Rating- 4.5 stars (4 on Good Reads)

Characters

One of my favorite things about this book was the characters. Csilla was the main character, and she was a fantastic character to read about. I loved her personality and her backstory. Her friends were also very fun characters to read about, and I loved reading about them. This Rebel Heart had characters that meshed well together and made for a very fun story.

Plot

This Rebel Heart was a story with a heavy plot, but I still really enjoyed it. The main story follows Csilla after the war, and on her journey, trying to move out of the country for a better life. As the plot moves, you find out that Hungary is still feeling the repercussions of the war. There is also the story with Csilla’s father, how he was as a person, and what Csilla learns as the story goes on. I loved how much the story was in this plot, and the story was interesting. The ending of this novel was so sweet, and I loved it.

Writing

This Rebel Heart had fantastic writing, and I loved how the story was written. The novel as a whole was heavy and tense, and the writing set the tone for the rest of the story. Style plays a role in a story for me, and the writing style in This Rebel Heart was a perfect match for the story.

Friendship

This Rebel Heart had a fantastic Found Family element with Csilla’s friend group that I just loved. The friends were so supportive of each other, and they would do anything for each other. Csilla had little family left, so her friends were like a family to her.

Enjoyment /Recommend

I really liked this book, and I enjoyed it immensely. As a fan of Historical Fiction, this is fantastic, and I learned learning about an era I knew little about. I recommend this for fans of Historical Fiction.

That was just wonderful. I did not expect the ending. This book has my heart. I want to hug it. Csilla is such a strong female character even when she wasn't sure she could be. I loved the magic in this so much. I cannot stop thinking about this book. Thank you to Knopf Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

When I say this book emotionally devastated me, I mean that I was sobbing so hard I could not breathe. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was not something that was ever covered in any of my history classes, so I went into this with no idea of what to expect. Csilla's grief, trauma, and survivor's guilt are visceral on every page and the book does not pull any punches about the brutalities of war, what it means to have friends and loved ones on the other side of the fight, and the anti-semitism Jews faced in the aftermath of the holocaust.

Even with the brutal backdrop of a city on the cusp of revolt, the story is beautiful. The slow, careful unfurling of color, the soft tenderness of Csilla's bond with Azriel and Tamas. Csilla's friendship with Zsu and Azil and how they support each other even through their differences.

From start to finish, the book was stunning. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I found This Rebel Heart to be fascinating & a great read! It was interesting because it's based on true historical events with some fantasy. So I liked that I was able to read a book that not only entertained me but also taught me some things that I didn't know about! The writing is wonderful! It's full of wonderful & complex characters.There were moments that were heartbreaking & others that were joyful. So this is an emotional read! But it is a wonderful story & worth every minute you spend reading it!

This book was beautifully written and epic. There was such lovely imagery and I didn’t realize that a new author would be this darn good. Please give this a chance people

It’s important to know that this book isn’t for every reader. It is hard. It is beautiful. It is literature. It is history. It is what it needs to be.

Csilla’s story is unique only in that it is imagined. It has fantastical elements, but they are borne of a need for poetry where there is only ugliness. Because death and tragedy and triumph and hope are a real part of all our lives. And even if we can’t or won’t believe in magic, that does not mean life can’t be magical.

I loved the use of the color gray as a metaphor for life behind the iron curtain. I felt every touch from Tamás and Adriel, just as Csilla did, as a dangerous thing, a precious thing.

This is a side of the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust that most of us have probably never heard. It is a needed glimpse into a different story of being Jewish and the necessity of honoring the past. It was a privilege to read and experience it.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Book Tours and Netgalley for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

"They accepted all the truths and all the lies and weighted them equally against each other. But some lies outweighed some truths. Some lies were so egregious that refusing to acknowledge them was akin to committing the crime over and over again, every day."

This book brought to light a part of history I've never heard about before. The setting and circumstances were the best part of this novel for me. It was eye opening to learn about the Hungarian Revolution after WWII and I felt the author did a good job of putting us into that time. The pacing was slower but that's what I expect when it comes to historical fiction novels. To me it felt authentic and you could feel all that was happening.

I found the relationship between Csilla, Tamas, and Azriel to be really interesting and something we don't see often enough in YA of any genre. I think Polyamory is becoming more accepting in society and I thought that it was done well and tastefully.

Overall I enjoyed this story and would definitely pick it more of their books in the future.

