Stateless

By Elizabeth Wein

The #1 bestselling author of Code Name Verity delivers a "riveting, thought-provoking, page-turner" (Sharon Cameron) where the only woman in an epic air race finds herself thrown into a mystery she must solve before it kills her. When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe's first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it'll be a constant challenge to prove she's a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe, the goal of the race, feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain and the Nazis are gaining power--and when, right from the start, someone resorts to cutthroat sabotage to get ahead of the competition. The world is looking for inspiration in what's meant to be a friendly sporting event. But each of the racers is hiding a turbulent and violent past, and any one of them might be capable of murder--including Stella herself. Agatha Christie meets Karen McManus in this thrilling mystery, packed with adventure, intrigue, love, and betrayal, from bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth Wein. - "A riveting, thought-provoking, page-turner."―Sharon Cameron, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light in Hidden Places - "Elizabeth Wein writes a top-flying adventure!" ―Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network - "Simply spectacular." ―Sherri L. Smith, award-winning author of Flygirl - "A soaring, immersive exploration of what it means to belong. I loved it."―Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Gir

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Published Mar 14, 2023

400 pages

Average rating: 8

1 RATING

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Community Reviews

blewballoon
8/10 stars
I honestly only picked this audiobook up because it was narrated by my favorite narrator Moira Quirk and I have been in the mood for historical fiction. Apart from the narration, I went in with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised! Due to the choice of setting, there is so much tension right from the start and all the way to the end. Not only do we have the sexism faced by a lone young woman in the group of pilots, the underlying competition among the flyers, and the clashing political views from the various countries the pilots represent, it's also right at the edge of WWII breaking out for real. There's plane sabotage and a murder mystery on top of all that! I enjoyed the characters of the young pilots and how (mild spoiler) despite the suspicion just after the first instances of sabotage, they did come together as friends and help each other. It was wholesome how much they cheered each other on in the race and celebrated each other's successes. This book is categorized as young adult, but I would often forget how young the characters were, they were quite capable and mature. Poor Moira Quirk was really put through her paces here having to cover such a wide range of accents, but she did a fantastic job and made the characters distinct and the action sequences engaging.

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Antisemitism, Murder, Sexism, Racism, Medical content, and Suicide