I could not stop reading this book. It is so mesmerizing and thought-provoking.
Cilka, a Jew who was imprisoned in Auschwitz during World War II, is convicted as a collaborator with the enemy after the War. She is sent to the Vorkuta Gulag by the Russians. What's especially interesting in this book is what happened in the Gulag. The description of the hardships and torment will add more definition and understanding of what people suffered there. It's written by the author of "The Tattoist of Auschwitz," so try to read it first. This book builds upon the previous one. Both are necessary reads.

Chilka's Journey was an amazing read. I am a huge fan of historical fiction set during World War I and II and this is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a while. Already a fan of the Tattooist of Auschwitz, Chilka's Journey brought more of the heartbreaking struggles endured during World War II to life. Chilka's Journey was an gut wrenching story of one woman's perseverance to survive.

Cilka's Journey follows a character first introduced in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. You do not need to have read The Tattooist of Auschwitz to read and understand Cilka's Journey. It is a heartbreak story of a woman during WWII.

It gets 4 stars from me. I couldn't give it the 5 stars I wanted to because at some points the writing fell flat and felt disconnected from the character. Other than those few minor spots it was an amazing story that enthralled me from beginning to end. I would recommend it.

The living situation is horrible. However learning of Cilka's journey and how she survived is a story worth knowing.. At sixteen Clika's life takes a turn no teenager should live. Her story is told in present day and then some flash backs so we get to know and understand her very well.. The living conditions in the prison camps are unthinkable. Her family becomes the women she is living with and the lengths she goes to protect them.
The story is not without hope, but a strong historical fiction of a woman's quest to survive.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review from Net Galley.

Cilka's Journey is a harrowing story of a young woman imprisoned after World War II for her actions in Auschwitz

Cilka's Journey was a fantastic look into another character from The Tattooist from Auschwitz book. I'm glad that I read these books back to back, or I likely would've needed a reminder of which character Cilka was. Cilka's character is the definition of persistent, strong, independent woman. However Cilka's inability to accept help became frustrating throughout the book. While I understand that Cilka's character was based off a true character, I did think that a lot of the book was Cilka just slogging through going to work, working (with minimal detail) and then returning to her hut again. While it made the book drag, I'm sure in a real situation, it would've been similar (dragging, repetitive, cold, etc). After the depressing topic and theme of Cilka's Journey, in a labor camp near the Arctic Circle, I was so glad that things finally ended better for Cilka. This book was eye opening for me to think about how/where people really did go, if they survived concentration camps.

This review is so hard to write. The story is unbelievable. Sad, horendous, but full of hope and love, just like the Tattooist was.
I loved reading Cilka's story - it is such an important part of history that is not told in many books. Not her story personally, but that of women and how they were treated and degraded not just during the WW2 but after. The note of the author afterwards, that so many women kept the secrets of their sexual abuse in those horendous camps is just unbelievable. I'm sad, and disappointed with people who would judge such women.

That said, why can't I give this book a higher rating. I was really really disappointed in the writing. It felt very detached. It is written in third outside person, not from the perspective of the MC herself. It's always she is feeling this, Cilka is acting this way, etc etc. It almost felt like the feelings of the character had to be explained, not explored in a beautiful writing. The feelings that are so obvious were not reactive, they were factoids in the story. It just took away for me from the character and the story. The afterword was more beautifully written than the whole book. It almost felt like a report. Even the conversations seemed very clip and almost like a translation. There's something lost and missing.

I really don't want to make anyone not read the story. It is such an important one - it's part of history, even if it's somewhat fictional. There's a lot of truth to it, and everyone needs to know the abuse these people had to go through even after the war was over. The Soviet rule wasn't any better, and it is just as important to know that part of history too.

This historical novel is engaging. It is graphic and horrifying but somehow also brings out hope.. I felt so connected to the characters and story. The page turner cliché is true here, it was a page turner.

I do recommend people to read this. It is a sequel to the Taoist, but I read this first and had no trouble. I think that a g0od story is good even without the order being followed.

I was so excited for this book since I am a big fan of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. However, this fell flat for me, and I had trouble connecting with Cilka's character. I didn't feel that drawn or compelled to read her story and I kept picking up other books to read instead of this one.