[Chosen for Promo Post; link attached - will not review]
I'd like to thank Knopf Books and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy.

This was so interesting. Learning so much history while falling for the mc is something I didn’t know I enjoyed until this one. Keep your eyes out for this one.

This book was exceptional and I adored every second of it. The characters, the plot, the setting, all of it just sang off of the page and made the words come alive.

Csilla was such a wonderful main character and I loved how she was connected to the Danube river, something which played a role in the story and made sense for Csilla as she progressed through the book. In addition, she was tenacious and the love she had for her city and the people in her life was just so brilliant to see. Azriel, the other POV type character in this book was such an interesting choice and I really liked how he fitted into the story and added another amazing layer into this book. All of the other main characters such as Szu and Tamas were also complex and added to Csilla's story whilst having their own and I adored them all so much. I also liked the use of the father's journals and letters from Tamas throughout because not only did it add to the book overall, it allows the reader to get a better sense of them as characters.

The story itself of course was historical but I adored how Locke made it her own with the addition of the Golem and the importance of the river and colours. It made the story that much more heartbreaking and special. I knew about the history from studying it at school and I have always had a special place for Budapest, and Hungary, in my heart as my mother's family originally came from there. This book took that and ran with it, making me even more separate to walk the streets of a city so deeply affected by grief and war and see the river that spoke to Csilla so strongly that it broke its banks on the day of her birth and gifted her with hair the same silver as it's water. And the ending, even though I knew it was coming was still heartbreaking because of the way that Locke told it.

And the writing style of this book was stunning. The way that Locke wrote about the city was captivating and the way that she spoke about the river was simply beautiful. On top of all of that, the way she wrote Csilla and her behaviour were perfect. I actually cannot tell you how much I loved this book and still love it after finishing it only yesterday.

This Rebel Heart is the story of a girl who has lost everyone she knows but is going to keep fighting for her country, for her beliefs, no matter what. To be honest, I went into this book pretty blind. I read the summary once or twice, but not enough for it to have stuck in my brain. So I didn't know what to expect.

Now the thing is, I'm not necessarily disappointed. I didn't have super high expectations in the beginning. But it wasn't the best book I'd read.

I'm going to start with what I didn't like. I hoenstly wasn't that bonded to many of the characters. I truly felt for Csilla, but I never truly enjoyed her character. For me, as a person who really needs to have strong emotions about the characters to enjoy a book, it was just a bit hard to get through. The writing was interesting and it held my attention but I didn't love it, it felt a bit too heavy at times. I enjoyed the plot and thought it was super important but had a hard time keeping my focus.

Now, I might not have loved this book, but I'm going to recommend it because I think that it is an important story. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but I feel like there was a lot to learn from here.

3.5/5

3/5 stars, this had important history and diversity, but I didn’t know what was going on a lot of the time

Thank you Knopf Books for the arc through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book was honestly very hard for me to read, and it's supposed to be a young adult book. It wasn't hard in the sense of the content really, though looking at trigger warnings for that is extremely important, it was just the pacing and the content. There were some redeeming qualities about this book that make me put it right in the middle of my rating scale, but overall I felt really meh. It wasn't horrible but it also never had me desperately turning to the next page.

My favorite part of this book was learning more about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, as it's something that hasn't been touched on in any of the history classes I have taken. It was the moment when the Hungarians revolted against the Soviet Communists in power, following the Polish people. While the revolution was unsuccessful, it just showed the strength that people can have in the face of adversity and danger. As the author says, the protests were very important for history even if they were unsuccessful at the time.

"Whoever can protest and does not is responsible for what happens without the protest" (155)

The characters, mainly Csilla, Tamas, and Azriel were the most interesting but only in the last third of the book. Before that, it had felt like nothing really happened, and the pacing was drastically off. I think that a good portion of the book could have been cut out, as the first one-third was really just Csilla going to work and being followed home. One could argue that this time was for the reader to get used to her character and see the growth, but there really wasn't growth either. If there was, it was so small it was barely noticeable, leaving Csilla looking like a flat character. However, the polyamorous romance between Csilla, Tamas, and Azriel was some great representation and totally caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it but I was delighted.

