Member Review

Four children, barely teenagers, are forced to survive in a forest when they find themselves victims of a war they have no part in. Caught between Nazis and the Red Army, they have only each other to survive the winter in a wild forest that's full of people who will hurt them and a highly intelligent flock of crows who help them along the way.

This story is an intriguing mix of historical and speculative fantasy that remains grounded in how the children each tell their part of the story. It's a tragedy softened by the fact that they have each other, pushed to survive because they have someone else they want to protect, even when they might have been ready to give up on themselves. I loved how it shows that even people from very different backgrounds can get together to support and uplift each other when everything around them is falling apart. It's a tragedy from beginning to end, but there are moments of light that highlight the best of humanity and the boundless potential of nature.

Eunice Wong does a wonderful job narrating, and I praise her and the audiobook team for the decision not to give the characters accents despite them being Eastern Europeans. They're all from such different places and backgrounds that it would have b een a mess of accents that hindered the story instead of adding to it. In its place, we get nuanced narration that gives life to each character and their thoughts as we explore the harshness of the world they're thrust into. It's a masterclass in narrating emotions through nuance.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the engrossing listen!