Stacking the Shelves #189

     

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

Library Treasures

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Disclaimer

I realized this might be necessary for newer visitors here when I looked at my posts yesterday - one proclaiming my joy over the Resurrection of Jesus, and the other a love letter to two of my new fave books that was sprinkled with f-bombs.

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Book and ARC Reviews | MY NEW OBSESSION, a.k.a. Teen Killers Club

 

Obsession might even be an understatement.

But first, the boring stuff - I received a free digital copy of Teen Killers in Love from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There will be some spoilers but this series is so fucking good that I will keep them to a bare bare bare minimum, if they can be avoided I will do so. But I freaking love both of these so much I might inadvertently give something away without realizing it.

Sorry. Read the books anyway. Here we go!

Teen Killers Club and Teen Killers in Love  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

ALL THE STARS FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER

If you've been around a while, you know that I was unintentionally sucked into the world of YA thrillers a few years ago by a certain little novel called One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus. Since then I have discovered some amazing YA authors who write books worthy of all the awards, ever. Tiffany D. Jackson, Courtney Summers, Hannah Capin, just to name a few in addition to Queen McManus.

Well, go on and add Lily Sparks to that list because Holy. Shit. I could not put either of these books down and it is absolutely killing me that I read the second one as an ARC that won't even be published until August, so who knows when the pub date will even be for the third book.

I came across Teen Killers Club completely by accident. I follow BookRiot on Facebook and they had posted a list of YA books and I ended up snagging most of them from the library. They were all decent reads that I liked, but did not intend to read again - you all know I am not a re-reader at all.

But THEN...

BOOM!

This one completely knocked my socks off and I am going to tell you all exactly why and if by the end of this review you still don't want to read them, then I have completely failed in conveying my enthusiasm. These books are seriously SO entertaining. I genuinely enjoyed them, and all the characters introduced along the way. It's been a long time since I can say I was truly entertained by a book, probably since OOUIL, since I did not see the ending coming and was truly worried for a split second that Nate might actually have been guilty but I was in love with this fictional character so would McManus really do that to me? (She's fully capable, but luckily did not.)

Sidenote: I'm a bit concerned about my attachment to both Nate in OOUIL and Erik in Teen Killers. Nate, of course, is the 'bad boy' drug dealer who is actually not so 'bad' after all. Erik, on the other hand, is in a literal Murder Club, so...

Okay, so we meet Signal, who has been convicted for the brutal murder of her former best friend. She and Rose used to be close but drifted apart and Signal eventually became this misfit Goth outcast from the trailer park (where she and Rose met), while Rose was rich (or at least comfortable after her mom remarried), popular, had a boyfriend who adored her, etc.

Signal is designated a Class A. They are the most dangerous kind of criminal, thanks to a little test called the Wylie-Stanton Index, which uses an algorithm to assess whether someone is likely to commit their crimes again and again. It is based on all kinds of data, from web searches to emails, anything and everything that could possibly be used to break a person down into these categories. Everyone convicted of a felony is tested and given a letter designation.

Class As can not appeal their sentences. In order to avoid spending the rest of her life in prison, Signal agrees to become part of a program for 18-and-Under Class As, where she will train as an assassin.

Yes, psychopath teenagers training to kill people that the government needs to get rid of, but can't use pros like the CIA. Think cult leaders, etc.

It's clear from the start, though, that Signal is not like the others who already populate the abandoned sleep-away camp that is designated as their training ground.

For one thing, she's innocent. Unlike the rest of the 'campers', save for Dennis. He's also never killed anyone, but due to his violent fantasies of murder, has been confined to the camp as well. Everyone else though? Definitely have killed people. Maybe. Mostly. Some. You'll find out.

Signal planned to escape from camp, find Rose's real killer, and clear her name. The only problem? This neat little technology called a 'kill switch'. Every camper has them implanted in their neck and they can be activated at the push of a button by their trainers, Dave and Kate. It's what keeps all eight of the teens from killing them, or one another, or running off.

