I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Wrath Becomes Her may just be Aden Polydoros’ best work to date, paying homage to Frankenstein and drawing on the rage and sorrow felt by many Jews during and in the aftermath of World War II.
One of the things I was won over was the character development. Vera begins the book without a real sense of personhood, being a golem created with the singular purpose of exacting vengeance. But she also has some memories of the life of Chaya, the girl whose life she’s meant to avenge. This creates a compelling arc for her, as she searches for purpose and a real sense of identity.
Her journey is aided by her developing bond with Akiva, a boy whose past is tied to Chaya’s. Their bond really centers the novel, and I love how the story transitioned from Vera grappling with her memories of him from Chaya’s life to what their future could be. The Frankenstein influences come into play where his fate is concerned, but where Vera’s origins and arc were much more fraught, just as Frankenstein’s monster was, Akiva’s contrasts with his literary counterpart in being focused on the love he comes to share with Vera.
However, while this story isn’t as focused on vengeance as I initially thought it would be, it’s definitely present. The inclusion of the harsh environment Jews of the time lived in, with many common people who weren’t directly affiliated with the Nazis being complicit in the persecution of the Jewish people, not just passively but often actively participating. There’s a lot here that inspires anger, but the central narrative provides a ray of hope.
While it initially felt a little slow, meandering a little as Vera formulates her identity, the book picks up over time. The second half in particular is more action packed and fast-paced, making the buildup worth it.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a Jewish fantasy-horror that grapples with the realities of the Holocaust.

This book didn’t resonate with me as much as I thought it would. I felt like the story was choppy and I didn’t quite enjoy Vera’s character. I feel like the writing style just didn’t flow how I would have liked it to. Overall, the book is not horrible, it just didn’t capture me like I thought it would. The idea of golem is such a fun concept. It just fell flat for me personally.
Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Wrath Becomes Her is a brutal but honest look at the struggle and sacrifice of those who fought against Nazi forces during WWII. A bit of magic allows Vera, a golem made from clay and some human parts, to come to life and she is given the task from her unwilling creator to fight and destroy those who are against them. She fights not only her enemies, but also to discover who she is—the amalgamation of memories from her human donor, a monster, or something else?

This was a really interesting story, and I appreciated that the author embraced the pain and horror of what it would be like to exist during Nazi rule, because it wasn’t an easy story to tell, but it was real. The story would have been more engaging for me if the plot had been more thorough. I felt like a lot of the story was Vera running from one thing to the next with no plan or preparation. And it was possible because she is more than human and these were desperate times, but it felt under-formed and I would’ve liked a more thought out plan for our protagonists.

I still enjoyed this book for as hard a topic as it can be to read and introduced elements that made it more accessible but still stayed true to the history.

E-ARC generously provided by Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4 stars. Combining Polydoros' signature evocative writing with a story about vengeance, Wrath Becomes Her is a Frankenstein-esque tale that is equally harrowing and haunting as it is compulsively readable.

I got an ARC of this book.

What does it truly mean to be human? What does it truly mean to be a monster? Those are the two big questions this book raises over and over again. It is clear that Nazis are monsters, but they are also human. So it is sometimes hard to draw thick lines between the two. The lines are blurred even more when what is considered a monster shows more humanity and care than the humans around her.

I was completely on board for some Nazi killing revenge. I wanted gore. I wanted pain. I wanted so much from the golem. But she continuously challenged me. Why was my need for revenge, and that need from Ezra, her reason to be created? What gave Ezra that right? What right did I have for craving that revenge? What does revenge even do? It does not undo the past. It doesn't heal the future.

This was not a typical horror. There was not jump scares. There was some gore, but only a small amount. Instead the horror was about humanity and what it is capable of doing to itself and those around it. Nazis are horrifying. Nazi sympathizers, so you know Nazis without the uniforms, are horrifying. There was always an element of horrifying in the book. There was not any real danger feeling though, because Vera is pretty much immortal. She does not die from being shot. She can only be killed in a very particular way, which she knows and protects herself from. So it is hard to really worry about her safety. Instead, the plot was around how human she was. How she survived through the horror that was the Holocaust.

It is not an easy book to read. Polydoros does not speed things up. You have to walk with Vera the whole time. There is no jumping ahead. There is only her path. The speed of the book was slow, but it worked well. It worked for Vera coming into her own humanity/golemhood. Give the pace time, it works even when it is painful to be stuck.

Vera is vengeance embodied. She may be a golem, but a special one made with kishuf - sorcery - that incorporated the body parts of a murdered girl. Vera struggles to parse out her own nascent identity and morality while on a bloody quest to kill Nazis; because while she has been created only for violence, she wants to be so much more. Especially as she comes to realize she isn't actually the monster in this story. Humans exhibit plenty of that monstrosity for her. This is a brutal tale of love and horror. Side by side, these elements make the story unputdownable due to the candor aimed at humanity's tendency for atrocious acts through the lens of someone who is not human. With the recent rise of fascism and normalization of violence against marginalized groups, even though it’s a WWII story it’s as timely as ever.

