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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After reading Code Name Verity, reading this made me feel tense the whole way through. The last few chapters were heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, Suicide, Xenophobia
I struggled to about half way through this book. I do not think this was a bad book at all but it was a lot more 'surface level's than I was expecting. I was very surprised because Wein certainly hasn't been afraid to write about the dark side of the war in her other books. Maybe she was aiming this at a slightly younger age group?
I was so disappointed because I absolutely love Wein's other books and I think the enigma machine is such an interesting aspect of the British war effort. so I was really looking forward to this. I could not connect with the characters at all. I found I was having to check if the section was from Ellen or Louisa's perspective because they did not have distinct personalities.
I honestly don't think I would have made it so far through if it hadn't been for jane. She is a fabulous character!!
I was so disappointed because I absolutely love Wein's other books and I think the enigma machine is such an interesting aspect of the British war effort. so I was really looking forward to this. I could not connect with the characters at all. I found I was having to check if the section was from Ellen or Louisa's perspective because they did not have distinct personalities.
I honestly don't think I would have made it so far through if it hadn't been for jane. She is a fabulous character!!
Thank you to Bloomsbury UK and NetGalley for providing me with an EARC copy of this novel!
I read Code Name Verity a few years ago and absolutely adored it, but for whatever reason I didn’t actually realise that there were any other books connected to it. In reality there is a sequel, and this book is a prequel to the action that occurs in Code Name Verity. Knowing that this book was going to feature some of the characters that I got to know and love in that previous novel made me very excited to pick it up!
Wein has a wonderful emotive way of writing, as soon as I began reading this book I was sucked in, I was in love with all the characters, and fully invested in the story.
The book is narrated by a number of characters, and I love each and every one of them! Louisa is a bold and brave 15 year old who moves to Scotland for a job, and refuses to let anyone stop her just because of the colour of her skin. Ellen, is a RAF driver, who is proud to serve her country, while hiding her Traveller heritage. Jamie, the same Jamie from Code Name Verity, is a flight lieutenant who would do anything for his squadron.
I sometimes find that multi-POV books can fall flat, with too many voices and not enough time spent on anyone, but this was definitely not the case here. I loved every single character in the novel, and I eagerly awaited every character’s POV.
While we’re discussing character, a special shout-out must go to Jane, an old woman that Louisa is hired to look after. She is fiery and wild and I adored her! She was so stubborn and refused to live her life on anyone’s terms but her own.
In addition to a wonderful cast of characters, the book is also filled to the brim with action. Spies, bombs, air-raids and aerial battles, this novel has it all. But the novel is also filled with love and joy, and it is an incredible read.
I also want to give a special mention to the geographical setting of the novel. All the action takes place around Aberdeen, and the surrounding areas. As someone who currently lives in Aberdeenshire, I particularly appreciated the local dialect that the author used, it was pretty accurate, with a nice and accurate use of Doric, and descriptions of Aberdeen that were particular to the time. I was very impressed by this!
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, it was a wonderful YA historical read, and I would highly recommend it, and Code Name Verity to all!
I read Code Name Verity a few years ago and absolutely adored it, but for whatever reason I didn’t actually realise that there were any other books connected to it. In reality there is a sequel, and this book is a prequel to the action that occurs in Code Name Verity. Knowing that this book was going to feature some of the characters that I got to know and love in that previous novel made me very excited to pick it up!
Wein has a wonderful emotive way of writing, as soon as I began reading this book I was sucked in, I was in love with all the characters, and fully invested in the story.
The book is narrated by a number of characters, and I love each and every one of them! Louisa is a bold and brave 15 year old who moves to Scotland for a job, and refuses to let anyone stop her just because of the colour of her skin. Ellen, is a RAF driver, who is proud to serve her country, while hiding her Traveller heritage. Jamie, the same Jamie from Code Name Verity, is a flight lieutenant who would do anything for his squadron.
I sometimes find that multi-POV books can fall flat, with too many voices and not enough time spent on anyone, but this was definitely not the case here. I loved every single character in the novel, and I eagerly awaited every character’s POV.
While we’re discussing character, a special shout-out must go to Jane, an old woman that Louisa is hired to look after. She is fiery and wild and I adored her! She was so stubborn and refused to live her life on anyone’s terms but her own.
In addition to a wonderful cast of characters, the book is also filled to the brim with action. Spies, bombs, air-raids and aerial battles, this novel has it all. But the novel is also filled with love and joy, and it is an incredible read.
