Saturday, 15 December 2012
Friday, 14 December 2012
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Book review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
If aliens one day enter my home to empty my bookshelf Code Name Verity is one of the books I will hold on to for dear life. I will fight the aliens with every fiber in my being, that's how much I loved Code Name Verity. This is book will be high on my Top 10 Reads list for 2012, I loved to bits and if you don't pick it up soon then you're in danger of missing out, BIG TIME.
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| I love this cover, it says so much about the story. |
No spoilers
The setting for Code Name Verity is France (and partly England) during WWII. It is a story about female friendship, adventure and women/girls with rather unusual occupations during the war (spy, pilot and mechanic). And that my friend is about all I can tell you about this wonderful story. Why so little you say? Well my dear friend for me to answer that question I need you to answer this question: Have you ever read a book where the whole story will fall apart if you reveal the slightest thing about it? If you have then you know how hard it has been for me to write up this review. There is so much I'm longing to talk about but I cannot bear the idea of spoiling this amazing story to new readers.It’s like being in love, discovering your best friend.
A beautiful quote on friendship from Code Name Verity.
Female spies and pilots
Code Name Verity is an epistolary novel(see I learned myself a new word, yaaay), that means the story is being told through letters and diary entries. Our narrator is a young lady imprisoned by the Germans in France. The story changes between being told from a 1st POV and 3rd POV and it works surprisingly.Our dearest narrator has a bleak future ahead of her, as she is labeled a Night and Fog(Nacht und Nebel)prisoner, that usually means prisoners who disappear into thin air and is never seen or heard from ever again. The narrator is well aware of this and she swaps whatever she can for the chance of a longer life, even if that means turning traitor.
I am no longer afraid of getting old.
Indeed I can't believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant.
But mainly, so very, very stupid. I desperately want to grow old.
From Code Name Verity.
A puzzle or a crossword
This book is like a puzzle or a crossword and we all know how freaking annoying it is when you're this close to the solution and someone looks over your shoulder and gives you the correct answer. Author Elizabeth Wein has sprinkled her story with some very nicely hidden hints for the outfall of this story and I couldn't connect the dots at all until she spelled it out for me. Well done you! I love stories that keep me guessing until the very end and when it's revealed I could almost smack myself for not understanding what was going on before my very eyes earlier.Code Name Verity might all sound very confusing, but I promise you that it is not. On the surface the story is well put together, there is no holes there but there is secrets there that you just cannot see before the author spills it.
This is a story that is perfect for rereading, it is not necessary but I'm willing to bet that I'll discover a whole new story the second time around. The first time I devoured the book, the second time I'll take my sweet time and discover all the little clues that was hidden for me the first time. I'm not much of a rereading kind of gal' but for this one I'm willing to make an exception.
I am a coward.
I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending.
Quote from Code Name Verity.
Credible
The main character is living on borrowed time, as long as she writes, she lives. The MC, I cannot name her, read the book and you'll understand why, does the unthinkable and becomes a traitor. It might seem a bit unrealistic that the soldiers doesn't just torture the information out of our MC spy, but to believe in this story this was just something I had to accept. This situation is made credible due to the fact that author Elizabeth Wein makes all her characters are human and complex, even the enemy has his weak spots . Very few of the characters, if any, is portrayed as just good or just bad.
Book trailer
Code Name Verity is fiction and at first glance one might believe there to be some historical errors in this novel. If you take a closer look at the information that exists in this novel you might be surprised to learn that some of the things that sounds unreal actually was very real. The things that aren't historical correct is being explained in an authors note at the very end(I learned some interesting facts in this note and I recommend that you read it if you ever read the book) and I think she has done a wonderful job writing about things that very well could have happened during WWII.
This story is both beautiful and heartbreaking and I L O V E it DEARLY! The story will appeal to young and old alike, especially women as this is also a story about strong women and friendship.
Did you know?
That 166 female pilots flew for the ATA during WWII?
