During World War II, the territory in Eastern Europe known as Galicia was the scene of fierce, bloody fighting. Even before the war, there had been fighting between the Ukrainian and Polish people living in that part of Eastern Europe. These conflicts were ignited again in addition to the battles being fought against the German army and the Russian army as both forces fought for control of the area as well.

Against this backdrop, Amanda McCrina’s novel about two young men who are caught up in the fighting, provides a close up view of the uncertain loyalties, devastation, hardship, and brutality that were part of everyday life. There is a real sense of place with characters whose lives become entwined. It’s a story of survival, loyalty, and betrayal that is hard to put down.

At times, it is confusing as the timeline alternates between 1941 and 1944. But despite that, it’s a look at a little known part of World War II history that is well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar Straus Giroux Publishers and author Amanda McCrine for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this very interesting story.

I love a good historical fiction book and when I read the synopsis for this I knew i would love it!
This book was full of so many twists and turns and I fell in love with the characters.
This was one of those books I couldn't and didn't put down until I was done with it. Lol.

Probably 30% of the way through Traitor I had to stop and do some research on World War II and the roles of Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. Once I had more background knowledge, I started the book over again. The novel is amazing. The story is beautifully written, so descriptive with wonderful characters. It was a heart wrenching experience as good war stories often are. I recommend this book and this talented author.

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to read this book! I first heard about it from a panel discussion at BookCon, and hearing the author talk about it definitely piqued my interest. Overall, I really liked it, and I think it gives an important perspective on WWII that many people don't know about. I certainly didn't know anything about what was going on with Poland and Ukraine during and after WWII, and I imagine most young adults haven't learned about it either.

The story itself is incredibly action-packed, and it is sometimes a bit difficult to keep track of who is who and which side people are on, which is actually not a bad thing, since it seems that what the author is trying to do is to show just how muddy the distinctions were. Almost every character is a traitor in some way, which makes the book incredibly interesting, since there are no particular "good guys" and "bad guys." The one thing the author did that I'm not totally sure worked for me was switching perspectives between Tolya and Aleksey. I liked learning about Aleksey's backstory, and ultimately learning how the various characters from both parts of the story fit together, but I didn't love the way that Tolya's narrative kept getting interrupted. Both perspectives were well done; I'm just not sure they fit together as seamlessly as I would have liked.

Overall, a great book, and I would definitely recommend it to young adults and adults, too!

Traitors is a book categorized for young readers. I found its content violent and unappealing. It jumps back and forth between the two main characters and I found it difficult to keep up with what was gong on. More information on the context of what was actually going on would have been helpful as well as better background on the characters. Young readers may be able to grasp what is going on or may like the violence. I did not.
Thanks #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This story takes place during the Soviet liberation of a town in Poland that had just been in German hands. The story of a boy half polish half Ukraine, a mix that is the most undesired at his point. But Tolya does what he must to stay safe and feed. Until the day comes that changes everything and sends Toyla on the run, not sure who he can trust if anyone.

This is a powerful book about a place you don't hear much about when World War II is talked about. The children left behind when parents are imprisoned or killed. Most of the children are smart enough to know who they can trust but some have no one and must do what they can to survive. The history in this book is awesome and the characters are perfect, this is a book you will not want to miss, non stop action and suspense that will have you holding on to your chair, so be careful. I hope the author does more books like this as it was such a good book and I hope you all will like it as much as I do.

This will appear on my blog on Aug 25th.

Will post this review to Goodreads on July 26.

Tolya and Aleksey—two passionate young men trying to fight for their beliefs in an ever changing world. Set during WWII, these two narrators from Amanda McCrina’s Traitor both share their pasts and presents as they try to survive the conflicts between communists, Germans, Ukrainians, and Poles.

I loved that McCrina opens up this world and these moments of history to her readers. When we learn about WWII, we spend so much time—rightly so—on the Holocaust that it’s easy to forget that the effects of war are far reaching and traumatizing to many, and that there is more than one story to be told. For me, someone that knows little about Ukrainians, Poles, and the horrific fights between them, I did find myself lost a few times. However, I think that had more to do with my lack of historical knowledge in this area and less to do with McCrina’s craft. The storytelling alternates between Tolya’s and Aleksey’s perspectives and does an amazing job of showing the facets and intricacies of these situations.

For readers looking for a war story that focuses on the moral question of why, I think this is an intriguing read. If you’re looking for something light, this may not be for you.

Wow! Just wow! This book is astonishing! If you think there is nothing new to learn about World War II, it will definitely prove you wrong! The writing is lovely - clean and simple, but with spot on descriptions that involve all the senses. The plot is truly gripping and compelling. And the characters! I loved so many of them - and I really loved that (with maybe one exception), they were drawn in shades of grey. Even the most evil people had a tiny moment - a millisecond - of grace. Which did not, by any means, make their actions seem less evil - quite the opposite, in fact. But I felt that Ms. McCrina envisioned her entire cast of characters as complete human beings, in all their messy complexity, and she managed to convey this to her readers.

