The Angel of Vienna – ARC Book Review

Nazi-occupied Vienna, 1940: A young nurse finds herself with the chance to save innocent children. An unmissable and heartbreaking story—based on devastating real events—about tragedy, hope and courage in the face of impossible odds.

“These children, who the Nazis don’t even see as human, these children are innocent. And, Hannah, if you have the chance to save even one of them, you know what you have to do. Even if it puts your own life at risk.”

As bombs fall over Europe, Hannah Stern is a twenty-seven-year-old nurse, who is just trying to survive. When she takes a position at Vienna’s esteemed psychiatric hospital, Am Steinhof, she thinks it will take her away from the danger.

Her estranged half-brother has arranged the job for her on the condition that she must take his son, Willi there too. He insists it’s a place where Willi will be safe. And Hannah soon forms a close bond with the sweet, fragile child in her care.

At first the hospital seems like a safe haven—a beautiful, airy, spacious place of healing and recovery. But the hospital is a place of secrets. And they are darker than Hannah could ever have imagined. Children, ones just like Willi, are disappearing—not to be healed as promised, but taken somewhere else. Somewhere terrible.

And when Willi’s own life comes under threat—in spite of her half-brother’s position of power in the Nazi military—Hannah must overcome her own fears and act. Then she discovers one of the other nurses is also trying to help patients escape, and Hannah becomes determined to help in any way she can.

But she is only one person up against the enemy. And to save even just one life from the grip of the Nazis, she must risk her own…

The most unmissable historical fiction of the year, guaranteed to leave readers in tears. Perfect for fans of My Name is Eva, All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

This is truly an emotional and heartbreaking story based on true events that happened during the Nazi rule.

The Nazis did not just persecute Jews–they persecuted Gypsies as well as disabled children and people. This story talks about how a brave woman sacrificed her own life to save disabled children from getting murdered.

Hannah became a nurse at a prestigious psychiatric hospital in Vienna, Austria, thanks to her half-brother’s connection. She agreed to become a nurse there on one condition–that she had to look after her nephew Willi who is disabled. At first, the hospital is just like a normal ordinary hospital. But soon, Hannah comes to realize that the hospital is not what it seems. Children starts going into a special treatment but never return back to their beds. This was a part of the plan to remove all the disabled children–a part of Nazi’s eradication plan.

As a person who had done German history, this book was truly emotional and heartbreaking. I may have said this same thing in Holocaust books but killing innocent disabled children was somewhat disturbing and emotional to me. Worst case is that these murders and experiments happened in real life, which made it more heartbreaking. The author has done a good job of captivating the reader into the story and must have done tremendous research to this story. The heroine, Hannah Stern has become a favorable character and is portrayed as a courageous woman who would do anything to save those innocent children. All in all, this is a page turner and emotional rollercoaster ride, that will not allow you to put the book down.

If you are someone who is interested in WWII history, I recommend you to read this book. Guaranteed, this book will keep you up all night and will make you cry till the end. Worth fill five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.