I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Never forget!

Cilka was first introduced in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which is also an excellent book by Heather Morris. Cilka's Journey is a standalone historical novel based on real people.

After her ordeals in the concentration camp, she is "freed" by the Russians only to be sentenced to many years in a Siberian Gulag. This book shows both the depths to which humanity can sink, as well as, the heights that can be reached by people who try to make the best of horrific conditions and support each other.

This is a very emotional read and a great book.

Difficult emotionally to read but worth it

This was an overwhelming story to read, especially knowing it was based on real-life events.

Cilka was 16 years old and Jewish when she was taken with her mother and sister from their home in Czechoslovakia. They rode in packed cattle cars to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where she was separated from her family.

A high ranking German SS officer notices her beauty and separates her from the crowd and she is given a terrible choice - become his mistress or die. She chose to live. And the camp piles more unbearable choices on her.

When Soviet forces free the prisoners in the camp, she is questioned and it is decided she collaborated with the enemy, even though choices were made that weren't hers. For this she is sentenced to 15 years in a Siberian gulag up by the Arctic Circle.

The story is about her strength, her courage, her willingness to help others and endure.

This was a gut wrenching story. I had to stop reading periodically because it distressed me so much.

It was skillfully written and the atrocities were well defined and impossible to ignore.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

From a Nazi death camp to a Siberian gulag, we follow Cilka Klein, who was charged with spying for the enemy and conspiring, due to her role of senior officers' mistress and death block leader in Auschwitz II-Birkenau. In the Russian prison camp, she faces 15 years of conditions not much better than they were in Auschwitz, plus the addition of frigid weather nearly year-round. She manages to stand apart yet again, but this time mostly because she shows herself to be a quick learned, which makes her valuable at the prison hospital.

This book is a sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but only in that Cilka is introduced in that first book, and some of the characters from the first book are brought up again in this one. I do recommend reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz first, for a more full experience, but you wouldn't lose a lot if you didn't.

I liked Cilka's Journey a bit more than its predecessor, and I think that is because of the writing. I didn't find it quite as stilted in the first book. The subject matter is nearly as dark, especially since there are flashbacks to Cilka's time at Birkenau, but we also get to see glimpses of her life before she went to the camp as well.

Cilka was very compassionate, even to her own detriment many times. I appreciated the way that her heart ached when a friend was hurt (physically or otherwise), or when a rift came between her and someone she cared about. She even managed to find a way to understand and forgive those who persecuted her, by acknowledging that they were simply trying to survive this place like she was. She may have been a bit on the Mary Sue side, somehow being the best at everything she did, but it wasn't glaring.

There were a few events and situations that seemed unnecessary, or that were maybe only there to show again how wonderful Cilka was. I know that this book was even more fictionalized than The Tattooist of Auschwitz, with no single first-hand account to draw from, so I did at times wonder how realistic certain things were.

In the end, it was a good read, and I would definitely recommend it to readers of historical fiction, especially of the WWII era.

An intense gripping story! I thought it was well written and almost hard to put down. I had to stop at times and take a break from the story. I just can’t imagine living through what she had to endure.
Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

A wonderful book about one woman's amazing tale, Cilka's Journey is a book where you struggle to come to terms with man's inhumanity to man. I mean, how much can one woman go through in one lifetime? Based on the true story of Cecilia Klein, first incarcerated in Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, when the camp is finally freed by the allies she finds herself arrested for collaboration with the Nazis, and sent to a Soviet gulag above the Arctic Circle.

Cilka was obviously an extraordinary young woman, only sixteen when first sent to Auschwitz, she did what she could to survive, and found she had to pay for it through the years that followed. We first met Cilka in the author's fantastic book The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, whereas Cilka's Journey is a fictional tale about her time spent in the gulags. Conditions in the camp come to the fore, Cilka having to cope with rape, coercion, and the bitter cold of Siberia. Yet through it all hope shines, hope that she will one day be free and be able to find love.

