Book Review : Shadow of Death by Miranda Stauffer

Shadow of Death by Miranda Stauffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As far as I remember, I haven't read a WWII related book in a long time so when the author Miranda asked me to review her book, I was more than happy.

The war always reminds me of the movie 'Schindler's List' & instantly makes me sad. It isn't an easy subject & I always feel that historical stories are far more difficult to handle than regular fiction. I believe Miranda has a done a beautiful job.

Shadow of Death is a WWII saga of betrayal, doubts & love. Derek Lorenz is a young lieutenant, a strong leader but not cruel. All the massacre & destruction starts taking a toll on his sanity. Analaise is partly Jewish, has lost her parents to the war & turned into a resistance fighter. When she lands in Neustadt, she finds an unexpected friendship in Katya & a strong attraction towards Derek. The attraction is mutual but they both know the consequences hence can't act on it. Love can be found in very unusual circumstances & can make you do things you wouldn't generally think of doing but then loyalty & authority is also very strong. This is story of finding love, loyalty & heart in difficult circumstances.

The characters are built well & the story-line is gripping. Some of the scenes are mind-numbing and truly depict the grim situation. The only weak point would be the book's length, I feel it could do with a bit of more editing.

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Book Review : Gina & Mike

Gina & Mike by Buffy Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Gina & Mike is story of 2 high-school sweethearts. They're made for each other & intend to spend their lives together. Unfortunately Gina gets raped by her teacher and in order not to spoil her boyfriend's career doesn't tell anyone about it. But the mental pressure takes a toll on their relationship.
20 years down the line, she meets Mike again at their school reunion.

To be honest, the book was just okay; nothing great. In the beginning of the book, I felt the narration was a bit immature but considering it was supposed to written by a teenager, I thought this was done purposely. However when the story moves on and even a hotshot attorney uses the similar style. Considering the author is already a Journalist & has her own blog, I expected more. Unless you are a teenager & like very easy read, I wouldn't recommend it.



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