I also want to give a special mention to the geographical setting of the novel. All the action takes place around Aberdeen, and the surrounding areas. As someone who currently lives in Aberdeenshire, I particularly appreciated the local dialect that the author used, it was pretty accurate, with a nice and accurate use of Doric, and descriptions of Aberdeen that were particular to the time. I was very impressed by this!
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, it was a wonderful YA historical read, and I would highly recommend it, and Code Name Verity to all!
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another fabulous read by Elizabeth Wein. I enjoyed this much more than The Pearl Thief but nowhere near as much as Rose Under Fire. I attempted to read Code Name Verity years ago and couldn't get into it. In my opinion, Wein spent too much time talking about planes instead of telling a story, and for someone who doesn't care about planes I was merely bored and passed on the book. I understood that the details of planes were used by the character to prolong her time alive, but I still could not make myself finish it.
The Enigma Game thankfully didn't spent ample time discussing planes. There was a story (and backstory) with the three characters Jamie, Louisa, and Ellen. Jamie and Ellen are returning characters from previous novels, though I didn't remember Jamie and barely remembered Ellen from reading The Pearl Thief two and a half years ago. I liked all characters since they each possessed a passion to contribute to the war in their own way. I initially thought I wouldn't like Jamie's narrative because of all the plane details, but I relaxed when I realized it wasn't overboard.
Jane was a tough but sweet character that I adored. Her bond with Louisa was unbreakable and I loved watching their interactions. Jane took Louisa under her wing right away and stood up for her when someone questioned her background. Felix was enjoyable too and I hope to see more of him and Louisa in future novels.
I somewhat knew where the ending would go, but it still came as a shock. I had to reread passages just to make sure I understood what happened because my mind didn't want to believe it.
Thanks NetGalley for an ARC.
The Enigma Game thankfully didn't spent ample time discussing planes. There was a story (and backstory) with the three characters Jamie, Louisa, and Ellen. Jamie and Ellen are returning characters from previous novels, though I didn't remember Jamie and barely remembered Ellen from reading The Pearl Thief two and a half years ago. I liked all characters since they each possessed a passion to contribute to the war in their own way. I initially thought I wouldn't like Jamie's narrative because of all the plane details, but I relaxed when I realized it wasn't overboard.
Jane was a tough but sweet character that I adored. Her bond with Louisa was unbreakable and I loved watching their interactions. Jane took Louisa under her wing right away and stood up for her when someone questioned her background. Felix was enjoyable too and I hope to see more of him and Louisa in future novels.
I somewhat knew where the ending would go, but it still came as a shock. I had to reread passages just to make sure I understood what happened because my mind didn't want to believe it.
Thanks NetGalley for an ARC.
The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein is another World War II YA thriller, following some of the same (fictional) characters as Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire, and the pre-war prequel, The Pearl Thief. I enjoyed and reviewed all of the previous books, as well as the companion Black Dove, White Raven, which followed unrelated characters in Ethiopia. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is my favourite non-SF series of all time.
The Enigma Game is not set at Bletchley Park, which I thought it might be when I first saw the title. It is set near the start of the war, 1940-41, and mostly in the vicinity of an airbase in Scotland. Our in to the story is Louisa, a half-English, half-Jamaican girl, that takes a job looking after an elderly lady near the airbase after both her parents are killed. There she meets female enlistees and the squadron and accidentally gets caught up in wartime secrets concerning an Enigma machine.
My favourite thing about this book was the way in which it addressed identity and perception. Three of the characters do not fit in because of their backgrounds, but only Louisa, the half-Jamaican, is unable to hide it, thanks to her skin colour. The other two — Ellen the Scottish Traveller and Jane the elderly German woman — can pass as British without having to try too hard. And yet, they are both constantly terrified that others will find out their secret (they're not spies, so it's not secret to everyone) and ostracise them for it. Meanwhile, the only reason Louisa got her job near the start of the book was because she was hired over the telephone and her new employer couldn't tell the colour of her skin from her posh English accent. And even better than just having these characters with similar problems in the book is that they all recognised the similarities in each other, which I really appreciated.
The point of view in The Enigma Game is split fairly evenly between Louisa, Ellen and Jamie, the pilot/flight lieutenant. Jamie was a minor character in Code Name Verity and appeared in The Pearl Thief, and Ellen was a minor character in the latter. But all the books stand alone and you don't have to have read any of the others to enjoy The Enigma Game. In fact, since The Enigma Game is set before Code Name Verity, most of the time I was reading, I was dreading/anticipating a crucial event that's mentioned in passing in Code Name Verity. But unlike some prequels which lose tension through predictability, Wein maintained a tense atmosphere throughout basically all the flights we saw the squadron undertake. Especially the climactic part near the end. One bit was so ridiculously tragic that I just knew it had to be based on something that really happened (and the afterword confirmed that it was). A lot of the book is upbeat and there are even some funny bits, but Wein sure knows how to punch a reader in the feels.
