"Conor Broekhart was born to fly, or more accurately he was born flying."
I enjoyed Airman much more the second time around.
Conor Broekhart was born flying and has been obsessed with the idea of flight ever since. At the age of fourteen, he is labelled a traitor and sent to Little Saltee prison for a crime that he did not commit. The only way that he can escape the prison and reclaim his life is by flight.
Conor is an extremely likable character. He's intelligent and has a scientist's mind which means that he's always planning his next idea or invention. Conor might be one of those good-at-everything characters, but I didn't mind it because I wanted him to succeed.
The secondary characters are quite unique. Victor Vigny is Conor's teacher and is also a flight-obsessed scientist. Linus Wynter is a blind musician who befriends Conor in prison. Princess Isabella is Conor's childhood friend and crush and their interactions are adorable. I also love Conor's parents, Declan and Catherine. Marshall Hugo Bonvilain is more villainous than a villain can be (it's not like his name is a dead giveaway or anything). I prefer morally ambiguous characters, but since this book is on the younger side of the YA spectrum, things are very black-and-white. I didn't mind it because sometimes it's nice to read books where there's a clear line between the heroes and the villains.
The best part of Airman is the plot and pacing. Airman has a dash of everything. There's adventure, science, romance, betrayal, inventions and prison escapes.
Airman is a gripping and delightful alternate history story that pays tribute to the history of flight.
"A monkey glances up and sees a banana, and that's as far as he looks. A visionary looks up and sees the moon." (Victor Vigny)