Taste of Sky (EL Girls Series 1) by VentreCanard

Genre: Romance / Science Fiction

Total chapters: 75 + prologue/epilogue

Writer: VentreCanard

Update Status: Completed

Synopsis: A flight lieutenant by the name of Behati Azalea Monzanto is, first and foremost, a pilot. Flying has been her first and only love for a very long time. That is until she met space commander Rylanrien Peter Armstrong (Pedro), whom she ended up falling in love with, even though she didn't have the best opinion on astronauts in general.

Author Introduction | VentreCanard

 

VentreCanard (or Ventre Canard) is a Phillippine author with a very early writing career, starting out at the young age of fourteen. Her first book was "Caught in His Arms" - self-published in 2016 - which later spawned a trilogy under the moniker "Arms Trilogy." Other book series penned by her include the "Gazellian Series," the "Moonlight Trilogy," and the "EL Girls Series" (of which "Taste of Sky" is a part).

 

1. Main Theme: "Heavenly Love"

 

"Taste of Sky" explores a theme far from uncommon in romantic novels but not as common in real life: "Unconditional Love." This type of love transcends even one's desire to live and is characterized by self-sacrifice.

 

Another theme that's not less typical in the romantic genre is that of "love emerging in the least expected ways" or "towards the least expected person." How often have we not seen stories of individuals falling madly in love with people who represented ideals they didn't initially share?

 

In that sense, the novel manages to bring the reader closer to true life while, at the same time, portraying a romanticized notion of love that's hard to attain realistically, but most people strive for.

 

2. Notable Characters in This "Celestial Masterpiece"

 

"Taste of Sky (EL Girls Series 1)" mainly follows the story of lovers Behati Azalea Monzanto and Rylandrien Peter Armstrong. Throughout the book, you'll also meet a host of interesting secondary characters that help spice up the narrative.

 

As always, we'll begin with the central characters:

 

Flight Lieutenant Behati Azalea Monzanto

 

Behati is the archetypal empowered and self-sufficient woman with as much intelligence and wits as beauty and courage. She also holds strong opinions on lots of subjects and has an exceedingly tough character.

 

She was a survivor of Typhoon Yolanda, a disaster that left her orphaned and largely shaped her character. She used to have an aversion to astronauts, whom she saw as very egotistical.

 

Space Commander Rylandrien Peter Armstrong

 

A handsome blue-eyed man and skilled astronaut who conquers Behati's indomitable heart. Despite his status and occupation, he's swell and charismatic, although he could behave childishly at times.

 

He challenges Behati's prejudice towards astronauts by being quick to help others, even in spite of his own safety and life. This personality trait would be the main driving factor behind the story's climax.

 

Other Characters

 

These are other characters worth mentioning, at least in passing:

 

• Allison Monzanto: Behati's cousin and remaining family member after Yolanda.
• Commander Graham Bell: One of the couple's friends and witness to their "space wedding." Behati met him while vacationing in Thailand.
• Commander Sanders: One of Peter's acquaintances and the person in charge of officiating the couple's wedding.
• Gravint Skynard Armstrong: The couple's son, conceived in outer space.

 

3. Point of View: "A Taste of Behati's Mind"

 

The narrative is told from Behati's point of view. She describes every scene as having happened already, with some insights written in the present tense.

4. The Plot: "A Love Story in Space"

 

The book starts with the prologue, wherein flight lieutenant Behati gives us a glimpse of her everyday work life at UASA (Universal Aeronautics and Space Administration). She proudly extolled her career's values and strived to imitate the best of the best. Moreover, at that early stage, her passion for aircraft far surpassed her love for men.

 

We then learn a bit about her tragic upbringing, having had her entire family wiped out by Typhoon Yolanda - except Allison (her cousin), with whom she would live from then on. Unbeknownst to her, it is disclosed that her future spouse actually met her first during that fateful event, though she could not notice him. However, he did and fell in love with her almost immediately.

 

Rylandrien Peter Armstrong was volunteering in the aftermath to help the Yolanda victims, and he would send Behati flowers every day, but she was so ridden with grief that she could only think about her dead family.

 

They would meet again later on, and Behati would begin developing feelings for him. They'd go together on a series of missions to help save some satellites that were starting to fail. Eventually, they went to Mars, where they got married.

 

Nonetheless, their happiness would not last long, as a new threat loomed on the "literal" horizon: An asteroid was about to hit Earth! This would trigger a string of events that will not be spoiled for the purposes of this review.

 

5.   The "Tastiest" Chapters in "Taste of Sky (EL Girls Series 1)"

 

Among the most noteworthy chapters in the novel, we could mention chapter 26, where we learn that Peter had already fallen in love with Behati back in her former typhoon-stricken hometown (Tacloban, Leyte) as he was doing volunteer work there.

 

Chapter 68 is by far the most sexually loaded in the whole book, as it narrates how the couple's first sexual intercourse transpired.

 

6. "Taste of Sky's" Writing Style

 

Taste of Sky makes for a very sensorial reading experience, with a marked emphasis on how the characters feel and what's in their mind at a given moment (especially Behati's).

 

Behati will not skimp on insisting upon Peter's eyes and how beautiful they are, even in places where these thoughts don't appear to fit, but it goes well with how her mind bundles all these memories together.

 

The novel is also packed with memorable lines scattered across its pages, meant to stir readers' emotions.

 

A Novel That Promises to Leave Readers with a "Taste of Sky"

 

"Taste of Sky (EL Girls Series 1)" is one of those novels you can read time and again and still have you shed a tear or two. Furthermore, its space environment endows the actions deployed by the main characters with a new level of gravitas and is a highly unique backdrop to complement an epic love story (wedding on Mars included!)

 

The novel can be read in its entirety for free, so we wholeheartedly encourage you to go check it out!

 

FAQs

Q: Does "Taste of Sky" have a sequel?

A: You may come across various fan-made sequels (such as "Taste Of The Universe," also available online). So far, no plans have been made public regarding a possible sequel to the original novel.

 

Q: Does VentreCanard have a social media account?

A: She is on Twitter as @VentreCanard_Wp. On Instagram, she posts as @hope_monzanto.