Hello, today I’m sharing my review on the book Stateless by Elizabeth Wein. Today, (March 14, 2023) is the book’s publication day! I was sent this book by Penguin Random House Canada as a part of their Penguin Reads program. I hope you enjoy my review.
Stateless
By Elizabeth Wein
Historical Fiction, Mystery
400 pages
Published March 15, 2023 by Penguin Random House Canada
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 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.
This book was amazing. I couldn’t put it down! Elizabeth Wein created this intriguing story with adventure, suspense, mystery and a bit of romance. It all worked so well together to create this beautifully written book.
Not only does this book have the excitement of an international air race to bring the different nations together, but it also has you constantly wondering what could have happened, with the possible murder, and who could have done it. The clues began to line up perfectly but there was still the big question of why this happened, and I didn’t expect the answer.
I really enjoyed how Elizabeth Wein wrote her characters. She gave them so much personality and detail, even the minor characters. You really felt like you got to know them a bit. And the main characters’ developments were great. Even in such a short period of time, due to their circumstances, they really grew and matured by the end of the book. I was also obsessed with the bond all of the young pilots developed. They started out as a bunch of strangers and ended up making friends for life, despite their personal, political and national views.
This is in the young adult genre but don’t let that turn you away. This is a fantastic book for young adults and older. It’s age appropriate for the genre while still exciting and entertaining for others too!
Some content warning: this book is based around wartime and during nazi Germany so there are mentions of concentration camps and other related subjects. There is also murder, attempted murder and suicide involved or mentioned. As well as parent loss and other war related losses. If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to reach out and I’ll happily help you.
I really hope you enjoyed reading some of my thoughts on this book. I do my best to provide spoiler free reviews so that you can fully enjoy the book yourself! If you enjoyed this review I would really appreciate it if you liked, commented and shared.
For more please follow me on Instagram and Goodreads. Thank you!
Momma Needs to Read 