I don't read too many WWII books, but when I do, when possible, I make sure to support Jewish authors in their efforts to gain back control of their narrative - their history. I also really appreciated the author's note at the beginning of the book.

The premise of this is just as fascinating and riveting as you'd expect. Vera is a golem, made with clay and parts of her creators dead daughter. Vera has some of her memories and emotions. Set in Lithuania during the end of World War II, "Wrath Becomes Her" follows a group of Jewish partisan fighters who fight against Nazis by derailing supply trains.

Vera struggles with her purpose and what it means to be human. How do you not give up hope when all seems lost?

This was much more violent and scary than I usually liked but I was so gripped by the characters that I didn't even mind. The ending really surprised me; it was a brilliant way to wrap everything up. This was a masterpiece. Polydoros is truly an underrated author.

Wrath Becomes Her, by Aden Polydoros, was such an amazing book, I've never read anything like that before.

I was initially interested in the story because of Vera the golem, and how she was bent on revenge on her creators behalf. I've read stories with golems in them before and I've always found their history to be interesting. The story ended up being so much more than that to me. I really want to say what I enjoyed about the story, but I feel like it will give away a big portion of Vera's character development. What I will say is she knows how to kick some major Nazi butt and I would happily read anything by this author again.

I was drawn by the premise of a revengeful golem Nazi killer and the interesting cover but I realized that this book was not for me. I had to force myself to read through it and it took me forever to finish it.

I found the pacing slow and confusing. I didn’t much care for the characters. For the title be “Wrath Becomes Her”, I did not much feel the rage within the character and I actually found it disappointing.

I liked that it tried to show how humans are sometimes worse than what you’ll consider monsters. I kinda enjoyed Vera’s self-exploration, but it just lacked something that I could not exactly pinpoint.

I started to be more invested towards the end that I was actually looking forward to Vera & “Akiva’s” reunion, but I felt like it just ended abruptly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wrath Becomes Her blew me away, for the most part. It has a fantastic premise that it more than delivers on. The characters were compelling and complex. The plot was intriguing, although it dragged in parts. The writing was beautiful. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a different kind of WWII story with Jewish characters, as well as any historical fiction or fantasy fan.

A title like Wrath Becomes Her promises a vengeful and angry woman, but Vera moseyed her way through this book.

Vera was created for the sole purpose of vengeance. After losing his daughter, Chaya, a father takes part in dark magic to create a golem to track down his daughter’s killer. The golem, Vera, upon awakening, knows her sole purpose is to kill the Nazis. On her mission, she meets Akiva, Chaya’s former lover, and forms a bond with him. Akiva is out for blood, determined to avenge Chaya’s death on his way down. The two are faced with a creature much like Vera, except it has nefarious intentions. Vera must use her strength and rage to defeat the foul creature before it slaughters hundreds.

I have yet to be let down by Polydoros when it comes to historical fantasy. He brings to light Jewish folklore and history in a way I’m not seeing in the YA market. Wrath Becomes Her does not shy away from the brutal and horrific treatment of Jewish people, not just by Nazis, but by other communities. This book inspires feelings of rage and disgust for how often others were turning a blind eye to the Jewish community’s suffering. It did a great job of pointing out how one does not have to actively participate in mistreatment in order to condone it.

The book’s pitch grossly exaggerates Vera’s “rage.” She is supposed to be incensed on Chaya’s behalf but seems detached from the actual emotions. In fact, when Vera kills, she talks about how the rage and anger are not her own. Instead of going on a rampage, she just follows orders, first from the father, and then Akiva. The book keeps emphasizing she can feel emotions as a golem, yet none of those emotions are natural. The book tells us how she feels instead of showing her natural reactions to emotionally charged scenarios. I was bummed, because if there was ever a character to feel righteous wrath, it should be Vera.

All in all, not my favorite novel by Polydoros, but it brings to light important historical times in a way that will engage those who prefer fantasy over non-fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

YA readers who enjoy dark historical fantasies will enjoy this book. The characterization wasn't very good, but the setting and plot are excellent.

The emotions in this book. This is a unique take on the vengeance of a father who lost his daughter in WWII. He creates a Golem, Vera, who, while containing some of the daughters' real memories and feelings, is still a tool used to kill the Nazis responsible for her death.

This shook me! The emotions, the fear and anger that absolutely defines this era, this war. I adored the lyrical and beautiful writing that made the pain of this story so real. I think this is such an interesting take on a topic that will always, and should, stay in our minds as being a part of history we must never repeat.

