Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein

Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 368

Emilia and Teo's lives changed in a fiery, terrifying instant when a bird strike brought down the plane their stunt pilot mothers were flying. Teo's mother died immediately, but Em's survived, determined to raise Teo according to his late mother's wishes-in a place where he won't be discriminated against because of the color of his skin. But in 1930s America, a white woman raising a black adoptive son alongside a white daughter is too often seen as a threat.

Seeking a home where her children won't be held back by ethnicity or gender, Rhoda brings Em and Teo to Ethiopia, and all three fall in love with the beautiful, peaceful country. But that peace is shattered by the threat of war with Italy, and teenage Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict. Will their devotion to their country, its culture and people, and each other be their downfall or their salvation?

In the tradition of her award-winning and bestselling Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein brings us another thrilling and deeply affecting novel that explores the bonds of friendship, the resilience of young pilots, and the strength of the human spirit. 

My Thoughts

I was really disappointed in this book. After reading Wein's other two books and loving them with all my tiny heart, I figured that I would love this one too. Who cares that it's about a totally different place in a different era? Not me! It's gotta be just as good, right? 

No. So wrong. 

I was so bored throughout this book. The writing was choppy and didn't make sense in places. Switching back and forth between Teo and Emilia was confusing and unnecessary - and it was VERY hard to tell them apart from each other as they had the exact same voice. The faux pilot reports and random spy stories were offputting and unnecessary. The pacing was very off - so slow. The plot wasn't very compelling. I was bored. The characters didn't matter to me.  

I almost quit reading this book about 10 times but I wanted to see if the ending boosted my rating at all. It didn't. It leaves off in a random place with somewhat of a cliffhanger.  

I was not at all impressed with this story. I hope that for her next book, Wein takes her time and doesn't rush through writing something as fast as possible in order to get more sales. Because I feel like this book was a blatant money grab that didn't pan out at all. Sigh.