.  I really do hope the author sticks to this cover as I think adding or taking anything away from it would ruin it.

The world building/setting of Infinite Sky was done very well.  The story mostly takes place in a cornfield and around it.  C.J. Flood makes the world of Infinite Sky come alive with her writing.  I was able to clearly picture every bit of the story in my mind quite easily.

Pacing wise, the story starts out just a bit slow but quickly, the pacing picks up, and the story is very easy to follow.  It's not too fast and not too slow, but stays at a steady pace throughout.  Sometimes I did feel as if the chapters ended rather abruptly though.

The dialogue/wording in this story is beautiful.  C.J. Flood has a fine gift when it comes to her writing.  I was really happy that Irish spoke like a thirteen year old girl as well as the other characters speaking like their age instead of sounding older.  I loved how the dialogue between Trick and Iris didn't come across as being forced.  It sounded just like two young teens having a conversation.  As for the swearing, there's only about 2 or 3 swear words within the whole book, and they're not that bad.

The characters felt very real to me.  Iris speaks and acts like a thirteen year old girl.  She has a somewhat innocent quality about her that is quite subtle in the book but still apparent.  Trick is more street-wise and cares a lot about Iris.  Sam is a chav (someone who dresses a certain way and is usually just a menace to society), but there is back story about why he became one that is quite heart wrenching.

The ending of the story is quite an emotional one, and C.J. Flood does a fantastic job in her writing to pull at the reader's heart strings.  I felt like crying after reading how Iris is feeling.

Over all, Infinite Sky is a sweet coming of age story that is beautifully written and tugs at your heartstrings.  This is one of those books that is destined to and should be a classic.

I'd recommend this book to everyone aged 12+ as it's really a little gem of a book.

Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me.

(Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood is available for pre-order and will be released on 14th February 2013).
Connect with C.J. Flood: Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review).