| Title | : | The Enigma Game |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0735265283 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780735265288 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published November 3, 2020 |
The Enigma Game Reviews
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I lost my mind when I saw there was a new book in the Code Name Verity world coming out. And it was everything I hoped/dreamed/wanted it to be. Set chronologically before Code Name Verity, this follows 3 characters, including Jamie Beaufort-Stuart, in and around a remote Scottish airfield at wintertime early in WWII. Loved Jamie, but equally loved the other 2 protagonists, Louisa and Ellen. Wow. The feelings I have for this series bump it into "favorites of all time" category.
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I loved the first two books in the series
Code Name Verity and
Rose Under Fire so I had high expectations with this one.
As with all her books the author takes some interesting WW2 facts and build an easy reading fictitious story around it. This one centres around a German enigma coding machine that falls into the wrong (or in this case the right) hands.
Some characters like Jamie and Queenie from previous books play a vital role in this story but as I read the other two books so long ago the thrill of recognition was muted – I blame old age.
It was a good solid read but not as memorable as the first two. The characters and their actions also felt like it was aimed at a much younger audience, but it could just be my own tastes that have changed over time.
I do have to also mention I really enjoyed the character of Jane Warner, an old feisty German biddy that needs to hide her origins amid Allied territory.
If you are at all interested in trying this author, I would recommend you start with the first two books in this series. -
A very enjoyable book.
More coming.....had chemotherapy infusion, moving slowly. ❤️❤️ -
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review
Although this book will not be released until November, readers that are familiar with Elizabeth Wein's WWII historicals from a YA perspective will certainly enjoy her latest installment of the Code Name Verity series. It is certainly a well-researched novel with plenty of action while also stressing the importance of working together and understanding differences.
The novel is told through the eyes of Jamie Beaufort-Stewart, a flight lieutenant, Louise Adair, a young Jamaican woman who travels from London to Scotland with an elderly German woman, and Ellen McEwen a driver for the Auxiliary Air Force. When the three are handed over an enigma machine from a German pilot, they become embroiled in some wartime intrigue.
Having previously enjoyed Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, I must confess that I didn't feel as engaged in this novel as its predecessors. Now I have already told you that Wein has written a well researched and informative novel, so please understand my own personal enjoyment is probably based on mood. Also, I know that I am a little WWII weary, but despite those inner feelings, I still would give a nod that it deserves your attention.
#TheEnigmaGame #NetGalley
Goodreads review published 13/07/20
Expected publication 03/11/20 -
4.5 stars
The first part of the book was a bit rocky, but it found its footing by part 2 and we were off. It was wonderful to see Jamie and Ellen and a few others again, and I fell in love with Louisa and Jane. The story itself took a darker turn in the final act, but it is a war story, after all.
Now I'm all set for my CNV reread (and perhaps a Pearl Thief reread once that's done). -
3.5 out of 5 stars.
In my opinion, 'The Enigma Game' wasn't as memorable as the series' previous books, there's just something so captivating about the previous books especially 'Code Name Verity'. But I still enjoyed this and reading about the characters who made an apperance in this book from the earlier ones made me very happy.
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I was apparently living under a rock or something, because I had no idea Elizabeth Wein published a new book from Code Name Verity series.
Was I honestly expecting there would be a new book in CNV saga? No
Am I excited to read this nevertheless knowing too well it'll break my heart as well? Absou-friggin-lutely. -
Code Name Verity was the beginning of a marvellous series that features brave young women and aviation during the Second World War. In the latest addition, The Enigma Game, we encounter the Bristol Blenheim, an underpowered and underarmed twin-engine bomber piloted by Flight Lieutenant Jamie Balfour-Stuart, whom we had encountered as the brother of the heroic Julie. This book is what would now be termed a ‘prequel’, set in the winter of 1940-1941 near an RAF station in northern Scotland, where Jamie’s squadron is fighting an unequal battle against the Luftwaffe. But our new principal character Louisa Adair is a fifteen-year-old mixed-race Jamaican orphan who finds herself the companion-care giver to an eighty-four year old former opera singer who had been interned on the Isle of Man as a German enemy alien, though totally English in manner and sympathy. They are joined as narrators by Ellen McEwen, the Scottish Traveller lass who appeared in The Pearl Thief (which I’m yet to read). Now Ellen is a volunteer transport driver for the RAF. Louisa is also a trained classical musician, a talent that plays a crucial role in the story. The plot centres on a German JU88 pilot who defects to Scotland with an Enigma coding machine.
