*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. This review is being posted as part of the Sisters At War blog tour hosted by Rachel's Random Resources.
Title: Sisters At War
Author: Jina Bacarr
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
Paris, 1940: Two sisters separated by the Nazis… After
a devastating attack, Justine and Eve Beaufort find themselves on opposite
sides of the war, both in their beloved Paris. But can they ever find their way
back to each other?
It was the day that changed
everything. When the Nazis came and broke into our home. Destroyed everything
that was safe for us. They took our home and our security. I thought it
couldn’t get worse. But then they also took my sister.
After that day nothing was
the same again. I thought I’d never see her again. I thought she was lost to me
forever. I joined the Resistance, vowing to fight against the evil German army
with every last spark of fire in my body.
I know what I have to do.
And nothing can stop me.
Until I catch a glimpse of
a woman who looks just like my sister. Alive. But this is not the sweet darling
girl I once knew. This is a platinum blonde happily conversing with a
terrifying Gestapo officer. No longer my sister. But a traitor.
And I know what I must do…
Could you choose your country – and what is right – over the person you once loved more than anyone in the world?
Sisters At War is the latest gripping historical fiction
novel from author Jina Bacarr. It is an incredibly powerful story which focuses
on sexual violence during the Second World War. The severity of the subject
matter has meant that the story is incredibly hard-hitting and emotional but,
as stated in the author introduction to the book, wartime sexual violence is a
topic which has largely been ignored by history and rarely covered within
historical fiction so books such as Sisters At War are of such importance. This
portrayal of the horrific experiences of women in Nazi-occupied countries was
raw and powerful and at times it actually brought tears to my eyes.
I do want to preface this review by signposting you to the trigger
warning list at the top of this review. If sexual violence as a subject matter
is potentially triggering for you as a reader, I would recommend consulting this
list prior to reading to ensure that you can make an informed decision about if
this book is appropriate reading for you. But, if you are able to access this
story, I would highly recommend it so more people are educated on this incredibly
dark time in European history.
The story is told through a dual POV narrative, alternating
between Justine and Eve’s perspectives and sharing their separate wartime
experiences. Throughout the story the sisters, whilst physically separated,
were united by their hatred for the Nazis and their love for each other, their
family and their country. The plot was perfectly paced and gripping from the
very beginning. The history was clearly meticulously researched and the
setting of war-torn Paris just came alive on the page.
Sisters At War is the latest instalment of the ‘Paris Resistance’ collection. Each of the books from the series can be read as a standalone story but Sisters At War does contain either appearances from or references to some of the characters from the other books in the series. I really enjoyed this aspect to the story as these brief appearances really hooked me in and enticed me to read the rest of the series. I had previously read and thoroughly enjoyed The Resistance Girl but The Lost Girl In Paris and The Orphans Of Berlin have made their way straight to the stop of my TBR list.
Both Justine and Eve were fantastically written protagonists
which such depth to their characters. Justine’s strength and courage was
incredible and I particularly really enjoyed the character development we saw
in Eve as she matures from a naïve and stubborn teenager into a courageous resistance
fighter who is more sure of herself. We did see aspects of her naivety
remaining through her very black and white thinking regarding whether or not
her sister was a traitor but this did help her voice to feel authentic to her
age and if we’re fortunate enough to get a sequel I’m excited to see further
character development for Eve. Arsene was my favourite character and I really hope
we get to come back to him in some way in a future novel as his mysterious character
and the work he was doing was truly fascinating. Jina Bacarr also writes her antagonists
exceptionally well and both the characters of Major Saxe-Müllenheim and Herr Avicus Geller made
my skin crawl.
Whilst being mindful of avoiding ending spoilers, I can’t put
into words how desperate I am for a sequel so I really do hope one is on the cards
so we can return to Justine and Eve’s stories.
Overall, Sisters At War is a really powerful and gut-wrenching
piece of historical fiction which tells a story I will truly never forget.
Sisters At War is being published on 25th September 2023 and can be purchased here.
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