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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
the concept of the book is interesting and I liked the characters but there wasn't much intrigue or espionage or action which was a bit disappointing. I found myself skimming quite a bit because there were times that nothing happened, the end had action, I liked the conclusion and do plan on reading the next hopefully there is more action.
I love historical fiction, and I really wanted to love this book but it just didn’t click with me.
I thought that there was a lot of potential but it just did not deliver. It wasn’t a bad book, but I was not blown away by it.
Things I Did Not Like:
• I was very excited to find out that this book takes place in a Nazi Boarding school during the beginning of WW2, but it felt like I was reading a very brutal teenage drama more than a historical fiction most of the time. There were so many opportunities to delve deeper into human behavior, propaganda and manipulation, and even though those topics were mentioned, I felt as they were only touched upon on the surface.
• It did not feel real. I want historical fiction to feel real, no matter if it actually happened or not. But in this case I just didn’t feel as invested in the story that I could imagine it being real. And reading the author’s note I was surprised by how much of the story was based on true facts...
• The characters and the writing felt flat to me. And towards the end of the story I started to loose interest because I just didn’t feel connected to it.
• The plot felt rushed and I feel like not everything was done for a reason, some parts of the plot were just there ending up untied. Also the timing sometimes felt rushed and then sometimes it felt slow. There was no balance.
• Minor characters were not developed enough and they were very predictable and clumsily portrayed in some parts of the story.
What I Liked:
• I liked the amount of research the author has done and how a lot of the story was based on facts.
• I liked how the internal conflicts of the main character were portrayed (though I would have liked to see that being resolved throughout the story and be more of a focus)
Overall, an average historical fiction with more value on the message, than the actual plot of the story.
I thought that there was a lot of potential but it just did not deliver. It wasn’t a bad book, but I was not blown away by it.
Things I Did Not Like:
• I was very excited to find out that this book takes place in a Nazi Boarding school during the beginning of WW2, but it felt like I was reading a very brutal teenage drama more than a historical fiction most of the time. There were so many opportunities to delve deeper into human behavior, propaganda and manipulation, and even though those topics were mentioned, I felt as they were only touched upon on the surface.
• It did not feel real. I want historical fiction to feel real, no matter if it actually happened or not. But in this case I just didn’t feel as invested in the story that I could imagine it being real. And reading the author’s note I was surprised by how much of the story was based on true facts...
• The characters and the writing felt flat to me. And towards the end of the story I started to loose interest because I just didn’t feel connected to it.
• The plot felt rushed and I feel like not everything was done for a reason, some parts of the plot were just there ending up untied. Also the timing sometimes felt rushed and then sometimes it felt slow. There was no balance.
• Minor characters were not developed enough and they were very predictable and clumsily portrayed in some parts of the story.
What I Liked:
• I liked the amount of research the author has done and how a lot of the story was based on facts.
• I liked how the internal conflicts of the main character were portrayed (though I would have liked to see that being resolved throughout the story and be more of a focus)
Overall, an average historical fiction with more value on the message, than the actual plot of the story.
La traduccion es mala, pero es que el libro es flojo, flojo
Loved the main character and the supporting characters, plot was interesting but I found it a slow at times. I want to know a bit more about the main character's back story but considering that this is a series, I'll probably get more info in the next book!
I did enjoy this book although I’m not really into books set in that time period so that’s probably what brought it down to 3 stars, I also thought the book was quite disturbing and had very graphic and violent scenes.
Talented, artistic, oppressed. Sarah has been learning to survive in a world that has become dangerous for her, her mother, and all other Jewish citizens throughout Europe. So what is a girl to do when she becomes unexpectedly orphaned? That's right. She becomes a spy in a boarding school for the Nazi elite in 1939.
Sarah is one of my favourite novel protagonists in a long time. She is resourceful, ballsy, BRAVE, and mouthy. I love how she deals with her horrific situation, how she strategises and overcomes.
