Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

14 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

bees_knees735'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? No

4.5

Screaming. Crying. Throwing up. This book is beautiful, powerful, and has stuck with me ever since I read it. If you’re looking for a great example of historic fiction for young adults I highly recommend this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, and Torture

Moderate: Genocide, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Gun violence, and Violence

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

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

helen's review against another edition

4.0

Oof! So incredibly sad, clever, surprising and satisfying. Full of fabulous, competent women, and glimpses of humour amongst the horrors.
Due to the subject matter, I didn't enjoy reading parts of it, and I suspect I won't re-read, but I'm really glad I finished it, and got to experience the twists and gut punches unspoiled.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Torture and Gun violence

Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

bookbrig's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

You should read this book. Sometimes, when I've read a dozen reviews that say such and such novel is so wonderful and fantastic and great, I end up less then loving it simply because it's been built up so much. Not so here. This is a gorgeous story. The characters are unbelievably vivid. And if it's any indication of the story's great ability to make me curious and keep me caring, as soon as I finished it I found myself flipping back to the beginning and searching through it for pieces to reread. Yes, I reread books, but pretty much never IMMEDIATELY upon finishing them! I cannot recommend this book enough. I'm planning to browbeat everyone I know into trying it. THAT INCLUDES YOU. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Torture and Death

Minor: 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

travelthrupages's review against another edition

dark funny 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Antisemitism, Blood, and Vomit