The Violin Makers Daughter by Sharon Maas
Stacey • July 28, 2019
A riveting tale of impressionable Sarah, an apprentice violin maker and non-practising Jew in the midst of a raging war, systematically spreading throughout Europe. The first time the Nazi’s appear they decide to hide their Jewish background and stay in their beloved family home. The terrorizing wait to see if they can remain hidden and be left in peace…. The ultimate betrayal eventually comes to call and their status of Aryan decent has come into question and they are given a week to provide the paperwork… The countdown begins.
The time has come to flee but they cannot flee together. They must separate and go in smaller groups. Sarah must go alone and she must leave first. Her life depends on her ability to blend in, keep her head down, trust the people she does not know, to keep her safe. She must learn to keep her emotions in check. Keeping the despair of leaving her family from bubbling to the surface and her blind hatred for all Germans under wraps as to not draw attention to herself.
On her journey she mets Ralf, German and a soldier. She still can’t bring herself to trust him, even after her saves her life. Now he’s on the run too and agrees to get Sarah safely to where she needs to be. During their journey he will do much more than just protect her…. He will teach her to avoid detection, master her emotions, be brave and how to survive… He shows her that just as a war can destroy and create hate, It doesn’t have the power to stop an all consuming love.
Hiding their identities and deny who they are as the race from safe house to safe house, Ralf and Sarah continue their journey together. All too soon Ralf is captured and Sarah has a choice to make.
The weight of the world seems to rest on the shoulders of young Sarah. Having no world knowledge and being held in practically like a hostage in her home by a war she doesn’t understand and the full gravity of it being held secret by her parents. All she wants to do is make violins and put the love and careful attention to detail into each and every one. When the pounding on their door comes that night and Sarah now knows what her parents were keeping from her. She must leave the safety of her home, of her family and make the dangerous journey to safety. The rough terrain and the soldiers everywhere. Not knowing who she can trust, keeping a part of herself hidden so she can remain undetected. She has to keep her wits about her and ultimately her eye on the prize.
You can feel the emotional rollercoaster she is on. You literally watch her throw off her adolescences and transition into womanhood in such a quick succession, it would make anyones head spin. It really comes to a head when she is saved by a young German Soldier, Ralf who is now on the run too, having risked his life to save her and her friend Eric.
The journey is, at times, agony to read. Sarahs hatred for all Germans is so black and white that she can’t, at first, see there is so much grey all around her. Everything she says, everything she does, every small detail has to be just right in order to avoid detection. She has no life skills to help her on this life or death quest to safety. She is learning as she goes.
The whole book from start to finish is like watching Sarah mature from a naive caterpillar into a butterfly of knowledge. Her full transition from child to woman is painfully played out and you will feel every emotion right along with her. My heart was so full to bursting and the tears were hard to bite back knowing she was wholly dependent on herself and trying to navigate her feelings for a man she barely knows and didn’t trust in the beginning. No experiences to draw on and no Mother to ask. The whole book had me reeling with the simplicity of tale and the complexity of a world that we today, cannot comprehend. You could almost hear the footsteps of the Soldiers along the cobble stone streets and feel the pounding on the front door.
I’ve never read any of Sharon Maas’ work before, which is shocking to me as I am an avid historical fiction reader. This book was right on the money for me. You can feel the fear of the unknown, the hatred and the violence of a time that the author herself, didn’t live through but really has a way with the written word. I felt like I was living through 1940s France. The hairs on my arms would stand on end whenever she came to a check point. The air of silent terror really played out well through the whole book for me.
I really felt love can conquer all, even hatred. Historical fiction enthusiasts should really add this to their reading pile. If you enjoy having your heart beating as fast as a drum, having sweaty palms so slick you can barely hold the book any more and breathing so quietly so the Nazi’s can’t hear you, then this is the read for you.
