Split the Sky / Marie Arnold / Book Review

SPLIT THE SKY

Lala Russell is tired. She's tired of fighting for justice. She's tired of rallies and hashtags. She's tired of the Confederate flag being flown at her elite private school. She's tired of the "debates" about where she belongs. She'd rather not think about any of this and focus instead on the musical talent that's going to launch her out of this town for good.

But in a sundown town like Davey, Texas, nobody gets to rest. Especially not a girl like Lala, who has inherited the gift of foresight from her grandmother. Not a girl like Lala, who's just had a vision of another black boy being shot... and the wave of protests that break out afterwards.

Lala didn't want to see this, and she definitely doesn't want it to come true. But some things are set in stone. And some visions aren't meant to be tampered with.

THOUGHTS

Marie Arnold manages to mix a speculative witchy coming-of-age story with the hard-hitting questions of a think-piece on racial justice, and it just works. Did I always connect with the characters and the story as much as I would have liked? No. But that won't stop me from recommending this read anyway.

PROS

Cyclical Trauma	Lala bears the burden of her psychic gift, and it is indeed a burden. But it is also a legacy, a connection to the past. This is a past full of pain and suffering. It is a past in need of justice. And this book aches with those connections, with the echoing ramifications of generations of evil done. It's beautiful and tragic, with its touch of New Orleans witchiness. These hints of magic are masterfully done.
Sparking a Movement	This book really tackles some difficult questions about violence, sacrifice, and revolution. Sometimes violence is necessary for justice, it posits, and it sees the implications of such a stance through to the end. This book isn't afraid to show the reality of protests like the ones that break out in this book--the kind that get called "riots" given enough media attention. The "counter-protestors" in this book are good-ole-boys-style vile in a way that feels extreme... and far too believable. And that just makes the looming violence all the more inevitable (and, perhaps, necessary).
Colorism	While this isn't a main part of the plot by any means, I did appreciate that Marie Arnold brings up colorism in this book. Because sometimes the prejudice comes from within. Internalized racism and color prejudice is real, and it hurts one generation to the next just like it hurts Lala's friend Rue to hear her grandmother's criticisms. Not a big part of this book, but a much appreciated one.

CONS

Lala spends a decent chunk of this book investigating her vision, tracking down the boys at her school (of whom there are only a handful) who might be the ones to face this untimely death. And this is the biggest drawback of the book, because there really just isn't enough time (or character motivation) to make these boys more than set pieces. Lala sets up fake interviews with them, which don't really pane out in a realistic way (though that's a whole different critique). We really only get the surface facts: who they are now, what they dream about. We don't get to know these boys, and that's a shame when they're so crucial to the premise.	Flat Cast
Lala has prophetic visions. They're unpredictable. They're spontaneous. And while I like all that, I don't know that the writing of these visions convinced me. Because the actual visions are forefronted with poetic interjections that just didn't work (for me). I don't know that these flashes of poetry reflect in any way the experience that Lala has. It definitely didn't feel like it. It felt more like artsy interpretation than writing to serve the worldbuilding. And that's unfortunate.	Woozy Worldbuilding
This book was riddled with little instances that just didn't seem possible (and no, I'm not talking about the prophetic visions Lala has). It's the little things that make a book like this hard to swallow, like the inexplicable ability to arrange airfare on a whim for a quick daytrip to another state. Or being able to show up at the workplaces of some random boys for an "interview," like they'd just let you waltz into where they work to do this (and like their bosses wouldn't complain about you distracting an employee). There are some supernatural shenanigans happening in this book, but I was happy to buy into those. It's the other details, the little ones, that just made this book not make sense. At least to me.	Little Disbeliefs

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Ginny Myers Sain's Dark and Shallow Lies will like the Louisiana-style witchiness of this book that comes with a touch more melanin. Anyone who loved The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas will like diving back into a space of restless change.

Details Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Date: September 9, 2025 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.