This one was a little more slow going for me. The plot didn't move along as much as I thought and hoped it would. It might have been because there was too much teen angst for my liking. I did like the premise behind the story, though.

This is one of those books where you get exactly what you expect, but not in a negative manner. I enjoyed reading YA dystopian with elements I haven’t seen before in the genre. Also, DRAGONS!

Prudence "Pru" Wu is a bright scholarship student at New Columbia Preparatory Academy. She is also a smuggler. Pru smuggles media.

Using feminine charms, she manages to charm and distract the border guards and is then able to sell banned media to the starved-for-connections less fortunates who live in the United Continental Confederacy, Inc. But something goes wrong and Pru is barely able to escape capture by the UCC 'police' with the help of an android dragon that has imprinted itself on Pru. The pair find themselves in the middle of a revolution as the UCC, a corporate government, is developing terrifyingly powerful weapons of mass destruction.

I can see where this book will have a large readership among YA readers. The book hits all the right notes with a smart, feisty, young woman who is thrown into a role she didn't want, but takes on the challenge. She's helped by a group of friends and a dragon. But not just any dragon, a cybernetic one with an AI so powerful that the dragon seems sentient.

We have a future world that is dystopian but not savagely so - no reverting to clannish, animalistic behavior but instead going high-tech and with high-powered government taking too much control.

We also have LGBTQ themes, romance that isn't dominating the pages but enough to satisfy the average YA reader, and plenty of action.

And yet, this book did not hold my attention.

On paper (pun intended) this book looks like it should be a no-brainer - it's got everything! Yet I was mostly bored. It's almost as though this is too much by the numbers, hitting the notes without passion. Everything here seemed familiar to me - a pastiche of a variety of YA books and there was nothing that really took hold to carry me through the story.

It will do well, I'm sure. It will find a new audience of young readers, but for me this just didn't work.

Looking for a good book?<em> Rebelwing</em> by Andrea Tang is an adventurous YA book that will hold much appeal for young readers, but is not as exciting for the seasoned reader.

If you liked Pacific Rim, enjoy reading about intrepid teenage characters and need a good resistance movement story to enjoy, Rebelwing by Andrea Tang is just the book for you.

Set in a futuristic world where arms dealing corporations have taken over the entire Western Hemisphere, Prudence Wu, a book smuggling Prep school student, imprints on the Barricader’s last hope of defense–a dragon mech named Rebelwing. Pru lives in New Columbia, a city that fought and won its independence from the United Cooperation Coalition and a city that exists on shaky territory and an even shakier alliance. Pru’s imprint on the dragon is nothing short of disastrous, against the planning of its teenage engineer. But with the clock running out on an arms race that could be the end of the precarious peace that exists between the Barricader cities and the UCC.

I won’t lie, I was a bit confused by the slightly clunky exposition at times. The book had sold me at “dragon mechs” but was much more involved than that for better or worse. The high concept idea was really great and would serve as a fantastic graphic novel or adaptation of some sort, in part because we could get actual visuals of the world that we were reading about. I was also jarred at times by moments where the dialogue or prose tried a bit too hard, phrases or utterances by the characters that were just a bit on the nose. However, that didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. I really was sold by the dragon aspect of it and enjoyed reading moments where Pru, a doubtful and cynical reluctant pilot, really melded with the dragon.

I also enjoyed the reminders of the reckless nature of the teenager’s activities. Her and her friends—the capable Anabel Park, engineer Cat, and wonder boy, Alex Lamarque, nephew of the Head Representative himself—make up the group of young adults who are working on Project Rebelwing and the adults in their lives never fail to remind them of their places. They’re not meant to be soldiers the way the last generation was, their meant to be children no more or less expendable than any other kids in their world.

For all the moments where the prose missed the mark, there were moments where the writing really shone for me. Diverse characters kicking butt against a oppressive regime? The character arc of a reluctant teenager finding her place in a group of other young rebels was really great to read. And I loved the camaraderie that the four of them built, hard won and solid after the trials and tribulations the experience together.

