Air Born thrills from the opening pages. 17-year-old Tyler has been experiencing back pain, but it has been ignoring it as he doesn’t want to miss out on doing his first solo skydive. But during his skydive, the completely unexpected happens when wings emerge from his back – wings that save his life at the time but destroy the life he knew. To make things even worse, his skydive is caught on camera and is an instant viral hit. People speculate it confirms the existence of angels; others believe it is the result of genetic engineering; still others think it is a hoax and that the wings are strapped on. All the attention, especially from sinister radical groups, forces Tyler to go on the run, leaving behind his friends and family and his dreams of becoming an officer in the air force.
With his altered body, as well as having wings, Tyler also has acute hearing and vision, and he is more worried about avoiding the cameras and phones that are everywhere in the modern age that could capture him in his new form.
But the Internet attention also brings others forward who are like him – and they band together finding out what it is like to be the first of a new species. Miguel is the first to find him, and they find comfort knowing they are not alone. When Tyler wants to give into despair, Miguel believes there must be a reason for them to have their wings. Soon there are seven of them…
Air Born is the first in a new young adult series, Generation Icarus, which is perfectly pitched to its target audience with compelling characters, a fantastic page-turning plot and taut, well-paced writing. It is action-adventure from start to finish, and a very enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series as they publish.
REVIEWER: Karen McKenzie
TITLE: Air Born
AUTHOR(S): J. L. Pawley
PUBLISHER: Steam Press
RRP: $19.99