Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Another spoiler-free review (this may become a regular thing for books I don't need to pick apart). I was going to add a marked spoiler section at the bottom to gush about the plot twists, but I'm not sure I really have much to add that would be more than a recap and fangirling.

This historical fiction is about two young women in England who become a pilot and a spy during World War II, and this is the account of a their mission in Nazi-occupied France that becomes a disaster. I really can't say much more than that. The historical atmosphere is lovely and the author even wrote a "debriefing" at the end explaining what liberties she did take, and a list of sources is also included. While female roles in the English military during this time were few, there were some of them, and I really liked how this book uncovered that instead of defaulting to the traditional all-male cast. It made the story much more unique.

I admit I had a bit of trouble reading this in places. I got a bit lost over the aircraft and spy descriptions sometimes and then couldn't visualize what was going on. This doesn't take away from my appreciation of the book, though. It's purely my fault and this one is already on my "should reread sometime" list.

The diary style that Code Name Verity is written it naturally lends itself to some suspension of disbelief: I know my diary is a jumbled mess of getting feelings and events down as quickly as possible. I don't take the time and write in prose form--I wouldn't trust myself to remember a lot of dialogue, for one--and in some places of the book you would think the narrator would be in a position to write something briefer, and certainly much of the story is closely tied to what is being written. Personally, for me, I didn't mind the style, but others may feel otherwise.

Now to the things I am not going to spoil. At the beginning it is easy to get caught up in the backstory--which is why I took a bit longer reading that because I didn't feel much momentum--but eventually you begin to realize that there is danger in the present tense. She is a prisoner, after all. And then there is a FANTASTIC use of an unreliable narrator and it takes off from there. I can't say I've read a lot of unreliable narrator books, but I did really enjoy these plot twists. Not all of them are related to the unreliable narrator trope anyway.

And at the core of all of this was a lovely friendship between well-drawn, amusing, and inspiring female characters. Amidst the twists and thrills, there is a true emotion to it all.

So I DEFINITELY recommend this. You may follow it the best if you're into history and/or aircraft, but there is an expertly plotted thriller that can hold anyone's attention.