Even casual WWII buffs familiar with the basic outline of the Ultra secret and the Bletchley Park code-breaking establishment will know that this story is pure fiction (though later in the war a naval Enigma was captured from a U-Boat) but as a McGuffin it works fine in this novel. Because women were not allowed to fly in combat (except for the Russians), like in Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire, Elizabeth Wein took some implausible liberties with reality to get Louisa onto an actual Op. I have to admit not being as engaged with the characters as I was in the previous books, but there’s no real chance for Louisa to display the extraordinary courage of Julie or Rose in the earlier books. Nevertheless, I highly recommend The Enigma Game, especially to YA readers. -
I love all of Wein's books, but this one is up there with the gold standard, CODE NAME VERITY. This is the story of three young people whose lives become intertwined when an enigma machine is dropped off at a remote Scottish pub near a military base in Northern Scotland. With the pace of a thriller, memorable characters, an incredible sense of urgency and hope, this is top-notch, not to be missed WWII fiction.
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Representation: Biracial (half Black and half white) and Black characters
Trigger warnings: Death of a friend, parents and other people, fire, plane crash, military violence and war themes, World War Two, racist slur, gun violence, physical assault and injury, blood depiction, murder, explosions
Score: Six points out of ten.
Find this review on
The StoryGraph.
I wanted to read this for a while but never got around until now. I thought The Enigma Game was new since it was on the latest titles shelf at the library. Turns out they lied--they bought it around three years ago. I enjoyed this one, but it could have been better if the author improved her piece of literature. I'm not rushing to read Code Name Verity, but I'll read it if I have time.
It starts with the first character I see, Louisa Adair, living in Britain during the early 1940s with World War Two ongoing. She is desperate after losing both her parents from different causes. Louisa soon meets two new characters, Ellen and Jamie, who work for the Royal Air Force or RAF. The opening pages are slow, but the action picks up around part two, where I see Louisa take part in the air forces fighting off enemy aircraft, which I enjoyed reading.
There's a plot twist when a defective German soldier has a package, and inside, there's a typewriter called an Enigma, which soon plays a significant role in the narrative. Thus begins Louisa and other's quest to keep the Enigma as long as they can from malicious hands. The Enigma Game shines in its enthralling plot and immersion since I could never put it down. However, it has flaws with the characters; even though I liked them, I didn't find them that memorable, nor could I sympathise with them, even with Louisa's hardship. It rubs me the wrong way when a white author writes about a person like Louisa. It feels like tokenism or cultural appropriation. The multiple POVs didn't work as they were almost indistinguishable other than their names. I wonder if Code Name Verity is better. -
4.5 stars
I hand Elizabeth Wein my heart on a platter every time I begin one of her stories, and she smashes it to a pulp each time with characters and stories full of love and feeling and the immeasurable sense of loss and destruction that WW2 brought with it.
In 1940, 15-year-old Louisa is reeling after the sudden loss of her mother and her father in separate bombing incidents. Now, Louisa sets off to Scotland where she has been hired to care for an elderly German woman. When she arrives, Louisa immediately becomes a member of a secret operation that involves a German soldier spy and an Enigma machine that can crack German code. Enter Jamie Beaufort-Stuart (Yes, OUR JAMIE from Code Name Verity) who uses the cracked code to keep himself and his squadron one step ahead of the German fighter planes eager to take them down.
I loved this book which isn't really a surprise as I love Elizabeth's writing, and how she incorporates amazing WW2 stories that have a lot of research and fact to back them up and connects them to younger characters doing their best to save their country. There is an earnestness and a youth to Louisa that I loved, and which was missing slightly in the other two books in this series (minus The Pearl Thief as that is a prequel set well before the war) as the characters we meet (Julie, Maddie and Rose) are all well-versed and involved in the war effort. In this book, we really feel Louisa's urge to help out in some way and the frustration that her age is stopping her (and her belief that her Jamaican birth and her skin colour may stop her from doing so).
There is a wonderful relationship here too between Louisa and Jane - the older woman she is hired to care for. There's a fragility to the relationship due to Jane's mental health, as well as her aging body - not to mention her fear that any moment she will be taken away just for being German despite living in England most of her life.
