Angels of the Resistance: A Novel by Noelle Salazar

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

The second WWII novel by Noelle Salazar, bestselling author of the THE FLIGHT GIRLS, follows two teenage sisters in the Netherlands who are recruited as part of the Dutch Resistance effort against the Nazis. Inspired by true events, this moving story about ordinary young women who become extraordinary heroes will appeal to fans of Pam Jenoff and Kate Quinn.

Netherlands, 1940. In the small town of Haarlem, fourteen-year-old Lien lives a simple life with her mother and sister in a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. Elsewhere in Europe bombs are falling, but the pall on their house is more from the recent loss of their baby sister as a result of an accident Lien believes she could have prevented than from the oncoming war. Until the Nazis invade the Netherlands and their lives are overturned once more.

Recruited by their late father’s friend, Lien’s older sister Elif reluctantly joins the Dutch resistance movement. Spurred by the injustice of the Nazis’ treatment of Dutch citizens as well as a terrifying bombing of their small town, and forever seeking atonement for her baby sister’s death, Lien begs to join as well. The sisters’ youthful, innocent looks and ability to disappear into a crowd make them the perfect resistance soldiers. Together with a handful of like-minded youth, including the gallant Charlie with whom Lien forms an instant connection, the sisters are trained and begin to carry out missions, from distributing and collecting information to moving Jewish families from hiding places to luring and killing influential Nazis. The toll of the war and their work is evident in their collective psyches, and Lien starts to make mistakes that could cost her and her newfound friends their lives. Until one very personal mission shows her that the atonement she desperately seeks for her sister’s death cannot be found at the end of the barrel of a pistol, but must be found from within her heart.

my thoughts:

Wow. Just, wow. What a fantastic story! Engrossing, heartbreaking, and captivating. I was hooked right from the start and could not stop reading this book until I found out what would happen next. I fell in deep with Lien and Elif, two sisters working against the Nazis during WWII.  Recruited as teenagers, the two young women underwent training for the Dutch Resistance. Their youthful appearance helped them immensely, as no one would see them as a threat.  Able to go unnoticed, they carried weapons, messages, and aided in moving people from one safe house to the next. The two sisters worked hard and were determined to do their part. Talk about a riveting and emotional read!

Angels of the Resistance is a must-read novel for fans of Noelle Salazar and for anyone looking for their next great historical fiction read - you are going to LOVE this book to bits! The writing is stellar and the storytelling is captivating. What a wonderful book! I would definitely recommend this book - make sure to check it out!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!