This was an interesting book and apparently the second in the series and having not read the first I was worried I may have missed something. Overall I didn't feel as if I needed to read the first book and I still enjoyed reading this, the second one.

This is not a long book so I did read it rather quickly. It is a story of war, the death of so many Jews and how life can change in an instant. It is an enthralling short read, intense and at times heart-breaking. It is a good read and I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author. I would give this 3 1/2 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Project 613 Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

received an advance readers copy of this book from NetGalley but opinions are my own unbiased ones.

When I received this book, I was made aware that it was the second in a series and that it might be helpful to read the first book before reading this. I purchased the first book, Fracture and there is one character that carries through to this novella but overall I felt this story really stands alone with both the main character "Samuel Val" and the carry over character of Amos, a Jewish young man who has been hiding to escape Nazi persecution. This novella is part of Project 613 which apparently contains interconnected stories centered on the Black Foxes, a resistance group that attempt to save Jews from the Nazis.

This story is basically a novella in terms of length so the author began the tale with a bang..."Samuel Val's life ended too suddenly one Saturday morning." I was immediately drawn in and wanted to know what it meant. It was a Sabbath Day and Samuel and his family were at their local synagogue in Khruvina. His little sister was acting out, so Samuel was sent home to get her favourite doll in the hope it would appease her and calm her down. It is little things like this that can change a life in ways totally unexpected. "Sam scurried out of the synagogue too quickly. He would always regret not stopping for a moment and indulging one more time in the crowded splendor of the little building, in the splintery benches, in the frayed Torah scroll laid out on the altar, in the presence of every man, woman, and child of his village."

And so his life was forever changed as the Nazi's came to town, nailed shut the doors of the synagogue, poured gasoline around it and murdered the Jews of Khruvina. Samuel watched as the head officer pulled out a lighter, and reacting in horror tried to stop him only to be shot, just above his heart.. The man responsible for this tragedy was Victor Nador, known as the "Beast of Belorussia".

Despite his injury, Samuel somehow survived and was found by members of a resistance group known as The Black Foxes.From that point on, Samuel Val had his heart set on revenge. As a reader, I could not help but be moved to tears by all he saw and experienced and could easily understand his desire to hit back at those responsible for his tragic losses.

Samuel was a man of faith and had originally intended to be a rabbi. Instead he found himself part of a resistance group and eventually captured and tortured by the Nazi's with no expectation other than a painful death. Due to an unusual set of circumstances, with the aid of an SS officer, he managed to escape and rescue Amos Auman. The two set out to rejoin the Black Foxes. Amos was a non-practicing Jew and very reliant on his rescuer for everything. He was also a talker and at times it nearly drove Samuel crazy. For me as a reader though it was fascinating to be a listener as their discussions of the "Tanakh" took place and they argued back and forth about topics such as guilt and redemption and how it would be wrong to place a stumbling block on the path to repentance. The relationship between these two was one of the best parts of the novella for me.

Lest the reader think that the novella was all talk and no action, that would be false. Samuel still had his heart set on revenge and as the two made their way to reach a Black Fox operative, they were put in a position where his dream for revenge could come true. You will have to read it for yourself to find out whether Samuel achieved his vengeance or not. The story does end with a cliffhanger which will no doubt lead into the next novella due for publication in November 2023.

I have to give kudos to the artist who designed the cover for this novella. It is very eye catching! I really enjoyed this story and will definitely be interested in reading the next portion. I don't know that "The Black Foxes" ever really existed but the historical detail within the novella feels very real.

My first foray into Elyse Hoffman’s writing wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped. The second book in the series, but able to be read as a stand alone, this story offers very little outside of bare bones of a tale.

The opening scenes are rich and full of emotion, followed by that awful event that really should have been a punch in the guts, but felt glossed over.

The burning hatred Sam felt was rehashed repeatedly in the subsequent portion of the novella, and the Jewish scripture and religious talk dragged an otherwise fairly quick paced book.

The last 15-20% was done and dusted so quickly it felt rushed and too coincidental that it bordered in to eye-roll territory.

Now, there were some good things to come from this novella. It is obvious that Elyse researches well. The historical aspects were great. The character of Amos was also a nice distraction (if you could overlook his almost annoying positivity). I expect his story in the first book would be a good one to read.

Will I read another book from this author, most likely, but I’d stick with a novel rather than a novella so I could really sink my teeth into the story.