Ellen from The Pearl Thief is also a character in this book and we see her struggle with her own secret that she is a traveller and her fear that people will treat her differently when they know. Her secret bonds her to Louisa and Jane as they all feel like outsiders. I would love another book in this series that follows Ellen after the events of this book as she is a terrific character, and she deserves a whole novel just for her (with cameos from her brother, and hopefully Jamie as well).
The plot with the Enigma machine was really interesting, and I loved the intense moments when the German soldier was in the room but I have to say that my brain was not made for code or anything of that nature so while some readers may love the way Louisa and Jane were able to work with the Enigma machine, it probably went over my head a bit and I loved the characters themselves and the relationships in this book.
I should mention that Julie from Code Name Verity also makes a lovely cameo appearance in this book too!
This book was written after Code Name Verity but takes place BEFORE it. However, I would actually think reading in publishing order is still the way to go with this series. The Enigma Game fleshes out Jamie's backstory and brings to life snippets that he shared in Code Name Verity. But there's something lovely about reading The Enigma Game last and getting those thrills when your favourite characters show up or are mentioned.
I also loved the author's note in this book that explains the research Elizabeth Wein undertook for this book, as well some interesting historical facts about German defectors, code breaking machines and the Blenheim squadron. I thought it brilliant how she talked about coming up with this story that slotted in with the canon she had already written about Jamie in Code Name Verity and why she also thought it important to include West Indies characters' like Louisa in the war-story as it is a population who committed themselves to the war effort yet rarely get any kind of glory.
I can't recommend this enough for fans of Code Name Verity or people looking for amazing WW2 stories that center around younger characters with heart and spirit. -
Is this my favorite book of Elizabeth Wein's since CODE NAME VERITY? Might it even be *more* a favorite of mine than CNV, shocking as that sounds? It's just possible, because it's rich and vibrant and full of tension and intrigue, lavishly researched and exquisitely executed, with a new heroine that I loved with my whole heart from the first chapter (Louisa!!!), and amazing pitch-perfect narration from two other characters we already know from earlier books. There is SO MUCH going on in this book and all of it is amazing. I just finished it and part of me wants to go back and read it again.
Also, I ship two of the new characters (no spoilers here) and I need fan fiction. Or another book. -
Rules are made to be broken
Ever since both of her parents died in the war, Louisa has been burning with desire to fight back against the Germans. But first, she has to take care of herself. Being half Jamaican, it is hard to find any type of work, so she jumps at the opportunity to be hired over call to watch after an old lady in Scotland. Her excitement rises when she learns the Pub she will be staying at is located next to an active English airfield, Windyedge, for she will finally be able to see the planes up close.
After growing up being called names and looked down upon because her family are Travellers, Ellen is more than happy to have a consistent job driving for the Air Force and an always ready bed at Nancy's Pub nearby. Making her job even better are the occasional visits of her childhood friend and now Pimms Flight Commander, Jamie, whenever his crew is stationed at Windyedge. Still, driving back and forth is growing repetitive.
Jamie is tired of constantly being on the losing side. Between losing half of his crew on a routine mission and his new supervisor constantly rubbing him wrong, Jamie is in serious need of some luck. Being transferred back to Windyedge isn't a bad start; at least he gets to see Ellen again.
Then, everything changes. Jamie spots a lone German aircraft while on a mission, calling for its missing friend, who soon turns up at Windyedge with a white surrender flag hanging out the back. The German inside is strange enough, but things get even stranger when he seems to befriend Louisa during his short stay. It isn't until after he leaves that Louisa discovers what he must have been trying to show her; an Enigma machine, the coding devise that is crucial to the German's success. With Jamie catching morse code messages in the air, Ellen bringing them to the Pub, and Louisa decoding them, all three feel that they have finally found the luck they needed. Only, how long can their luck last before disastor strikes?
I just finshed reading this book for a second time, and I loved it even more than the first. This book is by far my favorite of the Code Name Verity series, and one of my favorite books ever. The characters come so alive, the plot is so well developed and laid out, it is just such literary perfection! I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone with any interest in WWII, you won't regret it!! -
I think I liked this more than Code Name Verity, actually.
Which is crazy.
