This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Narrated By: Sasha Pick
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Running Time: Unabridged | 11 hrs and 40 mins
Source: Free via Summer 2015 Sync Program
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Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women’s concentration camp. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women, including a once glamorous and celebrated French detective novelist whose Jewish husband and three young sons have been killed; a resilient young girl who was a human guinea pig for Nazi doctors trying to learn how to treat German war wounds; and a Nachthexen, or Night Witch, a female fighter pilot and military ace for the Soviet air force. These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive.

In this companion volume to the critically acclaimed novel Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein continues to explore themes of friendship and loyalty, right and wrong, and unwavering bravery in the face of indescribable evil.

You may remember how much I loved Code Name Verity so I was more than excited to pick up the companion title, Rose Under Fire which follows a young female American pilot who finds herself in a Nazi women’s concentration camp after being captured by the Germans. Oh man. There is so much heartache in this. So much fight for survival. So much tug of war with the will to do what is necessary to survive. I love, love, love that this story takes place before, during, and after Rose’s time in the camp. We get to see it all. The before. How camp takes Rose’s rose colored glasses off. And the aftermath, both immediate and a year after. Rose’s transformation due to her terrifying experience is really something else. There’s so much to say but I’m left speechless because I’m just in complete awe of Wein’s writing and this story inspired by these true and horrifying events.

What I can touch on though (having just finished the book and my mind is racing)…the bonds Rose forms with the women at the camp, these women who have been experimented on and have not just scars but deformities and disabilities now because of the “medical experiments” aka torture is something to behold, the relationship dynamics both inside of the camp and outside, after the war is over and the trials begin. This isn’t really a spoiler as early on in the book, it’s clear Rose is writing down her experience in the camp after having survived it. What I loved so much about this book was how it told such a singular story, such a different experience inside of a concentration camp that I hadn’t read about before. Everyone has their own story though the stories that I’ve read before this were quite similar in many aspects. So to follow this American woman who is also a prisoner in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women’s concentration camp… wow.

In regards to looking at Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire together… I connected with Rose Under Fire right away and was much more emotionally invested from the get go. Whereas, I found Code Name Verity intriguing but I wasn’t nearly as captivated until I got knee deep into the story and the friendship really began to weigh on me. There were twists and turns and it was fun and thrilling and heartbreaking reading Code Name Verity. Simply put, Rose Under Fire is grim. So there’s really no comparing the two because they both have such specific stories to tell and are both so close to my heart because those stories were told exactly as they needed to be told.

So if you’re not sure which to pick up first, it doesn’t matter. Just pick one of them up (preferably both though). I can tell you that after reading this, you will be inspired by Rose’s story to learn (more) about the real life women she represents, those that did and didn’t survive the many camps. You will be inspired to check in on your (former) high school and see if this has been incorporated in any English curriculums. You will be driven to learn more about the atrocities of the past (and present) and speak out more about all of the above. About the whole story. Not just the stories we always hear about. Because there are so many more. This novel will move you to fight hard. And we need to fight. So let’s fight.

I listened to the audiobook and was so engrossed, nothing else mattered during the weekend that I decided to start this. What a fantastic narrator! She really brought this story to life and took my breath away at many moments. I loved the rhythm of Rose’s poetry when her poems were shared and the narrator singing the songs Rose sang and the many different accents the narrator held to accurately portray the people in Rose’s life. There was only one character’s voice that irritated me but everything else was wonderful. This was easily one of the most arresting narrations ever. Bravo! I can’t wait to read more from Elizabeth Wein and hear her stories come to life in audiobook format. What an experience. I’ve said all of this and I don’t feel like I’ve said much of anything as I’m truly just so speechless. Absolutely remarkable.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein is available today.