This was enjoyable but it took nearly half the book for me to wade through all the character backstory to finally sink my teeth into the plot. While I did like the characters, the fact that this is fantasy made it a bit too dense with how much this was character driven as well. Still, after getting to the halfway hump, I did end up enjoying the book after all!

I'm so invested in learning about World War II, and add in one of my absolute FAVORITE fandoms, Stranger Things!? Ohh, I was immediately sold. I loved the combination of the supernatural element during WWII set in Germany. Not only that, but the LGBTQ+ REP!? YES! Totally wasn't expecting a little more adult content, but I was totally here for it! This book was absolutely amazing. I loved the multi-POV that featured many of the characters.

Okay, buckle up kids. There is a lot going on with this book. What genre is it? Well, it's an LGBTQ time travel book about teens taking down Hitler- so historical fiction? I'm not saying I didn't like it- I did- very much. It checks all my boxes of inclusiveness and you can squeeze it into your school booklist on the history content- which is cool.

What do you get when you mix World War II and a fantastical world where shadows and monsters affect historical events? The Shadow War by Lindsay Smith, that’s what! Today is pub day for this unique YA fantasy from @penguinteen [#penguinteenpartner]. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone: WWII, a cast of strong characters that identify as LGBTQ+, fast paced action, and tension that will keep you turning the pages.
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This is unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and it’s not like something that I would pick up normally. It has strong Stranger Things vibes that blends well with the historical fiction aspect. There is, as expected, a lot of death that surrounds these characters. The author thrives on creating vivid imagery, so if you are an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) you might not want to read this one. Honestly, I did not end up finishing it for this reason. (I look away during most of the scenes in Stranger Things.)
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I’d recommend it to fans of Six of Crows, Stranger Things, Man in the High Castle, and The Book Thief.
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Thanks again to @penguinteen for sending the eGalley my way. I’m always proud to be a #penguinteenpartner.

This was fun!!!

Confusing but fun! I loved how fast paced it was, how fleshed out and well developed the characters were and overall it was a good time. Yes I had lots of questions, many were not answered. But overall, this was FUN like I had a good time reading it and I’m a sucker for character driven books as we all know.

And major brownie points because this book reminded me how much I actually enjoy historical fiction, a very underrated genre for me!

This book has all the right elements I'm interested in. It is a war story which I don't read often but fascinated at. I was really looking forward to this book and I can say it somehow delivered. Somehow. Here's the thing, there were times I got bored reading this, especially in the first two-thirds of the story. I know I said I'm fascinated at war stories and I really am, but I found myself wanting to skip more than a few times. It's not exactly the pace but the elements in the storyline. It's like most of the scenes in the book, I've seen/read already before.

But like I said, I love the main plot, the war and these young adults being at the center of it, and I love the characters. I think they're very well-written, well rounded and definitely unforgettable. The narration was fine and the descriptions are so vivid. But sometimes the exposition is too much I think it's giving away more than it should. I really feel like, halfway through the book, I know everything there is to know.

The Shadow War is a YA historical sci-fi about a group of teenagers trying to take down the Nazis. The premise of this book sounded WILD when I first saw it, and I’m really happy I got an ARC because it really was a wild and weird time!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This book has EVERYTHING - alternate dimensions, 1940s LGBT teens killing Nazis, weird shadow monsters ALSO killing Nazis, and so much more. I loved all of our main characters and the dynamics between all of them brought some levity to an otherwise dark story. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I was kind of confused about the details surrounding the alternate dimension here, which is what brought this down to a 4 star read for me. It was definitely fun and I enjoyed it, but I had a few too many “I’m not actually sure what’s happening” moments to give this a higher rating. I would say if you like Inglourious Basterds, books set during World War II, and Science Fiction this would be a fun read! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinteens for the #gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

THE SHADOW WAR has such high potential but I think it overall fell flat because it tried to do too much.

