Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein February 21, 2013

“I AM A COWARD.” It is the height of World War II when “Verity” is captured by the Gestapo. Her task is to confess her mission in writing or be brutally executed.  She wants to get everything down before her inevitable death. She is given two weeks. On a variety of paper (blank recipe cards, sheet music, etc.), Verity writes the story of how she met pilot Maddie and how she arrived in France. This was a thought-provoking story of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Code Name Verity was an excellent book but a hard one to read. I can’t even imagine doing some of the things these young women had to do during wartime.  This is an interesting historical fiction I would recommend to older teens and adults.

4 out of 5 stars

Reached by Ally Condie

The wait is over. The perfect Society, which brought Cassia, Ky, and Xander together then tore them apart, is falling and they are all a part of the rebellion in one way or another. Sickness, betrayal, misplaced trust, and desperation will test them in ways they never imagined. Will love be enough?

I enjoyed the final book in the Matched trilogy. The series wasn’t violent like the Hunger Games and doesn’t have the raw emotion of Divergent. It is more introspective and a little slower paced. I definitely liked the first book the best but am glad I finished the series.

4 out of 5 stars