I highly recommend The Enigma Game if you enjoyed any of Wein's other WWII books. If you haven't read them but the description and premise sound appealing, then you can absolutely jump right in with this one. And if you do and enjoy it, there are several more books waiting for you! Sucker for punishment that I am, I hope we get more books set in this "world".
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
The Enigma Game is not set at Bletchley Park, which I thought it might be when I first saw the title. It is set near the start of the war, 1940-41, and mostly in the vicinity of an airbase in Scotland. Our in to the story is Louisa, a half-English, half-Jamaican girl, that takes a job looking after an elderly lady near the airbase after both her parents are killed. There she meets female enlistees and the squadron and accidentally gets caught up in wartime secrets concerning an Enigma machine.
My favourite thing about this book was the way in which it addressed identity and perception. Three of the characters do not fit in because of their backgrounds, but only Louisa, the half-Jamaican, is unable to hide it, thanks to her skin colour. The other two — Ellen the Scottish Traveller and Jane the elderly German woman — can pass as British without having to try too hard. And yet, they are both constantly terrified that others will find out their secret (they're not spies, so it's not secret to everyone) and ostracise them for it. Meanwhile, the only reason Louisa got her job near the start of the book was because she was hired over the telephone and her new employer couldn't tell the colour of her skin from her posh English accent. And even better than just having these characters with similar problems in the book is that they all recognised the similarities in each other, which I really appreciated.
The point of view in The Enigma Game is split fairly evenly between Louisa, Ellen and Jamie, the pilot/flight lieutenant. Jamie was a minor character in Code Name Verity and appeared in The Pearl Thief, and Ellen was a minor character in the latter. But all the books stand alone and you don't have to have read any of the others to enjoy The Enigma Game. In fact, since The Enigma Game is set before Code Name Verity, most of the time I was reading, I was dreading/anticipating a crucial event that's mentioned in passing in Code Name Verity. But unlike some prequels which lose tension through predictability, Wein maintained a tense atmosphere throughout basically all the flights we saw the squadron undertake. Especially the climactic part near the end. One bit was so ridiculously tragic that I just knew it had to be based on something that really happened (and the afterword confirmed that it was). A lot of the book is upbeat and there are even some funny bits, but Wein sure knows how to punch a reader in the feels.
I highly recommend The Enigma Game if you enjoyed any of Wein's other WWII books. If you haven't read them but the description and premise sound appealing, then you can absolutely jump right in with this one. And if you do and enjoy it, there are several more books waiting for you! Sucker for punishment that I am, I hope we get more books set in this "world".
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
disclaimer: I received this free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
rep: biracial m/c (white, jamaican), sapphic romani m/c, bi side character
content warnings: war, death, racism, homophobia
The Enigma Game follows three different people in a small village of Windyedge, Scotland. Jamie, a RAF pilot who flies a Bristol Blenheim bomber, Ellen a volunteer driver with the RAF, and Louisa, a teenager who wants to make a difference who ends up caring for an elderly German woman. When Louisa finds an Enigma machine that was smuggled in by an enemy pilot, Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen all come together to unravel a mystery that may turn the tide of war.
“Careless talk costs lives.”
Rating five stars purely for my love for the Beaufort-Stuart siblings. JOKING. Sort of. In all seriousness, The Enigma Game was a captivating read with enticing characters, a fast-paced plot with high stakes, and some brilliant friendships – which Elizabeth Wein never fails to achieve. The Enigma Game is a companion novel that takes place before Code Name Verity, but after The Pearl Thief. Both Jamie and Ellen were present in The Pearl Thief, but Louisa is a brand new character, and a lovely addition at that.
Jamie is a RAF pilot that is stationed at Windyedge. He is a flight leader for the 648 Squadron, tired of continuously losing his men on flight missions. I liked his character since he showed up in Code Name Verity, so it was nice to get a novel from his POV, and it made me love him even more. He is kind, protective, and brave. When he learns of the Engima machine, he wants to keep it a secret to use to his advantage, to protect his men, knowing that if his superiors found out about it, it would be taken away.
Ellen, our other main character is a Scottish traveller who has volunteered to drive for the RAF. She was actually Julie’s love interest in The Pearl Thief and I absolutely adore her. She’s bold and brash! But, what an absolute travesty that Ellen & Julie’s previous relationship was not even mentioned. Even when Julie made a surprise appearance!! As I stated in the rep: section above, this does feature a sapphic character which is Ellen BUT this is established in the previous novel, and has no mention of it in this one.
