Publisher's Weekly Review
Napoleonic military fiction gets a steampunk spin in this debut novel of battling airships and an embattled captain. Josette Dupre, who's been made the first female commander in the Garnian Royal Aerial Signal Corps thanks to her heroic wartime action, is handed a "revolutionary" new design (which is to say, a dangerous untested prototype) by a senior general who wants to get rid of her. With her well-trained crew, including the general's snitching nephew, Dupre improves the design, uncovers a second-front invasion by the enemy, wins over the spy, and makes a spectacular last-stand defense of her homeland. Bennis writes a pleasing mix of banter ("Hoping to leave a good-looking corpse?" "I couldn't avoid it if I wanted to") and gritty battle scenes, combining both the adrenaline rush of combat and its horrifying results, and never indulging in too-sudden social victories that might cheapen the long struggle against embedded prejudice. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit Associates. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
DEBUT Josette Dupre thought it was bad that she crashed the airship she had taken control of during battle. It became worse: she was lauded as a hero and handed the Corps's newest command, the chasseur Mistral. Saddled with a "revolutionary new design," aka an untested death machine, and a crew who find it hard to believe a woman is capable of being in charge, Josette really does not need an ensign to monitor her. The young, powdered, and perfumed Lord Bernat, who had been commissioned by his family into the military, now must scrutinize Josette's every action for deficiency. Bernat and Josette verbally spar and cross swords, but the reality of war steps in when the enemy makes a move that threatens the Mistral and the rest of the Corps. VERDICT This military steampunky fantasy debut, filled with quick action, witty dialog, and appealing characters, will bring joy to fans of Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series.-KC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.