Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Released: 7th March 2013 (UK)
Publisher: Puffin (UK)
Source: Bought
Reason for reading: I like New Orleans (and I needed a book for the BOGOHP offer in Waterstones....)
Rating: 5/5 

Goodreads description:

Out of the Easy is set against the vivid backdrop of 1950s New Orleans. Written by New York Times bestselling author Ruth Sepetys, this novel has something for everyone: love, mystery, murder, blackmail and warmth.

Josie Moraine wants out of The Big Easy - she needs more than New Orleans can offer. Known locally as a brothel prostitute's daughter, she dreams of life at an elite college, far away from here.

But then a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie caught between her ambition and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans is luring Josie deeper in as she searches for the truth, and temptation beckons at every turn.

My thoughts:

Out of the Easy was one of those books I heard about, thought looked interesting and promptly dismissed. Because it wasn’t quite interesting enough, because I had too much to read, because of all those other reasons I dismiss books in a split second. But my brain kept coming back and lingering over this one and then when I was looking for a second book for the Buy One Get One Half Price offer in Waterstones I thought “what the heck, I’ll get it” and let me tell you, I am so glad I did.

Josie was such a wonderful character, I loved that we saw her at such a young age because it really lent to her character as an older girl. To see what she lived through and was like when she was practically a baby was really sad, but seeing what she grew into was so inspiring. She could have easily gone the same way as her mother and the women she spent time with but she didn't. She was so determined to get out of New Orleans and make something of herself and live the life that she wanted to lead rather than the one she felt pressing on her from all angles.

I think Willy was my second favourite character. It was clear she really cared for Josie, even if she didn't always say it directly. I loved her disdain for Josie's mother and that it was clear that Josie was her first priority. In fact, I loved the support system Josie had around her. Despite her unconventional upbringing and lifestyle, she was surrounded by people that only wanted the best for her, and unfortunately, the one person who didn't care about her, who didn't want what's best for Josie, her mother, the one person who SHOULD have cared, was the one who managed to screw everything up.

The New Orleans setting really lent itself to the story; not only was it very atmospheric but you had the difference between the urine-soaked and bottle-strewn streets of the French Quarter and the opulent neighbourhoods lived in by the rich residents. It was a juxtaposition between where Josie was and where she wanted to be. The rich/poor divide was so clear and so disheartening but Josie never gave up, even when she knew her shoes were scuffed and her blouse was faded and her skirt wasn't the latest fashion. What I also loved about Josie was that she never forsook her principles; she never went back on what she believed in to get where she wanted, even when it seemed like she was heading down that slippery slope. 

At one point I felt like it was just not going to get any better. The story was getting worse and worse and it looked as though Josie was going to be stuck in New Orleans, the daughter of a whore, forever. It sounds weird to say this but I liked how it was such a tragedy that led to her second chance. It was such a bittersweet outcome to the story. 

TL;DR: Out of the Easy was a heartbreaking yet inspiring read. It's the story of a girl overcoming almost insurmountable odds to get the life she dreams of having. Beautifully written and set against the backdrop of evocative New Orleans this is a story that will stay with you for a long time after you finish. 

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Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Released: 6 Febraruy 2012 (UK)
Publisher: Egmonst (UK)
Source: Bought
Reason for reading: Recommended by every author I adore
Rating: 5/5

Goodreads description:

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

My thoughts:

When all your favourite authors recommend a book, you read it. Even if you’re not sure it’s your thing. Even if you lent it to your mum and she couldn’t get passed the first chapter. Even if you’ve forgotten how much you actually love books set during WWII.

Code Name Verity was one of those books where, having read the first few pages, I could tell it was something special. It grabbed my attention easily and I felt like it was one of those books I was going to have a strong reaction to. I loved the way the story evolved; it starts off at what you think must be the end because where can you go from there? But the plot developed and changed and became so much more, which is amazing when it was so much to begin with.

The narration was so rich, considering it was a retelling of a sequence of events for the most part it was so rich in detail and so enjoyable which was mildly unnerving when you remember the situation. I loved how it was ever so slightly meta; how Queenie comments about the story she’s telling and comments about the story during the story and manipulates the events because she can’t remember them or because they work better this other way.

It was the shift that got me because, until then, I thought I knew how it was going to play out and then, suddenly, it was so different and unpredictable and everything made more sense which was amazing because it made sense anyway, but now it made MORE sense and everything suddenly had more meaning. This book has one of the most intricate plots ever and it was so brazen. It totally mirrors the attitude of one of the MC’s; so obvious that you miss what was there and what was going on.

There was this one moment that just hit me so hard and I just had to put the book down for a moment and just absorb what had happened because it was so impactful. That basically never happens to me and I just really desperately wanted it to have not happened and yet so amazed that it had happened.

I love how the story was mostly about friendship and overcoming adversity and while there was *some* romance (I think there’s debate over how much) it by no means drove or watered down the story.

TL;DR: Code Name Verity is one of the most masterful, absorbing and emotional books I have ever read. Set against the backdrop of a time of upheaval and horror, the WWII setting really adds to the ambiance of the story and develops the already admirable and lovable characters in ways that make you root for them even more. It's safe to say this Allied Invasion of Two will be in my head and my heart for a long time. 

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