It seems odd that I would rate this book lower than I rated Code Name Verity, when in all actuality I thought this book was much more successful than its predecessor. It seems like Wein really figured out her style in this one; the transitions and organization of the entries were not jarring or clunky at all. Rose was a compelling narrator, and all of the side characters, this time--Roza, Karolina, Irena, Elodie, all of her companions at Ravensbruck--really shone with life and development. I appreciated that this time, I didn't come away feeling as though Wein had pulled the wool over my eyes with an unreliable narrator just for the sake of it. This novel had a purpose and a definite tone, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I suppose my 4-star rating really reflects the practicality of the novel and of my reading. It was a good book. Not great, but good, and certainly better than Verity. When I rated Verity, I was overcome with emotion because of the twists, and I think it really deserved 3 stars rather than 5, but I rarely go back and second-guess my rating, because I figure that I had a reason at the time. Who am I to discount my own feelings?