15 of these 166 women died on the job.
The ATA pilots mission was to transport planes from one place to another and sometimes they also flew passengers.
That the ATA allowed disabled pilots to fly?
It didn't matter if you missed an arm or an eye, ff you could fly safely the ATA needed your help.
That a female pilot needed twice as many pilot lessons as a male pilot before they were allowed to fly on their own?
Well... look at all the lines I managed to use when I could have said it in such a simple way; I loved Code Name Verity. You don't want to miss out on this one.
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| This cover is just not to my liking at all. Looks more like a book in the same genre as 50 Shades, which Code Name Verity most definitely is not. |
Have you read Code Name Verity, if so did you enjoy it as much as I did? If not is it at least on your wishlist?
I purchased the audiobook from Audible. En innbundet utgave er på vei hjem til meg også, jeg må ha en fysisk kopi i bokhyllen.
I HAVE TOLD THE TRUTH! And for those of you who has read this novel already you know what I mean.
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Release by Nicole Hadaway
For vampire Miranda Dandridge, using her supernatural abilities to rescue children from impossible circumstances is her means to be a part of the human world that she loves so much, despite the atrocities of WWII.
For doctor Ben Gongliewski, saving his fellow Jews from the horrific death camps is an end for which he risks his own life every day, hiding his Jewish heritage while feigning loyalty the SS.
Neither Miranda nor Ben expects to find love in World War II Europe, but that is exactly what happens as they work for the Resistance. When the war draws to a close, it seems like the vampire and the doctor are free to start a future together. But just how far the Nazis will go to further their own evil ends?
Desperate times make for ruthless men as loves and lives are threatened, but, Miranda and Ben know that their world cannot go to hell, not by any means…
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Insurgent was probably one of the most anticipated novels of this year. And personally I already know which book will be my most anticipated novel of 2013. Yes, the wait for the third book is a long one: the expected publication date is September 26th 2013. That's 287 more days.
I flew through Insurgent, the story is even more compelling and fascinating than Divergent.
My thoughts
With Roth's writing style as compelling as in Divergent, we are pulled into the story. It has the reader in a grasp and won't let go until the last page has been read.
Insurgent is most definitely a worthy sequel to Divergent.
Every war leaves its traces, this one is no exception.
Tris struggles with herself, tries to cope with her grief. In the meantime the war rages on and of course there's Four. It's the developments that intrigued me, both in characters as in Tris's entire world.
Tris' tendency to throw herself in front of guns and Four's frustrations makes their relationship very intense, confusing and emotional. Their romance is handled perfectly, I was amazed by how it evolved with so much going on around them. This makes their relationship realistic, believable and moving.
Keeping up with the story requires some presence of mind though. It is complicated and rushes from one situation into the other. Something you'll either love or hate. There is a lot of moving around throughout the city, there are numerous fronts of people and suddenly there's a shift in power. We're also introduced to the world outside the fence, which promises a rather interesting third installment.
I flew through Insurgent, the story is even more compelling and fascinating than Divergent.
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
My thoughts
With Roth's writing style as compelling as in Divergent, we are pulled into the story. It has the reader in a grasp and won't let go until the last page has been read.
Insurgent is most definitely a worthy sequel to Divergent.
Every war leaves its traces, this one is no exception.
Tris struggles with herself, tries to cope with her grief. In the meantime the war rages on and of course there's Four. It's the developments that intrigued me, both in characters as in Tris's entire world.
Tris' tendency to throw herself in front of guns and Four's frustrations makes their relationship very intense, confusing and emotional. Their romance is handled perfectly, I was amazed by how it evolved with so much going on around them. This makes their relationship realistic, believable and moving.
Keeping up with the story requires some presence of mind though. It is complicated and rushes from one situation into the other. Something you'll either love or hate. There is a lot of moving around throughout the city, there are numerous fronts of people and suddenly there's a shift in power. We're also introduced to the world outside the fence, which promises a rather interesting third installment.
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