I really enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, so I was thrilled to hear there would be a book about what happened to Cilka after the liberation of the concentration camps. It is astounding what she went through at the camps, only to be shipped to Siberia to be subject to even more inhumane treatment. Cilka's resiliency throughout the whole ordeal was inspiring, and I am grateful to Morris for sharing her story. My only slight criticism is that I didn't really like how they treated the flashbacks to her time in the concentration camps. The way things were mentioned offhandedly without much explanation made it feel like the reader was expected to read Tattooist before reading this book. There should have been a general summary in the beginning describing why Gita and Lale meant so much to her, or a little more fleshed out descriptions whenever flashbacks occurred. I had read Tattooist so I was fine, but I would recommend to someone else to read it first, even though it's technically a stand alone book

I admit, I came to this book pretty nervous. I was in the minority about The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I really did not like that book. But I decided to give Cilka’s Journey a chance, and I’m glad I did! The writing was much better for this book, the plot was able to thicken, and everything wasn’t solved perfectly right away. This was an interesting perspective, post WWII Russia gulag.
Trigger warnings: Rape, death, self-harm, stillbirth, abuse.

I absolutely loved The Tattooist Of Auschwitz so to read this book was a bonus for me. To give a name and face to another victim of the Holocaust is something I cherish. This is such a moving story, even if the author had to make it up. This truly is a moving story. I don’t think any of us, today, could survive what the victims of the Holocaust did.

It took me a while to read this book because of the trauma that the characters, most especially Cilka, endured. I can only read in small chunks of time. Ms. Morris did a superb job of depicting Cilka and the atrocities the characters endured during World War II. Reading about their survival and life after the war brought the story to the perfect end. This story was well written and worth the time and effort it took to read. I liked the author’s note on how Cilka’s story came about.

When I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz last year, I was blown away by Lale and Gita’s incredible story and the harrowing ordeal they endured during their 3 years at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland. As I mentioned in my review of that book, stories about the Holocaust continue to be extremely important given the world we live in – whether through fictionalized or non-fiction accounts, these are stories that absolutely need to be told, no matter how difficult and heartbreaking it may be to hear such unthinkable atrocities being recounted. With Cilka’s Journey, the sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris gives us the story of Cecilia “Cilka” Klein, a woman we first met during Lale’s recounting of his story, whom he described as “the bravest person [he] ever met” and whom he credited with saving his life. When she was just sixteen years old, Cilka was forcibly separated from her family and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp where, on the first day, she was immediately singled out for her beauty. In order to stay alive, Cilka had no choice but to endure repeated sexual abuse from the Commandant (and other men in power), but what weighed on her soul the most was the role she was forced into -- the unspeakable role of being the one to send hundreds of women to their horrific deaths in the camp’s gas chambers. After suffering 3 years of pain and torture, freedom finally comes when the camp is liberated, but unfathomably not for Cilka, as she ends up being charged as a collaborator for “sleeping with the enemy” and sentenced to 15 years in a Siberian prison camp. In the gulags, Cilka encounters horrors both new and familiar, once again finding herself at the center of unwanted attention despite her best efforts to go unnoticed. Placed under such circumstances, Cilka must reach within herself to find the strength to not only survive, but also help others in the process. In a narrative that jumps back and forth in time, between memories of her time at Auschwitz and the realities of her present situation, Cilka shows her remarkable will to endure and confront the daily terrors with courage.

Through Cilka’s story, Morris once again presents us with an impactful tale of survival, resilience, and true love’s ability to overcome hardship. For someone so young to have to endure so much, it was heart-rending to read, yet at the same time, it humbled me and reminded me how much there truly is to be grateful for. The Author’s Note at the end of the book as well as the Afterword give keen insight into Cilka’s real-life story and the conditions those interned in the camps were subjected to — both these narratives supplement the story and should not be missed. I’m keeping this review deliberately short, as this book is a necessary read as well as a timely one and it is my hope that more people will read it. Thank you to Heather Morris for bringing us Cilka’s story as well as that of Lale and Gita and helping us better understand this important piece of our society’s history.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and direct from publisher.

Well researched and authentic, with the potential to be emotional, provoking and poignant. However, it fell a little flat for me and I felt like I really struggled to get through it. While I loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I felt like this was one of those books you could just skip three chapters and feel like you hadn't missed anything. Still, a lot of excellent research was apparent in the writing.

A beautiful, tragic, engrossing story. This book had me captivated from the very beginning! This is the story of Cilka and her imprisonment following Auschwitz. This is a story based on true events...events that I never knew occured. I had no idea that so many people were imprisoned again after being liberated from the concentration camps. I read this novel in one weekend because I simply couldn't put it down. It is a story of friendships forged despite unthinkable conditions and ultimately love and the triumph of the human spirit. At time, Heather Morris dramatizes the story, but she is is clearly based on extensive research, making it highly worthwhile reading. You do not have to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz first in order to enjoy this one. Thank you for giving me the privilege to enjoy and share my opinions on this story. I couldn't recommend it more!

Devoured this book in under a day, couldn’t put it down. Emotional and stays with you long after you have closed the book.

