Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Review Tour + #Giveaway: Ethereal Squadron by Shami Stoval @GameOverStation @GoddessFish



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.

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website



Buy Link:


Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC




Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


4 comments:

Shami Stovall said...

Thank you for hosting!

Victoria Alexander said...

Sounds like a very interesting book!

James Robert said...

Always fun to hear about another new great book. Thanks for sharing!

Bernie Wallace said...

Who is your favorite character from your book?