Renegade Flight

Rebelwing #2

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 survive the battle.

Set fifteen years after Prudence Wu took flight in Rebelwing, a new generation of scrappy young pilots challenge corruption, competition, and more dangerous mechs than ever, as they redefine what it means to be a revolutionary.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult Science Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2021

About the author

Andrea Tang grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and currently lives, writes, and works in the Washington, DC area. She loves martial arts in general and Brazilian jiu-jitsu in particular, and in her spare time, enjoys learning new sports and checking out live theater.

Reviews

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]]

I can't believe I read half of this book ONLY TO DISCOVER that the hero spends the entire book hung up on his ex-girlfriend (more girlfriend than ex throughout the book, to be honest). Thank God I skipped to the end.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Library
*Genre* Young Adult / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4

*Thoughts*

Renegade Flight is the second installment in the authors Rebelwing series. The story takes place 15 years after Prudence Wu shook things up in Rebelwing. This story, while featuring an all new cast of characters, still has a few guest appearances from grown up versions of Anabelle Park, Alex Santiago, Cat Park, and Prudence Wu. Set at an elite academy built into the crook of Hong Kong’s highest peak, this novel combines a lush, beautiful setting, with high-stakes action, fierce competition, and gripping conspiracies. Think Hogwarts meets Top Gun.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[michelle (magical reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

read on my blog

rep: Korean protagonist and wlw side character, biracial (Chinese, white) love interest, biracial (Latinx, white) side character, Black side character, Hongkongese side characters, wlw Latinx side character
cw: mentions of a toxic relationship

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Penguin Teen!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

It was an absurd plan. There was being an overachiever, and then there was being eighteen, and trying your hand at what real grown adults who sat on a real international council for one of the most powerful political bodies in the world had, evidently, failed to do. It was almost certainly not going to work. The choice should have been an easy one.
But it wasn’t really a choice. It never had been. Not when it came to flying.

Last year, Rebelwing quickly made its way into my heart, so I was so excited for the companion book! It did not disappoint; in fact, I think I loved this book even more. Renegade Flight involves a bloodthirsty competition at an elite academy, a sarcastic protagonist, and a romance that I simply adored.

After technically-but-not-entirely cheating on the entrance exam for the GAN Academy, Viola Park is devastated when she realizes she might not become a mech pilot after all. However, her aunt Anabel pulls some strings and gets her admitted under one condition: Vi must attend as a one of the probationary students, who are social pariahs. She begrudgingly accepts after Anabel tells her of the Peacekeepers going missing around the world. At the Academy, Vi meets the mysterious Nicholas Lee, a seemingly unbeatable student, and makes acquaintances with the other probies as they are entered into a competition for a guaranteed mech pilot spot.

The plot of this book was very intriguing. I love elite academy books for whatever reason, so it was fun to see Vi trying to navigate this environment while also trying to win the conscription bracket and to solve the mystery of the missing pilots. She also has to get over her sudden mech fright, which makes her doubt herself and lose her ability to bond with the sentient mechs.

The worldbuilding is mostly set up in Rebelwing, so I liked that we focused more on the technology aspect. In the past ten years, they’ve created sleeker sentient mech dragons. We explore the bond between a person and a sentient more too.

I would also just say this is a fun book because Vi is sarcastic and maybe a little selfish, but she’s also kind in the ways that matter. Her witty comments add plenty of humor to an otherwise serious plot, and I really liked her slow-growing friendships with the other probationary students! I think if you liked the tone of the first book like I did, you’ll love this one as well.

The other characters were great as well. Vi is wary of the other probie students at first, but they quickly show her that just because they are labelled as criminals, they aren’t bad people. We also get to see some of the previously introduced characters, such as Anabel and Cat, who are Vi’s aunts and guardians, and Alex, who is her music teacher and an uncle figure. I always love when characters return, if even for a little bit, and this was no exception. And then there’s Nicholas, who I could write a whole essay on at this point.

This brings me to what was probably my favorite aspect of this book: the romance. I should clarify that it’s definitely not the main focus of the book; I just really loved it. Nicholas is the seemingly cold bad boy who pretends not to feel anything, but in reality, this is just a mask because he’s been hurt too many times before. Vi feels some weird urge to protect him, even though they’re technically rivals in the competition, because he obviously doesn’t care about getting hurt anymore. It all adds up to a dynamic that I adored, and I would do anything for another book involving them. Please! I’ll take another companion book where they show up as cameo characters!