I found Cilka's Journey to be a compelling, yet harrowing read. A wonderful heroine, yet a hard subject, it leaves the reader feeling uneasy, the fact that this book is based on real life. However I have no hesitation in recommending it to all lovers of historical fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz earlier this month and absolutely loved it which almost seems wrong to say because of the heartbreak contained within the story, but there was also hope and a sweet love story. In Cilka’s Journey, Cilka is afraid to hope for a life “outside” and can you really blame her? After serving 3 years in Auschwitz-Birkenau and then being sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in Vorkuta Gulag, Siberia for working for the enemy as a prostitute and a spy. Although, what choice did she really have? It was her only chance for survival.

Cilka was an amazingly brave and strong woman, who thought she hadn’t earned the right to be called that, always putting other’s needs ahead of her own even when it would have been to her benefit, her safety.

Cilka and Lale’s lives very much paralleled each other, and the best way I know to describe it is to say they seemed to have “nine lives”. Lale called Cilka the bravest person he’d ever met and after reading Cilka’s story I would have to 100% agree.

When I read stories like Lale’s and Cilka’s I have to wonder if I would be able to survive what the men, women and children went through, and I honestly don’t know that I would. I would hope that I would be able to tap into some hidden strength I didn’t know I had.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of Cilka’s Journey; all opinions are my own.

A heartbreaking, emotional and riveting book about the perseverance and bravery of Cilka Klein. She was released from Auschwitz only to be sent to a Siberian Gulag to serve time there for her involvement, unwillingly, with a Nazi commandant. An amazing story of a real-life, remarkable woman. Beautifully written. Cilka's Journey is one that should not be missed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

As always, thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review. Also, thank you to Heather Morris for writing about such a difficult subject and doing it so incredibly well..

Cilka's journey is a harrowing tale of a woman who is trying to survive. She survived being enslaved at Auschwitz. She survived starvation, disease, rape, and even death. This powerful new novel from Heather Morris allows us to follow Cilka through her journey.

We first meet Cilka in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Through the story of Lale and Gita we learn that Cilka is the mistress of a powerful Nazi leader at Auschwitz and that keeps her safe. In Cilka's Journey we learn more about what Cilka had to endure being the mistress of that Nazi leader and what she continues to endure after being charged as a collaborator. She is shipped off to Vorkuta Gulag, a work camp where is left to serve her 15 year sentence. Once again, she is left to survive. It is at this work camp where is able to obtain a job at the Gulag hospital and although she questions the ethics and policies of the hospital, she seemingly has found her greater purpose in life.

Cilka's Journey takes the reader to a dark and haunting place: the confines of Vorkuta Gulag were the women who are held prisoner there are undernourished, raped and treated like vermin. The landscape and situations that arise are brutal and heartbreaking and Heather Morris makes sure to entwine some good to life up the bad.

This is the second novel for Heather Morris. There are fictional aspects to the story, so not all of it is a true account from Cilka. While this story is connected to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, it can easily be read as a standalone novel. There are flashbacks that are weaved throughout the story and there is background information given, so the reader isn't left in the dark about Cilka's life before Gulag.

This story is a MUST READ!! I could not put this book down. Like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this story will hold a special place in my heart. This story is one that needs to be heard, like so many others who had to endure the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Gulag.

Summary: Although the Tattooist of Auschwitz was primarily about Lale Sokolov and his experiences at the infamous Nazi concentration camp, one of the other memorable people from that story was Cilka Klein. Only sixteen when she was sent to the concentration camp, her youth and beauty caught the attention of a brutal Commandant. Her choice was either death in the showers or to endure being repeatedly raped, but with a hope of survival. Cilka chose to survive.

Her choice kept her alive in the concentration camp, but she was then sentenced for fifteen years to one of the Soviet Gulags as punishment for being a Nazi “collaborator” and suspected spy. At the Vorkuta Gulag, she is thrown in with a mix of political prisoners and criminals. She lives in a crude, dirty dormitory and is sent to work with other women gathering coal mined by the male prisoners. She and the other women deal with almost nightly rape by the men in the camp.

When a woman is burned by the stove in the dormitory, Cilka’s quick thinking and ministration saves her hand. This brings her to the attention of a female doctor who recognizes Cilka’s intelligence. Cilka’s life improves somewhat after she is given work in the hospital. But once again, preference sets her apart and she justifiably fears repercussions.

