Traitor

July 1, 2020
During World War II, two young men find themselves caught in the crosshairs of various factions in the occupied Galician city known to Poles as Lw�w and to Ukrainians as L'viv. Seventeen-year-old Tolya is a half Polish/half Ukrainian sniper in the Soviet Army stationed in the contested territory, where he must keep his Polish heritage a secret or risk his life. Aleksey is a charismatic Ukrainian nationalist whose father was a celebrated freedom fighter. The narrative jumps back and forth between Tolya in 1944, following the Soviet liberation of the city from Germany, and Aleksey three years earlier, with German forces poised to invade the city following the Soviets' initial retreat. Their paths cross in 1944 when, in a split-second decision, Tolya shoots his unit's political officer and Aleksey's squad of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army rescues him at the behest of a mysterious informer within the Soviet ranks. Following a subsequent betrayal within his own squad, Aleksey goes on the run with Tolya, setting up a complex plot full of double crosses and unexpected alliances. The narrative's nonlinear structure is effective at building suspense and garnering sympathy for its protagonists, though some confusion over who is fighting whom is warranted in this complicated slice of history that does not shy away from depicting scenes of violence and torture. Deftly explores poignant questions about the nature of loyalty in desperate circumstances. (historical note, map, list of military and paramilitary forces, list of characters, author's note) (Historical fiction. 14-18)

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August 7, 2020

Gr 9 Up-In 1944, Soviet-controlled Lwow, Poland, is not only suffering from the hardships and atrocities of World War II, but fighting for its identity. Is it a Ukrainian or Polish city? Due to ever-changing borders, the answer is not clear and those who live there are paying the price. As a child of a Ukrainian father and Polish mother, Tolya doesn't know which identity will keep him safest. After making a critical error, trying to protect a young woman on the street, Tolya kills a Russian political officer, changing everything. Now Tolya is on the run with Solovey, a Ukrainian freedom fighter, when a betrayal from within the group upends all of their plans. This action-packed historical thriller is perfect for those who are looking for a WWII book without the romance found in many YA historical novels. McCrina gives voice to a story that has not been told before. Original and exciting, the only difficulty is keeping tracking of who is on which side. Nonstop action and intrigue keeps readers on the edges of their seats and makes this a great title to hand to those looking for a meatier historical novel. VERDICT For those who want something different from their war stories. Energetic and fast-paced, this book will keep readers wanting more; be prepared to provide read-alikes like Monica Hesse's Girl in the Blue Coat and Elizabeth Wein's "Code Name Verity" series.-Maryjean Riou, Hunterdon County Lib., Flemington, NJ

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August 24, 2020
This riveting WWII novel starts with a literal bang when Anatoliy “Tolya” Korolenko, a half-Polish, half-Ukrainian 17-year-old orphan, shoots and kills an officer in his own division of the Soviet Red Army. This rash act puts Tolya in the path of Solovey, the nom de guerre of Aleksey Kobryn, leader of a Ukrainian paramilitary squad called UPA (Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia). McCrina (Blood Oath) illuminates the recent history of Galicia, a much-fought-over region claimed by both Poles and Ukrainians and occupied alternately by Germans and Russians in the mid-20th century. Crisp writing plunges readers into a brutal world rife with deception, betrayal (including scenes of torture), and occasional glints of compassion. Tolya’s tale, relayed in the third person, takes place in 1944, while Aleksey’s first-person narrative starts in 1941, when the then-19-year-old attempts to rescue his father, a Ukrainian nationalist leader, from prison. To dig much deeper into specifics would detract from the pleasure of this novel’s hairpin twists, which begin early and continue to the final pages. An intricate depiction of a region whose complex history is likely to be unfamiliar to many in the United States. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennie Kendrick, Red Fox Literary.