Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to review a copy of “Sisters of War” by Lana Kortchik (22 Sept 2020) in exchange for an honest review. No major spoilers, but will talk generally unless marked otherwise.

The book begins in 1941, setting the scene of an impending invasion of the German advances into Kiev. Two sisters, Natasha and Lisa Smirnova, are facing the realities of wartime struggle before the soldiers set foot in their city. Their family is tense, and relationships are strained beyond their capacity. The book’s beginnings imparted a sense of doom, as if something was about to happen to the family or someone close to them. This writing style is utilized throughout the remainder of the book, which underpins (for me) the reality of wartime: you don’t really know what’s going to happen next, and at any moment, everything can change forever.
The story is marred with loss and heartbreak, as well as secrets and love triangles. I don’t really usually go for romance, but if I do, I like it within the historical fiction genre. Every day, this family faces troubles far more damaging than a love triangle, so that really shouldn’t be the main takeaway from this book. For me, it kind of shows how even in the darkest times, a lot of people still search for something to hold on to… some still have the capacity to love, even when facing invasion, hunger, and violence. To some, that might be unrealistic, but in many ways, I don’t think that’s an unnatural response.

All in all, this was a well-written, war-time historical fiction with added romance. I would suggest it to those who favor any of those categories, but I will say that is it at times very sad and it includes mentions of violence and sexual content (although not above a PG rating imo, just wanted to let anyone know that beforehand.) A good read. Look forward to seeing more from this author.

World War II historical fiction is a huge genre, and we're at the point where authors stretch to find new material. This new novel by Lana Kortchik taps a deep well of stories of WWII from the Soviet side of the war. Set during the German occupation of Kiev, the story focuses on a young woman who falls in love with a Hungarian soldier pressed into military service by the Nazis and sent to Ukraine.

This is primarily a love story set against impossible odds, and the author pulls it off. There's a huge surprise at the end and a monumental lovers' quarrel. The novel is interesting and shows Western readers what the war was like in the East.

Some of the minor characters needed development, but overall, this was an interesting historical novel that moved along at a good pace and introduced new material to this genre.

Another WWII book that I was thrilled to be able to read and review. A first by this author. Well written story of sister living in Kiev (Ukraine) during the German invasion. A story of love, loss, heartache and survival. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A beautifully written book during a horrible time for many people. Sisters of Was was written about a family and what they and so many at the time of the German invasion of Kiev were going through. Lana Kortchiks characters were written to make the reader feel as if this terrible thing they were feeling was happening to you.
Two sisters who were as close as any two people could be and how this terrible war splits them apart and drives there family to run for their lives. A forbidden love that has one sister make the choice of being with the man she loves or staying with her family and hope they survive. Writing how beautiful Kiev is and in a minute it is turned into a ball of fire with no end in sight and families are thrown from their homes to starve and possibly killed.
This was a wonderful read about a terrible time . I loved the family story of love, survival and forgiveness. Lana Kortchik a wonderful story I hope that others will enjoy.

I appreciate NetGalley for allowing me to read Sisters of War in exchange for an honest review. I've read quite a bit of historical fiction taking place during World War II, but most of the books are set in England or France. The story starts with two sisters Lisa and Natasha who are Russians living in Kiev, Ukraine (which at the time was part of Russia) when the German Army rolls in to occupy the city. There isn't much food or anything else as the citizens of Kiev are basically prisoners in their own city. Natasha meets and falls in love with Mark, who is part of a group of Hungarian soldiers working with the German Army. Her growing love for Mark tears Natasha and Lisa apart. Will their love be able to withstand the occupation?

Natasha is a young women living in Kiev in 1941. Natasha and Lisa are sisters and closet of friends. Germans invade and their lives change. Lisa’s fiancée is captured and Natasha falls in love with a Soviet solider.

It’s a typical WWII story in that you know how bad it will be, but that doesn’t make it easier as each bad thing happens. I enjoyed that this was based in Kiev because I haven’t read many WWII books from this area. I have read many books in this genre as it’s a personal favorite.

The writing is wonderful and I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Even though much of it was heartbreaking (it was WWII). The ending was good. If you like Historical fiction. Especially WWII based you will like this one!

Thank you to netgalley, Lana Kortchik, and Harper Collins for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. ,

I have read many books from this time period and find them particularly harrowing in this political climate... With our current leader, I fear this may not just be in the past but the future and find the topic a little tough for those reasons. Maybe it will remind people. Good luck with he book

Love, loss and heartbreak descend upon sisters Lisa and Natasha Smirnova as German soldiers march into Kiev. Lisa and Natasha's world is shattered during the city's occupation and by the secrets they keep.

Lana Kortchik pens a heart-breaking tale about a lesser-known chapter in history when German forces occupied the Ukraine. In order to survive, the sisters find themselves at war and their decisions threaten to tear their family apart.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #SistersofWar in exchange for an honest review. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and Kortchik pens a well-researched novel. That being said, I felt the ending missed its mark. For a story that readers eagerly awaited its resolution, we weren't able to revel in the aftermath or cherish that time with the characters. I had to go back and read the final chapter a second time to find closure. Due to the abrupt ending , I rated the novel 3.5 instead of 4 stars.

A War Torn Family

This was a very emotional and heartbreaking read. If I could give this book 6 stars I would. Once I started reading I wanted to read to the end. What a wonderful story of a families courage, love and survival in a hostile environment.

Natasha and Lisa are two sisters in Kiev Ukraine. When the war starts events take place which put a wedge between these two inseparable sisters. With their older brother away fighting and the arrest of their father by the Gestapo the Mother and younger brother are caught between the two sisters in an emotional struggle.

What comes next is so sad and heartbreaking as the family is persecuted by the Nazi army, friends, family and loved ones are lost to the war. The city of Kiev is under attack and burning. Every day they face fear, hunger and violence.

This book was different because it was a WWII book set in Ukraine. The Russian people were being invaded by the Nazi German's. All the Jewish people in Ukraine were being eliminated and the Ukrainians were treated very badly. The German Army stole their homes, their food and their jobs. They were left with nothing, yet they still survived.

The atmosphere was tense and troubling. Neighbors and friends would denounce anyone for a crust of bread. Gold, Silver, Clothing all was sold for just a small amount of food. Times were dire and the people were in distress.

Why it is such a great story is that this family , through all the events, never lost their love for each other, their love of literature, and their ability to love and care for other's. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to Lana Kortchik, HarperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book was first published in 2016 under the title "Savaged Lands." How interesting that 4 years later it's out again under a different title "Sisters of War." Originally I gave this (second) title 4 stars and am now rescinding that and will be giving a 1 star review. Yes, I read the book in 2016 and because HF is my favorite genre I enjoyed the book back then and again when I read the current title. However, I find the duplicity annoying and do not wish to encourage publishers to continue this practice! I will not be giving reviews on Goodreads, Amazon or my blog.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. World War II historical fiction is a high favorite of mine and I was excited to read a new perspective on this much written about time period. However, I am left with mixed feelings. I truly enjoyed the historical side of the German occupation of Kiev, but felt the story itself was lacking.

The author fails to establish a true bond of sisterhood between Lisa and Natasha. I saw Lisa immediately as too good for her sister being engaged. The bits and pieces of their New Years Eve shared secrets doesn’t adequately paint two sisters who were inseparable. Lisa’s return in the Epilogue was hasty and written that I thought was a flashback, as if a way to tie the title of the book together to the story. The title is somewhat deceptive as we only see Lisa from Natasha’s view and once she is taken by the Germans, she is missing for a great deal of the book.

I didn’t connect with the female characters, even the mother. It didn’t sit well that she would persuade Natasha to allow Lisa to claim one of the twins as her own in light of her actions. I understand they were desperate times and as a mother not wanting another child to be taken away but Lisa showed no remorse and even threatened Natasha. Yuri, the grandfather, and Nikolai were the characters I was able to feel. Yuri’s actions were out of love for Natasha and I disliked her for treating him poorly, especially as he loved the twins as his own. I honestly never trusted Mark; even his story about Julia seemed easily made up off the cuff if he had no intentions of ever returning home.

The book’s ending wrapped up quickly as if the author got bored herself. They return and find the apartments where they lived with Mikhail destroyed, but yet he somehow survived. How? I want to know that story - how an elderly, weak, grief-stricken man survived those months when the Smirnovs fled Kiev, even if it was in conversation with the grandfather between the Napoleon discussion.