Renegade Flight was a thrilling expansion of the world we saw in Rebelwing. The plot was fun, the characters were hilarious, and the romance lovely. I loved our protagonist, and I think if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll definitely love Renegade Flight too!

original review:

viola park and nicholas lee, I love you

rtc

[m. · Rating 5 out of 5]

do you want to experience a kdrama & shounen mecha anime at the same time? do you crave for more swoony asian boy love interests? do you want an intense f/f weirdly homoerotic rivalry? do you want academy shenanigans and asshole teenagers competing with each other??? read this book now!!!!

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renegade Flight
Andrea Tang

Renegade Flight is Andrea Tang's second book of the Rebelwing series which I read last year and enjoyed a lot!

Vi is being haunted by a mistake that cost her big time! Viola Park comes from a family of pilots with a legacy she must be able to carry - but luckily, due to desperation from the Academy she is allowed back in but as a probationary status. Now Vi has to work harder to prove herself to be able to pilot the legendary dragon mechs. In a tournament for a spot in the Peacekeeper corps, she discovers a mystery to the disappearance of the Peacekeepers.

This story was set fifteen years after the first book with whole new characters, adventures and challenges. I love that the main character was a Korean and lots of representation from the Chinese, Black and Latinx characters. I enjoyed the strong characters and the plotting of the story. I also swooned over Nicholas Lee and Vi Park, I thought the small bit of romance really added to the story. This was fantastic!

[Gina Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renegade Flight hits every fun, sharp, heartbreaking note of a high-budget mech anime full of overachievers and academic assholery. It's smart! It's smartass! Find out why I yelled out loud multiple times while reading it! (This can be read as a standalone, but you'll miss getting stabbed in the heart every time a REBELWING character shows up all grown up ;;)

[Gretal · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed this, much like the first book, there was just something about the pacing that left me wanting. Still, highly recommend these books and I think they deserve much more hype.

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

TW: anxiety attack, domestic abuse, emotional manipulation

After finishing Rebelwing, I wasn't sure where the sequel would go. But having read Renegade Flight I needn't have worried. Tang's second book features Viola, a character that, once I warmed up to her, I ended up loving. Viola is very arrogant, used to the privilege and legacy of her name. So when she's caught cheating and relegated to life as probationary student, she has to question her motives, friendships, and future.

I enjoyed watching Vi get more exposure to different people, to have to question the path she has been following without questioning. She's incredibly sarcastic, sometimes rash, and with a good dose of pride. Throughout I was struck with loving how badass Viola was, even as she's learning how to make friends. Once she cares about you, she's fiercely loyal, honest, and caring. Renegade Flight is about her learning about herself, her own insecurities, fears, and limitations.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Tara (Spinatale Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard about Rebelwing, the first book in this series, I couldn’t wait to read it. Giant mechanical dragons, book smugglers, and political intrigue? Rebelwing was everything I’d hoped it would be and more.

Renegade Flight is a good sequel that shifts to more of a boarding school setting with high-stakes competitions and a murder mystery. Viola is an interesting protagonist, who grows significantly during the course of the novel. I liked her relationships with her friends and with Nicholas, although I wish the romance had been developed more. I also loved how diverse this novel is! While the majority of the novel was well-paced and incredibly engaging, the ending was a bit rushed, particularly given everything that is revealed.

Overall, I’d recommend this series if you’re looking for a fun YA series with plenty of adventure!

*Disclaimer: I received an advance digital copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

MECHAS. TOURNAMENT ARCS. SNARK. THE FINEST THINGS IN LIFE.

[Bria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hi yes I REALLY REALLY REALLY loved Vi and I would happily read every single book in this verse that Andrea wants to write 💖

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rep: Korean Canadian mc, biracial Chinese li, sapphic side characters

[Winterstar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read the prior book in the series, it was interesting to see what Alex, Pru & co were up to now. Vi herself was okay, but could have done with an increase in vocabulary. The first half to most of the book is riddled with f-bombs. It’s like the character doesn’t seem to know any other word. At least the prior book had equal opportunity cursing. This one just seemed to have the F-bomb just for the sake of having it in there. It was used horribly as a description for, well, pretty much everything- how does a character look? F-bomb, how does a character seem? F-bomb, how is a character feeling? F-bomb, how does the setting look? F-bomb. And some of the ways it was used as a description didn’t even make any sense. I think the f-bomb was used precisely one time in it’s actual, literal meaning and that came as a surprise since to was used so often before as almost an aside.

