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bluejaybooks's review
4.0
I went into this book not expecting to like it much, but was pleasantly surprised. Historical fiction isn’t my genre of choice, but I think the speculative aspects of this book are what made it appeal to me much more than most historical fiction.
The book focuses on the race itself as opposed to the historical aspects of a world where the Axis powers won World War II, though we do get to see a fair amount of the world considering the immense amount of distance traveled by the racers.
The world-building towards the beginning of the novel felt a little like info-dumping in the way it was introduced and almost made me stop reading, but the book soon picks up the pace and becomes less info-dump heavy as soon as the race starts. This is due in a large part to the fact that the focus isn’t on the world either, but on the interactions between the characters.
Yael, the main character, is a very dedicated, driven character, and all the flashbacks to her horrible past make her easy to see where that drive comes from. That said, she could feel a little too good at everything at times. Yes, Yael spent a lot of time training and being educated, but she hadn’t been riding a motorcycle nearly as long as her competitors, who were supposed to be some of the best in their respective countries. Yet, somehow she manages to be better at riding a motorcycle than most of her competitors who are undeniably also very driven, though for entirely different reasons than Yael.
Adele, the character Yael spends most of the novel impersonating, proves far more interesting than I anticipated despite the true Adele’s brief appearance in the novel. I feel like it would have been easy for Graudin to brush over Adele’s character and past since she wasn’t featured much, but the way we learn about her though the characters who have interacted with Adele before Yael began impersonating her made her seem just about as fleshed out as other major characters’ in the novel.
Felix, Adele’s twin brother, is yet another character it might have been easy for the author to make one dimensional or demonize, but the devotion he showed to his sister, or the girl he thought was his sister, made him a lovable character even as you know he’d likely turn on the protagonist the instant he realized her true identity.
Luka was an interesting character. The author made it so the reader never knew what to expect from him. He has a history with Adele and throughout the novel Yael and the reader are left guessing what their relationship in the previous race was that left Felix wanting to attack Luka anytime he gets near the girl they believe is Adele. Their relationship is hinted to have been romantic in nature. This made for a crisis of trust not typically seen in most other books because most characters are well versed in details of their personal romantic history.
I got a little distracted at times trying to figure out where my ancestors would have been at the times it was taking place and how the changes would have affected them. I have come to the conclusion that my birth would be next to impossible in this alternate timeline, which was, of course, my least favorite part of this book, but I can hardly blame the author for that. :)
On a more serious note, I can’t say I would have wanted to be born in this novel’s reality. It’s that bad.
The book focuses on the race itself as opposed to the historical aspects of a world where the Axis powers won World War II, though we do get to see a fair amount of the world considering the immense amount of distance traveled by the racers.
The world-building towards the beginning of the novel felt a little like info-dumping in the way it was introduced and almost made me stop reading, but the book soon picks up the pace and becomes less info-dump heavy as soon as the race starts. This is due in a large part to the fact that the focus isn’t on the world either, but on the interactions between the characters.
Yael, the main character, is a very dedicated, driven character, and all the flashbacks to her horrible past make her easy to see where that drive comes from. That said, she could feel a little too good at everything at times. Yes, Yael spent a lot of time training and being educated, but she hadn’t been riding a motorcycle nearly as long as her competitors, who were supposed to be some of the best in their respective countries. Yet, somehow she manages to be better at riding a motorcycle than most of her competitors who are undeniably also very driven, though for entirely different reasons than Yael.
Adele, the character Yael spends most of the novel impersonating, proves far more interesting than I anticipated despite the true Adele’s brief appearance in the novel. I feel like it would have been easy for Graudin to brush over Adele’s character and past since she wasn’t featured much, but the way we learn about her though the characters who have interacted with Adele before Yael began impersonating her made her seem just about as fleshed out as other major characters’ in the novel.
Felix, Adele’s twin brother, is yet another character it might have been easy for the author to make one dimensional or demonize, but the devotion he showed to his sister, or the girl he thought was his sister, made him a lovable character even as you know he’d likely turn on the protagonist the instant he realized her true identity.
Luka was an interesting character. The author made it so the reader never knew what to expect from him. He has a history with Adele and throughout the novel Yael and the reader are left guessing what their relationship in the previous race was that left Felix wanting to attack Luka anytime he gets near the girl they believe is Adele. Their relationship is hinted to have been romantic in nature. This made for a crisis of trust not typically seen in most other books because most characters are well versed in details of their personal romantic history.