I was intrigued with how Smith would weave the sci-fi elements of the shadow world into WWII however I thought that the explanation for the existence of the shadow world was a bit too simplistic. The first chapter with Liam's POV really sucked me into the book but subsequent scenes with the shadow demons were quite repetitive.

While I enjoyed the five main characters and the alternating POVs, I think there were too many for the reader to feel a connection with anyone character or feel like they knew them well. The characters did remind me of the friend group in Stranger Things so that marketing is spot on. Even though we read the backstories of each character, it still felt like we were scratching the surface and being told about them instead of being able to visualize their actions and getting to know them that way. I also then felt that the relationships in this novel were underdeveloped. Liam and Daniel were such a sweet couple, but their attraction started so abruptly. I wanted to root for them, but I wanted Smith to give me more to root for.

Overall I think the plot had tons of potential and could picture this on a streaming service, but so much happened in these pages and I felt like we were only scratching the service in terms of characterization and plot development.

Well this was unique, and I have to say when they compared this to Inglorious Bastards meets Stranger Things I can honestly see it in a sense. I enjoyed the LGBTQ representation of this novel along with the mash-up of historical WWII meets this paranormal, parallel, shadow world that can be harnessed for its evil powers. I was pretty intrigued by the creatures that lurked in this other realm that exists alongside ours. I honestly was constantly looking for the portions that brought these dark beings into our world. They were gloriously grotesque and probably my favorite aspect overall.

There are a lot of POVs and I was managing well until they kept coming. I would have enjoyed this a little more if the POVs stuck with Liam, Daniel and Rebeka. The constant POV switch and the inclusion of some minor side characters later on made it difficult to connect with the characters overall. I did connect the most with Rebeka. I liked her realistic actions and inner struggles. Her love for her brother and personal growth in this hellish world while mastering her own gift made her stand out to me.

I appreciate the twist the author was going for with the historical meets sci-fi meets horror. I do think less would’ve made this a truly enjoyable read for me. There is a lot of potential and I can see readers that enjoy this kind of dark twist devouring this book quickly. For me, though I enjoyed the dark side, I found myself dragging through a lot of the context and trying too hard to find that connection with the characters. This may not have been the read for me, but I thank Penguin Teen for the opportunity to give this read a try for an honest and unbiased review.

Rating:3.5
Such an interesting approach to Historical YA. Involving WWII, and revenge against Nazis.
What I enjoyed: The multiple POV’s! I always say, there’s no better way to understand characters. You get in their minds, then you’re rooting for them like you’re in the novel yourself! Historical Fiction with elements of Fantasy really brings the world building together. With multiple characters POV’s we get a full picture. Very similar to that of Six of Crows. If you enjoyed that novel, you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
I do feel like the plot was just a bit confusing at moments, and I felt like I missed something, needing to go back a few pages. A little complex, but overall enjoyable.

This kind of book is not one that I usually pick up, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it. Smith added an extra layer of evil to the Nazis in a way that reminded me of Captain America: The First Avenger. Smith also mastered the found family trope, and found a way to bring together a very unlikely group of people together in order to find a way to help save the world. Smith's storytelling had me hooked and I really appreciated the way that she paid special attention to each of the characters to give them their own arc throughout the story, and enough background information so that the reader could easily connect with them. I wish we had heard more from Evangeline's perspective though, she added a very refreshing take on the story. I truly loved Smith's characters and the relationships they developed along the way.

LGBTQ teens join forces to take down the Nazis? How could you not enjoy this book? Such a fun and inclusive YA historical fantasy book. I think the book should be billed for fans of Six of Crows rather than Inglorious Basterds.

I really truly feel that Lindsay Smith is the only one that can get me to thoroughly enjoy a World War II historical fiction. This is a bit science-heavy at times, but with a character-driven story I did not mind somethings going over my head plot-wise.

Thank you PenguinTeen for providing me with an e-arc of the book!

The Shadow War is a Historical Fiction/Fantasy novel that takes place during World War II. It is a multiple POV novel about 6 different people coming together to try and gain control of the Shadow World and win the war.

