Elizabeth Wein: The Pearl Thief - Code Name Verity Book 3

I've read both of the other books in this series and loved both of them. I was excited to get a story that was completely about Julie.

The Pearl Thief takes place about five or six years before the start of Code Name Verity when Julie is just a teenager. The book starts with her arriving at her grandparent's Scottish castle for holiday sooner than anticipated. After visiting an old friend in the village near the estate, Julie is knocked unconscious by the river that runs on the estate, a river famous for its pearls. After she is discovered and taken to the hospital, Julie is determined to find out who hit her and solve the mystery of the missing pearls from the estate.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I love Julie and her character. I loved her in Code Name Verity, and her voice is sarcastic, witty, and intelligent. All of that carries into The Pearl Thief as well, with an added sense of aristocracy that the younger Julie obviously harbored.

The plot was good; it was a fun mystery to try and figure out who had knocked out Julie, and what had happened to the archaeologist in charge of documenting the estate. The story was a bit slow at times, but overall, a fun story about Julie. I liked some of the insights into her character and persona that do carry over into the first part of Code Name Verity, and seeing her in a place where she was happy and free was a tribute to her character that I think she deserved.

I wished it had tied in more with Code Name Verity. I guess I didn't really see the point of this story, and why it's included in the series, especially as book 3. It's more of a prequel than a book 3 since the events in the book take place before both Verity and Rose Under Fire.

I would like a follow up story about Maddie and Jamie, but that's just me.

Overall, I rated this book PG - there's no sexual content and hardly any swearing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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