A review by blewballoon
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

adventurous informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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. 
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