Signal proves to be somewhat of a calming presence to the others: Nobody, Jada, Kurt and Troy (twins), Dennis, Javier, and Erik. All have killed before (presumably, otherwise why would they be there?), and the Wylie-Stanton Index shows all would do so again in a heartbeat. But as they spend more time together, the bonds of friendship truly begin to form. They'll need one another more than ever when a masked intruder is seen on the grounds, and attacks one night.

The intruder is killed and suddenly their world is thrown into chaos because the Director has decided to send the kids out before their training is over in order to complete their missions - which it turns out first is to kill the previous generation of assassins.

WHAT?!

I know.

Things got even crazier from there and I loved every bloody second of it.

No worries though, there are not any gruesome, intense details of murders, aside from Rose's - she was decapitated. Everything else is implied, mainly by the blood and all.

I found that not only was I invested in Signal's story, but the rest of the teens as well. There's so much more I wanted to know about their backstories. The characters are all so distinct and there is so much room here to flesh them out.

Sidenote: I did not realize there was a sequel to Teen Killers Club until I finished it and went to Goodreads to read other reviews. With the way it ended, I hoped there would be more and was absolutely over the moon to discover the ARC was on NetGalley. I devoured that one the same night because I was approved super fast, which NEVER happens with YA books for me.

The personalities of all the characters really come out during their interactions with one another, and their training as well. Every morning campers must complete an obstacle course that prepares them for some serious B&E type activities. Whoever finishes last has to run it again, and whoever finishes ahead of the last person gets to chase them. It's intense and Signal fails miserably all the time because she's not a Class A and doesn't belong there.

In addition to the daily obstacle course, they are tested on how well they can dismember and hide a corpse (don't forget, the cadaver dogs will be out to check!), make Zap Sauce to dissolve a body, create makeshift weapons from everyday items, and last but not least, kill one another by 'slicing' carotid arteries with a Sharpie.

This is all fun and games to everyone else. These kids LOVE the challenges and pretty much revel in being psychopath murderers (some like it more than others, and everyone has landed in camp for crimes that are only similar because they were murders. Their victims and stories are all unique). Signal fails at everything, no matter how hard she tries to blend in.

Erik figures it out almost immediately that Signal is not one of them and he is drawn to her for his own reasons - of which there are more than a few. Erik is referred to as an apex manipulator. He's handsome, charming, and incredibly intelligent. Talking to him could literally kill you, and he would never have to do a single other thing in order to make it happen. He shrugs it off to Signal, saying he has a knack for psychology and getting into peoples' heads. This makes her incredibly wary of him, especially when later on he insists it will take three weeks or less to get her to fall in love with him. Easy to see why Signal has to stay on her guard around her new friends, even when it is clear they really have actually become friends.

Jada's backstory involves sexual abuse at the hands of her step-brother; Kurt and Troy are simply referred to as hedonistic killers who enjoy long, drawn-out kills; Nobody killed her uncle and five men at a strip club; Javier doesn't say much but his scarred knuckles tell quite a story, and then there is Dennis, who has explained all of this to Signal. He is the one I mentioned previously, who did not actually have any kills to his name, but ran a website on the darkweb which drew all kinds of people with similar fantasies of torture, mutilation, and murder. He is most dangerous at a keyboard, where he can hack into any system in the world and kill from afar. Javier later explains his story in more detail to Signal, about how he beat a man to death with his bare hands, hence why the scars.

There's so much more I wanted to know about all of these teens. The second book did not disappoint at all when we got Erik's backstory as he and Signal are on the run, trying to get back to her hometown so she can clear her name and find Rose's real killer.

The second book focuses much more on Signal and Erik, and it is so hard to tell whether he is truly falling for her like she clearly is him, or if she is a means to an end for his ultimate goal. I won't spill those beans, but it is a huge part of the story. He's definitely easy to fall for and we see Signal try to fight it for a long time. I gave up trying fairly early. 

When the first book ended, Signal and Erik are set up on their way back to Ledmonton to find Rose's killer. They've cut out their kill switches and can't be traced. Unfortunately, some of the group still have their switches in; Dennis was not able to deactivate them all in time before he was caught. So, those that have the switches are sent on a new mission - kill Signal and bring Erik back to camp alive. Failure to do so will result in their own deaths.