And technically it’s not quite as good a book, but it’s so very much My Thing that I can’t help loving it. I love home front stories and I love RAF kids who should still be in school probably but instead they’re flying dangerous missions and leaving money in the wood at the pub for luck and often never coming home to spend it ever again. And I love codes and I love airplanes and I love intense German pilots who risk their lives to deliver vital intelligence and love Mendelssohn. And I love friendship between old people and young people who see the best in each other when no one else does, and I love a chaotic group of Scottish war volunteers just getting through life and worrying about their lads in the air and scheming together and celebrating Christmas, and I LOVE flight officers who are only boys themselves worrying themselves to death over the green lads in their command, trying to be a good leader, to train them, to protect them, feeling guilty over every single one of their deaths, and just generally shouldering WAY MORE RESPONSIBILITY than they should ever have to.
And in other words, I love Jamie Beaufort-Stuart TO DEATH and this book would be a gift just for putting more Jamie content out into the world but also it was a really good book. That FELT really authentic even though it was written last year or something. I’m not even into WW2 books and I think half the reason is they never sound like the characters are actually from back then? But this 100% did.
There are things that aren’t my favorite about the book too. But it’s just so good. It’s all the things I love. It has Jamie. (And Ignacy too. Does anyone else love Ignacy???) I kind of love Jamie too much. This KID. This gentleman. I LOVE HIM, SOMEONE HUG HIM NOW. -
Code Name Verity was and is one of the best YA novels I've read for many years, so I was excited to read another WWII thriller featuring some of the same characters. However, although I enjoyed this in many ways, and its ultimate emotional impact was quite effective, this not only suffers by comparison to Verity but also as a stand-alone novel. I found the main plot line rather incredible, although revelations as the book progressed made some things make more sense. The notion of a sixteen-year-old girl accidentally getting her hands on a German decoding device and the way that she and her friends conspire to use it without informing anyone in authority about it was just too "Girls Own Paper"-ish for me. Because of the rapidly shifting POV (between three characters, not terribly distinguishable, which readers who follow my reviews will know is a pet peeve) it was difficult to engage with any of the characters individually. Minor characters, interesting in their own right, could have been developed further. This all sounds more critical than I really intend, and I recognize that it must be hard for an author to have all subsequent novels compared unfavourably to a previous one (although I loved The Pearl Thief), this ultimately was a bit of a disappointment.
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Man, I really wanted to love this one but it ended up feeling kinda sweaty to me? I love the Code Name Verity Cinematic Universe but for me to have three characters from the CNVCU independently end up in the same tiny town felt implausible, even though I was happy to see them. In her author's notes at the end Wein notes that some of what this story was based on involved a recovered piece of radar equipment from a German plane but she felt that writing about the radar equipment would require too much detail to explain its importance so she wrote it about an enigma machine instead, but to me it ended up feeling hard to swallow because the enigma machines were SO important that it was like......this is a lot for one 15-year-old girl to stumble upon?!
That SAID I still enjoyed this--Wein's research and eye for historical detail is sharp, and I really loved Louisa as a new main character, and I love a historical fiction that shows that people of color like...lived in England in WWII and can be in this kind of historical fiction story in addition to the usual Civil War and civil rights movement stories. -
disclaimer: I received this free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
rep: biracial m/c (white, jamaican), sapphic romani m/c, bi side character
content warnings: war, death, racism, homophobia
The Enigma Game follows three different people in a small village of Windyedge, Scotland. Jamie, a RAF pilot who flies a Bristol Blenheim bomber, Ellen a volunteer driver with the RAF, and Louisa, a teenager who wants to make a difference who ends up caring for an elderly German woman. When Louisa finds an Enigma machine that was smuggled in by an enemy pilot, Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen all come together to unravel a mystery that may turn the tide of war.
“Careless talk costs lives.”
Rating five stars purely for my love for the Beaufort-Stuart siblings. JOKING. Sort of. In all seriousness, The Enigma Game was a captivating read with enticing characters, a fast-paced plot with high stakes, and some brilliant friendships – which Elizabeth Wein never fails to achieve. The Enigma Game is a companion novel that takes place before Code Name Verity, but after The Pearl Thief. Both Jamie and Ellen were present in The Pearl Thief, but Louisa is a brand new character, and a lovely addition at that.