As for the rest of the story, it was a bit, confusing some of the elements put in. There may be MINOR SPOILERS in this section but totally out of context and not directly stated. The whole river ordeal was strange for the story though, it runs through Budapest naturally but it was magic in this story. It whispers to Csilla, it turns to stone, silver, and more than that and I don't really understand the point. I'm sure there was some symbolism but it was so muddled I couldn't quite grasp what was trying to be said. There was also an angel of death and a thing from Jewish folklore and I just don't understand. I know this was magical realism but I don't see anything that it really brought to the story, as even in the last third of the book so many things felt glanced over.

The ending is just as open-ended as the whole story, which is both good and bad in my opinion. It allows the reader to form their own thoughts on what could have happened, both positively and negatively. But with the whole story sort of being, not well put together in a sense, it left me really disappointed. In a way it was good, but I wanted something more concrete to really wrap up this story that seemed too broad.

[TW: antisemitism, war themes, guns and shootings, stalking, loss of loved ones, trauma and PTSD depiction, oppression, mobs, physical beatings]

(2 1/2, rounded to 3)

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Knopf Books for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death (including that of children), murder, violence, war, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, torture.


Csilla was born in Hungary, but now, she's ready to leave. It's October of 1956, and she's finally made plans to escape Budapest with her aunt, the only living member of her family left. Her parents were murdered by the Soviet government, but when they're unexpectedly rehabilitated by the State, Csilla's world is once again turned upside down. She's always loved her country, but it hasn't loved her back -- evidenced by the Hungarian participation in atrocities against the Jewish community. There's magic in the city, though, particularly in the Danube, something Csilla has always been aware of, and as Csilla decides whether to stay or go, she grows closer to the magic as well as to the truth of who her parents were and who she can become -- and what this revolution might mean not only for Hungary, but for the world.

If you have any knowledge of my previous reviews, you'll probably be aware that I have a huge interest in the history of Communism and the Soviet regime. Whether or not to request an early release copy of This Rebel Heart was not even a question in my mind. Not only does it blend historical fiction with magical realism, but it also tells the story of a young Jewish woman fighting for freedom and hope in a country where repression has (attempted) to crush the human spirit. I was also excited by the inclusion of LGBT characters and stories, so it seemed like a perfect match for me. As this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, I'm sad to say that in the end, I was left disappointed and slightly confused by what the summary promised and the book ended up delivering.

You aren't required to have prior knowledge concerning the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, and I do want to applaud Locke's subtle way of telling us about the lives these people have been living under Communist oppression without feeling as if they're hitting us over the head with information. My absolute favorite part of this book is the beautiful weaving in of Jewish culture and history, and how seamlessly Locke incorporates not only those elements into the story and plotline, but also how they give the story a uniquely Jewish type of magic. It's equally devastating and moving to read about the history of Csilla's family, as she grapples with her own losses and those she experiences through her surviving family, and the memories she has of her community before the Holocaust. All of these aspects were heartening, beautiful, and felt fully realized.

My main issues are plotline and pace. The Revolution that drives this story takes a very, very long time to come to life, and while typically I wouldn't mind the tension building before the event, there was actually little tension to speak of (in spite of the fact that we are constantly reminded of how fragile Csilla's existence is, and how easily she could end up dead or in a gulag somewhere). There's a repetitiveness to her days, as well as to her inner monologues, that kept me from ever feeling as if the plot or characters were actually moving forward. There's so much that, in my opinion, could've and should've been cut -- especially because despite the extra time we're allowed to spend with Csilla, I was never able to connect with her. I think this has a lot to do with the rather abstract, overwrought style of writing, which makes simple actions and conversations into overly complicated, lengthy ordeals. Throughout the novel, I had the feeling that because everything is meant to be so meaningful, and because the characters constantly spout lines that feel poetic rather than genuine, it actually ends up losing its meaning. No one talks like this. Not even people in the midst of uprisings or revolutions.

There are two other main characters, Azriel and Tamás, who feel equally as distant as Csilla. Their chapters did little to help me understand their feelings, thoughts, or motivations. Tamás is the one who tells Csilla that she has the titular rebel heart, but the problem is, before this moment, we never see it. I found myself wondering, where is he seeing this in her? She felt almost one-dimensional, a sort of springboard for us to use to put ourselves into the story, but ends up losing her own personality or characteristics because of this. The relationship that ends up developing between her, Azriel and Tamás was intriguing, but again, I kept thinking, what are they feeling for each other? Why do they feel connected to one another, out of all the other people in Budapest, in Hungary, in the world?

