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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Shadow War by Lindsay Smith
3.0
The moment I got this book in my Book Box Club I was very excited! The cover looked amazing, the story sounded very promising and I was quite curious what it would be like to mix Nazi's with monsters. However, for the Book Box Club books we always do this buddy read, which meant that I had to wait to get started. But last Monday it was finally time to dive into this book. Since I didn't wanna take the book with me to my parents, I finished a little early though.
It's hard to pinpoint why this book wasn't as amazing as I had hoped it would be. I really loved the Shadow World for example. I loved the idea of a parallel universe, I loved the idea that of course humans would find a way to destroy that universe and I loved the idea that of course people would find a way to abuse the monsters now living in the shadow realm. I especially loved that this was not so much rooted in fantasy, but in science.
However, I had an issue connecting with the characters and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. Their backstories are all heartbreaking. They've all suffered in their own way. They've seen things no kids their age should see. They've done things no kids their age should do. But the emotional connection wasn't there. I read what they went through, I read what they endured, I read about all the horrible circumstances, but for some reason I never really felt it.
Just like the book felt really black and white for me. Everyone who was actively fighting against the Nazi's, and only if you could prove you had actually done something significant, was good. Everyone else was just bad. I understand where the anger comes from, but I'm glad that in the Netherlands, especially since Germany is our neighbor, we've reached a point in time where we are willing to understand the power of fear and willing to see people as more than just pro or against. I missed that a little in this book, especially towards the Germans who were trying to help, even if they were not yet ready to take the big risks.
And, last but not least, in this case I don't think it was needed for all the characters to end up with a love interest to get their happy ending...
It's hard to pinpoint why this book wasn't as amazing as I had hoped it would be. I really loved the Shadow World for example. I loved the idea of a parallel universe, I loved the idea that of course humans would find a way to destroy that universe and I loved the idea that of course people would find a way to abuse the monsters now living in the shadow realm. I especially loved that this was not so much rooted in fantasy, but in science.
However, I had an issue connecting with the characters and it's hard to pinpoint exactly why. Their backstories are all heartbreaking. They've all suffered in their own way. They've seen things no kids their age should see. They've done things no kids their age should do. But the emotional connection wasn't there. I read what they went through, I read what they endured, I read about all the horrible circumstances, but for some reason I never really felt it.
Just like the book felt really black and white for me. Everyone who was actively fighting against the Nazi's, and only if you could prove you had actually done something significant, was good. Everyone else was just bad. I understand where the anger comes from, but I'm glad that in the Netherlands, especially since Germany is our neighbor, we've reached a point in time where we are willing to understand the power of fear and willing to see people as more than just pro or against. I missed that a little in this book, especially towards the Germans who were trying to help, even if they were not yet ready to take the big risks.
And, last but not least, in this case I don't think it was needed for all the characters to end up with a love interest to get their happy ending...