The Woman at the Gates – ARC Book Review

1944, Germany: Gazing through the barbed wire fence, up to the pale blue sky, Antonia dreams of home: cherry orchards, golden fields, and the man she loves, who she may never see again…

Resistance fighter Antonia is out in the forest behind her family’s beloved farm when the Nazi soldiers arrive. As she sees her sister Lena and her young nephews herded towards the trucks, guns pointed at their heads, she faces a split-second, heart-wrenching decision: to stay hidden, stay free and continue the fight. Or to give herself up and go with her family to protect them—no matter what lies ahead.

As she clutches her nephew’s little hand in hers, her other arm tight around Lena, she knows she has made the right choice. And as the truck rattles towards a brutal labor camp, and they start to wonder what fate has in store for them, Antonia’s only thought is of how to escape.

Because before they were captured, Antonia worked tirelessly to free her country from those who had turned her homeland into a bloody battleground. By her side had been clever, handsome Viktor. The man she was to marry, whose love shone like a light in the darkness of war surrounding them.

Antonia does not know if Viktor has been caught or executed. But she knows she must try to find a way back to him and she cannot wait any longer to be saved. Her precious nephews will die without proper food and they could all be killed at any moment.

The world outside the camp gates is full of danger, but they have to find a way through them first. And that is their only hope, even if it costs Antonia her life. The Nazis have taken everything from her, but they can never take away her courage…

A heartbreaking, inspiring and totally unforgettable story of the unbelievable courage and determination of extraordinary people in the darkest days of war. Fans of Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy, and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be gripped from the very first page until the final, heart-stopping conclusion.

No. of pages:- 347 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Date published:- will be published on September 2nd 2021

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:- 3.5/5

After reading The Girl from the Mountains, I was super excited to read her next novel, The Woman at the Gates this time, based in Ukraine about resistance movement.

Antonia is a professor at the university and she secretly is involved in freeing her country from the warshed. She works with a handsome man named Viktor. However, when Nazis take over the country, Viktor disappeared and Antonia assumed he is dead. She along with her sister, Lena and her nephews were taken to a labor camp and Antonia hacks up a plan to escape from the brutal camp.

The fact that this story was written based on true events fascinated me as many of you know, I am a sucker for WWII and Holocaust stories (be it fiction or non fiction). The first part of the story was a bit boring but nonetheless, I got hooked into the story, wanting to know what’s going to happen to Antonia, what really happened to Viktor and if Antonia and her lover Ivan would end up marrying together. The author seemed to have done tremendous research about the events that happened during the WWII in Ukraine, how these courageous men and women fought for freedom seemed all too realistic that there were parts in the book where it was emotional and heartbreaking. Though I would say, I liked The Girl from the Mountains more than this book, I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you Chrystyna for inviting me to review this book and thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.