X in Flight

Xenos, or X, doesn't know why things happen. Like why he has to have the blackest skin, when his mother is so white. Or why he had to be born with such ugly features and so many zits. Or why he has never met his father and his mother doesn't even want to talk about him. He especially doesn't know why, out of all the powers he could have, he had to possess the power to fly. But that isn't the only thing X has to worry about. There's his girlfriend, Cat, who has her own way of dealing with things, and who absolutely loves X, more than he loves her. Then there's Ruby, the girl he knows but who doesn't know him. The girl he feels a connection with; she just doesn't know it. The girl he would rather be with than Cat. The girl he is writing his part for. Cat herself has a lot to say, and most of it isn't pleasant, but she keeps it to herself, not mentioning to her parents what she is thinking and not telling X how she feels. Ruby, on the other hand, doesn't know what she wants to say. Always thinking one thing, she then starts over and thinks something else. She does know something, though: she wants to be more than friends with Joey, more than the girl that he goes to whenever he isn't in his right state of mind. Told in three points of view, X IN FLIGHT intertwines the lives of three teens who are all different and all want to be heard. From the past to the present, their fate has been mapped out for them, and the ending just may be as grim as their lives already are. Poor decisions will be made, actions will be regretted, and lessons will be taught and learned. Karen Rivers does an excellent job of developing the three characters with their own points of view. X, Cat, and Ruby all have lives quite similar to those who read their stories, including trouble dealing with family, relationships, and their identities, which adds a sense of realism to the novel. A great debut in what is shaping up to be a terrific trilogy, X IN FLIGHT will indulge the reader with its dramatic action and unique narratives. Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

X (short for Xenos) has a very un-stellar home life and a wavering passion for golf, egged on by his mother, and now--he can fly? Cat has a perfect twin sister who she's always compared to when she does bad things, like smoking and drinking, and has come to the realization that her boyfriend X doesn't seem to love her as much as she loves him. Ruby's father is this big shot writer who made it big with his "funny, analytical" book on being a single father, and he has a string of girlfriends (if you could even call them that), and it all just makes Ruby wish she could disappear sometimes. As the three of them interconnect every so often, each of them tries to figure out their lives as more stuff seems to just pile on them. I originally thought this book would be more of a suspense/thriller-type book, but it's really not- X's new flying power doesn't seem to really register much as a major plot point, except in two small parts of the book. But what I did find while reading this, was a wonderful book that was really raw and honest in showing these three characters' lives. Each person's compelling narrative is told in a different perspective--X (first person), Cat (third person), and Ruby (the ever-difficult second person)--and it really brings the story to a whole new level. A great book, with two sequels on the way, though they are more like pseudo-sequels since they don't seem to share the same characters.