At the age of 16, Cilka is torn away from her family and is taken to an Auschwitz concentration camp. She is only saved by her beauty. Clearly noticed, she is forced to be different from the other women prisoners. Instead, she is at the beck and call of a commanding officer at the camp. Sadly, for Cilka, life has morphed into a battle for survival and she does what she can to stay alive. Furthermore, she helps the other prisoners out any chance she gets.

One day Cilka thinks she may be freed. Sadly, due to her rather forced relationship with the officer, she is banished to Siberia. Oh what further tragedy she undergoes. Reading of Cilka's experiences, which, by the way, were written based on extensive research done by the author, was heartbreaking. I not only had to put the book down a time or two, but I had to dry my own tears more than once.

Despite the horrors, Cilka proves her worth. Even at her young age, she gets an opportunity to care for the ill. Cilka was forced to grow up and quickly, not only due to her own experiences, but also by what she witnessed on pretty much a daily basis while serving nursing duties.

This book kept me on tenterhooks. I kept thinking we would see Cilka's end. Instead, we are treated with one of the most satisfying conclusions to a story that I have read for quite a long time. Having read several World War II historical fiction stories, quite obviously I knew going in that there would be a high level of tragedy and sadness. But, as stated, the conclusion warmed my heart and Cilka will be with me for a very long time.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

CILKA’S JOURNEY by Heather Morris

The first thing I have to say about this book is it will without a doubt make you weep deep hard ugly heartfelt tears. If it doesn’t you don’t have a heart or empathy for anyone. It’s a very sad but also true story of a young girl, Cilka,who had more compassion, love, honor, selflessness, heart, grit and the gift to give than anyone I have ever read about. This is also the first book I have ever read about someone who was in a concentration camp then prison for being in said camp. I’ve seen a couple of movies about concentration camps and the Nazi hells, but this is the first book. It’s a hard one for sure. It’s so well written and so emotional. You feel the pain of this young girl. What she went through and endured at the hands of men who thought of a race as property. Thought they were not worthy of living. This is the sequel to THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ but can be read as a stand alone. Thank goodness because right now I don’t believe I could handle reading the TATTOOIST.

This book takes you into the depths of a hell that a girl lived through. I have to admit I’m not at all sure I would have survived. She was given choices that kept her alive. To down her for accepting these choices is awful. For anyone to say that these people had choices has no idea what living in hell is like. This book makes you feel like you were there. At least it did me. It was beyond anything I could ever imagine happening yet it did. One day you are a child worrying about getting your license to drive and the next you are dragged away from everything you ever knew and treated like you are the lowest form of life. Cilka was such an inspiration. She was such a king young woman/child. She had a chance to leave and gave it to her friend and that friends child. She did these things many times. Put others before herself. She was forced to sleep with officers in charge in Auschwitz. Raped. Then she was sent to prison for conspiring with the enemy for being a survivor. For choosing to live instead of giving up and dying. She did what she had to do. She found happiness after so much hardship. She learned that she was not a horrible person for things she did that was out of her control. She found love and lived. Cilka was a very strong person whom I admire greatly. This book was so well written. It was so well put together.

At the end of this book keep reading. Read the NOTE FROM HEATHER MORRIS thru the very end of the book. You will learn even more about this amazing author and what research she put into this book. I’m so happy that I read every single word even though I had to lay this book down several times and get up and walk around because of weeping so hard. This is truly a great read. Sad yes. Very very sad but it’s one that I think everyone should read. Everyone should know what happened.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartin’sPress for the honor of reading this book. Also to Heather Morris for researching and writing this book.

I would give this book a million stars if I could. It’s definitely a 5 kleenex and 5 star book that I highly recommend.

Available now: Cilka's Journey

***** 5 stars, Loved it and stayed up all night reading: Cilka's Journey is a powerful sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz.



Recommended readers:

If you like fiction based on WWII history 
If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz 
If you like strong female characters and stories of survival
Here's my Rankings:

5/5 for characters
5/5 for plot
5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:
The widely popular best seller - The Tattooist of Auschwitz, told the love story of a tattooist and the Jewish girl he fell in love with at one of the most famous concentration camps of all. From that story, you'll meet another character, Cilka, who Morris based her second novel about.

As World War II comes to an end, prisoners are being freed from Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Yet Cilka, who was 16 at the time of her arrival at Auschwitz, is accused of collaborating with the Nazis, not granted release and instead sent to a Siberia prison camp ran by the Russians. Her battle for survival, through heartbreak, unfairness and unthinkable tragedies, continues, and yet she still displays the same caring, selflessness that she did in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Heather Morris weaves the best and worst of human nature together in this World War II based-on-a-true-story novel. Cilka's Journey is an heartbreaking and inspiring sequel to Morris's bestseller.

Available now: Cilka's Journey