I got a little distracted at times trying to figure out where my ancestors would have been at the times it was taking place and how the changes would have affected them. I have come to the conclusion that my birth would be next to impossible in this alternate timeline, which was, of course, my least favorite part of this book, but I can hardly blame the author for that. :)
On a more serious note, I can’t say I would have wanted to be born in this novel’s reality. It’s that bad.
katykelly's review
4.0
This has all the makings of a very popular teenage read (and it’s just as good for adults too). A decade after the end of World War Two, a war which the Allies lost, Germany and Japan are the ruling powers, with Hitler still reigning over his new world. Each year, a commemorative race celebrating their great victory is held, a motorcycle race between the best of the youth of the two ruling countries.
Open only to young men, last year a teenage girl won the race disguised as her brother. She was granted access to the reclusive Fuhrer after her victory. In this year’s race, Adele Wolf will be racing again. Or appearing to…
The Resistance has plans to kidnap Adele and replace her with someone trained to win the race and take advantage of the highly coveted audience with Hitler to assassinate him and bring about a worldwide revolution against the ruling countries.
How can they do this? The backstory of Yael, a Jewish girl sent to a concentration camp in the war, shows us the Nazi experimentation that left her with the ability to skinshift into other faces, other bodies, taking on their appearance.
Here it gets interesting – implausible of course. We have elements of science fiction, the backstory of the war and Holocaust, hints of romance (a former relationship that we see glimpses of with fellow racer Luka), and a cross-country battle for supremacy on fast-moving motorcycles.
I really liked the racing, and thought the different aspects of the writing worked well together. The premise is so frightening – what would the world be like if this had really come to pass? It will give readers a lot to think about.
Violent but not graphic, this doesn’t go into depth in the concentration camp or when racers sustain injuries in the race, so is suitable for ages 13 and above. The main character is Yael, a teenage girl, but I don’t think that should put young men off at all. It’s exciting, fast-moving and full of action.
Personally I didn’t really like the ‘wolf tattoo’ imagery – Yael has tattoos on her arms of five people she’s lost, and didn’t really see that the metaphor added anything to the story, with Adele given the surname to fit in with the theme of the lone wolf not needing a pack, but it will probably hit a nerve with younger readers than myself. I also didn’t see why Yael could change her skin, eye colour, etc but not manage to hide the tattoo when she skinshifts. Oh well.
There’s a lot to discuss in this book, a story about identity, loss, revenge, standing up for what’s right, and loyalty.
I sped through it, unfortunately knowing how the story ended already (another reader having given this away), and wanting a follow-up to see where the plot is destined to go.
Great read for teenagers and for anyone who likes dystopian ‘what if’ stories with plenty of action.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
Open only to young men, last year a teenage girl won the race disguised as her brother. She was granted access to the reclusive Fuhrer after her victory. In this year’s race, Adele Wolf will be racing again. Or appearing to…
The Resistance has plans to kidnap Adele and replace her with someone trained to win the race and take advantage of the highly coveted audience with Hitler to assassinate him and bring about a worldwide revolution against the ruling countries.
How can they do this? The backstory of Yael, a Jewish girl sent to a concentration camp in the war, shows us the Nazi experimentation that left her with the ability to skinshift into other faces, other bodies, taking on their appearance.
Here it gets interesting – implausible of course. We have elements of science fiction, the backstory of the war and Holocaust, hints of romance (a former relationship that we see glimpses of with fellow racer Luka), and a cross-country battle for supremacy on fast-moving motorcycles.
I really liked the racing, and thought the different aspects of the writing worked well together. The premise is so frightening – what would the world be like if this had really come to pass? It will give readers a lot to think about.
Violent but not graphic, this doesn’t go into depth in the concentration camp or when racers sustain injuries in the race, so is suitable for ages 13 and above. The main character is Yael, a teenage girl, but I don’t think that should put young men off at all. It’s exciting, fast-moving and full of action.
Personally I didn’t really like the ‘wolf tattoo’ imagery – Yael has tattoos on her arms of five people she’s lost, and didn’t really see that the metaphor added anything to the story, with Adele given the surname to fit in with the theme of the lone wolf not needing a pack, but it will probably hit a nerve with younger readers than myself. I also didn’t see why Yael could change her skin, eye colour, etc but not manage to hide the tattoo when she skinshifts. Oh well.
There’s a lot to discuss in this book, a story about identity, loss, revenge, standing up for what’s right, and loyalty.
I sped through it, unfortunately knowing how the story ended already (another reader having given this away), and wanting a follow-up to see where the plot is destined to go.