The cover is what first drew me to this book, but after reading the plot I knew it was a book I wanted to read. I love books that start off with all the characters not knowing each other, but slowly throughout the book they all are thrown together and team up. I have to say I really loved these characters. I loved reading all their POV and I was always excited to learn more about each and every one of them. There were a few nights where I lost sleep because I couldn’t put this book down and just wanted to keep reading to see what the characters would do next. Overall, I did enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you so much to PenguinTeen and Net Galley for the ARC!

What I loved about this book was the representation. I love the LGBTQIA+ stories as well as the action. The more we see representation in young adult books, the better! It lets young readers know they are not alone.

I liked that it wasn’t your typical World War II book. It was history means a bit of sci-fi! It felt like Stranger Things meet Nazi Germany. Definitely a unique read!

I liked the lgbtq representation
I liked the historical aspects of the war.
The characters were good but I didn’t connect with any of them.
My biggest problem with the book was the historical mashing with fantasy. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it and it felt off kilter.
I think others will like this but it’s just not for me.

I think fans of Six of Crows would enjoy this story! So I didn’t really get into this story until about 50% of the way through. This story was character driven, rather than plot driven, especially at the beginning. Because there were so many characters we had to weave our way through so many backstories and flashbacks, which left me confused initially. There was also a lot of science talk in the story, which just isn’t for me. However, once I finally figured out who everyone was I started enjoying the story more. I ended up caring for everyone and was hoping for the best for them. The last 50% of this book had me really interested. I was satisfied with the ending, and overall I had a good time reading this book!

The Shadow War is a unique World War II story that follows five teenagers–Daniel, Rebeka, Simone, Phillip, and Liam–who begrudgingly work together to not only fight against the Nazis in Germany but monsters that have crossed from a shadow world into Earth. One of the main characters, Liam, is a genius who is studying relative theory physics and uncovers the portal to the shadow world. It’s obviously science fiction-esque, but Smith doesn’t spend a ton of time discussing the science behind the portal so it’s accessible for non-science people such as myself.

I loved how diverse the cast of characters was and how they each had a different motivation to fight the Nazis. Daniel and Rebeka are Jewish and want revenge after their family is slaughtered, Simone is a German girl whose life was ruined at the hands of the Nazis, and Phillip is an engineering student looking to compensate for the impulsivity that has landed him in trouble one too many times. The book moves between the third-person perspectives of all five characters, but they’re all so different so the voices are distinct enough to get a good sense of who each of them are. I am a sucker for stories where people are thrown together, and I liked the friendships that the characters developed.

Even if The Shadow War has a historical basis, you’ll need to suspend your disbelief (obviously, because there are otherworldly monsters involved), but if you’ve ever heard theories that there are universes parallel to this one, it’s an interesting entry into that genre (niche?) that isn’t overly technical or science-y.

3.5/4 stars!

This book is fast-paced, action packed, and full of compelling characters that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about! I am normally a fantasy and sci-fi girl but sometimes I like to dip my toe into the historical fiction waters. This was a little bit of historical fiction, little bit sci-fi, and 100% a solid book.

Tension kept me turning the pages and the whole shadow realm was a good addition to set this apart from the typical world war II era historical fiction I have read.
The characters were all pretty well-rounded and developed. The romance, while a little bit insta-love tropey, was still fun to read and a nice addition.
Over all, happy I read this one!

E-arc was received by Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Penguin Teen!

i absolutely love the idea of this book but unfortunately i feel like the execution fell short. the book strays very little from the blurb; it’s literally just 400 pages of a bunch of people running around killing nazis with little plot or explanation of why exactly there is a giant shadow realm and it’s relevance. where did it come from? why does it exist? how long has it existed? why has nobody discovered it before? i had SO many questions and none of them were answered. once you accept the fact that you’re inevitably going to be confused, this book is a whole lot of fun. the characters, even the side ones, where all well developed. the relationships, apart from maybe one, were also well developed. it took a while to get into, but it was definitely worth the wait.