Title: Code Name VerityAuthor: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Egmont Press
Release Date: February 6th 2012
Pages: Paperback, 452 pages
Format: Audiobook
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.
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.
Before I have things thrown at me for my 3 star rating, I am in no way saying this was a bad book. It just was not for me. I knew going into it that Code Name Verity was going to be out of my comfort zone but I heard such great things about it that I felt like I had to give it a try.
Why it was not for me: Historical fictions in general are not usually my thing; I have a tendency to lean more towards paranormal/dystopian books. Code Name Verity started off quite slow and at points I felt like I had to really focus on the story or else my mind would wander. While it did pick up later, I wish there was a bit more action in the beginning. Not that is was a big deal because sometimes it is refreshing, but there was no romance in the story, no love story.
What I did enjoy: The strong sense of friendship between Maddie and Queenie. When the narration switched, the story quickly improved and picked up in pace. Even though the narrators did not alternate, I did enjoy the fact that there were two narrators. I also LOVED that the story was about strong females and their duties during the war; it is not a perspective we usually get. The ending hurt my heart yet it was full of love and tough decisions in a time of war.
Overall, it was a 3 star read; I thought the story was written beautifully but started off too slow for my liking. Code Name Verity is a blend of friendship, survival, war told from the perspectives of two best friends. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a more serious read or if you are interested in a historical fiction story with strong female characters.