Comments: Although Cilka’s background story is told in flashbacks, I strongly suggest reading the Tattooist of Auschwitz before Cilka’s Journey. As horrible as the conditions are in the Gulag, they don’t begin to compare to Auschwitz. Cilka’s situation is incredibly cruel in light of what she’s already been through.

While Cilka was a real person, her story is a fictionalized blend of research and interviews of people who knew her or went through similar experiences, as Cilka passed away years before this book was researched and written. But this novel is more than just Cilka’s story. It shines a light on a shameful period in the history of the Soviet Union under Stalin. Eighteen million people were incarcerated and forced into hard labor in the Gulags. Considering that separating families and forcing people deemed undesirable into camps is a practice happening in this country today, this is more than a novel. It is a solid reminder of what happens when the power of a few is allowed to corrupt an entire nation.

Highly recommended for readers of Historical Fiction

My rating: 5 STARS

I loved the Tattooist of Auschwitz so I was excited to read this sequel. I was a little nervous how it would hold up to the first book but I think I actually liked it better. It’s fiction but based on a real person and it left such an impression on me. It’s a very sad topic but was handled beautifully. I love the author’s writing style and the way her stories unfold. She really makes you feel for the characters.
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley.

Know up front that this is largely a grim read- Cilka is finally released from Auschwitz-Birkenau only to find herself sent to the Russian Gulag. And she's a teen. Cilka saw and did things no 16 year old should ever endure while at Auschwitz, including pushing her own mother onto the death cart. The one bright spot in her life was her relationship with Gide and Gide's great love Lale- later known, of course, as the tattooist of Auschwitz. Don't worry if you have not read that book- I hadn't- this is Cilka's story and primarily focuses on her time in the Gulag. I suspect many are not aware of or have forgotten the gulag but Morris has captured its horror in a wonderful (not really the right word but you know what I mean) way. Cilka lives in a hut with other women sent to Siberia for other crimes- she's the only Jew- and while she befriends Josie, several of the others are cruel to her. They work in a coal mine until Cilka is hurt, is sent to the hospital and Yelena, a physician there discovers that she speaks multiple languages, She becomes a nurse trainee, which protects her from the coal mine but not from the men who invade the hut at night. Josie becomes pregnant by one of these men- and it is this pregnancy that is the bright light in an otherwise dark dark dark existence. This is based on a true story- make sure to read the afterword. I thoroughly respect Morris for keeping the name of Cilka's husband out of the material to allow him privacy as I suspect he would be overwhelmed by fans. This is painful at times, gripping always, and beautifully written. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction- highly recommend.

Cilka's Journey is a heart wretching story about the German concentration camps and the Russian prison camp. You'll learn of these brave women who survived the horrors. You willn't be able to put it down until the end.

Wow. My heart breaks for the horror and endurance for humiliation and terrible conditions that Cilka had to experience. This story follows Cilka, a woman which survived Auschwitz, from the previous book "The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Following the liberation of the camps at the end of the war, Cilka was pronounced a collaborator by the Soviet Union, and sent to the Stalin's, terrible Gulag Camps in Siberia. Cilka's Journey of survival and re-invention, is based on a real person, which was clearly the bravest woman to have ever lived. I am stunned by this collection of events. An excellent book, truly breathtaking! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy, all opinions are my own.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! The descriptions of what happened to Cilka are so vivid that I felt like I was right there with her. There is such an underlying story of hope in her journey - it was pure pleasure to read.

I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and fell in love. One of my favorite genres is historical fiction and nonfiction specifically with a focus on WWII. When I heard about this one coming out I had to get my hands on it. Thank you so much for the advanced copy for my honest opinion. The writing is very realistic and pulls in aspects of Cilka and factual events. The emotions are raw and real. The writing itself does not have to go super in depth in order to convey the message and emotions. It leaves you captivated and feeling the need to keep turning the pages. To keep reading more and more. Cilka captures me from the previous book and to finally get to read her story was so important.

Special thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced physical copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: October 1, 2019

“Cilka’s Journey” is the second novel by Heather Morris, and the follow-up to her The Tattooist of Auschwitz. While not a direct sequel (it is not necessary to read the first novel in order to keep pace with this one), it is more like a spin-off, telling the story of Cecilia (Cilka) Klein, one of the characters whom we first met in “Tattooist”.