Signal, Nobody, and Erik get tons of help along the way as they make their way to Ledmonton and the journey is never boring. The book is fast-paced and there is so much action to follow, that it would be incredibly difficult to get bored. Over the course of the book I found myself not nearly as interested in Rose's murder as how the teens would save themselves and each other. Rose was a shitty friend and yeah, she should not have been murdered so brutally, but I was drawn much more to Signal and the rest of the Killers club.

I love seeing all of the characters interact together. They are just about as ragtag a bunch as you could find, but together they gel. Sometimes I find myself bored by side characters, but none of them even really fit that title, even though it is obvious Signal is the main character. Sparks does such a fantastic job bringing them all to life and making them stand out from one another, but not in a way that was gimmicky or weird. All had their 'talents', and put them to good use.

Signal, Erik, and Nobody head to Rose's house as Signal has put some of the pieces together from the night Rose was murdered. Hard to do when one was blacked out and had no memories of the night, thus not enabling her to have assisted in her defense - not that he attorneys tried very hard, since she ended up convicted and designated a Class A anyway, right?

Book two ended up having just as many twists and turns as the first. Some I guessed, some I did not, and all were well-timed in their revelations. It was impossible to know who to trust at times, though I will say the only character I never doubted for a moment was Nobody. She is probably my most favorite of all the Killers and her fierce loyalty to Signal, and those she loves in general, was unmatched.

Through (some) not-totally unexpected series of events. Signal ends up on her own and Erik heads back to camp. Javier sends her off with a warning that if she ever sees any of them again, even him, to run. The rest know what is waiting for them when they get back to camp, but they all also know that Signal is innocent. If push comes to shove, someone WILL kill her. The Director had wanted it to be Erik, or to at least have the appearance of having been Erik. This way the whole Bonnie-and-Clyde thing they had going on while on the run would have further cemented proof in the eyes of the public that a Class A could never be trusted, never be fixed or rehabilitated. Erik is the ultimate Class A and the Director needed him - though I can't explain why without major spoilers.

I seriously need book three NOW, which is impossible because book two isn't even published yet. But if Sparks continues with the pace she has set in the first two books, I have no doubt that the third will be amazing as well. I want more backstory on the others, how they came to be at camp. Erik's whole story is laid out in this one, and it's pretty crucial to the plot.

I want to know what will happen to everyone else now that the world is aware of the camp, what the Director did to these kids, and what it means for the Wylie-Stanton Index and all of those already designated as Class As.

There is so much more story to tell and both books kept me wanting more, long after I turned the final pages. It seems kind of weird to love books full of teenage murderers who are okay being teenage murderers, but that's why the backstories are so important. Nothing is as it seems and Signal keeps discovering this over and over again.

I love Spark's ability to write some really good villains as well - let's face it, the Killers are not the actual bad guys here. The true blue villains are written just as well as the teens and made for compelling reading. Especially the Director, as well as Skye, Erik's brother.

Highly highly highly recommend both books. And the other(s, hopefully) yet to come.

Hallelujah! He Is Risen!

Wishing you all a joyous day hopefully spent with family and friends, whether or not you celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every year starting on Palm Sunday I begin this book

I treasure it for many reasons, the first and foremost being that it breaks down each day in the last week of His life. It does a fantastic job explaining and reconciling the different books of the Gospel, as each account sometimes varies wildly.

Eleanor and I are blessed with fantastic pastors - pastors who patiently answer my endless questions about how this happened or how that happened. Pastors who point me in the direction of historical secular texts that confirm events in the life of Jesus. It will probably not be a surprise that I ask A LOT of questions.

I was a little late starting the book this year unfortunately, due the chaos of these last few weeks of school and my ballooning caseload of students. I felt out-of-sorts not beginning the book on Palm Sunday. When I did finally have a moment to breathe and pick the book up, it was like a warm blanket had been wrapped around me as I was immersed once again in the familiar story of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

This book is a wonderful source of information and each day looks at the events reported by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The author then provides commentary about the Scripture, as well as maps and diagrams in color. 

