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Title: Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity #2)
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release date: September 13th 2013
Pages: 368
Genre: Young Adult historical
Source: I received a free advance copy of this book at BEA - thanks!
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While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I think I would have enjoyed this book a whole lot more if it weren't connected to Code Name Verity. I probably wouldn't have read it at all if it weren't for Code Name Verity, but still. Code Name Verity is an amazing book, so of course I had to read the companion. And I really liked Rose Under Fire, too - I just think it pales in comparison to Code Name Verity.
What I loved most about Code Name Verity was the cleverness of the set-up - you have no idea what's going on and it doesn't start to make sense until the very end, making Code Name Verity an entirely suspenseful read. In Rose Under Fire, though, the set-up has the opposite effect: Rose is telling us about her time in Ravensbrueck after she has made her escape, switching back and forth between past and present, so we already know how things are going to turn out. I loved how Code Name Verity worked as both a historical novel and something like a thriller, and the thriller aspect was more or less missing in Rose Under Fire.
That being said, though, the historical aspect is still exceptionally well-done, just like it was in Code Name Verity. The details are thoroughly researched and expertly integrated into the story; Elizabeth Wein is most definitely a great writer. The stories of these girls are fascinating, in a completely horrifying way, and I loved getting to know all of them. I especially liked seeing how the characters in Rose Under Fire relate back to the story in Code Name Verity.
Rose Under Fire is a good historical novel, educational, emotional, and fascinating to read. But in comparison to Code Name Verity, I found it underwhelming. It lacks the spark and the thrill that every word in Code Name Verity held for me. The story felt a lot more basic than the captivating, crazy-plot-twists one we got in the first novel. I liked Rose Under Fire, but I will not be forcing everyone I know to read it, the way I've been doing with Code Name Verity.
Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release date: May 15th 2012
Pages: 343
Genre: Young Adult historical
Source: Bought a signed copy at Books of Wonder!
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Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I'll admit that I was reluctant to read Code Name Verity. I don't read too much historical fiction, and especially World War II novels just aren't something I would usually pick up. But I'd heard such great things that, when I saw the signed copy at Books of Wonder, I just couldn't resist. Still, I went in with my expectations not too high - I wasn't expecting to love it as much as everyone else did.
And the novel does start out a little slow. For the first 100 pages or so, it was an embodiment of what I fear historical fiction to be like and what keeps me from reading it - too many little facts that confuse someone with only basic knowledge of the historical events, like me. The beginning is full of details about planes, names of places and operations and war-related things that I had never heard of. Those little things confused me and made it hard for me to get into the story, and the unusual narrative took some getting used to as well.
But after sticking through the rough beginning, I began to see the brilliance everyone had been raving about. The farther you get in the novel, the more it all starts to make sense. All the little things I found strange about the narrative as well as the story in the beginning fall into place later on, and it's not till the very end that you understand the full genius behind it all. Having read the ending, I want to go back and reread everything to see how it all fits together.
I don't even know how to describe the brilliance of this novel. And I kind of don't even want to say anything, because the brilliance lies in not understanding anything until the end. (Then again, I'm like the past person in the blogosphere to read this, so what does it matter?) Either way, every part of Code Name Verity is brilliant. The plot is amazing - every twist took me by surprise. The characters incredible, too, even if you don't know it at first. And the writing, narrative, and set-up of the story are pure genius. The emotions, too - there was no full-on bawling, but I did shed some tears, and the novel moved me so much that I'm sure I'll still be thinking about it for a while.
Brilliant really is the only way to describe this novel. If you haven't read it yet, please give it a try, even if it is out of your comfort zone, like it was for me, and please don't be discouraged by the slow beginning. It is worth it, because you get a story that is pure genius, a novel that is unique and unforgettable.
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