166. The War Below

The War Below. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. 2014. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The corpses around me provided an odd sort of comfort. Those people had been my friends and fellow captives. We had worked alongside each other during long, harsh months in the Nazi slave camp, helping each other when we could. 

Premise/plot: The War Below is a companion book to Skrypuch's Making Bombs for Hitler. Luka, a side character in Making Bombs for Hitler, now has his own book. The War Below chronicles Luka's time after his escape from the Nazi camp. He faces dangers from the Soviets and the Nazis. The risks abound, but freedom is everything. Well, survival is everything. It won't be easy. Every single day...and night...poses risks and dangers. It seems almost impossible, always out of reach. But as long as there is life there is hope. 

My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. To be fair, I went into this book already love, love, loving Luka. I was already 1000% invested in his story. And though I knew--from reading Making Bombs for Hitler--that Lida and Luka would find each other again after the war, this one still kept me turning pages. 

Both books are so well-written. Definitely recommended. Yes, they are intense, super-intense. But they are so GOOD. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews