Close

Login

Lost Password     Register

Close

Register

Lost Password     Login

Close

Lost Password

Login     Register

Book Review

Publisher's Note:

Aurora Rising meets Top Gun, with the addition of cybernetic dragons, in this is the witty, romantic, and electrifying sci-fi novel by Andrea Tang. Viola Park's life is over. She's gone from planning her future as a pilot-in-training to resigning herself to life on the ground. And it's all because she made one tiny, not-altogether-legal maneuver on the prestigious GAN Academy's entrance exam. It's bad enough that she didn't get into the Academy, but getting caught cheating? It's probably the worst thing Vi could imagine. Still, there are perks that come with Vi's family legacy at the school, and when Vi learns that recent pilot disappearances have left the Academy desperate for recruits, she does what any good Park would do--uses her connections to wiggle her way back in. But instead of matriculating with the regular class of future Peacekeepers, Vi is forced to enter as a probationary student, which means she'll have to work twice as hard to prove herself worthy of a place in the cockpit of one of the legendary dragon mechs. Lucky for Vi, the Academy has set up a combat tournament for all students, and the prize is a guaranteed spot in the Peacekeeper corps. Unlucky for Vi, she'll have to compete against her probie classmates, including Nicholas Lee, a mysterious boy prone to throwing Vi off her game. And as more Peacekeepers go missing, what starts out as a ploy to save her reputation turns into a fight for the future of Peacekeepers everywhere, and if Vi can't master her mech combat skills, she might not survi…

This review may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using these links, then Compass Book Ratings may earn a small commission.

Renegade Flight

by Andrea Tang

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended Age: 14+

Overall Book Review:

Renegade Flight is a follow-up on the novel Rebelwing, which was published about a year ago.  The action takes place several years later with a few cameos by characters (now in their 30s) from the first book; it is not necessary to have read the first book to follow the plot in the second. The premise behind this novel is amazingly cool:  human beings who can bond with sentient AI…in the form of dragons.  Yes, it is completely off the scale in the awesomeness factor.

Unfortunately, not a lot of time is spent on this, and it is an underdeveloped element.  The entire novel feels somewhat superficial and this keeps the reader from fully engaging.  There are gaps, not holes exactly, in the narrative although it is hard to put an exact finger on what is missing.

So, great concept and a quick read, but a novel that doesn’t succeed in hooking the reader.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy  

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Razorbill


Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  13 religious exclamations; 50 mild obscenities; 9 religious profanities; 3 derogatory names; 52 scatological words; 31 anatomical terms; 58 F-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  Several reports of death; brief sparring scene; report of losing eye and a limb; report of individuals being captured/disappearing; brief fight scene where 3 individuals start to beat up a person and are interrupted; character says she killed someone; a few sparring scenes (fists, sticks, etc.); extended, non-detailed fight scene involving some rogue tech, injuries and destruction of property; brief reports of fights during a school tournament, a few details; simulation fight training in bots; characters fight inside of mechs at a tournament; character slaps another character; brief fist fight; mech tournament bout scene; brief attack with injuries; brief battle with a death by plasma fire and character knocked unconscious.

Sex/Nudity:   Mention of aunts married to one another; girl asks another girl if they have hooked up in the past and then says she really prefers boys; character notices how attractive a member of the opposite sex is; character sees a couple passionately making out; reference to a racy movie; character thinks about another character of the opposite sex; someone asks if someone is sleeping with another; character asks someone if they want to get “into his pants”; touch of jaw, neck; kiss; hold hands; character says she doesn’t want to sleep with another character; sparring scene that turns into sexually tense scene.

Mature Subject Matter:

Disappearance of individuals, death, arms dealers, cheating.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
10
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
3
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
2
10

Share This Post

About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

Share Compass Book Ratings