Reviews - The Bletchley Riddle

636 reviews for:

The Bletchley Riddle

Ruta Sepetys

4.14 AVERAGE

amyk1's review

4.0

adventurous informative inspiring mysterious fast-paced

littlemiao's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous informative tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

This was a well-written, fast-paced young adult historical novel set in London and Bletchley Park during the World War Two. I’m not super familiar with the authors, Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, but clearly their collaboration was a success. Too many novels set in that period sacrifice historical reality for the sake of plot and sentiment. Those books seem like an exploitation of their setting. This book, however, struck a good balance with faithfulness to historical fact and respect for events and real people, in this case the code breakers and others involved with the British war effort. And still the authors managed to deliver a suspenseful mystery adventure, focused on siblings Lizzie and Jakob figuring out what happened to their mother. Lizzie’s irrepressible spirit carries the story, but the characters in general were well realized, even when they played only a small role. Despite the heavy subject matter, the story has an optimistic tone that aligns with the determination of the people of Britain even during their lowest points during the war. I respect the craft that went into the construction of the story. Highly recommended.

msuej2024's review

3.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

aeh84's review

3.75

3.75. Enjoyable and readable. Felt aimed at a younger audience than her usual books (maybe the cowriter drives the age down) so just a little less depth.