Reviews - The Enigma Game | The StoryGraph

271 reviews for:

The Enigma Game

Elizabeth Wein

3.92 AVERAGE

daniellew03cd3's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

oceanwriter's review against another edition

5.0

Elizabeth Wein does not disappoint. After I read Rose Under Fire, I saw that there was a new book coming to the series and counted the days until The Enigma Game's release. I scoured stores wanting to buy my copy in person when it finally came out. I savored reading as much as I could and while I hate that it's over now, I feel just the way that I did after reading [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788] and [b:Rose Under Fire|17925639|Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity, #2)|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378417575l/17925639._SX50_.jpg|23859036]. This entire series has stuck with me like no other.

All three of the protagonists had such different personalities that melded together marvelously. I'm most partial to Jamie, of course, from the previous books. I loved getting to know him better in this story. I'm in awe of how rich each character's backstory is without becoming a bunch of unnecessary facts. In the beginning, I wondered how the plot would all come together - how these characters would come together. I was in tears multiple times throughout the book, though I can't say why without having to mark this for spoilers. (I could easily carry on and on...)

I hope there will be another addition to this series in the future, and maybe see some of these characters make a cameo?

trusselltales's review against another edition

4.0

There's something very immersive about Elizabeth Wein's books, and I really enjoy meeting characters from previous books entwined in new stories. Orphaned Louisa wants to do something for the war effort, so she leaves Blitz London for a job in remote Scotland, looking after an elderly lady who has just been released from an intern camp on the Isle of Man.

In Scotland, near RAF Windyedge, Louisa and Jane make friends and become enmeshed in a complex military secret.

Very atmospheric and gripping, I love to lose myself in the worlds Wein creates.

raven_pine's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous emotional 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: No

An intricate perspective showing WW2 from multiple perspectives -
A fighter pilot trying to lead his team and keep them alive.
A female volunteer who is doing her part ferrying men to and from the airbase.
A black woman whose family has been killed and has moved to Scotland to try and find her own way.
This book also features the life of a woman hiding her German past and a German who has defected passing secrets to the Allies to aid their efforts and whilst these characters do not have their own perspectives their stories and struggles are covered nonetheless.
I enjoyed the fact that this historical fiction was not focused on the front lines, instead it is set in a more remote area of Scotland which gave this book a fresh view into what life was like for many, rather than the well-covered high-stakes events that the genre covers more regularly. This is less suitable for those who prefer an action-based plot as the book has more to do with the human-side of events than the Enigma machine and it’s aids in the war effort.

celebrationofbooks's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was so excited for this book to arrive as an advance reader copy at the store and I quickly read it in the hopes of being done before it’s original release date back in May. And then, like so many other spring titles, it was postponed until the fall due to Covid. A smart person would have written this review back in April when she actually read the book, not two days before it’s release in November. I’m not always a smart person, so I will do my best.

Louisa is a great new addition to the Verity world, as is the older woman in her care, a delightfully spritely grandmotherly woman with an important role to play in this book. Chronologically, for those who are interested, this is second book in the Verity series:

The Pearl Thief (first chronologically, third published)
The Enigma Game (fourth published, second chronologically)
Code Name Verity (first published, third chronologically)
Rose Under Fire (second published, fourth chronologically)

I include this here, because as Elizabeth Wein’s characters frequently visit in her other books, knowing where you are chronologically is always helpful, and therefore less surprising and unsettling, when unexpected visitors arrive, as they do in The Engima Game. But they’re still surprising and, without giving away any series spoilers for those who haven’t read any of the books thus far, there will be tears and anguish on your part as a reader.

While I overall enjoyed the story, told in alternating perspectives between Louisa, Ellen, and Jamie, there was a great deal that I found lacking. First, the suspension of belief required to image that a German pilot would leave an enigma machine in the care of a young caretaker is a bit more preposterous than I was willing to accept. Second, there is little tension in any of the air battles – they just happen. And then characters are gone, and while I’m sure this is how a real life air battle was, it’s something that could have been a great addition to the narrative, but instead winds up falling flat.

My high hopes and excited anticipation waned somewhat quickly, unfortunately, and I found myself rushing through certain parts to get to the characters I cared about more. If you’re a diehard fan of the Verity series, it’s a nice read for nostalgia. But if you haven’t yet read any of the books, I would suggest reading Code Name Verity first, and then deciding from there if you want to stick with the story. A part of me wishes I’d just read Verity and then left well enough alone.

Content Warnings

maddie_1999's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

rebecca_isreading's review against another edition

4.0

Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.

Code Name Verity has been one of the more memorable books I've read in the last decade or so, and this spin off within the same vein is excellent, and I'm very glad that readers coming to these books now have this available to them as well. This is dense reading for its intense subject, length, and detail, but very engaging and interesting. This YA series is great for teens as I think it really well demonstrates how vital the engagement of younger people is in terms of change and resistance. Elizabeth Wein does a great job of developing connections and relationships between the characters so that readers care deeply about them while keeping the intense focus on the work they are doing.