The Air Formulas

by Britt Nunes

After decades of Air Wars, gravity divisions, and hazardous pollution levels, Earth’s vegetation has nearly been obliterated. New Urbanite, the last surviving city, was assembled out of the resulting havoc.

Sparrow is one of many vessels implanted with an oxygen-producing plant used to keep this cobbled-together metropolis afloat. But her imaginings of unfamiliar worlds and wild adventures grow beyond the facility she’s lived in all her life.

Fulcrum is a rocketeer who lives with his family in the poor, polluted fringes of New Urbanite. He is tasked with the routine job of disposing of a mysterious metal crate, only to discover Sparrow strapped inside the copper confines. Realizing the dangerous secret she holds, Fulcrum faces an impossible choice—one that could cost him everything.

In a city starved for air, what will he do with a girl who emanates oxygen?

Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2024

About the author

Britt Nunes is a dork with an overactive imagination. She is addicted to rich words, adventurous sci-fi, sweet romances, and massive amounts of coffee. Britt writes sci-fi, dystopian, steampunk, dieselpunk, and sweet romances.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me to beta read this many years ago and then gifting me a finished copy now that it's complete!

A must read for lovers of sci-fi, dystopian worlds, steampunk, and cyborgs! Round of applause for the author who managed to pack so much romantic tension into these 320 pages and still kept it completely clean!

p.s. my favorite character was Maverick so I really hope he has a bigger role in the story in book 2..hehe

[Kenneth Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read from this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a reader of many genres and authors I like to read things that will peak an interest and this one did. Before reading further, there may be a little spoiler in the overview, but not plot so stop now if you choose. As an older reader, I am familiar with plotlines of post-apocalyptic earth as this was big in the 1980's, the atomic disaster that was going to befall humans of the 50's, and the idea of other worlds watching ours as was also used during the 1950's sci-fi thrillers and old-time radio shows.
However, Britt reminds me of this, and mixed the direction our own environmental impact is taking us and given a future of alien technology, we didn't do well with, an environment not very hospitable of our own making, and a world that has regressed to social classes and a city that remind me of late 19th century England.
There are pirates, dirigibles, gravity boots, jet packs, and a family divided by class and a secret. A girl with her own secret. All in a world where air is a rare commodity on an earth not as we know it today. And even a sprinkling of Emily Post.
I look forward to reading the next thrilling chapter in this saga.

[Paige Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Air Formulas presents an imaginative and deeply engaging vision of a future where survival itself depends on innovation. Britt Nunes creates a world where oxygen is currency, hope is scarce, and every breath carries consequence.
The novel's greatest strength lies in its originality. The fusion of biotechnology, environmental collapse, and societal division creates a setting that feels both inventive and unsettlingly plausible. New Urbanite emerges as a vivid, precarious world shaped by necessity and sacrifice.
Sparrow and Fulcrum anchor the story beautifully. Their meeting sparks a narrative filled with tension, discovery, and difficult choices. For readers who appreciate dystopian fiction with rich worldbuilding, emotional stakes, and thought provoking concepts, The Air Formulas offers an exceptional journey.

[Shiloh Gastello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several of Britt Nunes’s books, and each one continues to capture my imagination. The Air Formulas is no exception. The characters, worldbuilding, emotionally gripping narrative, and call to empathy/humanity are extremely memorable. You really feel that you are experiencing the story alongside the characters as the cinematic nature of the adventure unfolds. If you are looking for a story that encapsulates all of the above and more, I highly recommend this book!