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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
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:
No
What a wonderful book! I was captivated by Fenna's story - her sorrows were many but her joy, perseverance, and determination truly changed her life. This book was a keeper from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the supplemental characters along the way, especially all the folks she worked with in London during the war. Fenna's love story with Arie over the years definitely took a backseat to her work as a magician and espionage during WWII. But it definitely was an important part of the story and one I enjoyed. I thought this book was an excellent read all around!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
In a Nutshell: Outlier review alert! This started off strongly but I lost interest midway the book. Loved everything connected to magic. Was bored by almost everything set in Holland. But yes, this isn’t a typical WWII fiction, so there is some novelty to the plot.
Story Synopsis:
After being orphaned at an early age, Fenna Vos has learned how to survive on her own. Though a master inventor and magician, she is forced to play assistant to an escape artist to keep the 1940s audience happy. When an officer of the British Intelligence spots her and asks her to come to London to help out with the WWII efforts using her inventions, Fenna reluctantly joins the team, and is soon part of a dangerous mission in Holland. This mission will be the test of her loyalty in many ways.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Fenna.
✔ The initial half of the book was outstanding. Beginning with Fenna’s stage experiences in the US in 1943, going back to 1928 for a glimpse of her younger years, and moving back to 1943 London, where Fenna was trying to settle into her role as an inventor for the Allied troops - the content was relatively fast-paced, and kept me invested.
❌ Once the storyline reached Holland where Fenna is on a secret mission, the content became repetitive and slow. I had to force myself to concentrate and continue. My mind kept wandering.
✔ I loved all the elements of Fenna’s life that were connected to magic. Her stage life, her creative thinking, her astounding inventions, her sleight of hand, her strong admiration for Harry Houdini – all were written well. Her Dutch background is also put to good use.
❌ The second half hardly makes use of her magical skills. It is like the book forgot her capabilities as an illusionist and just wanted to focus on her skills as a spy.
✔ Fenna is a strong character and makes for a mostly compelling historical mc. Her brain is her biggest asset and the book chooses to focus on this than her physical appeal. I appreciate this angle.
❌ Her decision-making was questionable at times. Her reason for moving away from her hometown was unconvincing. I didn’t understand why she couldn’t communicate her worry to the concerned person instead of running away secretly.
✔ The first half was fast.
❌ The second half was slooooowwwwwwww and seemed to go on and on.
✔ The ending was somewhat worth the effort.
✔ There are quite a few topics in the story – magic, personal tragedies, inventions, rescue missions, romance, family issues, the WWII. I enjoyed most of these. Seeing the WWII from the pov of a woman illusionist was a fun experience.
❌ The one topic I didn’t like at all was the rescue mission in Holland. Unfortunately, this formed the biggest chunk of the book. If this part were crisper, I might have enjoyed the book more.
✔ The book incorporates plenty of real life incidents into its narrative. The author explains these very well in her author’s note. Her research is outstanding. I never knew the extent to which “magic” was involved in the WWII! I learnt a lot about history from this book, though I have been an avid reader of the historical fiction genre.
❌ The first person narration doesn’t work in favour of the book. There is a lot of inner rambling which further reduces the pacing. This is more pronounced during the mission, where Fenna is alone and hence voices her thoughts on almost everything.
✔ The plot seems to proceed in compartmentalised sections. There is the stage life of the magician, then the 1928 flashback, then the 1943 London segment, the Holland mission and finally the tying up of every end. It was almost like reading a fresh novel after each section than a continuation.
❌ While I did like the first two sections for their content, I felt that the book didn’t come together into a cohesive whole. As each section deals with a fresh location and a fresh situation, the transition took time.
❌ I don’t like romance when it comes up in non-romance genre books. It is, more often than not, irrelevant to the main plot. This story could have easily been written without the romantic track.
✔ The direction of the romance took me by surprise. This is what sets the romance in the book apart from others in this genre, a small saving grace.
All in all, maybe my high expectations also contributed to my disappointment. I expected a story more focussed on Fenna’s inventive skills, and when that angle disappeared, it took my interest along with it. I am NOT giving up on this author yet because her plotting and her research left me fairly impressed. Hoping for a better experience the next time around.
