Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Recorded Books Media and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Fenna Voss has been through a lot in her short life. She’s a survivor, but that comes with its own problems to survive. Intensely afraid of the dark and tight, enclosed spaces, and of not being in control of a situation, these events did nothing to diminish Fenna’s compassion, empathy or loyalty. When the friend who helped her through some of the most traumatic events of her life needs help, she will venture into a war zone and face down her worst fears to save him.
Fenna could be a bit infuriating at times, making decisions based on fear and out of impulsivity instead of thinking things through, especially in occupied Poland, where a single mistake could end a life. It takes a while for her to recognize this in herself, but she did eventually get there.
McMorris does a beautiful of job crafting a story across many varied events and decades, shining a light on real-life events that the story was inspired by. The pacing could be pretty slow at times, but that did nothing to stop my desire to compulsively listen to this audiobook every second I could.
Cassandra Campbell did a phenomenal job performing this audiobook. She does not simply read it, but puts emotion into each word, bringing the nuance of the story to life.
Weaving more than just WW2 history into the story, this story about friendship, love, loyalty, and overcoming fear connects several different historical events in a thoughtful way, breaking your heart and putting it back together again as if by magic.
If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about WW2, you should consider reading this book!
-------------
I hope you enjoyed this review! This review and many reviews appear on my blog, Hooks, Books, & Wanderlust, where you'll find book reviews, lists, crochet tutorials & patterns, as well as camping, hiking and travel adventures.
Come hang out with me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Blog | Email
Fenna Voss has been through a lot in her short life. She’s a survivor, but that comes with its own problems to survive. Intensely afraid of the dark and tight, enclosed spaces, and of not being in control of a situation, these events did nothing to diminish Fenna’s compassion, empathy or loyalty. When the friend who helped her through some of the most traumatic events of her life needs help, she will venture into a war zone and face down her worst fears to save him.
Fenna could be a bit infuriating at times, making decisions based on fear and out of impulsivity instead of thinking things through, especially in occupied Poland, where a single mistake could end a life. It takes a while for her to recognize this in herself, but she did eventually get there.
McMorris does a beautiful of job crafting a story across many varied events and decades, shining a light on real-life events that the story was inspired by. The pacing could be pretty slow at times, but that did nothing to stop my desire to compulsively listen to this audiobook every second I could.
Cassandra Campbell did a phenomenal job performing this audiobook. She does not simply read it, but puts emotion into each word, bringing the nuance of the story to life.
Weaving more than just WW2 history into the story, this story about friendship, love, loyalty, and overcoming fear connects several different historical events in a thoughtful way, breaking your heart and putting it back together again as if by magic.
If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about WW2, you should consider reading this book!
-------------
I hope you enjoyed this review! This review and many reviews appear on my blog, Hooks, Books, & Wanderlust, where you'll find book reviews, lists, crochet tutorials & patterns, as well as camping, hiking and travel adventures.
Come hang out with me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Blog | Email
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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
This was such an interesting story. It was hard to put it down. The thing I appreciated most, was that the author put in so much research before writing this story. She wanted to focus on certain events, the tragedy of the Italian Hall Disaster to help form her characters. Seeing how this event helped create Fenna Vos’ motivation for so many of her actions, was intriguing.
While this is not a true story, there are many details that are accurate to this time and certain ideas that are true. Also, the thing that was most interesting to me was that, while the actual storyline was not true, the thought that so many people who were living in these areas during war had to endure so much. Wondering who was on your side or who chose to side with the enemy to protect themselves had to be a fear that every person had. Seeing loved ones and friends change over to the enemy lines to try to protect themselves and their families had to be a horrible feeling.
While this is not a true story, there are many details that are accurate to this time and certain ideas that are true. Also, the thing that was most interesting to me was that, while the actual storyline was not true, the thought that so many people who were living in these areas during war had to endure so much. Wondering who was on your side or who chose to side with the enemy to protect themselves had to be a fear that every person had. Seeing loved ones and friends change over to the enemy lines to try to protect themselves and their families had to be a horrible feeling.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pacing is a little slow at times, but ultimately not enough to deter me. There’s no shortage of fiction set in WWII, but this book feels distinctly different from those I’ve read before. I felt invested in the story and appreciated the interesting tidbits of magic and illusion.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
This novel incorporated shocking historical facts with a plot that was emotional, entertaining, and relatable. Would highly recommend.
2.5 ⭐️ Maybe I’m an outlier but this book really didn’t do it for me. My favorite part was the first section, and the rest was sort of downhill. I had hoped the magic would have been a bigger component of the story, and it just wasn’t (a missed opportunity IMO). This book was also far too long for what it was. I wish I could put my finger on what didn’t work for me, but I found myself not really wanting to pick this book up.