Great read for teenagers and for anyone who likes dystopian ‘what if’ stories with plenty of action.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
rhrie38's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story was fine and interesting. I didn't rlly care about the romance. Also the writing style felt choppy and overused repetition for emphasis, other than that it was good
rosatulipan's review against another edition
What a ride (pun wholeheartedly intended)
votesforwomen's review
4.0
So intense. So beautiful. So broken.
Honestly? I loved this book. There was some content that I was uncomfortable with, thus the lower rating, but I still could. Not. Get. Over. This. Story.
Yael! She was so feminine and beautiful and yet strong. I appreciated that so much. She grappled with the fact that, as a skin-changer, she seems to have no personality, no place in the world, no people to call her own. So sad.
Luka! One of those complicated boys who might be pale and brooding but still knows what's what and isn't afraid to LAY. IT. DOWN.
Felix! I need a brother like this k?
The tattoos themselves. Such a powerful way to remind us what was lost in this war. I cried a couple of times.
CONTENT
VIOLENCE: Yael escaped from a Nazi death camp where medical experiments were constantly performed. There are some scenes with quite a bit of blood here, although they are flashbacks. Lots and lots of death as the Holocaust as we knew it drags on--in this story it's 1960 or so, Germany won the Second World War, and the purge of Jews continues. It's never too graphic or gory, although it can be hard to look at sometimes, but this level is never gratuitous--it's the truth.
There's also some death and injuries that take place as a result of the motorcycle race. People are not nice, okay? It's dark but there is hope.
A couple of assassinations take place.
SEXUAL: There are several references to Hitler's love life, none of which are at all explicit. Some innuendo, I think. A few kisses. Nothing too graphic.
LANGUAGE: Some light cursing in English, heavier cursing in German. Unlike the Book Thief, the German words are left untranslated, although their meaning is easy enough to infer. The a-word, both b-words, s-word, and g-word are all used a few times (mostly in German).
DRUGS/ALCOHOL/ABUSE: A doctor is said to perform horrific experiments on people, although we don't see a ton of that except for the (considerably milder) effects on Yael. A young man smokes cigarettes throughout the book. Food and water are drugged occasionally, with occasional disastrous results.
This book is hard to read. It's heavy. It's dark. It's a place we don't like to go.
But it's important. It's so important. Because the more we know of what happened then, the less likely we are to let it happen again.
Can I recommend this book? Not really. But will I? For mature young people who want to know some of the dark secrets of the Holocaust as well as read a terrific road race story, yes. Yes I will.
What you do matters.
Honestly? I loved this book. There was some content that I was uncomfortable with, thus the lower rating, but I still could. Not. Get. Over. This. Story.
Yael! She was so feminine and beautiful and yet strong. I appreciated that so much. She grappled with the fact that, as a skin-changer, she seems to have no personality, no place in the world, no people to call her own. So sad.
Luka! One of those complicated boys who might be pale and brooding but still knows what's what and isn't afraid to LAY. IT. DOWN.
Felix! I need a brother like this k?
The tattoos themselves. Such a powerful way to remind us what was lost in this war. I cried a couple of times.
CONTENT
VIOLENCE: Yael escaped from a Nazi death camp where medical experiments were constantly performed. There are some scenes with quite a bit of blood here, although they are flashbacks. Lots and lots of death as the Holocaust as we knew it drags on--in this story it's 1960 or so, Germany won the Second World War, and the purge of Jews continues. It's never too graphic or gory, although it can be hard to look at sometimes, but this level is never gratuitous--it's the truth.
There's also some death and injuries that take place as a result of the motorcycle race. People are not nice, okay? It's dark but there is hope.
A couple of assassinations take place.
SEXUAL: There are several references to Hitler's love life, none of which are at all explicit. Some innuendo, I think. A few kisses. Nothing too graphic.
LANGUAGE: Some light cursing in English, heavier cursing in German. Unlike the Book Thief, the German words are left untranslated, although their meaning is easy enough to infer. The a-word, both b-words, s-word, and g-word are all used a few times (mostly in German).
DRUGS/ALCOHOL/ABUSE: A doctor is said to perform horrific experiments on people, although we don't see a ton of that except for the (considerably milder) effects on Yael. A young man smokes cigarettes throughout the book. Food and water are drugged occasionally, with occasional disastrous results.
This book is hard to read. It's heavy. It's dark. It's a place we don't like to go.
But it's important. It's so important. Because the more we know of what happened then, the less likely we are to let it happen again.
Can I recommend this book? Not really. But will I? For mature young people who want to know some of the dark secrets of the Holocaust as well as read a terrific road race story, yes. Yes I will.
What you do matters.