The language, or rather lack of variety thereof did have an impact on the story. It slowed the story down, made for some confusing imagery when it was used as a description, and also was quite annoying in is redundancy, especially when it seemed to serve actually no point other than to seemingly increase the author’s word count. In fact the story would have probably been a chapter shorter without most of the f-language. I get that yeah people use it and probably think it sometimes more often than it was used here and I even get it can be used for emphasis or shock or to express a character’s emotion or emotional state, but the writer uses it almost to death as the main description of pretty much everything in the story. Also, just because people think or say it doesn’t mean I want to read it. I’m pretty sure most people would be bored if the only description a writer used was brown. How does a character feel? Brown, how does a character look? Brown. How does the setting look? Brown. How did the characters act? Brown.

I spent most of it skimming boring descriptions using curse words involving the f-bomb. Which was a shame because underneath there was a glimmer of something interesting.

The other characters in the story were interesting, but weren’t given much page time as most of it is spent dealing with Vi’s ego. Perhaps Vi’s POV would have been a bit more interesting if the writer had given her a higher vocabulary, Or perhaps a thesaurus.

There is something of a plot behind all the cursing that seemed to fall by the wayside for most of the book. Vi’s goal in going to the Academy is to maybe try and find out about the missing pilots but for all of that she really doesn’t try to research or figure out what happened to them very much at all. She spends most of it self-analyzing and trying to beat the Academy’s toughest fighter. As with the previous book- there is some hidden bits philosophical ideas and situations to ponder like how Vi handles herself after her disgrace and what’s really going on with Nick. But they stay a little obfuscated by the random events that never really take off.

There’s some rogue mechs that doesn’t really go anywhere and doesn’t even get the main character thinking too much when it rather somewhat should. Vi seems to form some bonds with the minor character but it’s not really shown how most of that came about. It’s also disappointing we don’t get to see what paths some of them decide to take. The conclusion and resolution is rather anticlimactic and the characters responses rather mimic the characters from the first book in the end so that it seems a redundant ending.

Some of the twists were predictable. It was easy to figure out Sifu. It was also nice to catch up with the characters from the first book and see what they were up to.

Overall the pace was a little sluggish and the world building okay. The main plot was rather overshadowed by Vi’s self-absorption, though her struggles were understandable and probably would have been more interesting if it wasn’t convoluted by the overzealous use of the f-bomb. Still the story was okay and rather interesting.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viola Park cheated to get into the peace dragon pilot academy. When she is caught, she thinks her life is over. Fortunately her powerful political aunt pulls some strings to get Viola in, on a probationary status. Viola also has a mystery to solve while she is there, what is happening to the missing pilots?

Ok. This book is a bag of complications. On the one hand the plot is pretty good and kind of interesting but on the other hand it has gaping plot holes and completely unbelievable elements. My first question is why are the peace keepers needed in the first place? It seems like they have to go after criminals that get a hold of droids. It seems like this would be a really easy thing to program out of the droids. The only people that can pilot a droid after the ones that are genetically coded into it. Second, why is a teenager told to find out what is happening to the pilots? I mean isn’t this the entire job of the peace keepers? And if so many of them are going missing doesn’t that say that something is fundamentally off with the peace keeper if they cannot even keep from disappearing. Next, they seem to be in school for at least 4 years and that this year they have this weird tournament and will be going directly into the peace keepers?? Why??? This was completely unbelievable. The days at school are not fleshed out at all. There is fighting supposedly going to class and doing more homework that we never see and fighting. The plot has a lot of holes.
The characters were pretty interesting. I liked Viola and Nicholas. They were quite interesting characters. Viola was definitely a breath of fresh air when comparing her to your typical YA heroine. Rather than being unsure of herself, confused about her new found powers, and honestly kind of whiny like most ya characters, Viola is a power house. She is confident to the point of being arrogant. She isn’t afraid of making a decision and will even fess up to the mistakes she made and take the consequences. She works hard and trains hard. There are only two other characters that get a lot of screen time Nicholas and the music teacher. The rest of the characters are just kind of background noise. I couldn’t tell you their names or even what they look like. Both of the boys are pretty interesting and memorable.
Finally this world is so unique and creative for me. I haven’t come into contact with machines that bond with humans. Even transformers are different than this concept. Unfortunately the explanations and details about the world are very sparse. I have a ton of questions that I need to have answered in order to understand completely and buy into this world. How do the mec bonds work? Why can only some people bond with a mec? How did the dragons become sentient? If they are sentient how are they becoming crazed and dangerous? How can they actually be sentient when they are programmed to listen to Gan piece keepers? Who exactly are the Peace Kmeepers supposed to be attacking with the bonds?

