Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy Publishes 9/15/26


 4.5 Stars- A powerful dual timeline historical fiction novel.  What set this book apart was the fact that the historical setting was in Norway.  


In 2001, Ruby is dealing with the loss of her twin sister to cancer.  She takes a job as a caretaker of an older woman named Hanna who lives in Shetland.  The living there is rough and isolated but Ruby begins to enjoy her new life and her small cottage while dealing with her grief.  She also begins to learn more about Hanna, who is fiercely independent.  Ruby sees that there are numbers on Hanna's arm and realizes that Hanna had at one time been in a concentration camp during WWII.  Hanna's story slowly comes out and it is quite the story. 


Before reading this book I had known that Norway was taken over by the Nazis during WWII even though they had tried to fight the Germans thinking that their mountains would help them win.  In this book I learned so much more about their resistance efforts.  Hanna's story was incredible and in the Author's Note at the end I learned that it was inspired by real people.  I have read so many WWII books over the years so when I find one that can really inspire me it is something special.  This one did just that when I read about Hanna's story and what Norway did to fight against the Nazis.  I have read a previous book by this author set during the same time period and I like that she draws attention to other countries during this time period.  It is hard to find books about Norway.  Their culture is fascinating to me and it is inspiring to read what they did to help fight the war, especially what the women did.  


I also really enjoyed reading about both characters.  Hanna is such a strong and formidable woman.  I love a strong heroine!  Ruby's story was secondary but I thought the connections to Hanna's story was interesting.  Plus I enjoyed the touches of romance.  I think many people who have been through loss could also relate to her.  This was fascinating historical fiction and a great read!


Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz Publishes 3/3/26

Image
 I wish that everyone who had an opinion about women's bodies and what they can do with them would take the time to read a book like this.  Reading is so powerful because you can truly have empathy and understanding of a situation that you might never be in yourself.  I don't know how anyone could read this story and not feel for Baker and all that she went through.  Baker has everything going for her.  She is the valedictorian of her 1968 class and has big dreams of becoming a writer and living in Paris after she attends Stanford University.  Everything is going her way until she goes out to a concert with her cousin and falls in love.  Like so many girls during this time, Baker has very little understanding of her own body and received no education about how to prevent pregnancies.  Baker becomes pregnant and has very few options of what she can do.  Being an unwed mother during this time is pure scandal and will completely destroy her futu...
Read more

The Shippers by Katherine Center Publishes 5/19/26

Image
  A new Katherine Center novel is one of things I look forward to most in the year.  "The Shippers" did not disappoint and was a great way to start this year off.   In this novel JoJo has relationship issues.  In order to solve these issues, JoJo hatches a plan with her sister to win back the guy who was her first kiss and longtime crush, Finn Turner  He also happens to be on a cruise ship with her entire family and old neighborhood for her sister's wedding.  Also on that cruise ship is JoJo's best friend, Cooper.  They have been estranged for four years. At one time they were inseparable and have only now just started speaking again.  JoJo ends up roping in Cooper to try and help her win Finn, but as you can probably guess, things do not always go to plan.  I absolutely loved this book.  It was a great escape and a heart warming story.   I really enjoyed reading about all of the characters and seeing their growth especial...
Read more

Double Shadow by Andrew Ludington Publishes 4/21/26

Image
  A great edition to this time traveling, action-packed series! In this novel Rabbit travels back in time to Jerusalem to help Helen.  She is being accused of being part of an illegal time traveling ring.  Only when he travels back he meets a younger Helen who has never met him before.  Helen is chasing after a man named Eshek who has stolen money and if Helen can get the money back she can help her sister.  The only problem is that there is also a killer on the loose who seems out to get Rabbit.   In this novel we learn a lot more about Helen and her back story.  We also get to see more of Rabbit and Helen's relationship.  This book has lots of action and adventure but the best part of the story for me is the time travel.  I love all of the historical detail and knowledge of the time periods they travel to.  I am excited to read more as I am really enjoying what is happening between Rabbit and Helen.  Thank you to Minotaur Boo...
Read more