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
HOLY SHIT DUDE
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is the kind of book that grabs your attention from the instant that it starts. The plot is intense straight off the bat: action packed, filled with mystery, suspense, adventure and lots of twists and turns. While it’s not as fast paced as some other books, it is steady and it is constant so it never feels like it’s dragging or boring in any way. The world building was great! It trickled in a little at a time as the story went on and felt very concrete. I did not except the ending to be what it was and I am now dying for the next book!
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style is quite interesting, it’s a mix of simple and powerful but at the same time, poetic and emotional. There are different moments for specific parts of the story. Some things are detailed, descriptive and engaging. There are others that are lyrical and engaging and completely captivating. It was so easy to read and to get caught up in and I loved it.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
This is definitely my favorite part of the book and what really sold it for me. I love character driven books and this is one of them. Yael, our main character, is something of an enigma. You don’t really know who she is in the beginning because she doesn’t either. Part of her characterization is this feeling of confusion and lack of identity and all that comes with it and that was really interesting. She’s incredibly strong, physically and emotionally and has the right determination for the task she’s setting out to do. While she’s very powerful, she’s also torn and confused and at some points vulnerable and I loved how well rounded she was. She’s kind of a tough girl, with a take no shit attitude but we get to feel more of her since she’s the narrator and that made it easier to connect with her. There’s a lot of different side characters, from the competitors in the race, to people from Yael’s past and present and I found them all to be very interesting and complex. The racers were really hard to figure out, you don’t really know what everyone’s motives are and the lines quickly become blurred in the process of the story. I really want to know more about everyone in the next book.
Emotionally
The plot is intense. We follow Yael, who escaped a concentration camp when she was young but not before being experimented on and turned into a skinshifter. She is now part of the resistance and is now on a mission to kill Hitler while posing as a past winner named Adele Wolfe. This is one of the most fascinating premises I’ve ever read. Not only because the re-imagining of Hitler winning the war is just scary as shit but the way the world is set up and what happened after he won the war. It’s so realistic yet mind blowing that it freaked me out yet kept me hooked the whole time I was reading. The world building is extensive, there’s a lot to learn, and its revealed slowly but surely, which definitely helps to immerse the reader into the story as well as get used to Yael’s narration. I’m not a car/vehicle person, I know how to drive but I don’t have a license and don’t ask me to fix your car because I won’t know how, yet this book is about a motorcycle race. Yet that was a really interesting part of the story, at all the mechanical stuff wasn’t that complicated to follow which I appreciated. The plot is a lot more savage and cut throat than I thought it was going to be, which was stupid because I mean, Hitler is in charge so. Various things took me by surprise and there’s a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. But nothing blew me away more than that ending. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Like what?!?! I need more of this series!
Yael is amazing. She’s tough and determined and kick ass. However, she’s vulnerable and confused and lacks a concrete identity. I loved her development, you get to see a lot of her past and how she got to the place in the rebellion. I found her way to be interesting, she has a way of trying to keep her focus that connects back to the title of the book and it was impressive and unique too. She’s a very well rounded and developed character and yet I feel like there’s still so much more to explore about her, her past and what she expects to do now. I want to see more development, more than what she already has and to see how her relationships with the other characters will be like now after the ending of the first book.
There’s a lot of side characters, the competitors in the race, people from the rebellion, characters from Yael’s past and so on. Luka was one of my favorites. He’s another competitor in the race and I found him to be super funny and honest. He’s charming and kind of a douche at times. The relationship he has with Yael is very complicated and messy and we don’t know the half of it and I want to know more! Felix is freaking intense, I didn’t expect him to show up or to take such a big part of the plot. He freaked me out at first and then I felt bad about him and then he annoyed me again. He and I have a love and hate relationship. I want to know more about Adele. Her life is taken over by Yael and I have no idea where she went to or what will happen to her life now that this HUGE THING HAPPENED AT THE END!
Overall, this is one of the best books I have read this year. I loved the plot and all the background and world building of this story. The characters were amazing, complex and intense. I want to see more of the relationships between them and just generally want to know WHAT HAPPENS NOW?!
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is the kind of book that grabs your attention from the instant that it starts. The plot is intense straight off the bat: action packed, filled with mystery, suspense, adventure and lots of twists and turns. While it’s not as fast paced as some other books, it is steady and it is constant so it never feels like it’s dragging or boring in any way. The world building was great! It trickled in a little at a time as the story went on and felt very concrete. I did not except the ending to be what it was and I am now dying for the next book!