Jamie is a RAF pilot that is stationed at Windyedge. He is a flight leader for the 648 Squadron, tired of continuously losing his men on flight missions. I liked his character since he showed up in Code Name Verity, so it was nice to get a novel from his POV, and it made me love him even more. He is kind, protective, and brave. When he learns of the Engima machine, he wants to keep it a secret to use to his advantage, to protect his men, knowing that if his superiors found out about it, it would be taken away.
Ellen, our other main character is a Scottish traveller who has volunteered to drive for the RAF. She was actually Julie’s love interest in The Pearl Thief and I absolutely adore her. She’s bold and brash! But, what an absolute travesty that Ellen & Julie’s previous relationship was not even mentioned. Even when Julie made a surprise appearance!! As I stated in the rep: section above, this does feature a sapphic character which is Ellen BUT this is established in the previous novel, and has no mention of it in this one.
Louisa was the brand new character and I absolutely adored her, and I especially loved her relationship with Jane, the elderly german-born woman that she is caring for. I loved Louisa’s drive, her passion, her bravery and courage, and her overwhelming need to do something.
I absolutely adored the piloting aspect in Code Name Verity, and loved it just as much in The Enigma Game.
Overall, The Enigma Game is a brilliant historical fiction novel which I would highly recommend to people who enjoy WWII fiction, and also for fans of Code Name Verity. -
I received a digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing.
I read Code Name Verity years ago when it was first released and I absolutely loved it, so I was very excited to read The Enigma Game. I haven’t read The Pearl Thief, which I understand has some of the characters from this book in it, but I don't think it hindered my enjoyment of the book.
The Enigma Game follows a set of three characters: Ellen, Jamie and Lousia. Each on them involved in WWII in their own way. Louisa wants to do her part to help fight the war that killed her parents when she takes a job caring for an elderly German woman in Windyedge, but it feels like not enough. It’s at Windyedge’s RAF aerodrome that Jamie’s squadron of bombers is based for the majority of the book, and Ellen works as a volunteer driver for the RAF. The three characters lives converge when a german pilot lands under mysterious circumstances, hiding an enigma machine that translated the strange messages Jaime’s squadron had been receiving. Louisa, Jamie and Ellen must work together crossing the firing lines of the enemy, to unravel a mystery that could help turn the tide in the war.
I loved all of the characters so much. Jaime was funny, relatable, and such a sweetie, I loved him. He’s constantly worried after losing many men on previous missions and has a rebellious streak which I loved. Ellen was fantastic. Her segments were really interesting, and the inclusion of the prejudice towards travellers was really good, and something I had never really thought about much before. I loved Louisa’s character, and the inclusion of a Jamaican m/c is something you don’t often see in books set in the past. Lousia was such an innocent, but very strong, character and I really loved that about her. I think the book emphasised both the good and bad traits of these characters really well, showing that all characters are flawed.
The plot was an intense slow-burner, with things heating up at certain key points in the book. The inclusion of the flight crew was brilliant in building suspense, and the writing really made you feel constantly worried when they were flying their missions.
A warning, the end of the book was both devastating and satisfying at the same time. I won’t say anything else, you’ll have to find out why for yourself!
Overall, I thought that this was a really enjoyable historical fiction novel, with amazing characters, and a gripping story. I would recommend this to young adult fans of historical fiction, but also to adults as well, the adult characters are also really well written and I felt the book had a sort of ageless quality to it.
Review also posted to my blog:
https://3lonelyclouds.wordpress.com/?... -
Is this book part of the reason why I didn't sleep at all after 2 AM last night? Yes. Elizabeth Wein, why do you do this to me. (I'll be napping later. I think.)
Find my review here:
https://samsbookshire.blogspot.com/20... -
While this isn't Wein's best Second World War book, it's still pretty good.
We have three viewpoint characters here: Louisa, orphaned by German bombs, Ellen, an ATS volunteer driver, and Jamie pilot of Blenheim bomber. They come together at a small aerodrome in Scotland, and together work to use an Engima machine to help the air crews find their targets and avoid danger.
Things I liked:
- Wein is so good at relationships. Louisa is hired to take care of Jane, an 80 year old German born woman who has recovered from a broken hip, and I loved watching their friendship build. I also liked the growing alliance between Louisa, Ellen as Jamie, as trust grows between them. No love triangles or unearned romances here!