Out October 10, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

"Do you think you have the right to decide that? What gives you the power to choose whether something deserves to live or die?"
A dark book that dealt with so much death.
This was the story of a young Jewish girl killed by a Nazi. Her father uses her remaining body parts to create a golem (Vera) that looks human and has the sole purpose of destroying the Nazis, of delivering justice, retribution.
Vera being made of human parts learns empathy, begins to see memories from the human life making being a golem a confusing thing. When her creator/father goes missing she sets out on a journey to find him.
This book is about that journey. All the trouble she encounters, Nazis she kills, feelings and emotion she begins to develop.
In this book we are struck by the question of who is the monster? Humans or golems? Who gets to decide who lives and who dies?
Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for an advanced e-copy of Wrath Becomes Her. This was a long, sad journey. With so much death I would not recommend this book be part of a classroom. While this was an entertaining journey routing for Vera and her struggle to be resolved there was not much insight into the history of everything going on in the Jewish community at this time. Great Fall time read for enjoyment purposes.

Ok, first of all, THAT COVER GOES SO HARD. Second, HOOOOO ADEN POLYDOROS CAN *WRITE.*

Anyway. Yes. It's taken me such a long time to write this review, because honestly, I'm not sure what words I can use to do this justice. The atmosphere is unparalleled, cold and dark and somehow all the more beautiful despite the bleakness and violence. It's bone-deep sad, but also angry and comforting and the equivalent of a sigh after a shouting match. Fierce, unique, and unforgiving: so many words, but Polydoros deserves them all and more.

This is the WW2 dark fantasy/revenge horror/star-crossed romance that YA deserves. Actually, it's the kind of book I'll be throwing at everyone who claims YA is somehow "lesser" than adult fiction.

Fight me, cowards. Better yet, fight Vera.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for a copy of Wrath Becomes Her in exchange for an honest review. This cover is absolutely amazing.

Frankenstein with a vengeance vs. Nazis.
Vera, a golem made from dark magic by a father using his deceased daughters body parts, is out for vengeance on behalf of her creator. A mixture of historical fiction, fantasy, and Jewish/Hebrew folklore. I think the book would have been easier to get into in the beginning if there was a reference sheet to words such as golem, kishuf, etc. While the premise is so intriguing I had a few issues with the plot. The book is beautifully written and while I enjoyed the book I had hopes for this story because I wanted the ultimate female badass to have no remorse on going on killing sprees. However Vera is plagued with the memories of the woman whose body parts were used to create her, Chaya.
Personally I would have liked for Vera to be a lone wolf and not run into Akiva so early on in the book and immediately stick with him. I feel that lead to Vera not fully developing into the amazing character she could be.
The premise is amazing and as someone who never read Hebrew folklore it definitely opened my eyes to new mythical beings.

This was good! It was very interesting throughout and I really enjoyed it. The gollum aspect was so unique and well done, and the added Frankenstein elements made for a firecracker of a read. I liked the writing a lot and found it to be captivating. I definitely need to read more from this author ASAP!

Thank you Inkyard Press, Harper Collins, and Netgalley for this eARC. These opinions are my own. I have become a fan of Aden Polydoros and this book was a good addition! Ezra is heartbroken over the death of his daughter so using magic he creates Vera, a golem. His goal is to use her to get vengeance against those who killed his daughter. But Vera has her own feelings is this what she wants? I enjoyed the historical knowledge and look at Jewish folklore in this one. I also enjoyed that the events take place during WWII. I loved that though Vera was created to seek vengeance she struggles with her identity and her emotions with Chaya’s (Ezra’s daughter) included. I felt like the grief really showed through and the look at coping with loss. It hooks you from the first page and will have you reading until you finish! Can’t wait to read it again!

<b>A beautifully written WWII based fantasy</b>

I chose to pick up this book because I really enjoyed the author's previous book, Bone Weaver. Outside of the realization that it's harder for me to get into fantasy books now, this didn't disappoint.

I haven't read much historical fiction and definitely little based in WWII, so this was very interesting. It takes place in Lithuania, which is an area I honestly haven't heard much about, especially not in the context of the Holocaust.

I enjoyed the character of Vera, and empathized with her existential struggles. Even though she wasn't human, she still embodied so much humanity. I constantly wondered what her future was going to be, or even what it could be.

Specifically, there's a moment when Vera realizes the scope of the war, and how little they can do in the grand scheme of things. I really felt that, since we're fighting on new fronts now (and some of the current struggles are continued from that time as well) and sometimes it feels hopeless. Like Vera though, we can't give up.

I'm also a sucker for stories based in mythology from various cultures, and feel there needs to be more tales like this, especially. It was definitely different than other golem stories I've seen and read.

Once again, Aden Polydoros has crafted a wonderfully vibrant world, and brought to life an under represented mythos. I can't wait to see what he does next!

What an incredible book!

Wrath Becomes Her centers on Vera, a golem created by a grieving father to avenge his daughter's death at the hands of the Nazis. She must come to terms with her identity - created for one thing, but capable of so much more. She deals with not only the grief she inherited by design, but grief for those she meets and loses.

This book grapples with some heavy themes - love, loss, grief, identity, and self-determination among them. This is a very deeply Jewish book, full of characters dealing with the worst imaginable situations and refusing to give up or lie down quietly no matter the cost. Similar to some of the author's other books, grief - especially as it manifests as anger - features prominently and resonated strongly with me.

This was an extremely powerful story. I've read all of Polydoros' books, and I think this is my favorite so far; I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.