Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

20 reviews

hannahbailey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

TW: war, torture, injury detail, gore, death, murder, grief, violence, sexual harassment, confinement, suicide, gun violence 

I read this years ago (when I was still in school maybe?) and loved it. When I saw it in a charity shop last year, I couldn't resist picking it up and finally owning a copy. 

There's always a risk when revisiting a book many years later that it won't be as good as you remember. Code Name Verity was even better this time around. Whilst I recognised on my first read how good the writing was, I got to really appreciate the craft this time. It's SO convincing with its compelling characters, narrative structure and historically accurate dialogue that I already want to dive back in. 

I cannot believe this is YA. I feel like the genre has changed so much since this was published in 2012 I'm not sure it would be categorised the same. It's got graphic depictions of violence and torture, as well as alluding to many other atrocities that happened in occupied France. Despite that though, it's actually the maturity of the characters and the level of detail that helps it to read like adult fiction. Obviously these things can and are present in a lot of YA anyway, but there's a vibe to this book that lends itself to older readers too. That said, I loved it as a teenager so what do I know about marketing books to the right audience? Given that I loved it at two different ages and life stages, it's clear this book is universal in its readability (at least to me).

How stunning to produce a piece of historical fiction that feels so real. Reluctant to read the others in the series in case this is the best one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Death, Blood, Grief, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Torture, Misogyny, Gun violence, Genocide, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Murder, Hate crime, and Gore

moreta1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, War, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Death, Grief, Confinement, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Physical abuse

gymjam_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Amazing and unique storytelling. First part is written by the main character who is detained with the Gestapo and is writing down 'her story' to buy her time by providing insight/background into why she's there. Second part is written in the p.o.v of her best friend. I loved the characters and their friendship; they felt believable and real. There were parts that left gaps and left you guessing as a reader or wondering why that would have been mentioned. Plenty of une pected twists and turns. My only criticism is that sometimes I got a bit too lost and confused/not sure what to believe. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, and War

Minor: Confinement

fluffernutterfriday's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was riveting. I simply could not put it down. It is a story within a story, where the writing of the story is a part of the plot, and I am enamored with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, Sexism, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, War, Torture, Religious bigotry, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Confinement

welkinvault's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I have to question what makes a book YA?  I did not think this painful, gruesome but glorious book was in any way YA.   It is definitely not for the faint of heart. It starts off simply enough with British plucky young women in early WW2, but told in a memoir in tortuous circumstances.  There are wheels within wheels in this novel.  I saw one of the twists, but not the others.  Powerful novel.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Gun violence

Moderate: Gore, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Death, Torture, War, Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, and Murder

saoreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The book title itself was intriguing and how the heroine began the story was full of wit and humor as she takes readers on a journey with her being captured. She makes light of her situation. Maybe she seemed way too calm as a person. The personality was honed to the point where it doesn't scream for something to be feared for and it eases readers even when the situation the character is, in fact, dire. In the second part of the book, another point of view was taken to narrate the recent happenings and not just pure storytelling. It was a heartbreaking story of a precious friendship that occurred during a fictional event in the Second World War. There was overloaded information regarding the life of a spy and working about intel that at the same time didn't make you stop reading but, through its witty way of expressing it, made you love it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, Body horror, Gore, Grief, and Gun violence

aidyljoy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

I don’t think I’m giving away anything by saying that this book is sad. Set during World War 2 and largely narrated by a woman captured by Nazi officers, it is a heavy read. I was drawn in by the characters and storytelling, but it was sometimes tough to push through a lot of technical & detailed information. Overall, I’m glad I read this book but I don’t know how often I’ll want to reach for it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

ejimenez's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Cursing, Gun violence, Grief, War, Death, Confinement, Excrement, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

rosies_book_shelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Confinement, Cursing, and Excrement