Great story and action! I wish the world-building had been a bit stronger (so many missing pieces and lots of questions), and a few cliched things took place but overall entertaining and fast-paced.

Think Top Gun with a young adult twist! This book has it all; the action, the adventure, the thrill of the chase! Couldnt put it down!

I absolutely loved reading this book! That opening just hooked me-and I had to know how we got to that point, because it immediately jumps back in time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story of how things developed to get where it did! Such a great read!

It does say that it was optioned for film, and this book did come out in 2015, but it looks like nothing has become of it, as far as I can tell, which is a little sad, because it would be a pretty blockbuster movie, all that action and flying! Too bad!

This book was so fast paced, and I loved it! With the fact that there's a third Streaker and the pilot is just as good as her, well, I had to know more! The writing worked really well, with things like the descriptions of the flying being so vibrant!

Reading about Chase, I have mixed feelings. Most are positive, but she is reckless and a rule breaker. She has her past, and I enjoyed watching her journey to open up more to people. Plus her relationship with Tristan was really great to read!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Cori McCarthy!

The first third or so took some getting into, but then it took off from there. An interesting set-up though I could have used a little more explanation of how the world got to that point. It was kind of glossed over.

I thought that the character development and growth of Chase was written well. It was easy to see the inner turmoil and growth she went through to get to the end. I'm not so sure about the others. Most of them were kind of flat to me.

Overall, not bad. Plenty of action, especially in the air, but not a lot of description about what was going on elsewhere. The pacing felt off at times-there would be points where it seemed really slow and then all of a sudden things sped up.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In this high-flying, adrenaline-fueled debut thriller, America's best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy Chase Harcourt, call sign "Nyx," is one of only two pilots chosen to fly the experimental "Streaker" jets at the junior Air Force Academy in the year 2048. She's tough and impulsive with lightning-fast reactions, but few know the pain and loneliness of her past or the dark secret about her father. All anyone cares about is that Chase aces the upcoming Streaker trials, proving the prototype jet can knock the enemy out of the sky. But as the world tilts toward war, Chase cracks open a military secret. There's a third Streaker jet, whose young hotshot pilot, Tristan, can match her on the ground and in the clouds. Chase doesn't play well with others, but to save her country she may just have to put her life in the hands of the competition.

What a terrific book. This felt like a dystopian version of Top Gun, mixed with the YA element of Matthew Reilly's 'Hover Car Racer." It raced along at break-neck pace, never really letting up along the way.

Even better than that, though, was the lead character, Chase Harcourt - call-sign "Nyx" - what a splendid character to lead us through the world created here and the trials and tribulations of her life. She is feisty, strong-willed and exceptionally brilliant at her job. She is an ace at her job but not so much in her personal life...but that's a story all of its own...

The supporting cast are fine but, to tell the truth, they were pretty much in the background for me as Chase was certainly the star of this book. The romance between Tristan and Chase was nicely done, not overly sweet and gave us another look at Chase and her motivations.

The one thing I would have liked was a more in-depth history/backstory for the rivalry with Ri Xiong Di - there were times when the suspense didn't really work as we never really got a sense of the threat...was a little weak in that regard.

Overall, a highly recommended action/thriller novel for the YA genre.


Paul
ARH