Cilka survived many grueling years at Auschwitz the only way she could, using whatever advantages she had to stay alive. Now, she is being punished for her actions, and is sent to a Siberian prison camp. There, she is forced into yet another struggle to stay alive, trying to stay under the radar and keep her reason for being sent to Siberia a secret. As Cilka starts to settle in, she forms new friendships and hones new skills, all while continuing the basic struggle of survival.

Cilka is yet another one of Morris’ heartbreaking characters, based on a real life person. Ms. Klein deserves the utmost respect in every facet- and I humbly admire her strength and sheer will to survive in an environment that wanted nothing more than to break her.

This novel is told entirely from Cilka’s perspective, in the time after Auschwitz. Since there were gaps (for the reader) in Cilka’s story between Auschwitz and Siberia, some of these details are given to us through dreams and memory recollections of Cilka . As with “Tattooist”, the brutal realities of Nazi-regime life is featured, and some of humanity’s greatest strengths (and weaknesses) are at play.

It is difficult for me to read such an open and honest novel on World War Two and not rate it five-stars. This novel also has the rare bonus of being beautifully written and wrought with emotion. I was humbled to read the story of Cilka Klein and her compatriots, and am grateful to Ms. Morris for sharing her story with us.

"From the author of the multi-million copy bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes a new novel based on a riveting true story of love and resilience.

Her beauty saved her - and condemned her.

Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is. Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival.

When the war is over and the camp is liberated, freedom is not granted to Cilka: She is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp. But did she really have a choice? And where do the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was send to Auschwitz when she was still a child?

In Siberia, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she meets a kind female doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing and begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions.

Confronting death and terror daily, Cilka discovers a strength she never knew she had. And when she begins to tentatively form bonds and relationships in this harsh, new reality, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love.

From child to woman, from woman to healer, Cilka's journey illuminates the resilience of the human spirit - and the will we have to survive."

A story that needs to be told.

After reading The Tatooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, and loving it, I was excited and terrified to read Cilka's Journey. So often, the second book does not compare to the first. I am thrilled to say that I loved It almost as much! Her writing is flawless and her characters were very likeable. Thank you Net Galley and Heather Morris for making me look forward to sequels again!!

Cilka's Journey is one of the best novels I have read in a long time. I have a fairly new penchant for reading novels in the WWII fiction genre, and this novel is at the top of my favorites. It was incredibly powerful, moving, and emotional. It was heart-wrenching to read about the horrible conditions, situations, and challenges that these people faced, yet it is so important for readers to know what it was like, what happened during that time years ago, and understand how it plays into our world today. Cilka showed such amazing strength, determination, and courage, and to read when she was feeling anything but those traits tore at my soul and heart. She genuinely did not see or believe how her brevity and selfless acts made such a big difference to so many, how she helped shape the movement towards something far beyond what she was able to see.

I have not yet read The Tattooist of Auschwitz but am absolutely going to read it soon, with hopes that I will love it as much as I did Cilka's Journey.

Cilka's Journey is a five-star read and a necessary and important novel that everyone should read. It deserves more than reviews and mentions; it deserves awards, medals, world recognition!

I probably shouldn't give 5 stars to any book , but this book gets 5 because it touched me so deeply. Heather Morris has woven a beautiful story around a character who is real. I don't even know how to describe this book. It made me happy and sad, at the same time. Somehow, the story had much joy in it, even when conveying some of the worst conditions any human could endure I think that lends a certain beauty to the entire experience of reading this story. There was violence and cruelty, but somehow it wasn't as harsh and bone-jarring as I have experienced from other stories. It was depicted in a real and necessary way to convey just how horrible life (and death) was for tens of thousands of people. The story flowed well, and I was excited to get back to it any time I had a chance. Overall, it was a soothing, uplifting story, beautifully told. The characters really came to life and took me back in time to this horrible era, even though I was not even alive when this happened. Although this is not the type of book I normally read, I am sure it will stick with me for a long time. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a deeper emotional read. You may just learn a bit of history too.