I wish there was a bit more meat to this story. Although I could follow the story without all these questions answered, I feel like these details would really push this book to a new level.

Ok this is more of a complaint about my local online library but I didn’t realize this was a second book in a series until I went to put my review into good reads. So now I guess I get to read the first book, second. I guess it would be nice to have this listed as book 2 on the digital audio jacket cover somewhere.

PG~13 - While there is a lot of violence, most of it doesn’t result in graphic injuries. Unfortunately the main character does have quite the bad language. She drops F-bombs for no reason at all quite frequently throughout the book. Kissing.

[O-nigiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would've been a 3/5 on its own, but given that it basically retconned the first book... 2.5/5 stars is all this is getting.

Having read both Rebelwing and Renegade Flight back to back, all I can say is... wow, pacing is really an issue. I'd hoped that as the second book, Renegade Flight would fix some of the frustrations and disappointments I had with the first book. However, the pacing flaws are even more egregious in this one. I think the author simply struggles with denouements and endings. The vast majority of page space in this book was spent on the tournament arc, with the mystery that I thought we were getting based on the opening chapters totally falling by the wayside. The villain reveal at the end felt predictable and lame. Not only that, although there was potential there, I didn't feel either the relationship between Viola/Nick nor all of her friends at the academy were sufficiently well developed.

My other major issue is with the entire premise of Renegade Flight, frankly. If the first book, Rebelwing, had actually been a successful standalone, then I would've been intrigued by the idea of a sequel set 15 years later. Instead, book 2 opens with major changes in both the world and the character relationships since we left off. Presumably there was another civil war, and the Barricaders were at least partially victorious. But we get all these tantalizing hints dropped about why Alex retired from piloting and why the hell him and Pru have been separated for a decade... but no real answers. In particular, I cannot believe the first book left the main couple with an open ending and then they had to spend ten years apart for no clear reason.

Finally, at least book 1 had the advantage of having a heroine I could root for. I did not like Viola, Renegade Flight's protagonist, very much at all. In all fairness, I didn't like her Aunt Anabel very much in the original book either. Viola is cocky (and not in the fun, sassy way), selfish, shortsighted, and bullheaded. I had absolutely no empathy for her at the start of the novel, given that she justifies her own cheating because she felt the urge to show off. While she does get better marginally throughout the novel—her leaping to Nick's defense later on was a great moment—I mostly just felt exasperated with her for a large chunk of the story.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah Renegade Flight. How I loved thee.

-Vi and Alex's strong familial relationship <3<3<3
-Alex just wanting to make music and not save the world anymore, oh my son
-EVEN MOAR ROBOT DRAGONS
-The Found Family of Misfit Probies
-Pru Wu as a fantastic teacher and spy
-Vi's overall character arc. She's such a different and better person by the end and I loved how natural her journey was.
-Little in love with Elspeth and Amadeus and would definitely read a whole novel about them.
-Tried and true Anime Tournament Trope!!! So many more robot fights and fight fights than Rebelwing and they're such a joy to read.
-Nick's immediate "Nope, I'm peacing out" and sticking to his pacifist nature at the end
-Vi and Nick's talk at the end that makes it clear that they're different people with different paths but still care about each other and can still have a strong relationship.
-Pru Wu banging pots and pans and screaming herself hoarse at GAN meetings until they let Alex quit just to get some peace

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved diving back into Andrea Tang's futuristic world of mecha dragons, rebellious teens, and high stakes competitions in this companion novel to Rebelwing. When Viola Park is caught cheating on her entrance exams to the prestigious pilot-academy, her family finagles her a spot as a student on probation. Soon she's caught up in school intrigues and complex rivalries, while trying to prove her worth as a pilot and a fighter. When established pilots go missing, Viola finds herself on the trail of the villain, while getting caught up in a fraught relationship with the resident bad-boy. All in all, a really fun read with twists and turns, action, and romance.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, Renegade Flight is better in term of plot than Rebelwing. But I don't really feel connected to the characters compared to how much I love the Rebelwing characters. I like Vi and her character development enough but I don't feel anything for the other characters. Probably because there's so much going on that the rest of the characters didn't get a screentime.