Happy Easter!

Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #188

    

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

Prime First Reads

Happy Reading!
Sarah

Tackling the TBR Week 13 and 14: Apr 1 - Apr 14, 2022

I am now in year FOUR of Tackling the TBR. Slowly but surely I have made big strides in getting my TBR under control. When I first started in 2019, that list was topping out at over 5,000 books. I don't know that I will ever get below 500, but a #BookDragon can dream!

I will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month. Feel free to join in if you'd like!

Previous Week's TBR Total: 2,517

Currently Reading

Books Added to TBR: 0

Books Removed from TBR: 44

Books Reads

Books DNF-ed:

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 2,470

Happy Reading!
Sarah

NetGalley ARCs | OF COURSE THERE ARE NEW TITANIC BOOKS COMING OUT IN APRIL!

             

I received both of these books from Pen and Sword via NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.

I will never not be a sucker for a book about Titanic. This mindset has even infected my child (big surprise!) and she constantly laments how the school library makes her check out fiction books. She told me just the other day how many Titanic books they have that she wants to read, but can't because they only get one non-fiction at a time. Honestly, it's a really stupid rule. There is no danger of my child never reading. She has TONS of books at home, so many not read yet because of our never-ending love affair with the library where we find even more fiction and non-fiction treasures. Regulating a child's reading in this way is unacceptable.

But I digress.

Titanic Day by Day ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Titanic Day by Day is not a book to be read in a few sittings. It is as much a reference book about the great liner, her passengers, and crew, as anything else, given all of the exhaustively researched details it contains.

The author is the great grandson of Robert Hichens, one of Titanic's quartermasters who was at the helm of the great ship when she struck the iceberg. Hichens would survive the sinking by manning one of the lifeboats and I think this book is a wonderful tribute to not only him from his grandson, but a greater tribute to EVERYONE who lived and died that night.

This book is incredibly unique in that we are given a look at every single person who set foot on the ship during her maiden voyage. Starting on January first, the author lists events on that day related to every passenger and crew member - those who were born that day, and those who survived the sinking but died on that particular day later on. The author also includes news articles from the day, quotes from survivors, and an assortment of facts about the Ship of Dreams. As a result, we get quite a bit of information on both the American and British inquiries in the days following Carpathia's arrival in New York with the exhausted and traumatized survivors.

I truly appreciated that the author sought out information on everyone. So often we only hear about the first class passengers who lived and died, because that is the information most readily available. But second- and third-class passengers were no less important and deserve to have their stories told as well.

This book is nothing short of a labor of love and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning a bit more about those who lived and died that awful night.

Why the Titanic was Doomed ⭐⭐⭐

Full discloser, it annoys me when people say 'the Titanic'. That was not her name. Her name was Titanic, so refer to her properly please and thank you.

There are so many factors at play for why Titanic sank, that solely blaming the iceberg that tore her open is a bit silly. Over the years so much information has been discovered and made public, that chances are you have heard about everything the author discusses (if you are obsessed like I am) even if all of that information has not been confined to one book/article/etc.

There are a myriad of reasons why Titanic sank and the author posits that she was doomed before she even left Southampton on April 10th, 1912. We know about the lack of lifeboats, the rivets and sub-standard metal, the lack of wind, the missing binoculars, the lack of true watertight bulkheads (since they did not actually go all the way up to the deck above), the ignored ice warnings, Captain Smith's decision to maintain speed, and so on.

What the author has done is taken every single issue, devoted a whole chapter to its discussion, and broken down piece by piece every part of the puzzle that lead to 1,500 senseless deaths. That is the core of what the book is about, and he does not spend time recounting the disaster itself minute by excruciating minute, because that has been done several times over already. He focuses on each issue that contributed to the sinking.

The author also looks at the reasons as to why some would live while so many others would die. Specifically of course, in third class, where the majority would not make it to the decks in time to get a seat in a lifeboat.