Matt Killeen expertly weaves Sarah's backstory and experiences of being Jewish in increasing oppressive Austrian/German societies in the 1930s into the wider plot, which I found very educational. I found myself doing lots of research to fill in the gaps where my own knowledge was sadly lacking in this area of European history (this was further sparked by the Author's note at the end of the novel). The plot was SO GOOD. Excellently paced and the twists towards the end of the novel were so brilliantly unexpected, I found myself moving the book as far away from me as I could whilst still being able to read.
A thrilling, well researched book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot wait to read book 2 and, hopefully, learn some more about the Captain!
Sarah is one of my favourite novel protagonists in a long time. She is resourceful, ballsy, BRAVE, and mouthy. I love how she deals with her horrific situation, how she strategises and overcomes.
Matt Killeen expertly weaves Sarah's backstory and experiences of being Jewish in increasing oppressive Austrian/German societies in the 1930s into the wider plot, which I found very educational. I found myself doing lots of research to fill in the gaps where my own knowledge was sadly lacking in this area of European history (this was further sparked by the Author's note at the end of the novel). The plot was SO GOOD. Excellently paced and the twists towards the end of the novel were so brilliantly unexpected, I found myself moving the book as far away from me as I could whilst still being able to read.
A thrilling, well researched book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot wait to read book 2 and, hopefully, learn some more about the Captain!
*3.75
This was a really good wwii historical fiction! It wasn’t my all time favorite historical fiction but I did relate to Sarah in some ways such as being the same age as her.
I do hope that there is another book so fingers crossed 🤞
This was a really good wwii historical fiction! It wasn’t my all time favorite historical fiction but I did relate to Sarah in some ways such as being the same age as her.
I do hope that there is another book so fingers crossed 🤞
I DNFed this book with about 100 pages left to go. The synopsis of this story makes it sound much more than what it actually is. I was expecting to be taken back to this dark time of our history and be able to physically feel the fear. However, this book went through the difficult times without making it realistic. When Sarah was placed in a dangerous situation she wasn't reacting or feeling the way you would expect her to. Along with that, Sarah was an incredibly silly character. Nothing in this book was taken seriously and I was not a fan of the writing style.
The first half of this book did not keep my attention and I honestly thought I would ditch it. I decided to hang on and give it more than my usual 100 page deadline. I can’t say I was glad I hung in there but I can’t say I wasted my time either.
Sarah becomes Ursula the teenage Jewish spy after she meets a man who befriends her right after her mother died. This girl has been through so much already with the loss of her mother and now has to deal with more bloodshed, German teenage bullies, and pedophilia. Sarah was a smart girl and knew how to take care of herself. Her mother was an alcoholic and before her death Sarah took care of her most of the time. She found ways of talking herself out of trouble when confronted by SS soldiers and was very good at it. This takes place in Nazi Germany.
Ursula, with the help of her new friend, gets accepted into an all girl German prep type school where she is to befriend a girl whose father is making a nuclear bomb. It gets better at this point.
The fact that Sarah/Ursula had no training to be a spy and just walked right into the lions den surprised me. It kind of lost credibility with me because this mission was too dangerous for the average girl. Especially with her being a Jew in a dangerous time.
Overall it was ok. It’s not a favorite but well written.
Sarah becomes Ursula the teenage Jewish spy after she meets a man who befriends her right after her mother died. This girl has been through so much already with the loss of her mother and now has to deal with more bloodshed, German teenage bullies, and pedophilia. Sarah was a smart girl and knew how to take care of herself. Her mother was an alcoholic and before her death Sarah took care of her most of the time. She found ways of talking herself out of trouble when confronted by SS soldiers and was very good at it. This takes place in Nazi Germany.
Ursula, with the help of her new friend, gets accepted into an all girl German prep type school where she is to befriend a girl whose father is making a nuclear bomb. It gets better at this point.
The fact that Sarah/Ursula had no training to be a spy and just walked right into the lions den surprised me. It kind of lost credibility with me because this mission was too dangerous for the average girl. Especially with her being a Jew in a dangerous time.
Overall it was ok. It’s not a favorite but well written.