This was not what I expected based off my previous Wein experiences, but I loved it all the same. While Code Name Verity is a nonstop thriller that gives you a million little heart attacks, this prequel is more of an intriguing, slow-burn of a mystery chock full of awesome characters and an amazingly developed setting of Scotland. We meet Julie before she was a kickass WWII spy, and I loved her just as much as a somewhat naive but still totally kickass 16-year-old. When the origins of "Queenie" were revealed, I may have audibly sighed, teared up, and thought to myself "well now I have to go read Code Name Verity again." 
 Elizabeth Wein is just wonderful. She knows how to do historical fiction right. It takes a special author to write author's notes that are just as intriguing as her novels!