This is an outlier review, so please go through the other, more positive reviews, before you take a call on this title.
3 stars, mostly for the brilliant first half.
My thanks to author Kristina McMorris, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Ways We Hide”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Story Synopsis:
After being orphaned at an early age, Fenna Vos has learned how to survive on her own. Though a master inventor and magician, she is forced to play assistant to an escape artist to keep the 1940s audience happy. When an officer of the British Intelligence spots her and asks her to come to London to help out with the WWII efforts using her inventions, Fenna reluctantly joins the team, and is soon part of a dangerous mission in Holland. This mission will be the test of her loyalty in many ways.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Fenna.
✔ The initial half of the book was outstanding. Beginning with Fenna’s stage experiences in the US in 1943, going back to 1928 for a glimpse of her younger years, and moving back to 1943 London, where Fenna was trying to settle into her role as an inventor for the Allied troops - the content was relatively fast-paced, and kept me invested.
❌ Once the storyline reached Holland where Fenna is on a secret mission, the content became repetitive and slow. I had to force myself to concentrate and continue. My mind kept wandering.
✔ I loved all the elements of Fenna’s life that were connected to magic. Her stage life, her creative thinking, her astounding inventions, her sleight of hand, her strong admiration for Harry Houdini – all were written well. Her Dutch background is also put to good use.
❌ The second half hardly makes use of her magical skills. It is like the book forgot her capabilities as an illusionist and just wanted to focus on her skills as a spy.
✔ Fenna is a strong character and makes for a mostly compelling historical mc. Her brain is her biggest asset and the book chooses to focus on this than her physical appeal. I appreciate this angle.
❌ Her decision-making was questionable at times. Her reason for moving away from her hometown was unconvincing. I didn’t understand why she couldn’t communicate her worry to the concerned person instead of running away secretly.
✔ The first half was fast.
❌ The second half was slooooowwwwwwww and seemed to go on and on.
✔ The ending was somewhat worth the effort.
✔ There are quite a few topics in the story – magic, personal tragedies, inventions, rescue missions, romance, family issues, the WWII. I enjoyed most of these. Seeing the WWII from the pov of a woman illusionist was a fun experience.
❌ The one topic I didn’t like at all was the rescue mission in Holland. Unfortunately, this formed the biggest chunk of the book. If this part were crisper, I might have enjoyed the book more.
✔ The book incorporates plenty of real life incidents into its narrative. The author explains these very well in her author’s note. Her research is outstanding. I never knew the extent to which “magic” was involved in the WWII! I learnt a lot about history from this book, though I have been an avid reader of the historical fiction genre.
❌ The first person narration doesn’t work in favour of the book. There is a lot of inner rambling which further reduces the pacing. This is more pronounced during the mission, where Fenna is alone and hence voices her thoughts on almost everything.
✔ The plot seems to proceed in compartmentalised sections. There is the stage life of the magician, then the 1928 flashback, then the 1943 London segment, the Holland mission and finally the tying up of every end. It was almost like reading a fresh novel after each section than a continuation.
❌ While I did like the first two sections for their content, I felt that the book didn’t come together into a cohesive whole. As each section deals with a fresh location and a fresh situation, the transition took time.
❌ I don’t like romance when it comes up in non-romance genre books. It is, more often than not, irrelevant to the main plot. This story could have easily been written without the romantic track.
✔ The direction of the romance took me by surprise. This is what sets the romance in the book apart from others in this genre, a small saving grace.
All in all, maybe my high expectations also contributed to my disappointment. I expected a story more focussed on Fenna’s inventive skills, and when that angle disappeared, it took my interest along with it. I am NOT giving up on this author yet because her plotting and her research left me fairly impressed. Hoping for a better experience the next time around.
This is an outlier review, so please go through the other, more positive reviews, before you take a call on this title.
3 stars, mostly for the brilliant first half.
My thanks to author Kristina McMorris, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Ways We Hide”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to #netgalley and #sourcebooksLandmark for the ARC copy of #TheWaysWeHide - the opinions expressed are my own.
Loosely based on true which makes the story even more fascinating. Well researched and brought to life; I liked the protagonist, Fenna, as she struggled to overcome a childhood trauma and live her life. I appreciate that the author didn't sink into the "angst trap" and create a hand-wringing, oh-woe-is-me character but instead gave her determination and a backbone, while still acknowledging the trauma's long term effects.