With the dialogue and plot simple and weak, it is difficult to recommend this book.
2.5/5

Nazis invading Kiev! I haven't read a story about that part of the war. So this was intriguing to me.. And I liked this story very much. It's historical fiction at its finest and a love story to remember. Natasha and her brother find an unconscious soldier.. And the story of the relationship between the family and this soldier begins. Natasha and her sister, Lisa lives are forever changed... I really liked this book and recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting story about the Soviet and then the German occupation of Kiev, Ukraine before and during WW2.. The Smirnova family have known no other than the occupation of Ukraine but fear the advancing German army. The Germany’s army does invade Kiev and life becomes unbearable. The story explores the hardships and persecution of the Jewish population and then the hardships of occupation. Natasha the daughter and her sister Lisa have an unbreakable bond until Natasha is accosted by a German officer while going home with her grandmother. She is rescued by a Hungarian soldier, Mark, who has been pressed into service by the Germans, which starts a chain of events which ends up affecting the whole family. Because Mark killed the officer the Germans round up 100 men from the community including Alexia, Lisa’s fiancé, and hangs them. When Lisa finds out it was Mark who killed the officer and Natasha didn’t turn Mark in she blames Natasha. Meanwhile Natasha and Mark have formed a clandestine relationship. The story then revolves around their relationship. Gradually members of the family come to their own tragedies. The descriptions of the hardships and survival are noteworthy. The characters are well developed and interesting. This is an interesting story about a little known part of the war, as most stories revolve around the Jews and we don’t take into consideration how the war affected other European countries. This is a story of family, hardships, love, loss, survival and hope. There is a “wait and see” attitude with this family. The only thing I have a problem with is that everything turns out unrealistically I good which I don’t really expect would happen. If events did not turn out so good the story would have been more believable. However I enjoyed the book and all the twists and turns.

I really enjoyed this book and the author's style of writing. This book is the story of Natasha Smirnova and her family who live in Kiev at the the time that it was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. I found this story very different from other WWII stories I have read because it was told from the Russian perspective where the Russians were the saviors who would be liberating the city rather than the way I have usually read Russians portrayed as the oppressors. The author really brought the characters and the time period - including all the deprivations the family suffered under Nazi occupation - alive for me. My heart ached for them as they suffered through deaths in their family and violence at the hands of the Nazis but I was happy with the positive ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sisters of War was a truly heart wrenching amazing story, about love and betrayal. Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop until I was finished. The heroine Natasha falls in love during the midst of World War Two and the consequences of that love has lasting effects on those she loves the most. I don’t want to give too much away but everyone should read this book.

I thank Net Galley for a free copy of the book reviews below.
Sister of War by Lana Kortchik is a romance, a story of ill-fated love, and a family drama. It is set in Kiev, Ukraine during the Second World War.
The book begins shortly after the USSR is invaded by the German Army. At first, the war is far away. The Smirnov family , like all residents of the city , can only see the flashing smoke on the horizon and worry about the future. At the center of the story is young Natasha Smiranova. She, her sister Lisa, brothers Alexi and Nicolai, father, mother, uncle and grandparents live in a typically cramped Soviet apartment.They are a close, happy family. But as the first roaring columns of the Nazi army arrive, everyone senses that their lives will be forever changed.
As the Germans impose ever more onerous restrictions on the population of Kiev, cutting rations, appropriating household goods, clothing and apartments and everything else, the Smirnov family endures the privations. All this it related very well.
Ms. Kortchik is at her best in filling out her primary character, Natasha who grows from a carefree girl to a woman. Natasha is often headstrong, sometimes incredibly reckless and occasionally guilt stricken, but she always filled with a deep love for her family.
He gray life is made brighter though her family Is endangered when she falls in love with a soldier , who is from Hungary , a reluctant ally of the Reich. It is a dangerous love affair and Natasha risks being called a whore for loving one of the occupiers. A great part of the novel deals with their love, and its consequences. Hardships, loss, deprivation affect all lives in Kiev, and the she does a good job of painting a picture of of how life went on. For me to tell more of the plot would spoil the book for every potential reader.
Sisters of War is a good book that will be enjoyed by many readers especially women. It is primarily a love story in a setting probably unfamiliar to most readers. The historical background is pretty well done, as far as I can tell. The massacre of Jews at a place nearby Kiev, called Babi Yar is referenced, as the mistreatment and transportation of impressed civilians to to work in Germany. I think Ms Kortchik greatly understated the possiblity of those impressed people ever returning to Russia alive. Also, although she briefly refers to the action of the NKVD in rounding up and executing any civilian accused or suspected of of working for the enemy , the reality of how the return of the Soviets exchanged one form of tyranny for another is not shown. But, in fairness, the book ends before the Communists crack down. There are a couple of mistakes: the use of the phrase, “ worst case scenario” was an anachronism. It is a phrase from many years later. Also, Ms. Kortchik uses the word “ mortars” to refer to anti-aircraft guns. Mortars are anti- infantry weapons, and could not affect aircraft.
Still, the book is not history , it is a historical romance, which I think readers of the genre will enjoy.