One issue that is not often discussed is the fact that Titanic should not have even set sail in April. The original date was March 20th. However, when Olympic collided with HMS Hawke in September of 1911, many resources being used to build Titanic were shifted to making repairs to Olympic, thus pushing back her launch date. Given the weather conditions, this is huge, because warmer weather of course meant that icebergs were drifting farther south at that point than they would have been in March.

Given all the positives I have discussed, you might be wondering why only three stars. I have thought about it a lot and my reasoning for this is that there was not any new information here. I liked reading the book, it was well-researched and each flaw was given its fair share of ink. But I do not consider it a 'new and unique' look at why Titanic sank.

Even so, I do believe this would be a good book for anyone interested in looking specifically at each failure that lead to Titanic's sinking. It is clear and concise, while still offering thorough explanations.

Recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Two Truths and a Lie

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐.5

***WARNING: There will be spoilers, so don't read on unless you're okay with that.***

I should have LOVED this book. Given the premise, it should be something that I could devour in short order and it was, but by the end it was for the wrong reasons.

So, here's the deal: Nell and her theatre friends, with their theatre advisor, are on their way to a competition. It's a big deal, they could get scholarships, etc. A blizzard forces them to pull off the interstate and seek shelter at a super sketch rundown motel. Soon another group of high schoolers arrive and claim to be on their way to a robotics competition. A couple randoms also arrive, a truck driver, and the dude who the robotics team picked up on the side of the road. They're adults and all have secrets of their own.

To pass the time, the kids decide to play Two Truths and a Lie. Nell's group's advisor tells the kids to let her sleep and pops a pill, disappearing into her room for the duration of the book. Totally a responsible thing to do. The other group's advisor is not much better. Oscar is super young and also kind of creepy in an I'm-the-cool-adult-who-flirts-with-high-schoolers kind of way. The adults basically wander off, letting the kids have the run of the place.

During the game of Two Truths, the kids are having fun, Nell is flirting with Knox, a boy from the other group. It's all good until Nell (of course) pulls a slip from the pile that has the following written on it:

1. I like to watch people die
2. My least favorite food is mushrooms
3. I've lost count of how many people I've killed.

Suddenly things aren't so fun anymore and despite Nell going on and on and on about how she does the backstage stuff, isn't an actor, blah blah blah, things felt like they were getting good because the mystery was beginning to unfold.

The kids are understandably freaked out, but try to rationalize it away saying someone must have made a mistake and wrote two lies instead of two truths. But no one will admit to it. So they decide each of them will take their own slip and then anyone without a slip will be the one who wrote it. Problem is, when they do this, each kid has their own paper and the creepy one remains unclaimed.

The maintenance guy, Travis, and the owner whose name I forgot already, share some of the history of the motel. The owner talks about how there had been a double murder twenty years ago and his parents tried to keep the business going but they were not successful and that's why it is so rundown now. Travis gives a lot more details on the murders. He has a scrapbook basically of articles and stuff.

He also talks about himself in third person. Obviously we need an OBVIOUS weirdo who could be a killer, but won't actually be, because it would be TOO OBVIOUS. He clearly has had some kind of TBI that makes him act and speak the way he does, and it was a shitty weird stereotype that I hated.

The kids find an Ouija board and decide to do a séance because, why not? Most don't take it seriously, but two do - one because she has done these before and one because his religious beliefs make him believe it is incredibly dangerous.

(Side note: if you have been around a while, you know all things paranormal are my jam. But even I draw the line at Ouija boards. I don't fuck around with that stuff, EVER.)

Then in the middle of asking the spirits about the murders, the power goes out. Don't forget, there is a blizzard raging outside and they are isolated. The board does not get closed properly due to everyone being startled by the outage, and everyone is freaking out.

Everyone decided to go to bed and, OH NO! One of the girls from the other team is MURDERED! She's found hanging in the common room where they'd all hung out the night before. THEN in another's girl's room, BLOOD IS FOUND, but NO BODY!

