Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Posted December 31, 2012 by Lauren in Review / 2 Comments

Code Name VerifyPages: 352(Canadian ebook version & cover)
First Published: February 6th 2012 by Egmont Press
# in Series: Standalone
Source: Purchased on Kobo

The Book Depository | Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

“I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

My Thoughts & Review:

Rola @ xo’reads & I decided to do a read-a-long of Code Name Verity back around the first of December. That’s when everyone’s 2012 book surveys were popping up and I was seeing Code Name Verity everywhere. I had never heard of this it prior to the surveys(why, I have no idea) and everyone was raving about it. Then I seen Rola had it in her haul and she suggested we do a read-a-long because at this point, I was dying to read it. Let me just say that historical fiction is not my strongest genre. I’ve read a handful of historical fictions and more often than not I end up not liking them. The only HF that I end up dying over are ones centered around World War 2. There is something about these books that wrap their fist around my heart, they are so raw and emotional.
Rola finished way before me. I was so apprehensive when I was reading, not because it wasn’t amazing(because it was) but because I knew the heartache that was inevitably going to come. So I mustered on…

 

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Normally for my reviews I give my own brief summary and then I critique the characters, writing, world building, etc. That is not going to happen here. The synopsis is perfect. If I was to say anymore it would ruin intricate parts of the story.
“Verity” & Maddie are the two most remarkable, well written characters I have ever read. There friendship is so prominent and strong throughout the entire book it leaves you aching, physically aching for them. They are so loyal to each other it hurts you. All of the characters that were designed to hate, you hated. All of the characters you were designed to love, you loved.
The writing is absolutely outstanding. I knew little to nothing about planes prior to this novel but Stein had a way of talking about aeroplanes that pulled you in. I was absolutely fascinated by the amount of detail and research that must have went into this novel.
I loved the point of views. I didn’t realize just how remarkable until the end of the book and you realized that so much was given, that was overlooked until everything was explained at the end.
Honestly, I have nothing to say that hasn’t been said about this book. All I can do is rave, and rave. This has far surpassed just being one of my favorite books of 2012, its hands down one of my favorite books of all time.
When I finished, I was physically in pain. My heart hurt, my throat hurt and my eyes hurt. For someone to be able to evoke those type of emotions on you… they are a literary genius. Elizabeth Stein IS a literary genius. I still hurt today for Maddie, and Julie and their love for each other.
Code Name Verity is a masterpiece.

“Kiss Me Hardy, Kiss Me Quick”

Make sure to pop on over to see Rola’s review today too !!!!

My Rating:

5 Stars
Happy Reading!
xo Lauren

 

2 responses to “Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

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