(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The drums of war beat amid global economic ruin. The skies, not the trenches, will decide the survivors. Rich men marshal their resources as all sides race to acquire 100-octane aviation gasoline, an unproven, unstable witches’ brew that could fuel the fastest attack aircraft. In a brutal maze of corporate treason, personal blackmail, and imperfect heroism, a young, brilliant petroleum engineer battling the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma may hold the key.
Eight years ago in Jerusalem, schoolgirl Saba Hassouneh survived the murder of her family. Sentenced to the barbaric refugee camps, Saba is freed by a legendary Bedouin freedom-fighter. She embraces his life of a bandit/rebel, evolving into a fearsome Arab nationalist femme de guerre hunted by the colonial powers and religious mullahs. Saba has one mission: free her people.

*3.5 stars*

At first glance, the two storylines as described in the blurb don't really seem to be from the same novel...but the beauty of this story is the way these two plots come together in a very satisfying way.

The historical elements of the story were also handled extremely well - there were points raised, especially regarding the companies that were battling it out for the gasoline, that I needed to go and check and, as usual, once I did that, it led me down the rabbit hole into many other interesting facts from that time. I commend the author for making me use my head when reading it.

The intrigue, the politics, the backstabbing...all great additions to the story. Have to say this was a page-turner of a book and one that I would happily recommend but...

This book has some serious issues with editing. Whether it be punctuation, spelling and grammar, or repetitive or run-on sentences, this book could have really benefitted from just one (more?) look from an editor to iron them out. Clichés abounded at times, and I did feel like the story did suffer from it somewhat.

That aside, a really decent story that wouldn't look out of place in any historical fiction fans' library.


Paul
ARH