Elizabeth Wein’s books are always incredibly interesting because they always involve flying. This one included a flying race throughout Europe with one representative from many European countries. In the very beginning of the race, Stella North sees a pilot’s plane go down and suspects sabotage. She spends the rest of the race trying to avoid the saboteur and land safely at each checkpoint.

The plot was very intriguing, unfortunately it was a bit slow at times. There were places in the book where nothing actually happened, making a tough reading experience. That really is my only complaint though. I really liked Stella and the European checkpoints really came alive through Wein’s writing. The setting of pre-WWII Europe was also very enjoyable, as I love books that take place around WWII.

Read if you like: historical mysteries
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The book follows Stella as she is participating in a flying competition to promote peace in Europe before the Second World War.
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I appreciated the fast pace of the book and I really liked Stella as the main character. It was interesting to read about the flying competition knowing that WW2 was just a couple of years away, and a tragic accident that Stella and Tony try to figure out kept things interesting!
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Overall, a fun book!

It's 1937 in Europe. Tensions are building; there has been civil war in Spain and the Nazis are being Nazis in Germany, restricting information to the population, and shipping off "malcontents" and the like to camps from which they don't return.

Lady Frith has organized the "Circuit of Nations Olympics of the Air" to promote peace amongst Europe's young pilots. There's a big sum of money for the winner, and pilots from Germany, France, Britain and Italy are all there to compete.

Stella North has taught herself to fly, and is eager to test herself against the others. At the same time, she is reluctant to catch too much official attention; though raised in England, she's originally from Russia, saved during the Russian Revolution. Stella is a skilled navigator and pilot, and is eager to test herself against others. She quickly finds the pilots are skilled, but all bring their resentments and angers against other countries and regimes with them.

The pilots must all navigate their way around Europe, and the one who consistently has the best time along each leg of the trip is the winner.

Very quickly, things turn from difficult (stupid reporters focusing on what she's wearing, etc.) to serious. For an event intended to build excitement and goodwill amongst European nations, the opposite, of course, happens. There is plenty of veiled nastiness and posturing amongst the male pilots, with Stella watching in exasperation as they obsess over statistics and mechanical details. Also, sabotage and actual attacks against the pilots quickly change what should have been a fun and exhilarating event turns into a harbinger of the coming war.

Elizabeth Wein has crafted a tense, fast-moving story, with great character moments for pilots Stella, Tony and Sebastian, and vivid historical details. Though there was no race exactly as portrayed in this book, it's still a great way to show all the simmering tensions existing at the time, as well as the wilful unwillingness to see escalating problems (e.g., Lasy Frith). Also, we know Hitler will bring war to everyone soon, so for the few happy moments and successes here, I was constantly reminded that many of the young men will soon be flying against each other in earnest with malicious intent.

The end felt like there could be more story told about Stella, Tony and Sebastian, and I hope Wein writes it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Europe’s first air race for young people is meant to be all about peace, and to show friendship between the countries even though the atmosphere is tense with civil war in Spain and the growing power of the Nazis. Stella North, representing Britain, is the only female competitor, and she knows she’ll have to work harder than any of the others to prove herself, but as the race begins, it becomes clear there’s more at stake than just winning. Someone is willing to resort to sabotage and murder to get ahead and what is meant to be a friendly competition quickly turns deadly. Several of the racers have secrets they are trying very hard to hide, including Stella, but who could be capable of murder – and why?

Ever since I read Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein has become one of my auto-read authors for everything historical fiction. This book, set just before WWII, is not exactly my usual type of read, given that it’s more of a thriller with a historical setting rather than historical fiction, but based on my experience with the author’s previous books, I was more than willing to try it out.

The concept behind this story was a pretty interesting one. The descriptions of flying were fascinating and it never got so technical as to bore the reader. There was perhaps a little too much about various airplane models and since I know practically nothing on the subject I had a hard time visualizing any of them but the enthusiasm is understandable given that the author herself is a pilot. The author also discussed the inspiration for the book in the afterword which was an informative read, and it showed how much research has gone into this book, though it would have been cool if there were photos of the airplanes included here too.