Louisa was the brand new character and I absolutely adored her, and I especially loved her relationship with Jane, the elderly german-born woman that she is caring for. I loved Louisa’s drive, her passion, her bravery and courage, and her overwhelming need to do something.
I absolutely adored the piloting aspect in Code Name Verity, and loved it just as much in The Enigma Game.
Overall, The Enigma Game is a brilliant historical fiction novel which I would highly recommend to people who enjoy WWII fiction, and also for fans of Code Name Verity.
rep: biracial m/c (white, jamaican), sapphic romani m/c, bi side character
content warnings: war, death, racism, homophobia
The Enigma Game follows three different people in a small village of Windyedge, Scotland. Jamie, a RAF pilot who flies a Bristol Blenheim bomber, Ellen a volunteer driver with the RAF, and Louisa, a teenager who wants to make a difference who ends up caring for an elderly German woman. When Louisa finds an Enigma machine that was smuggled in by an enemy pilot, Louisa, Jamie, and Ellen all come together to unravel a mystery that may turn the tide of war.
“Careless talk costs lives.”
Rating five stars purely for my love for the Beaufort-Stuart siblings. JOKING. Sort of. In all seriousness, The Enigma Game was a captivating read with enticing characters, a fast-paced plot with high stakes, and some brilliant friendships – which Elizabeth Wein never fails to achieve. The Enigma Game is a companion novel that takes place before Code Name Verity, but after The Pearl Thief. Both Jamie and Ellen were present in The Pearl Thief, but Louisa is a brand new character, and a lovely addition at that.
Jamie is a RAF pilot that is stationed at Windyedge. He is a flight leader for the 648 Squadron, tired of continuously losing his men on flight missions. I liked his character since he showed up in Code Name Verity, so it was nice to get a novel from his POV, and it made me love him even more. He is kind, protective, and brave. When he learns of the Engima machine, he wants to keep it a secret to use to his advantage, to protect his men, knowing that if his superiors found out about it, it would be taken away.
Ellen, our other main character is a Scottish traveller who has volunteered to drive for the RAF. She was actually Julie’s love interest in The Pearl Thief and I absolutely adore her. She’s bold and brash! But, what an absolute travesty that Ellen & Julie’s previous relationship was not even mentioned. Even when Julie made a surprise appearance!! As I stated in the rep: section above, this does feature a sapphic character which is Ellen BUT this is established in the previous novel, and has no mention of it in this one.
Louisa was the brand new character and I absolutely adored her, and I especially loved her relationship with Jane, the elderly german-born woman that she is caring for. I loved Louisa’s drive, her passion, her bravery and courage, and her overwhelming need to do something.
I absolutely adored the piloting aspect in Code Name Verity, and loved it just as much in The Enigma Game.
Overall, The Enigma Game is a brilliant historical fiction novel which I would highly recommend to people who enjoy WWII fiction, and also for fans of Code Name Verity.
A review copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://phanniethegingerbookworm.wordpress.com
During the whole book we follow our three main characters, Ellen, Louisa and Jamie. It was so interesting to read the journey through their eyes. Especially how they saw each other.
While The Enigma Game didn’t emotionally touch me as the authors’ previous works did it was still incredible to read how such young people tried to figure out the Enigma Machine. (if they were successful or not is your job to figure out )
The Enigma Game tells us the story of three “outsiders” that quickly become friends and who try their best to fit in a society that doesn’t want them. I loved the writing, it was beautifully written and showed the important role the main characters played during WWII.
The story was very gripping. The only thing I didn’t like as much was the fact that the pace was very slow. Especially the beginning. I found it very hard to get into but I’m glad that I kept reading because this book is worth your time!
If you like to read historical fiction books about World War II, then you might want to give The Enigma Game a try.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://phanniethegingerbookworm.wordpress.com
During the whole book we follow our three main characters, Ellen, Louisa and Jamie. It was so interesting to read the journey through their eyes. Especially how they saw each other.
While The Enigma Game didn’t emotionally touch me as the authors’ previous works did it was still incredible to read how such young people tried to figure out the Enigma Machine. (if they were successful or not is your job to figure out )
The Enigma Game tells us the story of three “outsiders” that quickly become friends and who try their best to fit in a society that doesn’t want them. I loved the writing, it was beautifully written and showed the important role the main characters played during WWII.
The story was very gripping. The only thing I didn’t like as much was the fact that the pace was very slow. Especially the beginning. I found it very hard to get into but I’m glad that I kept reading because this book is worth your time!
If you like to read historical fiction books about World War II, then you might want to give The Enigma Game a try.