Ethereal Squadron
by Shami
Stovall
GENRE: Fantasy
BLURB:
It’s 1916, and the world is on fire.
The Great War has already consumed much of the globe, but a
second, secret war between sorcerers threatens to crack it in two. The ruling
families of Germany and Austria-Hungary, those with the chill of magic in their
blood, will stop at nothing in their quest for power, and they’ve drawn the
entire world into a bloody war because of it.
But Florence Cavell—codename Geist—means to stop them. She had to
defy her family, cut her hair, and disguise herself as a man to join the
legendary Ethereal Squadron: a joint US-UK division of the allied powers’
mightiest sorcerers. Armed with her powerful specter sorcery, which allows her to
“ghost” through bullets and barbed wire alike, Geist fights a tireless battle
to end the war once and for all.
Fans of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel,
Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole, and The Roar by Emma Clayton will love
this book.
This book is for anyone who likes reading about:
Strong female protagonists
Military fantasy
Historical fantasy
World War I
Adventure stories
Excerpt:
The
clack of the train wheels over the steel rails rang out a consistent ka-kak
rhythm. The incessant noise was muffled by the thick polished redwood walls and
deep green carpeting. Geist relaxed in her reclining chair, amused by the heavy
curtains tied at the side of the train car windows. The posh and gaudy design
reminded her of home.
They
had a car all to themselves. The car behind them was full of socialite
women—debutantes, the lot of them. Although Geist could steal glances of them
through the windows of the cars, sound didn’t penetrate. Instead, she focused
on her team and Victory’s advice.
Get
them talking.
Victory
and Blick shared small talk over a local newspaper. Battery stayed close,
absorbed in organizing and reorganizing his rucksack. Dreamer and Vergess sat
on the opposite side of the car, dead silent.
Even
though discussing strategy had been the original excuse for acquiring the
first-class car, there wasn’t much to discuss. Even Victory’s future sight
couldn’t help them until they got closer to the OHL—and until then, they were
flying blind.
“We
have eight hours until we reach Le Havre,” Geist said. “Let’s use our time
wisely.”
The
others turned to her.
Blick
smiled. “I know exactly what you’re trying say.”
“You
do?”
“Yes.”
“We
need to discuss our experience with the ladies.”
“Wait,
what?” Geist asked. “We don’t need to discuss women.” Anything but that. “But I
was going to suggest we get to know each other a little more by—”
“Nothing
is more revealing than how you handle yourself with the fairer sex,” Blick
interjected with a snap of his fingers. “As veteran soldiers, it’s our sworn
duty to teach new recruits how.” Blick raised an eyebrow and swirled an
imaginary wine glass, speaking with all the class and sophistication he could
muster.
My Review:
When I read the summary for The Ethereal Squadron and I saw
that it was going to be about world war one I wasn’t sure if I would like it or
not but as I read Star Marque Rising by Shami Stovall and really liked it I
thought I would give it a shot. The part about fighting a war with magic is
another thing that drew me in.
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading it but I
was very surprised to learn that I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. There
was action from the first page that kept my adrenaline pumping and glued to the
page battle after battle. The Ethereal Squadron is definitely unlike any book I
have ever read before. Using magic to fight a war is more than enough to keep
me awake.
The Ethereal Squadron is about a woman pretending to be a
man so she can fight in the war. Florence Cavell, codename Geist ran away from
home so she could fight in the war using her magic. Everyone in Geist’s
squadron has special powers like her. Each character’s magic is different.
The Ethereal Squadron opens with Geist and the other members
of squadron in battle and Geist is the only one to survive. But not to worry
she is assigned another team with their own special powers. Geist uses her special
powers walking through the battle field making herself invisible like a ghost,
bullets gone right through her while she is shooting and killing the enemy.
On a battle field Geist walks through hiding herself like a
ghost and off the battle field she is still hiding as a man. I wonder which is
harder for her to hide like a ghost or hide as a man. Geist has been hiding for
more than a year so I guess she is doing well. But she does have a little help
in that department; their nurse is a woman who has been helping Geist keep her
secret.
I would recommend The Ethereal Squadron to anyone who likes
reading about fighting battles, war with a little magic. Even if you are not
into war novels give it a try anyway you just might be surprised I was.
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Shami
Stovall relies on her BA in History and Juris Doctorate to make her living as
an author and history professor in the central valley of California. She writes
in a wide range of fiction, from crime thrills to fantasy to science-fiction.
Stovall loves reading, playing video games, entertaining others with stories,
and writing about herself in the third person.
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
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4 comments:
Thank you for hosting!
Sounds like a very interesting book!
Always fun to hear about another new great book. Thanks for sharing!
Who is your favorite character from your book?
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