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
The writing style is quite interesting, it’s a mix of simple and powerful but at the same time, poetic and emotional. There are different moments for specific parts of the story. Some things are detailed, descriptive and engaging. There are others that are lyrical and engaging and completely captivating. It was so easy to read and to get caught up in and I loved it.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
This is definitely my favorite part of the book and what really sold it for me. I love character driven books and this is one of them. Yael, our main character, is something of an enigma. You don’t really know who she is in the beginning because she doesn’t either. Part of her characterization is this feeling of confusion and lack of identity and all that comes with it and that was really interesting. She’s incredibly strong, physically and emotionally and has the right determination for the task she’s setting out to do. While she’s very powerful, she’s also torn and confused and at some points vulnerable and I loved how well rounded she was. She’s kind of a tough girl, with a take no shit attitude but we get to feel more of her since she’s the narrator and that made it easier to connect with her. There’s a lot of different side characters, from the competitors in the race, to people from Yael’s past and present and I found them all to be very interesting and complex. The racers were really hard to figure out, you don’t really know what everyone’s motives are and the lines quickly become blurred in the process of the story. I really want to know more about everyone in the next book.
Emotionally
Spoiler
The hype for this book is incredibly well deserved and it impressed me so much and I need more!!The plot is intense. We follow Yael, who escaped a concentration camp when she was young but not before being experimented on and turned into a skinshifter. She is now part of the resistance and is now on a mission to kill Hitler while posing as a past winner named Adele Wolfe. This is one of the most fascinating premises I’ve ever read. Not only because the re-imagining of Hitler winning the war is just scary as shit but the way the world is set up and what happened after he won the war. It’s so realistic yet mind blowing that it freaked me out yet kept me hooked the whole time I was reading. The world building is extensive, there’s a lot to learn, and its revealed slowly but surely, which definitely helps to immerse the reader into the story as well as get used to Yael’s narration. I’m not a car/vehicle person, I know how to drive but I don’t have a license and don’t ask me to fix your car because I won’t know how, yet this book is about a motorcycle race. Yet that was a really interesting part of the story, at all the mechanical stuff wasn’t that complicated to follow which I appreciated. The plot is a lot more savage and cut throat than I thought it was going to be, which was stupid because I mean, Hitler is in charge so. Various things took me by surprise and there’s a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. But nothing blew me away more than that ending. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Like what?!?! I need more of this series!
Yael is amazing. She’s tough and determined and kick ass. However, she’s vulnerable and confused and lacks a concrete identity. I loved her development, you get to see a lot of her past and how she got to the place in the rebellion. I found her way to be interesting, she has a way of trying to keep her focus that connects back to the title of the book and it was impressive and unique too. She’s a very well rounded and developed character and yet I feel like there’s still so much more to explore about her, her past and what she expects to do now. I want to see more development, more than what she already has and to see how her relationships with the other characters will be like now after the ending of the first book.
There’s a lot of side characters, the competitors in the race, people from the rebellion, characters from Yael’s past and so on. Luka was one of my favorites. He’s another competitor in the race and I found him to be super funny and honest. He’s charming and kind of a douche at times. The relationship he has with Yael is very complicated and messy and we don’t know the half of it and I want to know more! Felix is freaking intense, I didn’t expect him to show up or to take such a big part of the plot. He freaked me out at first and then I felt bad about him and then he annoyed me again. He and I have a love and hate relationship. I want to know more about Adele. Her life is taken over by Yael and I have no idea where she went to or what will happen to her life now that this HUGE THING HAPPENED AT THE END!
Overall, this is one of the best books I have read this year. I loved the plot and all the background and world building of this story. The characters were amazing, complex and intense. I want to see more of the relationships between them and just generally want to know WHAT HAPPENS NOW?!
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
2.0
This was such a disappointment. I have had this book on my shelves for a looooong time and my friend and I decided to pick it up on a whim.
The premise was great: alternate history where Hitler won and this girl participates in a motorcycle race because the winner gets to meet Hitler in real life. She wants to take advantage of this to kill him.
This book was just... disappointing. Everything was super convenient. Things didn't make sense. This character (and the rebellion in general) is plotting the biggest coup in history, and she is less prepared than I am to go to a team meeting. It was one big plot convenience after another and I will definitely not be reading the sequel.
The potential was there, but the execution was super poor.
The premise was great: alternate history where Hitler won and this girl participates in a motorcycle race because the winner gets to meet Hitler in real life. She wants to take advantage of this to kill him.
This book was just... disappointing. Everything was super convenient. Things didn't make sense. This character (and the rebellion in general) is plotting the biggest coup in history, and she is less prepared than I am to go to a team meeting. It was one big plot convenience after another and I will definitely not be reading the sequel.
The potential was there, but the execution was super poor.