Sincerely, The Lioness
Book review - Fiction - psychological thriller - dark - twisty Dead in the Water by John Marrs Damon doesn’t expect to survive a near drowning and have his life flash before his eyes but that is what happens and now everywhere he looks… He sees a dead little boy. A face he doesn’t remember but can see it vividly. The obsession to know who this boy is and what it means… Becomes all he can see. The only way he can find the truth is to get close to death again. Dangerous and in need of help, he finds someone online willing to do what needs to be done… To help him die but the more he learns… The more his life begins to really unravel. OOOHH so much to unpack and I am so glad to see my most hated character from The Good Samaritan!! I was telling my cousin in our podcast I needed to see her get her just desserts and the dish was served!!! Something you should always know about John Marrs… He brings the information in slow deliberate steps… The more you learn the more it all makes sense. It was bone chilling! I love when he gives us sprinkles of easter eggs from other books of his and this one brought it in spades. UGH DAMON!!!! There is sooo much I don’t want to spoil but I NEED to talk about it but I will do my best to not say anything I wouldn’t want to read. He really gets it raw. His wife prefers women and moves on from him but they have a connection and remain friends. He still loves her and that must be so hard. Now that's how it starts but you learn so much about Damon, things he didn’t know and you will go through the 5 stages of grief. The story was insane but you learn to expect these kinds of things and I rarely see the twists coming which is why he is one of my fave authors. I loved how it ended. Watching it all unfold… I was so happy with how it all panned out. It was dark… It was terrifyingly gripping. The narration was amazing, I already ordered my physical copy! 5 stars If you know me, you know he is brill so check out my latest episode of my podcast with this taking a good portion of the episode. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4f2xMa6C90zn3ydk8RJFtO Thank you to @brillianceaudio for my gifted copy OUT NOW!!! #johnmarrs #deadinthewater #eastereggs #bookreview #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishblog #bookreader #readerofig #readerblog
Book review - Fiction - Paperback ARC - Magical Realism - Contemporary - Fantasy I just finished The Unwritten Rules of Magic by Harper Ross and here are my musings. Emerson feels out of control of her life and when her father, who was suffering from Alzheimer's passes away.. She feels unmoored. All she wants is his typewriter, the one he told her never to touch. She finds typing him letters helps her to process. To become happier. Her mother wants to move on but is living at the bottom of a bottle. The more she helps her mother pack up her life, the more disturbing things she uncovers she knows she should destroy the typewriter. The object that made things worse not better and the devastating effects it has had on their lives. I admit, I did not read the synopsis and I was a tad disappointed that there was not more magic in the book. We only really see the magical realism in the pages her father has written. This book is loaded with grief and trauma. I wish it had been titled differently but it does not change how I feel about the book. It was beautifully heartbreaking. The story was told with such finesse I read it in one sitting. It all hinges around the death of an author, Emerson’s father and how his success thanks to the typewriter destroyed his family. It was so well written and I was hooked. I wanted to know what path Emerson would choose. I was so bloody invested I stayed up past my bed time. Yeah, dedicated or what! I liked how it ended. It gave me all the feels. It was just what I needed to be honest and the pacing was great!! If you love magical realism with family drama and grief.. This is the one for you! 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress #smpearlyreaders for my gifted copy #bookblog #bookish #readerblog #bookishblog #blog #fantasyreader #bookpod #bookinfluencer
Book review - Fiction - Audiobook - thriller - Mystery - romance Call Me Anytime by Max Monroe Hannah May needs a job immediately. She is taking care of her mother and a telemarketing job interview is something at least… Except it's not telemarketing… It’s a sex chatline and she is so desperate she can’t even turn it down.. Trouble is she is a virgin so she has no idea how to do this. What she doesn’t expect is her first call to be from a cop looking for a killer and doesn’t realize he isn’t looking to get off… Detective Dominic Dunn finds her oddly charming and there is definitely a connection but he needs to find a murderer and the sex chat phone number seems to be the key to finding out who is killing these phone workers… and Hannah could be next… I am not going to lie, I found the book quite comical! It gave it all to me… Intrigue, laughs… twists… danger… It was one of the best audio thrillers I have ever done. I liked Hannah… Her attempts to dirty talk at first just had me laughing my ass off!! Her mother has Alzheimer's and she thinks she is really in NCIS and I love the show too so I loved these moments as well. I liked the plot line with who is killing the chat workers. It was really clever and I really enjoyed it. I was charmed by Dominic and Hannah’s connection. Normally I don’t like the romance parts in books like this but this worked really well for me. I can’t find any cons in this book. Not one…. I already ordered my hard cover trophy and I highly recommend grabbing this one. 5 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy and @brillianceaudio #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast #bookpod #bookblog #bookalorian #goodreads #booklover #bookcommunity
Book review - Fiction - paperback ARC - YA Young Adult - Fantasy - Romance - Romantasy I just finished The Sun and the Star Maker by Rachel Griffin and here are my musings. Aurora lives for the tales of the Starmakers magic… She never expected in her wildest dreams to one day meet him… He can sense some power within her and entices her to come study with him… He is cold and he keeps her at a distance but that doesn’t stop Aurora from feeling the pull.. With the deadly frost approaching, can she shake loose the secrets in order to save them from an endless winter? I was super stoked to get a copy of this book. Look at it. It’s got a beautiful cover.. Amazing storyline… It has a beautiful and sweet romance with that grumpy sunshine trope we all adore. Those were only some of the amazing things this book has to offer. I really loved Aurora. She was so sweet and kind… I could feel a connection to her as a character. I was utterly charmed by her. Caspian really took time to warm up… See what I did there. HEHE. It was a nice dynamic. I liked how they were together. It was lovely. I massively enjoyed the writing style. It was well paced, and had a nice flow too. They painted such a beautiful picture and I was so enthralled. I did miss some of the magical system things… It was great but it wasn’t as indepth as I would have liked. I loved the enchanted castle.. SIGHHHH + Such a solid read. 4.5 stars Thank you to @sourcebooksfire for my gifted copy. Out feb 17th 2026 #bookinfluencer #bookreview #bookblog #bookishblog #bookreader #reader #readbooks #lionessofliteracy #litdulterous #bookpodcast https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A - The Litdulterous Whore
I just finished Howling Women By Shelby Hinte and here are my thoughts. Sabine has spent her life running. She is currently running from a perfectly nice husband and her boyfriend… She ends up in New Mexico and meets a woman who calls herself the Howling woman. Unable to escape her abusive past, she is haunted in her present. After she shoots a man from her past with the howling woman, she now has to explain the events that lead her to that one violent act. I was mostly drawn to the cover because the synopsis was wild…. I was sucked right in. We start off with Sabine and she’s already been arrested and then it jumps back in time to just after she ran and what happened in her childhood. It’s a solid plot but the magic is in the characters. They are unique and robust.. The howling woman is the epitome of a secondary pivotal character and how they can be used to make a story really strong. It was a powerful story of abuse and the devastation of the aftermath of not dealing with it. I felt connected and enthralled by how Sabine found and connected with different people. It was good, some really solid writing here. The pacing was a tad slow but it worked really well here. 4 stars Thank you @blackstonepublishing and @netgalley for my gifted copy. Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #thehowlingwomen #bookish #bookreview #bookalorian #litdulterous #literature #literaryinfluencer #bookpodcast #bookinfluencer #bookreel #bookreview #bookblog
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Book review - fiction - audiobook - paranormal romance Undead and Unwed by Sam Tschida Imagine being undead and a hot mess… Tiffenie is single with a dead end job at the blood bank. When she finds out her stolen identity has inherited an old house in Vermont… She has nothing holding her back.. After accidentally unaliving her neighbour, the two of them head off. Things are looking up except when her ex Vlad finds her and he has things to say about the way she is living her undead life. I bloody loved this book!! What a clever and unique story!! I loved Tiffenie! She wasn’t the kind of vampire that makes things go bump in the night! She is just like you and me… A mess… Trying to get through the day (or night)! I really loved the lore of the vampires and how they are supposed to live and her grating against it. I liked Vlad too! I think he loves her in a way that he would be willing to make endless night for her. SIGHHH I liked the writing, I loved the narration and I am so glad I got this one! 4 stars Than you to @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookcommunity #bookalorian #bookinfluencer #bookish #bookdragon
Book review - Fiction - ALC Audiobook - Romance - Fantasy - Romantasy Tempest Awakening by Emma Moon Tess never expected to become a part of the world she loved to read about in her books but that is what happens. Landing a job in a magical library has her pinching herself at her luck… Then something she never expects… To bond to one of the most powerful dragons… A mere human and it has the magical world in a tizz. Can she make it through the training? Or will she be everything her mother says she is? I actually found this audiobook to be pretty dang good! Yes it's pretty generic… A touch cringey but I kinda adored it. This is book one and I think the author did a good job of introducing us to Tess (Tempest) and the three men gravitating to her… The gargoyle is my favorite! They were friends as kids and he left her life when she was 9 so that was such a sweet reunion for me. It did a decent enough of world building without leaning too heavy on character vs plot so that was a pleasant surprise Some of the things you can expect… She loves books Slow burn Reverse harem Dragons Fae Shifters And a ton of cute banter. I liked it. I know a lot of people had rather negative things to say but I think it was a great start to a series I’m intrigued by. 4 stars #supernaturalromance #bookishblog #readersofig #bookinfluencer #magicallibrary
Book review - Fiction - Ebook - ARÇ - Dark Academia - New Adult - Dark Romance ★ Dark academia meets Southern Gothic in this emotionally intense, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally gray, twisted college romance filled with secrets, violence, and impossible love I just finished Pretty Vicious. A Southern Gothic Dark Academia Romance by Lexi Davis and here are my musings. Laurel was just delivering pizza when she ends up witnessing a murder and ends up a prisoner of The Order, a dangerous society that rules with violence and Carrson Ashford doesn’t plan on letting her go.. He has marked her as his but she’s not willing to to be claimed without a fight… DANGGGGGG I am still not over this book. That cliffhanger… GAHHHHHHH… It's been on my mind for days….and days…… It literally started out with a massive crescendo and I was hooked… One of the things I don’t like in books normally… dual POVs but I didn’t know I needed to see Carrson’s POV until I got it and it really rounded this story out. It was a slow burn… I didn’t mind that as we got each character development in a really clever way and you can actually see how and why they connect the way they do. I loved the way the story unfolded and you are in for some of the best triggers! I enjoyed the writing and the build up! I really enjoyed this book! I devoured it in one sitting! Cannot wait to see where the story goes. 4.5 stars Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookreview #enemiestolovers #booklover #bookblog #readersofig #bookblogger #reader #bookalorian
I just finished The Hanging Dolls by Ruhi Choudhary and here are my musings. Zoe Storm is called in when Lily Baker’s, a little girl who went missing, body was found in the woods. A tree nearby has 3 nooses hanging from the branches. What does it mean? When another girl goes missing from her bed, Zoe knows she is racing against the clock to find her alive. I think I just found my next series. I love Zoe Storm. She is dedicated and with her background, she has a unique perspective in her role as an FBI agent. She is fearless and flawed and I need that in my life. I did an audiobook version which was AMAZING!! I thought the plot and tone of the book were on point and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the whole book. I liked the pace and everything was done with perfection. I did get a tad confused on who was who a couple of times but that was probably just me. It was a great thriller and I highly recommend it. 4 stars thank you @bookouture for my gifted copy Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #thehangingdolls #ruhichoudhary #thriller #thrilleraudio #audiobook #booktube #bookalorian #bookish #litdulterous #netgalley #audiobookgirlie #thrillerbooks
