Reviews

Rebelwing by Andrea Tang

localogophile's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

gnitro's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

vickycbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Oh gosh, y'all. This was fantastic. Mecha-dragons, hard-hitting generational politics, and prep school kids all wrapped together in this action-packed futuristic dystopian novel.

May I repeat. Mecha-dragons!

Rebelwing is absolutely serious and fierce in its not only the life-threatening experiences that await Pru and her friends, but also the carefully constructed critique of capitalism, censorship, and morality in a radically different world. It's all this, with silly undertones at times reminiscent of the shenanigans of Trouble Is a Friend of Mine. Although mostly serious, ha.

Pru has her flaws and doesn't really know where she belongs in this world, but she's working through it in some of the most metal ways possible: bonding with an engineered metal dragon to help preserve her world.

I'd highly recommend for any lovers of action & high-stakes adventure, mixed with a little humor. I would also recommend paying attention in the first 15 or so pages, because it might be hard to grasp some of the political entities if you're reading loosely, and these are important!

kcollett75's review against another edition

4.0

Gripping story of revolution-adjacent teens at a private school in an unsettlingly possible future where only a few areas of North America remain Unincorporated (controlled by corporations).

nerfherder86's review against another edition

5.0

A great readalike for fans of dystopias like [b:Legend|9275658|Legend (Legend, #1)|Marie Lu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501368160l/9275658._SY75_.jpg|14157512] and anime and manga featuring "mechs" (giant mechanical robots and things). The first chapter is a bit confusing, it jumps you right in the middle of the action with backstory only vaguely referenced and also has a time jump, but I tell teen readers to stick with it til you figure out what's going on. Here's a little primer: it is set in a future where the United States, Mexico and Canada have been absorbed into the "United Continental Confederacy, Inc," a corporation-government that rules everywhere except for a few holdout cities such as "New Columbia" (formerly Washington, D.C.) that rebelled against the UCC 20 years ago and formed their own "Barricaded Coalition" (each city is safe behind its walls) to fight the Partition Wars. Our hero, Pru, smuggles black market books and comics past the Barricade to UCC citizens who still want to read uncensored, independent creations and not corporate-mandated books. When Pru is nearly caught by the cops, her escape only happens because she is rescued by a giant mech dragon! Turns out she has been "imprinted" upon by Rebelwing, a sentient mech, developed in secret by the Coalition government to defend against attacks by UCC "wyverns," which are like smaller dragons but mechanical? And not sentient. (This part was a little bit hazy to me, but I thought, 'Don't worry about the details and go with the flow!' And then I loved it. This is also why I put this down as both a fantasy and a sci fi--there's some supernatural aspects to this for the mind-bonding stuff.) Rebelwing was designed to be piloted by Alex, a handsome classmate of Pru's, and also a top notch mech pilot whose uncle was a rebel soldier with Pru's mom back during the Partition Wars. But instead, Pru is now going to be the pilot and she has no idea how, so she'll have to be trained. Along with Alex, she'll get help from her best friend Anabel, and Alex's cyborg/engineer friend Cat. They'll encounter wyverns and politics and betrayals and the fallout from their parents' long ago actions, in an action-packed, banter-filled adventure that had more heart than I was expecting. The family ties aspect was really nice. I also liked the First Amendment free speech angle, although it was just a side plot. And I definitely now want my very own sentient giant flying mech dragon!

ejmealer's review against another edition

3.0

While the author effectively uses a teen voice, to connect with the targeted demographic, the plot leaves much to be desired in terms of continuity and intrigue. There are moments of action that draw a reader into the story, but they are lost in quick resolution that returns to a meandering passage of time. For what happens in the timeline, the plot feels as though it unfolds over a shorter period than the phrases suggest. There's an awkward hint of romance between two characters that is topped by the unknown of if they are related or not.
Some of the wins would be the relationship between two females, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ as they are, and the accuracy of teenage angst amidst the restrictions of school.

lexiconia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

scostner's review against another edition

4.0

It may sound like the beginning to an odd joke, but what do you get when you cross a group of high school kids with assorted skills and a sentient cybernetic dragon? The answer is a story that explores teenage feelings of attraction, intrigue, responsibility, and rebellion. But those kids also happen to be citizens of New Columbia (the former District of Columbia), and are swept up in the conflict between the Barricade Coalition and the United Continental Confederacy, Inc. The UCC and the Barricaders have been fighting since before these kids were born, but the uneasy peace has been broken lately by rumors of wyverns (war machines from the UCC), being sighted over the Barricade's walls. When Pru accidentally stumbles on an experimental dragon meant to fight the wyverns, she is unwillingly pulled into a conflict that could escalate into open warfare again at any moment.

So - what do a rich boy who can sing rebellion songs in three languages, a cybernetics expert who is part bionic herself, a rich girl with motivational skills, and a book smuggler have to offer the last bastion of the free world? Dealing with everything from possible romance between the teens to freedom of speech and the passing of the guard from one generation to the next, this story will sweep you off your feet as surely as a cybernetic dragon could.

Great for fans of The Hunger Games and similar tales of a dystopian future where youngsters are fighting for freedom and defending what they love.

abbiewan_kenobi's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

ciaomara's review against another edition

5.0

**Full disclosure, I know and adore Andrea Tang.**

AHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh this was so much fun!!! I mean, also heartbreaking, because of [spoilers!] but so much fun.

My main takeaways, however, are that corporate fascism is bad and so is prep school.