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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I listened to the audiobook of The Ways We Hide, narrated by Cassandra Campbell. The narration was done really nicely.
The book captured me quickly in the beginning, but lost me pretty quickly after. I wanted to love this story, but I had a hard time paying attention and getting invested in the story. I felt like it was a bit of a rollercoaster between scenes that were really vivid and engaging, to other scenes that I had to rewind multiple times and still could not hold my attention. It was very long. I’ve found myself wondering if I would have enjoyed it more had it been shorter. I think there is still an audience for this book. But it just wasn’t for me. My favorite part was the author’s note at the end, describing her inspiration, what is real, and what was fictionalized.
Special thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books for the audiobook ARC via NetGalley.
The book captured me quickly in the beginning, but lost me pretty quickly after. I wanted to love this story, but I had a hard time paying attention and getting invested in the story. I felt like it was a bit of a rollercoaster between scenes that were really vivid and engaging, to other scenes that I had to rewind multiple times and still could not hold my attention. It was very long. I’ve found myself wondering if I would have enjoyed it more had it been shorter. I think there is still an audience for this book. But it just wasn’t for me. My favorite part was the author’s note at the end, describing her inspiration, what is real, and what was fictionalized.
Special thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books for the audiobook ARC via NetGalley.
3.5⭐️ rounded up
The Ways We Hide follows Fenna’s life. The opening chapter shows us that Fenna is into and very good at magic shows. Because of this she is recruited to the military to use her expertise to their advantage. We also get a look into her childhood and her relationship with Arie.
I really enjoyed the magic spin the author added to this book, but I found myself wishing it would focus more on the magic shows and less on the war.
The characters were kind of boring, but that didn’t stop me from connecting with them. Fenna’s relationship with Arie was cute and I liked that the author didn’t try to make it romantic at a young age. She let them grow up and grow into their feelings for each other.
I found myself confused, I’m not sure if I missed something when listening to this book, but I couldn’t figure out what real use the military could use with a magician. They wanted her to design things for the military, I get that, but I feel like the things she could realistically design would not be much use.
My biggest issue with this book is it was too long. When she set out to find Arie, things got boring and repetitive and I found myself wishing it would just end.
I was happy with the ending because not everything worked out perfectly. It felt more realistic that there were setbacks and death because in the real world, nothing goes according to plan.
Overall, this was a good book and I think it would be an enjoyable read for the World War lovers.
The Ways We Hide follows Fenna’s life. The opening chapter shows us that Fenna is into and very good at magic shows. Because of this she is recruited to the military to use her expertise to their advantage. We also get a look into her childhood and her relationship with Arie.
I really enjoyed the magic spin the author added to this book, but I found myself wishing it would focus more on the magic shows and less on the war.
The characters were kind of boring, but that didn’t stop me from connecting with them. Fenna’s relationship with Arie was cute and I liked that the author didn’t try to make it romantic at a young age. She let them grow up and grow into their feelings for each other.
I found myself confused, I’m not sure if I missed something when listening to this book, but I couldn’t figure out what real use the military could use with a magician. They wanted her to design things for the military, I get that, but I feel like the things she could realistically design would not be much use.
My biggest issue with this book is it was too long. When she set out to find Arie, things got boring and repetitive and I found myself wishing it would just end.
I was happy with the ending because not everything worked out perfectly. It felt more realistic that there were setbacks and death because in the real world, nothing goes according to plan.
Overall, this was a good book and I think it would be an enjoyable read for the World War lovers.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fenna is a magician/illusionist/escape artist who developed her skills as a child as a means of dealing with claustrophobia after narrowly escaping a tragic accident in which many people were trampled to death in a stairwell. During WWII, Fenna is recruited by M19 in England to work on developing devices that could help imprisoned allied soldiers escape or survive. This work eventually leads to her traveling to the Netherlands in order to “bring in” her childhood friend and love of her life, Arie who is accused of being a double agent.
I have mentioned in previous reviews, there is so much current WWII fiction being published, I think that authors need a different “angle” to keep readers interested. This book definitely has that angle to a certain degree with the illusionist story. I did read about all the research that the author did and very much appreciate her incorporating this interesting information into the story. I see that other reviewers have loved this book so glad it resonated with them. However, I had a hard time getting through the book. It took me over a month to read it because I dreaded picking it up and chose to read books that I found more entertaining. The book was just plain boring to me. The interesting “angle” was such a small part of the story and the rest was typical WWII drama - working with the resistance, narrowly escaping the Nazis, some characters being caught and killed, helping children and of course, some romance thrown in. And it seemed like the story was drawn out much longer than it needed to be. The episode of Fenna parachuting into enemy territory as a civilian with no training was so unrealistic, it sort of negated the author’s careful research. I think I am so done with WWII historical fiction!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the Advanced Reader Copy.
I have mentioned in previous reviews, there is so much current WWII fiction being published, I think that authors need a different “angle” to keep readers interested. This book definitely has that angle to a certain degree with the illusionist story. I did read about all the research that the author did and very much appreciate her incorporating this interesting information into the story. I see that other reviewers have loved this book so glad it resonated with them. However, I had a hard time getting through the book. It took me over a month to read it because I dreaded picking it up and chose to read books that I found more entertaining. The book was just plain boring to me. The interesting “angle” was such a small part of the story and the rest was typical WWII drama - working with the resistance, narrowly escaping the Nazis, some characters being caught and killed, helping children and of course, some romance thrown in. And it seemed like the story was drawn out much longer than it needed to be. The episode of Fenna parachuting into enemy territory as a civilian with no training was so unrealistic, it sort of negated the author’s careful research. I think I am so done with WWII historical fiction!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the Advanced Reader Copy.
slow-paced
Wow. I really did sleep on this book for a long time and I’m so mad that it took me so long to finally read it. The ARC has been on my NetGalley shelf for a year. I know, I’m the worst.
The meaning behind The Ways We Hide is extraordinary in this book. A magician is called in to help the war. She has special talents for hiding things that escape the enemy’s view. I enjoyed the book because of the strong female lead. I loved her tenacious spirit.
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced