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 - E-ARC - ALC - Suspense - Mystery - Thriller - Debut Novel I just finished How to get away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson and here are my musings. When the body of a 14 year old is murdered in a local park, DI Samantha Hansen who has been on leave for six months after a breakdown.. Trudging back into the station. Her body was found with a book called How to get away with murder by Denver Brady. A literal how to guide to murder and literally getting away with it. The book claims to be a serial killer's crime diary and how he got away with it but what does this book have to do with the murder… Is there more to the author? Can Sam help bring the murderer to justice while finding out how much of the crimes in the book are true? This was a really different book than I was expecting in the best possible way. This little book gremlin had an arc and an alc and I have to say both formats were excellent. The narration was really solid. I have to say that I was most intrigued with the book.. I also wondered how true it all was but was too afraid to google it haha I really liked Sam. I felt she was very realistic and you can feel she had trauma. She wasn’t prepared to come back to work but she walked across the crime scene and that was the push she needed. It wasn’t a fast paced thriller. It brought all the information slowly and it led to quite the build up. My fave part was that I had no idea who killed her. I was actively trying to solve it but NOPE! The only downside was it was a touch monotonal and that was the only thing that I found a bit of a con. Really good writing. It was very very entertaining and I was hooked from start to finish. 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress @macmillanaudio for my gifted copies. #bookblogger #readersoffacebook #booklover #bookcommunity #lionessofliteracy #bookpodcast
Book Review - ALC audiobook - Historical Fiction - Family Drama - Double Agent The Star Society by Gabriella Saab When Ada discarded her life after the war and became a Hollywood star… She never expected that her resistance work would come back to bite her. Ingrid escaped the invasion and fled to Washington. She is now a private investigator and she is sent to Hollywood to sniff out nazi influence. Her target… Ada… Her sister… The narration was brilliant and it was probably the worst thing about the book. Yep this book… It’s that good. It's absolutely beautifully written and I was charmed from the get go. I had historical fiction set in the post war era fatigue but something about this book called to me. I am so glad I took the chance because it's clever how the author blended historical details with fictional characters and it felt real. Like this really happened. Historical fictions tend to have a slower pace because they build the historical information we need. This book was well paced and the story was so tight I could not find one plot hole. I felt like I was really in old Hollywood.. It was amazing. I was hooked from start to finish and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction with a brilliant balance of character driven with an excellent plot. 6 stars! YEP!!!! Thank you @netgalley and @harpermuse for my gifted ALC! #bookreview #bookblog #bookishblog #readerblog #historicalfiction
Book review - Fiction - Paperback ARC - Series - Mystery - Police Procedural I just finished First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong - Haven’s rock Book 4 and here are my musings. Casey Duncan and Sheriff Dalton are living their best lives.. They are raising their baby in their sanctuary town of Haven’s rock. Except their private town is in danger of being exposed. One of the hikers that found the border of the town is found dead the next day, the people of the town have no idea who these people are, why they were where they were and how much danger they are all in. Big big fan of Kelley Armstrong and this is one of the series I have invested my time in. I really like the offgrid living which is one of the reasons I keep coming back to this series. I am a sucker for small town tropes and it doesn’t get smaller than this. I love Casey and Dalton.. I am super invested in them as characters. Dalton is such a protector and I love that too. I always love this author's writing.The pacing is on point and I love all the twists and turns that are executed with perfection. It’s going to be bitter sweet having this series end. 4 stars Thank you to @minotaur_books for my gifted copy. #canadianauthor #bookrecs #bookseries #bookalorian #literaryinfluencer
Book review - Fiction - Audiobook - horror - Vampires - Paranormal Hollow by Celina Myers Mia is not even 25 when she dies in a car crash… and wakes as a vampire. Knowing she cannot go back to her old life… She has to decide which vampire clan she is joining… 2 clans with old feuds via for her and a gift she lost as she grew older has started to return and she needs it to protect innocent lives. I was super sonic excited to read this book…. I kept seeing it on booksta and I was so pumped… It was boring. The book only covered a few days and nothing much happened. The vampire plot was fine and we got a lot of world building around it but it wasn’t massively interesting. I had to go back and listen a few times because I stopped paying attention. All the good stuff happens at the end and it was so rushed. It wasn’t a terrible book… It just wasn't brilliant but maybe I am too old now for this kind of book? 3.5 stars Thank you @netgalley #bookblogger #bookreader #booklover #booklorian #lionessofliteracy #bookish
Book review - Fiction - ebook - Fantasy I just finished The Younger Gods by Katie Shepard and here are my musings. Iona headed the rebellion of mortals to overthrow the Gods… Losing her betrothed has broken her more than that last battle ever could have. In a moment of grief, ione makes a deal with her former patron goddess… If she can convince Taran, her love, to follow her home from the underworld, he can live again. If she fails… she will be trapped there forever. As soon as she arrives she finds the dead gods have been reborn and are out for revenge and the worst part.. Taran is one of them and his reincarnation does not remember her… Can she stop the next war? Can she get Taran out of the underworld? That was one beautifully fun ride!! I really like the story of Opheus and Eurydice and this one loosely fits their Greek mythology… It is loosely.. Very loosely based and I really liked how this story panned out. It was totally heartbreaking. She travels to the underworld in her heartbreak just to find out he has no clue who she is but dang it hurts my heart. I thought the characters were well written and I fell in love with Taran and Iona and the love they had before he forgot her. I thought the writing was so beautiful and the slow burn worked really well. I usually like a more expedient pace but this was clever and I felt drawn right into the story. 4.5 stars I cannot wait to see what happens next!! Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy. #berkleypub #romance #fantasy #greekretelling #booklover #bookishblogger
Book review - Fiction - E-arc - Historical Fiction - Historical Mystery - Romance I just finished The Bookbinder's Secret by A. D. Bell and here are my musings. Lily is an apprentice to a master book binder and isn’t pleased with the constraints of her life. Being an apprentice in a man's world… But when she was given a burned book during a visit to a collector she finds something so much more under the binding… A love letter… a 50 year old love letter. Getting pulled into the mystery of this forbidden romance, she becomes obsessed but she is not the only one looking for the books with more of the hidden pages… Is finding the truth worth her life? Is it a risk she is willing to take? Well I was definitely charmed by the characters. Lily was so warm and I really was cheering her on. I liked how all the characters added a new emotional depth to the story! So very clever. This book was tight!!! It was well paced for historical fiction and it was clever. No loose threads. I love that! I couldn’t put the dang thing down! I should have gone to bed… I had to finish. The just one more chapter thing turned into I am so close to finishing. It's beautifully written. I was thoroughly entertained. I loved the vibes…. I loved the descriptive details of the book stores and I was invested in the letters too. I could smell paper and leather. It's a beautiful balance of plot vs character and so well done. All in all it was a great read! 4.5 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #historicalfiction #romance #mystery #bookish #bookdragon #readersofbooktok #readertok #bookalorian #litdulterous #podcaster
Book review - Fiction - audiobook - sci-fi Artificial Truth by J.M. Lee When KC Kim, tech genius and creator of the top of the line AI dies of cancer, no one believes it and his widow Minju is looked upon with suspicion. 6 years on she moved on and remarried but she can’t help feeling like KC isn’t really gone. She sees him on her walk.. His fav custom shoes arrive at the house. Is KC reaching out from beyond the grave or the AI realm? This one was super intriguing. It was a bit bland with the structure and the tone of the book but the plot was super exciting. I found the characters massively lacklustre but it didn’t seem to matter because all the sci-fi stuff was the magic here. It was well paced too which makes up for the monotone of the writing. I found the science fiction parts to be fascinating. It felt realistic and it was both terrifying and exhilarating to know this could be our future one day. I enjoyed the narration and if you like sci-fi… you will enjoy this one. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley #bookinfluencer #bookinfluencing #bookblog #bookshblog #blogger #bookpodcast #podcaster #bookish #bookbusiness
Book Review - Fiction - Audiobook - Romance Never Over by Clare Gilmore Paige has the chance to be a songwriter but her songs lack real world emotion… In a shocking move she reaches out to her ex Liam… A man she has not had contact with in 4 years… She wants him to date her and break her heart. For some mental reason he agrees. 2 months of travelling for Liam’s work, sharing beds and remembering the past has old feelings reigniting but can she keep her eye on the prize? I thought the concept of this book was a little weird. Seeking out an ex to break your heart… An ex just going along with it.. Weird. Paige was a bit of a flake, easily led and I didn’t want that from this book. It took ages for me to settle in but once I did, I really did like it. The ending was good and the narration was amazing. It was different and it took some time but I am glad I read it. 3.5 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookreview #bookishblogger #bookdragon #readersofig #reading
Book Review - Fiction - Young Adult - YA - Mystery - Thriller - Horror I just finished Night Terror by Vincent Ralph and here are my musings. What kind of maniacs hold up a bookstore? The kind looking for an urban legend.. A book… The Burning book. Something sinister comes out of the pages and it wants to feast on human flesh.. Can Noah and the other hostages make it out of the mall without unleashing a blood bath on their town? Brainnnnnnnsssssss zombiesssssssssssss brainnnnnnnnsssss haha If you have been subscribed for a while, then you know I did book 1 - Dead Fake and loved the vibes… This is book 2 and it was just as good a read. The best part is it works as a standalone so yay for the author being a rock star! This one does have more of the horror vibes opposed to the mystery/thriller that book one had going on. I dug it. I like horrors and it wasn’t insane either so if you don’t read a lot of horror, it won’t matter because it has that glossy fearstreet vibes. The pacing was phenomenal. The story kept moving and the pages kept getting flipped like I was Johnny 5 needing input. I was engrossed. I did find that the author played a fast and loose game with conventions within the genre but I actually loved it! It was clever, unique and something I will now expect whenever I pick up one of his books! This installment follows Noah and he was really well written. He didn’t have those teen-douche vibes and came across as a decent kid. LOVED THAT!!! I also highly enjoyed that the book was set in a creepy-ass mall. It was a solid follow up to my kind of YA series. I liked the messy… I liked the tone and I was 100% entertained. Cannot wait to see where this series goes next. ⭐ Rating: 4 Chaos level: 3 Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for my gifted copy and to @vincentralphwriter for bringing me zombies. Highly recommend! Thank you for being a subscriber! https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A - Book podcast #yahorrorreads #bookalorian #exclusivecontent #zombies #readercommunity
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