This book also set the tone and mood of the narrative very well indeed, conveying to the reader early on just how high the stakes were, both in terms of the race and the individual flyers pasts. It took things to a whole new level as the story progressed and the race became less about winning and more about surviving to the end, with several characters, racers and otherwise, revealing a plethora of possible motivations for them all.

Excellent storytelling is what I’ve come to expect from this author and she did not disappoint with this book! This was a well written narrative, fast paced and action packed. The tension in this book was beautifully built up, starting from the moment when Stella witnesses one plane deliberately colliding with another on the first leg of the race, sending it crashing down into the ocean, and doesn’t let up until the very end, making for a truly gripping and unputdownable read.

Stella made for a fantastic protagonist – smart, confident, motivated and determined to prove herself as a strong and capable pilot in an era where female pilots were rather rare. It would have been nice to have a couple more POVs apart from Stella’s, perhaps Tony and Sebastian since they were quite central to the whole thing and had interesting backstories too, not to mention, they had a few misadventures and close shaves too which would have been more impactful from first person.

Though we didn’t get much of a background of any of the other racers, I loved how they all began to bond eventually, and came together to help each other out of some dangerous situations. One thing I did find a little odd was that the fliers were all supposed to be in their late teens, but often read as much older on the page – it’s not majorly jarring but it was something I had to keep reminding myself of.

I really appreciated that there was a significant amount of tension and anticipation remaining in the story even though the murderer and their motivations were revealed by around the 75% mark. It wasn’t a huge leap to make to figure out who was behind it, but the why was next to impossible to guess, despite the hints that were there. However, it did feel a little rushed in the last couple of chapters and made the ending less satisfying than it could have been, which is the reason my rating stayed at 4 stars.

Stateless was a solid read, and while nothing can really match up to Code Name Verity, if you’ve enjoyed this author’s previous works, or are a fan of historical fiction, thrillers or a combination of the two, this is one book you won’t want to miss this year!

I was drawn to Elizabeth Wein's new novel - Stateless - by the premise.

1937. Stella North is the only female pilot to participate in an international plane race called the "Circuit of Nations Olympics of the Air".

A fairly large number of characters are introduced in the first few chapters of the book. The ten pilots, and the supporting crew. They're all from different countries, so for me it was a bit of a struggle to remember who was who. Stella is the voice behind the book. There wasn't much of a background provided to the main character, instead we get a sense of her through her flying and her thoughts. But I have to say, that I really never connected with Stella.

The airplane bits were quite knowledgeable and detailed. For this reader, probably too much, as I found myself skimming those bits. I was happy to see the mystery introduced.

The time frame and the European setting of course addresses the political alliances of the time, the jockeying of countries and the possible of another world war.

So, Stateless has all the pieces that would normally have me stuck in a book for hours. But by about page 150, I felt my attention wandering and my interest flagging. And, yes I made the decision to skip to the final pages to see how things turned out.

Let's go with the wrong reader for a good book. And split it up the middle, with a solid three.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars

Europe 1937, The best teenage pilots of their nations gather for what is supposed to be a friendly international race, but someone is determined to get rid of the competition. Thank goodness for the female protagonist, Stella North, England's flying ace and the only female competitor who is determined to solve the mystery.

I love Elizabeth Wein's historical fiction novels, I still include Code Name Verity in many of my favorite books to recommend to friends. Similar to her other novels, I was pretty much a goner from the first page. The plot definitely hooked me and I quite enjoyed the story through Stella's eyes. But... it wasn't as good as Wein's other books. Perhaps it was a feeling that we were racing to the finish and some of the relationships between Stella and the other pilots either dragged or were quite shallow. I was just really relieved to read a YA book that doesn't dissolve into the romance genre. I am deeply grateful that we get an interesting story.

From her author's note, it does sound as if there is possibly a sequel in the making for these characters and it does have me interested enough to want to read that title should it come about.


Expected Publication Date: 14/03/23
Goodreads Review Published 28/02/23

I received a physical copy of this book, and will be writing my review based on that copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Teen Canada and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

VERY sad to say this one did not work for me. I love Wein's other books so much, but this one had too many characters with similar names and personalities, and the plot was simultaneously too fast and never went anywhere.

Big miss.