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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
What an intriguing read! Fenna has experienced a lot in her lifetime, but her strength is inspiring. In the author’s note, she explains which parts were based on true stories. This was very well written historical fiction, where the author really did her research. I was immersed into this read from the start to end! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest feedback.
The Ways We Hide is an original WWII historical fiction novel. The story was engaging, the characters interesting to get to know, and the history was compelling and had content I was unaware of (and I read a LOT of WWII historical fiction). I also enjoyed the parts set in copper country. So little literature about this region of the US exists, and I appreciated learning more about the large mining companies' influences on all aspects of people's lives. And the magic - who doesn't love a little bit of magic (literally)?
The afterward of McMorris's book is detailed and shows how well she researched the book. I also appreciated the numerous references she provided for additional reading. These are always hallmarks of good historical fiction.
My only criticism is that it got a little ponderous at times. The main protagonist had too many inner dialogues where she worked through scenarios for her situation. When this occurred, I wanted to push the narrative along.
Fans of WWII fiction will want to add this to their TBR list.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ebook version of this novel in exchange for a review.
The afterward of McMorris's book is detailed and shows how well she researched the book. I also appreciated the numerous references she provided for additional reading. These are always hallmarks of good historical fiction.
My only criticism is that it got a little ponderous at times. The main protagonist had too many inner dialogues where she worked through scenarios for her situation. When this occurred, I wanted to push the narrative along.
Fans of WWII fiction will want to add this to their TBR list.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ebook version of this novel in exchange for a review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The star of this novel is Fenna, a young woman who has had her share of troubles. Raised by her immigrant Dutch father, she is tragically left an orphan as an adolescent. Her friendship with best friend Arie, leads her to find a home with his family until she is ready to embark on life on her own.
As an adult, she is known as the mastermind behind magic shows, where she one day is recruited by the British intelligence agency for her skill with gadgets and codes. While on a dangerous mission, Fenna is confronted by the past she tried to forget as she struggles to survive and save the friend who once saved her.
This novel was nothing that I expected but I absolutely loved it! Although set during WWII, the war wasn’t the primary focus of the story. Fenna is a complex character with the grit to survive as she experiences, love, heartbreak, courage and resilience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Source Books for this early review copy. This review can also be found on IG @maria.needs.to.read and on Goodreads
As an adult, she is known as the mastermind behind magic shows, where she one day is recruited by the British intelligence agency for her skill with gadgets and codes. While on a dangerous mission, Fenna is confronted by the past she tried to forget as she struggles to survive and save the friend who once saved her.
This novel was nothing that I expected but I absolutely loved it! Although set during WWII, the war wasn’t the primary focus of the story. Fenna is a complex character with the grit to survive as she experiences, love, heartbreak, courage and resilience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Source Books for this early review copy. This review can also be found on IG @maria.needs.to.read and on Goodreads
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
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
After reading the book she coauthored, I was interested in reading more from Kristina McMorris, so I picked up The Ways We Hide off the library’s new releases shelf. And while I’ve mostly avoided reading World War II fiction, McMorris’ approach breathes new life into the well-worn subgenre, even if there are some topics covered that I did know a bit about before. I was particularly intrigued to learn more about MI9 and its wartime activities, given I hadn’t heard about them before, with MI5 and especially MI6 being more widely known due to the Bond connection. But I loved learning about how MI9 recruited people with “special” skills to aid in their cause, including illusionists, and how the tools of the illusionist’s trade, like playing cards, were repurposed for this work.
Fenna is a sympathetic protagonist, having fled from a dark past and reinvented herself as an assistant to the star of a popular magic show. She takes up the incredibly promising opportunity to work as an inventor for MI9, which continues her pattern of running away from that past trauma. Of course, she can only run away for so long, especially when it starts to catch up with her.
The plot remains pretty intriguing throughout, even if there are some times when the action is halted by a flashback or other foray into the past. There’s a large chunk in the beginning in particular, which while explaining who Fenna is, impacted the momentum early on, and while there aren’t any other major flashbacks like that, the introspective moments do make you feel the length a bit.
This is a solid read overall, and I am eager to try more from Kristina McMorris in the future. If you enjoy World War II historical fiction, I recommend checking this book out!
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated