"A Sparrow in Terezin" by Kristy Cambron

When Kristy Cambron burst onto the scene last year, her debut novel was met with high praise. Her newest release goes above and beyond, in my opinion, and captures the needs, fears, and emotions of the World War II setting in a way that will leave you breathless.

Kaja Makovsky's parents managed to get her out of Prague before the Nazis completely took over their city. Broken-hearted that they refused to leave themselves, half-Jewish Kaja is determined to one day find her way back to her home country and get them out. As the war unfolds, Kaja finds herself in London working as an editor for The Daily Telegraph during the German blitz on England's capital city, spending much time in air raid shelters and making unlikely friends with Liam Marshall, a reporter whom she is sure is also a member of foreign intelligence.

As news begins circulating about of the atrocities being done to the Jewish people under Nazi rule, Kaja decides to let nothing stop her in getting back to Czechoslovakia and rescuing her parents. Your heart breaks as you watch her saying goodbye to the relative safety of London and plunging herself into Nazi-occupied countries, and knowing because of the title that Terezin will factor in somewhere. How does she get to the concentration camp? Will she survive once there? My nerves were frayed waiting to see how the story progressed.

Continuing the contemporary story from "The Butterfly and the Violin," we revisit art gallery owner Sera James as she makes a new home for herself on the West Coast. While she hopes she's now found her happily ever after, those dreams are jeopardized when her fiance is charged with criminal activity. While Sera believes in his innocence, she doesn't understand his stubborn lack of openness about what really did happen. Determined to launch her own investigation into the matter, Sera heads to Europe to track down every lead and discover the truth.

Both of these women - Kaja and Sera - are determined to give everything they have for those they love. While it's a prison sentence threatening Sera's man, we get to see Kaja's spirit truly rise to the occasion when she is confined within the walls of Terezin. Tasked with teaching school for the children too young to work, Kaja must look beyond the bleakness and horror to instill hope in a place where hope seems impossible. Kaja knows that God sees each sparrow who falls, and surely He sees each soul who falls in this dark ghetto.

I felt that Kristy Cambron did a wonderful job with this historical novel. The way she portrayed London during the blitz made me feel like I was there, and the scenes in Terezin made my heart ache for all their struggle. I was left inspired to never give up and to do my best to watch out for and love those around me. I would say this ranks among my favorite WWII novels ever.

I received my copy from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.