The story takes a bit of an unusual approach to some common WWII themes starting with the fact that Fenna is an accomplished illusionist which lands her in London helping MI19 create useful novelties that can be hidden & used to help soldiers escape if caught (a real thing!). There's the usual run ins with the Gestapo, bomb raids, trying to save someone and escape Germany - but in each case, there's just a little twist to take it out of the ordinary.
Loosely based on true which makes the story even more fascinating. Well researched and brought to life; I liked the protagonist, Fenna, as she struggled to overcome a childhood trauma and live her life. I appreciate that the author didn't sink into the "angst trap" and create a hand-wringing, oh-woe-is-me character but instead gave her determination and a backbone, while still acknowledging the trauma's long term effects.
The story takes a bit of an unusual approach to some common WWII themes starting with the fact that Fenna is an accomplished illusionist which lands her in London helping MI19 create useful novelties that can be hidden & used to help soldiers escape if caught (a real thing!). There's the usual run ins with the Gestapo, bomb raids, trying to save someone and escape Germany - but in each case, there's just a little twist to take it out of the ordinary.
This would make a great book club read!
A great historical fiction set during World War II. We meet Fenna when she is working as an illusionist. She ends up working in intelligence for the British army, where she uses her invetor skills to help design escape aids. She comes face to face with her past during her most dangerous mission.
It did take a bit to get into the story, but you will quickly become engrossed. The magic and illusion will suck you in. It deals with a lot of WW II history, which is an era that interests me. There's a little romance involved.
All in all a great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
A great historical fiction set during World War II. We meet Fenna when she is working as an illusionist. She ends up working in intelligence for the British army, where she uses her invetor skills to help design escape aids. She comes face to face with her past during her most dangerous mission.
It did take a bit to get into the story, but you will quickly become engrossed. The magic and illusion will suck you in. It deals with a lot of WW II history, which is an era that interests me. There's a little romance involved.
All in all a great read!
Many thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars // This. Book. What a ride.
I love a good WWII historical fiction and this was up there with some of my favorites. I love the unique twist of the main character working for MI9 after being recruited for her skills as an illusionist/stage magician. The love story was woven in really well and wasn’t over the top.
I did NOT love the death of a character that felt completely unnecessary for me. Maybe that’s just me wanting a happy ending, but there were so many ways around it. It made me angry when it happened. I can, however, understand that not everything (especially in wartime) can have a happy ending.
The writing overall was good, but there were several times that there were sentences that made me raise an eyebrow. Mostly because they felt random and unrelated. But still overall good.
At the end of the day, this is a really good historical fiction that I would recommend!
3.5 stars // This. Book. What a ride.
I love a good WWII historical fiction and this was up there with some of my favorites. I love the unique twist of the main character working for MI9 after being recruited for her skills as an illusionist/stage magician. The love story was woven in really well and wasn’t over the top.
I did NOT love the death of a character that felt completely unnecessary for me. Maybe that’s just me wanting a happy ending, but there were so many ways around it. It made me angry when it happened. I can, however, understand that not everything (especially in wartime) can have a happy ending.
The writing overall was good, but there were several times that there were sentences that made me raise an eyebrow. Mostly because they felt random and unrelated. But still overall good.
At the end of the day, this is a really good historical fiction that I would recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a good book. I was expecting more because of the praise I've heard of Ms. McMorris' first book, but it didn't give me those excited tingling feelings I was expecting. I just felt it was average. I did like the highlighting of the two historical stairway deaths and loved learning that those were based on true events. I enjoyed that we met adult Fenna and learned that she had committed some unknown, unforgivable offense to Arie, and then we got to meet them as kids. It really helped with those feelings of wanting them to rekindle and wondering what could have possibly happened to go from childhood to where they are now. I enjoyed learning about the different things that were created for captured Airmen and soldiers that allowed them to escape. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of all this. However, when everything went down with Arie, that's where it fell flat for me. It became less historical fiction and more of a romance novel. I just felt Arie's storyline became too convoluted and it made me lose interest. I wish the ending had been a bit different, but I can't really explain without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that. 3.5 stars for me.