Breaking Sky

Book excerpt: In this high-flying, adrenaline-fueled thriller, America's best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy. "BREAKING SKY is an action-packed thrill ride that smashes through all kinds of barriers at a Mach 5 pace." —Carrie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of the Need series Fly to the last drop of fuel. Fight to the last drop of blood. Showoff. Reckless. Maverick. Chase Harcourt, call sign "Nyx", isn't one to play it safe. In the year 2048, America is locked in a cold war and the country's best hope is the elite teen fighter pilots of the United Star Academy. Chase is one of only two daredevil pilots chosen to fly an experimental "Streaker" jet. But few know the pain and loneliness of her past. 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, whose young hotshot pilot, Tristan, can match her on the ground and in the clouds. And 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. Cori McCarthy's taut, romantic, action adventure will shoot your pulse straight into overdrive with her brilliantly imagined and frighteningly possible future. BREAKING SKY has also been optioned for film by Sony Pictures. "Strong characterizations, action, adventure, and emotion combine to produce a sci-fi novel that is more than just the sum of its parts." -School Library Journal STARRED Review "Smart, exciting, confident-and quite possibly the next Big Thing." -Kirkus Reviews "McCarthy deploys breath-stopping depictions of high-stakes piloting with enviable ease, and the in-your-face personal confrontations are nearly as taut." -Publishers Weekly