I really hope that there’s more to the series—I feel like so much just started for the characters. I want to get more of Rebelwing, of this incredible sentient mech. I want to see Alex and Pru’s chemistry grow and Cat and Anabel’s budding relationship. I want to see more of the geopolitical implications that the two sides’ complicit has caused.

I’m excited to read more in this world. This was a very impressive debut, and I’m sure that Andrea Tang’s next books will be just as vivid and intense as the first.

The story seemed interesting but it fell short on actually BEING interesting. Maybe it just wasn't for me (except I love YA, romance, sci-fi, dragons, war, action, etc.)... Sooooooo, possibly I was just not that into it.

If you like dystopian societies and dragons, this book is for you! Pru is a high school student who does a little smuggling on the side but when she is rescued by a cybernetic dragon, her life will change forever. With lots of action, some romance, and fun, this book was a fast fun read.

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 LGBT+ as they are, and the accuracy of teenage angst amidst the restrictions of school.

**DNF @15%**
The synopsis for this book seriously is amazing on paper and the world the author introduces you to in the beginning is good, but I could not get along with the writing style. The prologue is an interrogation then jumps to a drop off then jumps to school stuff. The author talks about things both past and then present so much that it's very hard to follow. I will also say that Prudence sounds too much like Genie Lo from the book series of the same name to a point where I seriously thought Pru was Genie Lo. That was hard to get past. Besides that, I feel like the story was dragging with too much dialogue and info dumping about past events. But I will definitely recommend it for those looking for an own voices story. I'm just bummed that the writing style made it hard to follow and get engrossed in...

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.

This book was received as an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group - Razorbill in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I totally fell in love with the concept of this book and the struggles Pru went through controlling the government's most desired weapon and being the chosen one, to attending prep school and the troubles of being a teenage girl. Pru is a rebel on a routine smuggle deal to the chosen one that's destined to operate the Rebelwing (a chronic made metal dragon). Pru and Rebelwing stop at nothing to bring peace to the world and Pru does her hardest to balance prep school and being the government's most treasured weapon. I really do hope this turns into a series because the ending was in limbo. I know our teen book club will be very receptive to this book as well.

We will consider adding this book to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Rebelwing is everything I wanted and more. Prep school setting, smuggling, and cybernetic dragons? Even more than that, Rebelwing asks questions about censorship, rebellion, and hope. Prep school smuggling in a Science Fiction setting with sentient cybernetic dragons? I feel like Rebelwing was made for me. Rebelwing is an action packed story that features an unlikely heroine and examines questions of capitalism, greed, and censorship. In times of rebellion, we are asked what kind of leaders we want to be, what kind of sacrifices we are willing to make. This SF book is set in a world swirling with the politics of censorship and media. How does this effect not only our culture, but what we can believe is possible?

Pru is a fantastic character because her decision whether she will be involved is so unique. Unsure what she believes in, what will happen if she doesn't rise to take the mantle? Can she afford to not become involved? Having to pilot Rebelwing, Pru is faced with her weakness and the ways in which she has tried to avoid the things that have exposed her vulnerabilities. I loved seeing the development of her feelings towards Rebelwing and the revolution as a whole.

Thematically, Rebelwing is fantastic. I've already mentioned that it discusses rebellion and censorship, but it only gets more complicated as the story progresses. I don't want to spoil the further plot points, but if you've been craving a thoughtful YA SF book, then look no further! There's also a queer SC/romance. Rebelwing is about sacrifice and creation, rebellion and hope, resistance and idealism, grief and friendship. It celebrates the importance of stories, belief, and possibilities.

This book features diverse and interesting characters, who are able to mostly work together towards common goals. Most of the world has been incorporated, with pockets that have, by the skin of their teeth, remained democratic. So basically, this is your story of a fight between good and evil, with some unusual happenings. Such as the development of a mechanical dragon that can and does imprint on a human with unintended results (by the good guys). And the procurement of highly lethal wyverns that were orginally human (by the bad guys). This book is directed at a teen audience, and I would recommend it for that audience, for advanced younger readers, and for adults looking for leisure reading that won't keep them up too late at night.