*Note: I received an electronic copy of this via Netgalley.*

An incredibly moving WW2 novella. It is #2 in the 613 series from Elyse Hoffman, following on from Amos' story in book #1 Fracture and leading up to the soon to be published Black Fox One. This story was such an emotive read dealing with the themes of power, vengeance, and redemption. It was unlike any other WW2 story I have read.

The story begins with young Samuel Val as he attends synagogue with his family and dreams of one day becoming a Rabbi. His life takes a traumatic turn when the Nazi SS move in and barricade the synagogue, creating irrevocable destruction. At their helm is th Beast of Belasrusia. Young Samuel vows to avenge his family and friends. As an adult he has become an elite Black Fox helping to rescue Jews, yet his real mission is to track down his adversary This brings him in contact with Amos, a non practising Jew and they hold such emotional and deep discussions regarding murder and forgiveness. During their journey, Samuel is faced with his most gut wrenching decision yet- whether to pursue his vengeance at any cost. A superbly absorbing and emotional engaging read #thevengeanceofsamuelval #elyssehoffman #netgalley #tidephoenixcoffee #henryroipr

I came across this book by chance while browsing for my next read and I'm so very glad I did. I'd never heard of this book or this author before today, but I will definitely bé reading more or their work now.

The Vengeance of Samuel Val is a book about humanity and monstrosity, in a world where both exist within each other. It's a book about vengeance and repentance, about grief and anger, about family and loss.
Shockingly, I found myself empathizing in a way with almost every character that appeared on page. Elyse Hoffman brings black to life the horrors of WW2 but, more than that, she forces you to stop, think and reflect.
The writing manages to be all at once simple, powerful and even sometimes poetic.
The characters and story are well constructed, which is even more impressive considering the shortness of the book
Finally, I really liked the sprinkling of Jewish "éducation", even though it can be a bit difficult to follow for someone with close to no knowledge of this religion.

I'm not in the habit of rating historical books and fictions, but this deserves 5 stars.

Elyse Hoffman does a great job in writing this book, it had a great use of World War 2. It was a heartbreaking concept overall and the characters felt like they were suppose to.

I came across this book and it seemed interesting although not really something I would usually read. As you can see, I had company while reading... Not leaving me to read in peace 😉. The book comes out on the first of September and I received it from Project 613 Publishing via Netgalley.

Samuel Val lives happily with this family in a small village called Khruvina at the start of World War 2. The village is being visited by the Beast of Belorussia, Victor Naden, while the Jewish population is in the synagogue. Samuel was sent home to get a stuffed animal for his little sister when disaster struck. He was the only survivor of this tragedy and he obviously sought revenge. He joined the anti-Nazi resistance group called the Black Foxes. While being part of this group he continues looking for the Beast of Belorussia. Will he get his revenge?

Although this was not my usual genre, I did appreciate this book quite a lot. The horrors of the Second World War should never be forgotten and it is described brilliantly in this short book. You feel the horror and the pain of Samuel and you understand his lust for revenge and you hope that one day he gets to revenge his family. What the author brilliantly did was turn the tables a bit. Is getting revenge on your family so much more important than the lives of innocent people? I would have loved for this story to be longer, to learn more about Samuel, his actions after the attack on his village, and about the Black Foxes.

I'll definitely read more from this author because I very much appreciate the way she keeps the memory of the horrors of the Second World War alive through her books. And the way it was described and written appealed to me.

5/5⭐

Another unsettling, thought-provoking novella by Elyse Hoffman. Who hasn't fantasized about getting revenge at some point in their life? And there's the rub...it's a common human trait that makes it easy for the reader to slip into Samuel's mindset as he hunts the Beast of Belarussia.

This book explores the moral dilemma of who deserves to die as well as the very real consequences of an eye for an eye. Samuel is driven by revenge until he is faced with the loss of his own soul. It was impossible to read this without considering how good revenge would feel and that made me extremely uncomfortable as the reader.

This novella makes you look at your own psyche and consider the distinction between repentance & redemption. Repentance is possible but redemption sometimes isn't and that's the catch. How far would you go to right a wrong and at what personal cost? An individual decision for each of us but I thought Samuel ultimately made the right one. I look forward to the next book in the series and I highly recommend this powerful novella.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. All opinions & the review are my own.