In spite of this, I did like them, and I wanted to root for them and care about them. I also want to comment on the LGBT elements of the story. For me, it was rushed and half-formed, and it seemed to me that it had very little impact on the story or even the characters who identify that way. I am not accusing the author of being disingenuous or anything of that sort, but I was disappointed by the parts of the story that dealt with the LGBT characters and storylines. I hate to say this, but it was as if it was more an afterthought than a well-developed inclusion.

I found myself warming to them all as we approached the end of the tale, but then, the sudden and abrupt conclusion threw me off-guard once more. I'll say for certain that I didn't like the ending, or its ambiguity, or the way it insinuated hopelessness in a story that, for me, was all about hope. Others probably have better, more thoughtful things to say on it than I do, but it certainly was something that influenced my rating. The magical realism also didn't capture my attention, and just further muddled the story and its plotlines.

I think that, in the end, this just wasn't for me. Many people will love this book, and speaking honestly, it pains me to put out a review that is not very positive. If you're interested in This Rebel Heart, I hope you will still give it a chance, and form your own opinions on it!

This Rebel Heart eloquently tells the story of the 1956 Hungarian revolution against the Soviet-backed totalitarian government from the perspective a young Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and WWII. I was pulled into the world of the wonderfully crafted characters, and found myself holding my breath through many moments of danger and hope and love and loss.

There were elements, however, that distracted me from truly enjoying the novel. I found the symbolism and personification of the river to be overdone. Other elements of symbolism seemed to compete with that of the river. The magical realism, to me, detracted from the importance of the story. Sometimes, simple is more powerful. With such a rich story given by the history alone, these extra elements diminished the role of the characters, along with their humanity, as they found themselves part of the rise and fall of revolution.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this book.

I've read all of Katherine Locke's books so far, and I think this is their best one yet. This book absolutely swept me away, it was so stunning. The writing was thoroughly beautiful, and I'm going to have to reread this for sure.

I can't speak for the Jewish representation, but I can recognize how history, trauma, religion and mythology were seeped into every letter of the story, and it left me really touched. This is a story of deep grief, but also one of deep hope.

I don't even know if I have the words to write this review. This book is like nothing I've ever read before. I've lived off a steady diet of Holocaust books since I can remember, to varying degrees of thoughtfulness but this is one of the first I can remember about after. What happens after - families and cities destroyed. A life devoid of color. That's the Budapest and the Hungary that Csilla lives in. When the book opens, Csilla is about to leave Hungary with her aunt who lost her entire family in Auschwitz. Although Csilla and her parents escaped the camps by fleeing into the river, her parents were eventually executed by the secret police and then subsequently exonerated. Weeks before she is about to leave, Csilla is followed home by a secret police agent and the events that follow propel Csilla into making a decision about whether she will stay and fight for a country that doesn't love her back or whether she will let it all burn to the ground.

This is a story about fighting, about legacy and about love. This book is queer and Jewish and literally magical. The magical elements are deeply rooted in the reality of the situation as well as Jewish folklore and the way Locke tells the story is haunting and beautiful and reduced me to tears. Despite taking place in Cold War Hungary, so much of this book resonates with today's society and world events. I think anyone will be able to see the truth in it.

This book feels like seeing so much of my unconscious understandings written on the page for the first time. Just completely heartbreaking and magical.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 burning stars rounded up!

I'm so glad that this book crossed my radar because I loved it! This Rebel Heart was a powerful story set in post-WWII communist Hungary focusing on Csilla, a young woman trying to find her place in the world amidst a revolutionary movement against an oppressive regime. It’s a unique story that focuses on a period and place that I’ve rarely seen in fiction (especially YA) and the characters and perspectives combined with the wonderful writing really made this a stand out read to me. It’s different from what I’ve been picking up lately but it reminded me just how much I love historical fiction.

I love when a story can send me off into the wilds of the internet to search for hours about a new topic and this did just that! Most of the WWII-era stories I've read focus on the Holocaust but few looks at the aftermath and the impact of the war in surrounding European countries, so the fact that this was focused on a revolution in Hungary post-WWII was enough to pique my curiosity. And though this wasn't a fast-paced read, the inclusion of various elements that I really enjoy made it continuously engaging and had me eager to know more.

