I went into this book with very different expectations for what I was about to experience. I thought I’d dive into the bitter world of an heiress who was jilted by World War II and was forced into ciphering codes to survive.

I honestly couldn’t have been more wrong about my assumption.

Osla, the daring and fabulous socialite [I believe most everyone would expect to be the MAIN character] ends up being this incredibly personable and loving woman that I believe we all can relate to. We’ve all, at one point or another, been Osla. We’ve all been in relationships with someone whom we LOVE, but who we must protect, so we dive into work or other actives to distance ourselves from them. Not only does this leave us on our head, but also deep feelings of loneliness. We’ve also desperately tried to put ourselves out there so people love us, like us, or to some extent tolerate our wild chatter and over expressive retellings.

Mab, for the majority of the story, is who we all wish we were. She is stylish, has a killer sense of self, but also is willing to fall into love. I felt real, true loss toward the end and, through Quinn’s writing, could feel myself slipping into the sorrow Mab felt and the distrust she had toward Osla and Beth.

And Beth. The awkward, once self-deprecating young woman, who is the code cracking whiz. I don’t know if I’m alone, but I felt the pains of being expected to live one way, but wanting to fly free of the nest while chained to my bed. She was loved, I truly felt her Mother loved her, but she had been held under thumb her entire life and once she was out, she practically threw herself into the world that her family would NEVER approve of.

The Traitor… we know from the very beginning that Beth was betrayed and has been living in an insane asylum for YEARS. We also know she’s not the one that had been sharing secrets across enemy lines. However, as we back track through those war torn years, we still struggle to see who was the one who could have put Beth behind proverbial bars.

All in all, this was one of the most entertaining historical fiction reads I’ve ever read and had me hanging onto the edge of my seat toward the end. I agree with many reviewers who suggest this story could have been at minimum 100 pages shorter, but I didn’t mind all of the details and the depths Quinn took us into the story.

I give this story a 4.5/5 stars and suggest anyone who has an interest in World War II retellings to pick this one up.