Reviews

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

denasquirrel's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Can I rate this 10/5 (or higher)? It’s another masterpiece by Elizabeth Wein. Like all her books I’ve read, they keep me glued to the edge of my seat until I finish it. Each chapter leaves me with a need to now what’ll happen next until I’ve reached the end.

reneesmith's review against another edition

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5.0

Riveting & uplifting! Loved the sassy heroine & smart aleck, deeply courageous hero—a great combo. Also, the combo of author Elizabeth Wein & narrator Moira Quirk was perfection. Up next—I think I have to grab a copy for my classroom, re-read Code Name Verity & then move on to Wein’s backlist. Looks like I’ve started my teacher summer reading list :)

mari_soul's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 <3

bremna101's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

librariandest's review against another edition

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4.0

This novel takes place just before WWII. It's (tragically) hopeful about peace in Europe. There's a lot of mystery and action (in the sky!), a tiny bit of romance, and a big cast of characters from around Europe. Young readers will learn a bit about the Spanish Civil War, Mussolini, and the Gestapo. Spoiler alert:

Spoiler

When there are Nazis involved it's not that hard to guess who will turn out to be the bad guy.

This felt like a spy thriller to me, even though there was no spying. It's about an Olympics-inspired airplane race, but the race never felt that important to me. The thrills come from a lack of trust between the teenaged contestants and the adults in charge plus the looming threat of sabotage and murder.

The title refers to people with a special kind of passport given to refugees who do not have citizenship anywhere.

brandypainter's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars

This is a gripping read that is difficult to put down with many interesting twists and turns. I loved Stella so much as a character. (There were others I loved equally but naming would be spoiling.) My only quibble (and why it’s not 5 stars) is that I feel some of the character/relationship development wasn’t as good as Wein typically delivers in her books. Still far far far better than anything else I’ve read of late.

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