whitneydaniell

by: Marie Arnold
published: September 9, 2025
genre: Young Adult
304 Pages, E-Book ARC Courtesy of NetGalley
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Summary

Lala Russell has known about her gift since she was young, but when she turns fifteen, she’s unprepared for how much stronger and more frequent her visions become. Her grandmother calls it Flashing—a gift passed down through generations of women in their family. On her fifteenth birthday, Lala has a Flash that shows her the death of a young boy, and now she’s racing against time to try to stop it.

Having lost her mother in a tragic accident five years earlier, Lala has slowly been putting her life back together. With her cello, Grace, and her younger twin brother, Arlo, she’s managing to pick up the pieces.

When Lala consults her grandmother about this Flash, she’s warned not to intervene—because what’s about to happen will shift the trajectory of the world and usher in a new movement, something akin to the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s. Sadie, her grandmother, comes to town to help Lala reimagine the vision with better clarity. Meanwhile, their small town of Davey, Texas, is on edge. Racial tensions are rising over a new housing development on the north side that will be open to everyone—much to the dismay of the white residents.

With tensions bubbling just beneath the surface, Lala has to make a huge decision—one that could change everything. She can’t just stand by. She has to act.

Character Summary

Most of the story takes place at the Lawrence Ross Academy of Music, where Lala and her best friend, Ruby, attend. Due to the school’s location and prestige, Lala and Ruby are two of only six Black students there. The other four, including Ruby, are part of the Black Alliance—a student-led, multiracial organization pushing the administration to address racial issues. Their first mission: get the Confederate flag, which hangs in a school building, taken down.

Earl, Lala and Arlo’s father, has stepped up since their mother’s death. He’s strict about their education and behavior—especially considering they live in a sundown town. His sister, Janice (Aunt J), also lives with them. She’s a progressive spitfire who doesn’t take any mess.

My Thoughts

This book has great potential, but I’m not the target audience, and the message felt too overdone. The plot was ambitious but rushed.

The writing left much to be desired. There’s a lot of dialogue and inner monologue from the protagonist—not a bad thing in itself—but there’s little character development and many plot holes.

It feels like the author wanted to highlight many important issues. Black composers and classical musicians are prominently featured, and I loved that the students played instruments not often associated with Black children—viola, violin, cello. That representation matters. Lala dreamed of going to Juilliard and playing for the New York Philharmonic—which I thought was fantastic.

But on top of that, there’s a layer of ancient spirits and inherited gifts. Then there’s the awareness around the deaths of innocent Black and brown children. And on top of that, blatant racism in the American South—sundown towns, open violence, modern segregation. It’s a lot to pack into 304 pages.

Split the Sky is heavy—both in content and intention. And we’re seeing it all through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old girl. That’s a lot for any kid, and at times it stretched the limits of believability for me. But again, I’m not the intended reader.

Final Verdict

A very middle-of-the-road read. I see where Marie Arnold was trying to go—I just think she needs some help getting there. The book is doing a lot, and not all of it works, but not all of it fails either. It’s just… a lot.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the advanced reader copy of Split the Sky in exchange for an honest review.