Turns out, the robotics group was really just another theatre group on their way to the same competition and they decided to play this SUPER FUNNY joke on Nell and her crew, because of how snobby and pretentious they'd been acting. Truthfully, all the kids were annoying in various ways, and did not always read like high schoolers. They seemed very young sometimes, or at least super immature, despite being in high school.

So the joke is that the two girls are not really dead, they just used theatre props and fake blood, etc. to make Nell's team think a murderer was loose among them. Apparently Knox, the boy who Nell is crushing on, is 'super convincing' - meaning he is a douche who is very persuasive, and he basically bullied his team into pulling this prank. And their advisor, Oscar, was okay with it because he basically bullied Oscar into it too. And he like, knows stuff about the others and blackmails them into doing this.

Naturally that should make Knox a suspect when the two girls who were supposedly murdered end up missing FOR REAL.

So that next morning when all this nonsense has come to light, the kids are running around, the adults are just background at this point, and NELL looks out the window to see ANIMAL TRACKS! The owner of the motel says he will take his snowshoes and head out to get help, many miles away. The blizzard continues on and off, Nell and one of the guys end up out in the storm trying to find the owner or something, a family of undocumented immigrants is discovered freezing in the trucker's truck...all kinds of WHAT THE FUCK stuff starts coming fast.

The worst part is the reveal of the killer, which I had a pretty good idea was coming. All the sudden it's revealed but it happened so fast that I had to go back and reread because I thought I missed something.

Turns out, nope. It really just happened that way.

As you might surmise, the pacing is all over the place and that's what makes this book such a letdown. You don't have time to be surprised by the final twist because it just barrels over you and the story keeps moving. For those who don't read YA thrillers often, this might be okay, but for seasoned veterans like myself it was ridiculous. I've often said that even if I see a twist coming, it doesn't typically ruin my enjoyment of a book if there are other positives going for it. That can't be said here unfortunately.

I think the book would have been better off without the "joke' played by Knox and his crew. I get why the theatre angle was played up, because HEY IT COULD ALL BE A JOKE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S REAL! But it fell kind of flat.

There was also nothing to really help distinguish the teens from one another. I kept mixing up which kid was on which team, because they all might as well have been the same person - except Knox and Nell OF COURSE.

So, between the twists that weren't, the depiction of Travis, the random family in the truck, the bobcat lurking outside (JUST KIDDING! The murderer faked the tracks to scare everyone), and awful pacing, and bland/annoying characters, this one didn't work for me.

There was so much promise in the beginning, but in the end I have to say I can't recommend it if you're looking for a unique read.

Book Review | The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a harrowing, beautiful survival story and one I could not put down. I have read more than my fair share of such stories, but they have typically focused on those who survived the death camps, the death marches, all the cruelty Nazi Germany had to offer. That does not mean there was not cruelty in Edith Hahn's life; she was still surrounded by it every single day.

Hahn grew up in Vienna and was forced to live in a ghetto when the Nazis arrived. From there she was sent to a labor camp for many months. Her sisters had escaped the Nazis, but barely. Yet Edith stayed for her mother and her love, Pepi. He insisted it could not really be that bad. Pepi was Jewish, but his mother had him baptized as a Christian. It made no difference in the end, because he was still Jewish and the baptism was not applicable 'retroactively'. He had to hide for most of the war no matter what - as a Jew, he would be deported to a camp; as a gentile, he would be shot on-sight as a deserter from the army. His mother was also awful and hated Edith because she was Jewish and said the most awful things to her all the time, begging her to 'let Pepi go' so he wouldn't be seen with a Jewish person. I am a little disappointed that his mother survived the war, not going to lie.

But I digress.

While Hahn was held in the labor camp in Germany, her mother sent whatever little comforts she could. Hahn remarked that her mother always sent whatever she herself needed - gloves, cakes, etc. While Edith was away, the ghetto was cleared and her mother was sent off to Poland. Hahn always kept the idea in her head and heart that she would find her mother again, and the family would be reunited. It was never to be however, as her mother was murdered within a week of arrival in Poland. Though Hahn does not find this out until after the war has ended. It is absolutely gut-wrenching because logically you know elderly women were not kept alive to work, but you hold out hope nonetheless.

