"For Such a Time" by Kate Breslin

Debut author Kate Breslin has given readers of historical fiction a real treat. I was intrigued when I heard she had taken the Biblical story of Esther and placed it within the context of World War II, and I'm pleased to say that she did an excellent job with it!

When Col. Aric von Schmidt handpicks Stella Muller out of the thousands of prisoners at the Dachau, thinking to save the Austrian woman who had been imprisoned by mistake, he doesn't know her papers are false and that she's really a Jewish woman named Hadassah Benjamin. Leaving Germany to become the commandant of the Thereseienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, Aric brings Stella along so she can become his secretary. Fiercely protective of her from their first meeting, Aric is determined to help her recover from her months of malnutrition and the horrors she saw at Dachau.

A broken and battered soul, Stella hardly knows what to think about her new situation. She wants to help the captive Jews at Thereseienstadt as much as she can, especially when she finds out that one of the prisoners is her uncle Morty, the man who raised her. Morty has seen a vision that Stella will bring salvation to the camp, and hope begins stirring in the barracks that God has not forgotten His people. Risking discovery and her own life, Stella begins finding ways to bring bits of relief, whether overtly through tampering with paperwork or covertly by using the sway she holds over the commandant to reshape his opinions.

The one most suspicious of Stella and Morty is Captain Hermann. He isn't so sure that the woman who was ushered into their lives and has captured the commandant's heart is really who her papers say she is. Ambitious and ruthless, Captain Hermann looks for ways to sabotage the commandant and take over command of Thereseienstadt himself.

As events bring the revelation of Stella's identity closer, she finds herself developing feelings for Aric. Is there any hope of a future for them together? Will either of them survive the explosive fallout that comes from her unmasking and Hermann's final attempt to control the camp? This book was so captivating that I wanted to read it all in one sitting! I wasn't sure of the outcome until the very last page.

There was much to cheer for within the covers of this novel. I should note for all history fans that Breslin is up front with the fact that events are based on a few real historical facts, but it's mostly fiction. It doesn't take away from the novel's emotional impact, but if you love history like I do you should know that this book isn't as accurate as other works are able to portray it. Due to WWII content I wouldn't recommend this to a young audience, but it's tasteful enough that older teens would be able to handle it. WWII is such an awful time in history. I'm thankful we have a God who lovingly cares for His own even during such terrible tragedies, and that is no fiction!

I received my copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.