Sister’s Natasha and Lisa and their family are in the Ukraine in Kiev where they have lived all their lives in 1941 when Hitler’s troops marched in to occupy the city. The Red Army was pushed back and suddenly the enemy was in charge of the city. The family endured much suffering and hardship over the next couple of years and some losses. By the time the Red Army pushed back the Germans and came back to Kiev, much of the city had been burned and what was left had been stripped bare. Food was almost non-existent. People were starved and traumatized and very happy to see their soldiers returning. The things Natasha and Lisa and their family had endured had changed their lives forever.

Lots of history here and this is a WWII story from a different perspective than most other stories we read. The people in Kiev were part of the Soviet Union and part of the communist party. Stalin was the leader of the USSR and Hitler was the leader of Germany. There are no Americans or British people as part of this story. I really enjoyed this although there were a lot of sad events I can reecommend this book to all history lovers.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

3 1/2 stars rounded up. Set during WWII in Kiev, we follow the story of a family that is great impacted by the war. Natasha and Lisa are close sisters who are doing their best to live during the German occupation. Things fall apart when a family member is a shot and a fiancé is taken away. When Natasha meets a Hungarian soldier, she knows she must keep it a secret, as he is working for the Germans. Over 2 years we watch all the struggles this family must endure. Though it is titled, "Sisters of War," we mostly follow Natasha's story.

Overall it was a good story. I liked learning about this side of the war, as I don't think I've read one set in the Ukraine. It was interesting to hear about how the citizens viewed the Soviet Union and living under communism. At times the writing didn't flow well for me and the ending didn't seem to fit the feel of the book, but otherwise it was fine.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Set in WWII era Kiev, "Sisters of War" by Lana Kortchik presents a little known history of the German occupation period. Sisters Natasha and Lisa face betrayal and loss of family during the occupation. Natasha also finds love in a Hungarian man Mark, who is forced to join a Hungarian branch of the German military.

The perspective from the Russian side was definitely interesting as most WWII novels portray the "Red Army" as the enemy while in this novel they are the long hoped for liberators of Kiev. The marching of the Jewish population of Kiev to their deaths at Babi Yar, starvation of the population and other atrocities are portrayed in this novel as well.

The book moved slowly for me and it took me longer to read than most. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The 2-year siege of Ukraine. Kiev. This is a remarkable novel. A novel of the strength of family. Natasha and Lisa Smirnova, the sisters. Mother and Father. Babushka [grandmother] and Dedushka [grandfather]. Stanislav, Nikolai-the brothers.

The Nazis, the Red Army, the Bolsheviks, the NKVD, Hitler, Stalin, the Communist Party, Swastika,

Natasha's remembrances: The hunger. Friends and Family who were taken and never seen again. The fear for everyone she loved. The hiding. The knocking [pounding] on the door at all hours and the command, often in a language they did not understand, [but they understood the gestures, the tone of voice, the rifles]. The order to vacate. To go. To all move into one room because other families were moving in. "To accept the unacceptable, to get used to the unthinkable."

Natasha and her sister Lisa work to stay alive. And in the end, "there is a new beginning for lives forever touched by war, but not broken. Never broken." Some were lost and some came back. But, ultimately, the family held together, if only in their memories..

I read this EARC courtesy of Harper Collins and Net Galley. pub date 03/04/21