The writing was wonderfully vivid and immersive. The Hungary that Locke paints is one that’s leeched of colour and Budapest is a city that is still recovering from war even while threads of unrest slowly begin to unravel within the country's borders. Though this lack of colour isn’t explained in the story, I took this imagery to be a symbol of the country being under an oppressive regime, which made it even more impactful when colour eventually returns. This story is packed with a lot of powerful imagery which made it so easy to picture the scenes playing out in front of me like a movie and think this could be fantastic if adapted for the big screen. I appreciated the diversity and inclusion of queer characters in the story as they were also heavily persecuted and disappeared during this period and not many stories include their struggle. It felt like a natural inclusion in the storyline and I liked the different and sometimes surprising ways it was woven in!

This also involves magical realism which is a genre I often struggle with. However, I’ve learned to accept that in stories that aren’t strictly fantasy there doesn’t necessarily have to be an explanation about how the magic works. With that in mind, I actually found that the added elements of the magical river, which was essentially a character in itself, Jewish folklore such as the golem, and other supernatural beings enriched this story by giving it a fantastical twist that kept me thoroughly engaged. Something else that I really loved was the inclusion of epigraphs in the form of journal entries, letters and news article excerpts! I especially loved Csilla's father's journal entries as they gave great insight into a character who might not have been physically present in the book but had a huge presence and impact on Csilla’s story.

Csilla was a fantastic and complex protagonist who experiences incredible growth throughout the story. Hers was a tumultuous journey filled with paranoia, fear, anger, and confusion but also with a burning hope for a better future for herself, the Hungarian people and especially for the Hungarian Jews. Through her eyes, we also experience how pervasive and insidious antisemitism is—even within a country that's fighting together for its liberation, people still have the time to persecute those they perceive as "other". The strength of her emotions was palpable and I felt her fear and paranoia, her feelings of betrayal by her father and country, and her unwavering hope for her people. She is a courageous fighter and I really admired her rebel heart! There’s a great cast of supporting characters in Csilla's story that I really loved and there are some pretty interesting relationship dynamics that happened which I did not expect! Most of them contribute in significant ways to the plot’s progression and Csilla’s growth, especially Tamas, Azriel, Szu and her aunt Ilona. We do get one other minor pov from a character that I found really intriguing but I'm a little bummed that Tamas didn't get a pov considering he played such a big role in the story in more ways than one.

I kind of wish the ending had been less abrupt as I would've liked to have gently extracted myself from the story rather than to be abruptly cut out at what felt like such a poignant moment; but this is very much a personal preference as I'm generally not a fan of endings that are abrupt and open-ended. Overall though, there was so much to this story that surprised me and that I found unique. That gorgeous cover is what caught my attention, the interesting synopsis reeled me in and the story kept me hooked until the end. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Locke in the future!

THIS REBEL HEART-Katherine Locke

I received this book to my Kindle free to do a review.

Set in Hungary after WWII, Csilla is set to leave Hungary and be free from all the memories of the war and the Nazis that took her mother and father's lives. She and her Aunt are the only two family members left alive after the Holocaust. The river in Budapest speaks to Csilla and she draws strength from it.

When her family was running from the Nazis, her father had she and her Mom jump into the river. There they stayed until it was safe. Ultimately Mom and Dad were killed. Aunt had survived the Holocaust, even had her tattoed number still visible.

The book is full of mystery and suspense as Csilla changes direction and joins the rebel forces to keep her town from being taken over by the Russians.

I encourage readers of all ages to enjoy this great book.



#NetGalley #Goodreads #This Rebel Heart

Katherine Locke writes about a time in history that some may not be familiar with, though, they give a clear picture of the aftermath of WWII and how Hungary did not gain its full independence from the Soviet Union and its brutal regime during the Cold War.

Thought provoking, This Rebel Heart is infused with magic, Jewish history, and queer representation, Locke’s novel is one that will have readers eager to know this piece of history in its entirety.

Beautifully written, Locke, like author Ruta Sepetys, creates a story readers will absorb one page at a time.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Haunting is a good word to describe the book. The main character is haunted, her city is haunted. So I enjoyed it and it's worth reading, especially to explore a new-to-me-setting, especially for the themes of religion/belonging/revolution/family, but it wasn't a new favorite.

The novel wasn't really what I expected. It's presented as a historical fiction, yet there are these currents of magic through it. Which is great, except the way the magic was done (won't mention details due to spoilers)/level of it didn't quite sit with me... like I either needed it to be more fantastical, or less. For how impactful the magic ended up being, I didn't *feel* it enough. However the general plot and the setting were lovely, I liked the story of this character grappling with her past and trying to enact change for the city she loved.