- Louisa's mother was English and her father was Jamaican, and seeing a person of colour navigate war torn England was interesting. Ellen is a traveller, and Jane an immigrant from Germany, and watching all of these women navigate prejudice from people on their side, added nuance to an us vs. them story.
- Lots of cool detail about flying and planes and the women who served in military auxiliary services. Wein really does her research and loves flying herself, and her enthusiasm is infectious.
What I didn't like:
- Since we had three viewpoint characters, and the chapters were all quite short, I felt like I didn't get to know the characters as much as I might have liked. They did all have distinct voices, though.
- Much of the plot hangs on the idea that three characters discover Wein explains why the characters make this decision... but I did not buy it. So I suspended my disbelief and still enjoyed things, but this was a sticking point for me.
So at the end of the day, I'm rounding 3.5 stars up to 4. If you liked other Wein books, pick this up. But if you've never read anything by her before, do yourself a favour and start with
Code Name Verity. -
Wein really knows how to write emotion and 1am christine d i e d
also apparently i'm never gonna get over the verity books huh -
It is a story that recounts the deeds that courageous people did for their country in a time of terror. Louisa Adair works as a caretaker of the pub owner's aunt. This pub has an important machine that is a mystery to many. Lieutenant Jamie Beaufort-Stuart intercepts a signal but fails to understand what it is. Ellen McEwen volunteers at the local airfield. She performs messenger duties after Louisa engages Jane in translating important information. I liked the narration of this book. I loved that the author narrated from different points of view. The author made me intrigued and curious about what was going to happen with Louisa, Ellen, Jane, and Elisabeth.
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3/5.
Although I enjoyed getting to see so many familiar faces before we are introduced to them in Code Name Verity, I wasn’t that invested in this story as I was with the others in the series.
I felt such a disconnect with the characters that I never really cared what happened to them (although Jamie will always be my favourite).
I did enjoy experiencing this part of history but in terms of character and plot, this book didn’t spark the same emotional response that CNV or RUF had. -
I don't know, maybe I had unreasonably really high expectations from Code Name Verity, but this book just didn't seem very exciting. Okay, exciting things happened, they just didn't FEEL exciting (I know I'm not making any sense). It was sort of like, even on the last page, I was waiting for something more to happen, something mind-blowing like in Code Name Verity. Also, some things were repeated over and over again, until the foreshadowing felt like too much. I KNOW Louisa longs to fly a plane! She just told me five times! She's obviously going go get to go into a plane. It's too foggy for any planes to be out? Well, obviously some planes are about to appear from the fog! And I get that Scotty is the best friend you could ever have, but you don't need to say it every change you get! Still, I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series :)
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DNF @ 25%
This book is very slow paced and I am just not feeling it right now. Not for me, unfortunately. -
This book has left me in tears 😭
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I love Elizabeth Wein's pilots. While reading about the earlier life of some characters from Code Name Verity, I felt as if I was in on a secret. It was a delight.
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Historical fiction written by my beloved Code Named Verity author.
Codes, spies, WWII -
I was really disappointed with this after loving code name verity so much! I don’t know if it’s because I read it in digital & not physical form? But Louisa just got a bit annoying sometimes with how naive she acted. It had some good bits but I just overall didn’t really enjoy it :/
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I could not wait for this book to be released and I was not disappointed. A precursor to Code Name Verity(perhaps my favorite book of all time) this follows Jamie Beaufort-Stewart (Julie’s older brother,) his bomber crew stationed at an airfield in Scotland and a couple of amazing new characters—Louisa Adair, age 15, whose parents both died tragically early in the war and Jane Warner, age 82, a former German opera star, living in England with a Class-B alien status. I love that Elizabeth Wein meticulously knits everything together seamlessly with her other Code Name titles—The Pearl Thief is another companion novel that follows the same characters. Impeccable research, suspense, intrigue. The best kind of historical fiction. I loved it. Feeling bereft now that I’ve finished it.
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I don't have a real review for this and I'm not going to try, but these books are the best thing to come to YA lit since I don't know when. My library copy came through on Saturday (same day the US election was called; it was a good day), and I tore through it in two days (it would have been one, but a girl has to sleep sometime). We got Ellen and Jamie and Julie in this book, plus Louisa and Jane, and I think I can die happy now.
