A review by megsbookishtwins
The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein

5.0

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.