Book Review #39: Breaking Sky by Cori McCarthy

Hello Dear Reader!

I’ve got a traditionally published book review for you today, and it was something I haven’t read before, so I’m really excited to share my thoughts with you!

Breaking Sky is a dystopian novel set in 2048, where China, led by Ri Xiong Di, controls the world and rules over his New Eastern Bloc, preventing other countries from becoming allies and potentially striking him down. At the center of this novel is young pilot Chase Harcourt, known and frequently addressed by her callsign, Nyx. A prodigal pilot, Chase is hot-headed, reckless, and smart, and her toughness is tested through the events that take place in the novel.

But before I get into that, here’s the back-cover summary: (from Goodreads)

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.

That’s all for this back-cover summary! Time for the review!

If I could describe Chase in one word, it would be rule-breaker. Or… would that technically be two? Anyway, Chase Harcourt is a hot-headed teenaged pilot who’s tough, smart, and so reckless she’s actually a danger to other people, including her best friend and Star Academy’s brainiac, Henry, who has the callsign Pippin. I genuinely disliked her when she was first introduced, but as I read on, I learned that underneath that tough exterior was someone with family issues and a ton of insecurities, which I thought was pretty well done. It definitely gave Chase a lot of depth, and the fact that her growth was gradual and slow throughout the entire novel was amazing to me. Though her opening up about her issues happened bit by bit, even to the point where there was barely any change, I believed it to be realistic.

Surrounding Chase is a wonderful cast of diverse characters, such as Jet Fighter Barbie and academy rival Sylph, the charmingly boyish Riot, the genius best friend Pippin, the fatherly Brigadier General Tourn, the overly flirtatious Romeo, and the dark-haired sweetheart Tristan. The author does a great job of dropping little snippets of these characters’ backstories without making it seem like an info-dump, which I personally loved. We got to know each character slowly as Chase got to know them, so it felt pretty personal. Especially when one character came out about their sexuality. I won’t say who, though.

I also thought the romance in this book was pretty cute. It was also slow-burn, which I absolutely love! Not to mention there’s quite a bit of witty banter between Chase and her love interest, which is something else I really love. So, if you’re into that, they might be your type of couple!

As for the world of Breaking Sky, it’s very dystopian, where the academy is built on the freezing tundra up north in order to protect its young student and safely train them to become great pilots. China is in power at this point in time, and countries aren’t allowed to be allies unless they want to risk utter destruction. It’s a really dark setting that fascinated me, especially with the way the author reveals more information about it. There wasn’t a single long-winded info dump in this book, and facts about this time is more likely to be revealed in character conversations, setting descriptions, or Chase’s thoughts rather than from the author. So, while it takes a long time to get a good idea of what the world’s like, if you don’t like info dumps, this might be something you prefer.

As a little side note, I also loved references to different things in our current world. There were Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Greek Mythology references, and Mozart was also mentioned multiple times throughout the story.

There really isn’t much that I disliked while reading this book outside of Chase at the beginning of the story; however, there are a few things that other people might. I can imagine people not liking Chase at all because of how reckless she is both physically and with people’s emotions. The world-building may not be enough for some people, and the piloting and military jargon used throughout the book might throw some people off. I also have a few trigger warnings, such as blood, death, swearing, mild violence, emotional trauma, and mention of child neglect. So, if any of these bother you and you still want to read this book, just be wary.

So, Breaking Sky rating:

4.75/5 and highly recommend, especially if you want to ease into pilot-type books. Breaking Sky was a great read, and it had just the right amount of drama for me personally. So, if you’re not into a ton of petty drama and are more of a fan of action and emotional scenes, this book is for you!

Thanks for reading!