Hahn's survival eventually came to depend on the very monsters who were hunting her people down. After returning from the labor camp, Hahn was supposed to report to a deportation site. She never did, and spent the remaining years of the war under an assumed name of a Christian friend in a plot that would have seen them both tortured and executed on the spot had either been discovered.

Hahn takes the name of her friend in order to get the necessary papers, and lives as Grete Denner. She lived in Munich after she escaped Vienna and eventually meets a man named Werner Vetter. He is a Nazi and pursues her at all costs. He is in the midst of divorcing his wife he later reveals, and in turn Hahn confesses to being Jewish. Despite his inclination to be in the party of mass murderers, Vetter continues to insist they get married. Hahn worries about the identification papers she does not have, those which prove her family's lineage as "pure Aryan", but in the end they are allowed to wed.

Side note: One of my favorite parts of the book occurs when the war is over and Hahn returns to the office where her papers were accepted so she and Vetter could marry. She needed to do so in order to get identification with her real name this time, finally safe from the Nazis. The same officiant is working in the office and he is shocked and angry to find out she lied, that she is actually Jewish. It was a beautiful little snippet.

I can not imagine living in a state of constant, paralyzing fear. Yet Hahn performs in her role so well, never giving in to that fear. She knows what to do in order to survive, and plays the part of the dutiful German wife. For a long time Vetter resisted the idea of having a child, and his terrible temper worried me for Hahn quite a bit, but she eventually becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. Of course he is pissed because he wanted a boy. Hahn speaks of refusing any pain meds during Angela's birth, out of fear of what she might say when under their influence.

As the war rolls on and Germany's defeat becomes a foregone conclusion, Vetter is drafted. He had previously escaped this due to the fact that he was legally blind in one eye. He is captured by the Russians in battle and a prisoner for ages, though Hahn uses every professional and political connection she has to free him. You see, before the Nazis came to Vienna, Hahn was studying to become a judge. She'd completed all her classes and only had to take the final exam. Yet the day she showed up to do so, she was turned away (with glee, I might add). After the war she was able to fulfill her goal and become a judge.

It was through these connections she was finally able to get Vetter home, though it did not last long. He still went on and on about her Jewish blood infecting their daughter, which confused me. If the Germans were so superior, shouldn't their blood have been "stronger"? GTFO of here, you Nazi scum, is all I have to say about that.

Hahn eventually leaves Germany for good when the Stasi is growing, and she is repeatedly asked to spy on her friends and acquaintances. Under the guise of visiting her sister in England, Hahn escapes for good. The heartbreaking turn of events means she will never practice law, never sit as a judge again. But she survives, as does her daughter.

Hahn was urged by her daughter to tell her story, and for that I am grateful. here we have a complete record of how one woman was able to do the unthinkable - live opening among the very people who hated her and would have wanted her dead had they known her true identity. I worried throughout the book whenever Vetter was angry, that he would turn her in, but that never happened. They divorced eventually when he went back to his first wife. That didn't last long however, and soon he was divorced again. He'd marry four more times before passing away in 2002.

Hahn kept every single piece of paper she was issued over her years in hiding, and when her daughter discovered these, she convinced her mother to give the photos and documents to the world. They are now part of the permanent collection at the Holocaust Museum in DC.

As memoirs from this period often do, this felt like much more of a conversation between Hahn and myself. I was there only to listen to her incredible tale of survival, to be in awe of a courageous woman who kept going, day after day, never knowing if that dreaded knock at the door in the middle of the night would come.

My only slight issue is the title - it is a bit misleading. Vetter worked for most of the war as a supervisor in a paint factory. He was only sent to fight near the end of the war, something he had avoided previously due to his blindness in one eye. But truly, it doesn't even matter all that much, because Hahn's story is so remarkable. She survived.

Highly recommended.

Stacking the Shelves #187

   

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

Library Treasures
NONE!

Two weeks in a row now I have not acquired any new books. I am really trying to focus on my TBR and what I have on my shelves and my Kindle. It won't last forever, but I am trying!

Happy Reading!
Sarah