Sing Down the Stars by L.J. Hatton

[Jax14]

With the upsurge of young adult books currently being made into movies, I decided to see what the level of offering is at the moment-and was not disappointed.
The 5th daughter shouldn't be. After the jellyfish-like aliens hung in the sky for a year causing human hysteria, they left; seemingly without effect. Certain children were then born with abilities. Abilities to manipulate elements. Certainly something the wardens want checked and under their control. Magnus and Iva Roma have four special daughters able to control the elements of fire, water, wind and earth. The 5th daughter that shouldn't be, Penelope, has assumed the guise of her twin brother who she accidently killed the night she was born and caused the stars to rain down. For years the girls have been hiding in plain sight performing in The Show-a circus performance that defies ordinary illusion. Now, the wardens have made their move, and in one night Penelope's life and that of her family and friends is thrown to the winds of change. To fight back she must enlist the aid of new partners and their capabilities, and tap into the celestine power she has been forced to damp down throughout the years. Unable to previously control the immense power, can Penelope unleash her abilities and safely use them to find and free those she loves?
What I really enjoyed about this book was the author's ability to describe situations and people so descriptively, that the imagery in my head was vivid and graphic. She gave the main characters well thought out personalities (bearing in mind it's a young adults book), and was able to weave the myriad of sub plots together convincingly. The editing was done well and the story flowed comprehensively. What's not to like about a story that has unicorns and gryphons! The only thing that didn't resonate entirely well with me was how some scenes seemed implausible. I'm not talking about scenes where magic happened and you need to suspend belief, but where a character was standing somewhere and the next minute they had gotten past guards and were hiding in another place (not due to magic). I suppose sometimes you just have to believe enough for the scene to happen.
I would highly recommend this book and praise the author on creating a tale that will be able to be stretched over a series, yet keep you enthralled in each book but still wanting more.