Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein: Book Review

Title: Rose Under Fire
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Series: Code Name Verity #2
Publication details: June 3rd 2013 by Electric Monkey (first published June 1st 2013)
Genre: Historical fiction, war


Rose Justice is a young American ATA pilot, delivering planes and taxiing pilots for the RAF in the UK during the summer of 1944. A budding poet who feels most alive while flying, she discovers that not all battles are fought in the air.

An unforgettable journey from innocence to experience from the author of the best-selling, multi-award-nominated Code Name Verity. From the exhilaration of being the youngest pilot in the British air transport auxiliary, to the aftermath of surviving the notorious Ravensbruck women's concentration camp, Rose's story is one of courage in the face of adversity.

Code Name Verity is shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.


A beautiful, poignant companion novel to Code Name Verity.

Plot
The war continues, and so is the story of hope and survival. Rose Under Fire follows Rose Justice, as she fulfills her duty not only as an ATA pilot, but also as a friend and as a family especially during the difficult times of war.

I always love reading war historical fiction, and this book is no exception. While there are tons of fiction about World War II, I loved how Rose Under Fire brings a refreshing perspective to the genre. I loved how it tells the story from another point of view- adding another side to the World War II stories.

In the beginning, there's the usual introduction of characters and the setting. I read the book without knowing what it's about so I was intrigued how the events will be connected to the succeeding events, and how they will play out together.

While Rose's view is limited to her experience, I felt like it still gave me quite a variety of "faces" to the war. I liked that the book, like Code Name Verity, is female-centered. It tells us of the roles, triumphs and hardships of women during the World War II, which for me are remarkable and inspiring.

The ending is a bittersweet one. I liked that we get resolution for the characters. The ending is beautifully tied with a promise of hope and new beginnings for our characters.

Overall, I loved Rose Under Fire as much as I loved Code Name Verity. I liked how the different plot elements are weaved together to create a moving story. It's a very smooth reading experience.

Characters
I don't think there's one particular character who really stood out since I enjoyed reading all of them. I liked how three-dimensional the characters are. We see different choices and reactions from the characters- the good and the bad. And I liked how despite the atrocities of war, there's resilience, bravery and camaraderie between strangers-turned-family.

The dynamics of their relationships is just fascinating, beautiful and heart-warming. It made me want to research about the real people behind those characters.

Writing
I liked the style of writing- a story within a story approach, same as Code Name Verity.

I also liked that the book is well-researched which gave me glimpses of history and memories. And there is realism in how the author portrays the characters- not only the main, but also and especially, the secondary characters, as they are based from the memories of real people.

There were technical terms used I was too lazy to research about, but I didn't think it hindered me from having a good reading experience. The flow between the scenes is smooth, and easy to follow.

The scenes are all interesting and not dragging. I also liked that they're all relevant to each other, and to the main character's development.

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As mentioned, I loved Rose Under Fire. If you're up for a war historical fiction with three-dimensional character and refreshing point of view, I definitely recommend the duology- Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire.

Oh, and yes, I would definitely read the other works of the author!




To know more about the author and her other works, visit her website at: http://www.elizabethwein.com/.