But I do think that the plot is better. I also like the pacing (although I think the end is a bit rushed). Overall Rebelwing and Renegade Flight are a good and a fun read.

[Suzanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice sequel set about a decade after the events of Rebelwing. Vi is the main character here, but has ties to Anabel (relative) and Alex (her music teacher).

She ends up at the academy that trains Peacekeepers, but is on probation due to a cheating scandal.

Decently paced, with a compelling mystery and with battles sanctioned within the school, and via random sudden attacks (as well as your basic boarding school drama).

Looking forward to reading Tang's upcoming two novels that aren't tied to Rebelwing.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This wasn't terrible, it just wasn't particularly engaging. On the whole it didn't feel like a whole lot happened, and every time it seemed like the action was about to ramp up, everything was resolved within a page or two. This made it really hard to remain interested in the story. I haven't read the companion novel...maybe it would have helped of I had...or maybe not.

Bottom line: not my cup of tea

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book with my daughter, so it took awhile. The author went to "nerd camp" with my daughter many years ago. This is a YA, Sci fi, taking place 15 years after the first book. It was a good story about some misfits who may have to save the world. I read a lot of romance and neither the first book nor the second had the HEA I expected, but then, they were teenagers after all and maybe there is hope for a future. These are excellent audiobooks.

[nitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this book w/o ever having read rebelwing was an actual doozy but it really didnt disappoint. personally, some of the characters and dialogue fell a little flat, but the worldbuilding and pacing fully makes up for it. the amount of intricacy put into this world of giant robot dragons is really good. the respect this book pays to rebelwing is so huge, even i could see prudence wu coming a mile away without even knowing everything about prudence wu. all in all, pretty good:)

[Ella ✨]

Didn't read the first book...but I didn't really need to apparently! Creative premise. Honestly sometimes I wonder if YA authors roll the dice to figure out something unique.
*rolls a d-20*
"ah, 17. That's ummmm, robots!"
*rolls again*
"And 12, that's dragons-"
*pauses to throw a dart on the board of places*
"With a side of elite competitive school in the woods!"
Nick is book boyfrien tho.

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great futuristic science fiction novel that blended elements of space adventure with political intrigue and personal struggle. Tang created a complex universe where different factions and cultures intersect, offering a rich backdrop for the story. The futuristic technology and space settings are vividly depicted, adding an exciting and immersive atmosphere to the narrative. This was a great story for those who are looking for a strong female lead and great world building.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting

An exciting story! We follow Vi, who is Annabel’s niece. We also see familiar faces from the first book and meet several new characters here. The underlying mystery is where the missing pilots have gone as well as follow Vi’s journey to understanding and believing in what she could be. Coupled with more actions and heart-felt scenes, this was a great story.

[Bibliophagist_omnilegent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did end up reading this series out of order, which was okay, there are some characters and such you wouldn’t realize had been in the first book but otherwise it pretty much stands on its own feet.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the pacing of this book but I loved all of the sass and diversity.

I’d definitely suggest this author!

[Aayushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was extremely fun Viola and Nick were great protagonists and I love a good boarding school style story. The glimpses of Alex and Annabelle was just enough to keep the connective thread and make it stand alone outside of their stories, and seeing this world this many years into the future was so much fun. Great times and robot dragons!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renegade Flight is even better than the first. Just as fast-paced, but I felt I was able to follow the action a bit better. Of course, it helped that I was so hooked I read the entire book in a few hours!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from a 3.something. I really enjoyed the first ~85%, then it felt like a cinder block got dropped on the gas pedal for the end of the book. If the pacing had been better it would’ve been a 5 for me.

[Melanie (words.aremagic) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - I started reading this book, but I just couldn’t finish it. I have not read the first book and I was just too confused to continue. The plot sounds incredible and the world Tang has built sounds so cool that I definitely think if you have read the first book this book should not be missed!