Rebelwing

Chapter 1

The Drop

The whole mess was a long time coming, but the drama really began when the long, sleek snout of a plasma gun interrupted Pru s breakfast.

Good morning, said Alex, black-eyed gaze intent over the shiny chrome barrel he d aimed at Pru s head. We need to talk, please.

Ah hawt finif muh foo! protested Pru.

Her interrogator blinked. Pardon?

Pru swallowed her mouthful of cha siu bao, and said, I haven t finished my food. My mama taught me not to talk with my mouth full.

Alex sighed. Fair point. He adjusted the setting on the plasma gun with a flick of his thumb, as the weapon lowered. Like everything else he did, it was an annoyingly graceful motion. Figured that someone like Alex could make even borderline death threats look pretty. All right, finish your pork bun and coffee. But after that, I have, like, an entire midterm essay s worth of questions for you.

Abo wuh? demanded Pru.

Please finish chewing first too, said Alex.

With relish, Pru obeyed, catching errant sesame toppings with her tongue as soft bao dough gave way. The bun s cha siu filling had been marinated to perfection. About what? she repeated, when she was done.

Alex cast her an incredulous look that would have been hilarious if Pru hadn t still been sort of scared of the plasma gun. What else? The dragon.

You sure it wasn t a war wyvern?

Pru.

I m just saying, it looked an awful lot like

It was a dragon, you shameless smuggler.

Pru licked crumbs from her fingers in mildly offended silence.

Wordlessly, Alex passed her a handful of napkins.

Thanks, said Pru grudgingly.

He ignored her. The hand that hadn t passed her the napkins was twirling the plasma gun in a casual, alarming display of dexterity. I mean it, Pru. What happened to the dragon?

With a sigh, Pru took the napkins, and began dabbing at the cha siu bao crumbs scattered across the pleats of her uniform skirt. That was, she thought, an

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. Andrea is the author of Rebelwing and its companion novel, Renegade Flight.

Tang s prose is snappy, Pru s voice strikes a likeable balance between sarcastic and sincere, and the inclusive cast is fleshed out, making this an enjoyable tale of political conspiracy. Publishers Weekly
 
In Tang s debut, cybernetic dragons and robotic hybrids clash as readers follow a lovable cast through the political machinations of war. Booklist

The writing is excellent, the characters well drawn and the mech-dragon offers a unique spin (sometimes literally). School Library Journal

This will appeal to fans of mecha anime; young, fumbling romance; and stories about superintelligent teens trying the save the world. Kirkus Reviews

Tang brings a little something for everyone to this genre mashup of dragon fantasies, boarding-school narratives, Transformers movies, and social commentary about the growing influence of corporations.   BCCB

Mixing everything that's best about dragons, dystopia, and generational conflict, Tang delivers a high flying debut that pulls no punches. E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

An engaging high tech fairy tale in which storytelling is as much a part of the resistance as the battles themselves. Natalie C. Parker, author of Seafire

Rebelwing is a brilliant sci-fi debut that had my heart at cybernetic dragons. Full of clever banter and characters that burst from the pages, Andrea Tang s writing is nuanced and captivating I was entranced from beginning to end!   Akemi Dawn Bowman, award-winning author of Starfish, Summer Bird Blue, and Harley in the Sky

Freedom! Revolution! Mecha-dragons! Soaring with wit, heart, and thrilling heroics in spades, Rebelwing is too much fun to put down. Emily Skrutskie, author of Hullmetal Girls
 
A rollicking, razor-sharp tale of family, war, and revolution.