A review by sarah_reading_party
Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn

4.0

Cradles of the Reich is an inventive and interesting World War II novel! The story centers around the Lebensborn Society, a Nazi breeding program to further the Aryan cause. The history is creepy and horrifying, but the book itself draws you in as you follow several women and their roles in the program. Though the author really focused on Gundi, a young woman who is "racially pure" yet part of the Resistance, I was really captivated by Hilde's story and how she had been indoctrinated in Nazi philosophy.

I do have a couple of complaints about this novel. First, I thought the women (Gundi, Hilde, and Irma - a nurse) would interact more and influence each other. There is some of that, but the premise made me feel it would be more prominent. And also, the book ended really quickly. I would have liked to know how their stories ended in the years after the war. Now it's just left to my imagination to figure that out, which isn't a bad thing!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.