The setting is one I knew pretty much nothing about - the action takes place in the city of Lviv, which was then in Poland, and is now in Ukraine. And a great deal of the fighting is between Poles and Ukrainians - the addition of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia only make the long running conflict between these two groups more bitter.

It is hard to write anything at all about the plot without giving major points away, so I will just say that it is quite twisty, and fascinating. The title, "Traitor," describes more than one person, for sure, but isn't a perfect characterization of anyone.

The structure is fascinating! Two teenage soldiers cross paths, and alternating sections of the book are written from each young man's perspective.

I want to add a caveat. This truly excellent book is really hard to read in places, because of the horrific violence some of the young people see and endure. I think I will be haunted by it for a good while to come. If you know that you, like me, don't do well with violence, I still think you will find it very worthwhile, but be warned that some fairly shocking things happen.

Also, the fate of the Jewish citizens in Poland is certainly alluded to, and described pretty graphically in one scene, but it is not a major concern of any of the characters, so the book does not center on it. So, although it is a novel about WWII Poland/Ukraine, it is not a Holocaust narrative.

Finally, the book is crying out for a sequel! It doesn't end on an awful cliffhanger, but I really wanted to know what would happen next.

In sum: Beautifully written and well worth reading.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a YA novel set in WWII Poland/Ukraine and deals with the many different groups that try to seize power from the polish Resistance, to the UPA, to the NVKD, to the Nazis. I have not read a novel about this area and time period before and it was so rich in detail and character. Tolya is a main character and his story and the story of Solovey are told in alternating chapters and timelines. I really had to train my brain to remember who was with what group when to pull the story together. The title of the book, traitor, is also the theme of the novel as the characters are forced at different times to be a part of different groups. Well researched, well written and shines light on what it means to be a traitor. I loved every single page of this and hope to see more by this author!!!

The setting is Poland 1944 in and around the city Lwow/Lviv. The story is told in third party narration and is split between two young men -Tolya and Solovey as they negotiate their way through a city that is being fought over by Polish resistance fighters, The UPA, and the NVKD. If those initials were foreign to you they were to me as well. Ms. McCrina does an admirable job of trying to convey a very complicated history between the Ukraine, Poland and Russia.
Those individuals who like plenty of action will not be disappointed. Both our characters are frequently in danger and have to navigate their way through some tight situations. There are plenty of close escapes, who can be trusted moments but also quiet moments to punctuate the chaos.
The true pull of the story for me though was the richly drawn characters of both Tolya and Solovey. It is heartbreaking at times to read about Tolya’s despair at fitting in neither with Poland or the Ukraine due to circumstances of birth he has no control over. Equally heartbreaking is the relationship between Solovey and his brother Myklov. Other supporting characters are also interesting and add depth. This is a book that I thought about even while I was not reading it. I’d love to learn more about that area and fortunately the author gives us some additional sources to peruse.
I do have one quibble with the book and, without being spoilery, and that is the ending – Ms. mcCrina, how could you?
This is also a book that I think will have appeal to a very specific teen audience but will have cross over appeal for those adults interested in a different aspect of World War II.

A compelling YA historical fiction that addresses the terrible choices faced by those who live through war.

One of the things that struck me the most throughout this story is the moral complexity shown in so many of the characters. The author does an excellent job of establishing a story in which there are very few heroes and villains, and mostly people just trying to do their best in the moment. It addresses the heartbreaking decisions faced by those who lived through World War II, and shows compassion as characters stumble through them.

Overall, I think the characters, the dual narration and timeline format, and the research were some of the standouts of this novel. I particularly appreciated the unique perspective the author brought - focusing on a less known part of World War II, as well as characters that aren't the obvious and expected heroes.

I struggled a bit to decipher the various political groups mentioned, and had to do research and read the historical note many times throughout the book. This is not necessarily a criticism, but readers should be prepared to go beyond the page for this book. Also, both plots lines meandered at times and then wrapped up quite suddenly, leaving me feeling as though the last chapters were missing. Again, I think there is power in this because of the questions and confusion so many faced during this time in history, and yet the overall pacing still felt a little off.

All in all a great - and original - addition to the genre. My thanks to Netgalley and McMillan for providing me an e-arc of this book.

This story really kept me on my feet! As a reader, I was gravitating towards the characters on their mental and emotional state during their time of survival. I usually don't go towards historical fiction but the characters, and how important they each were in their own stories was very important and valuable for the rest of the character development. I really appreciated having a list of characters at the end in case I can revert back to them. The dialogue made me feel as though I was there and would have asked the same questions while placing humor here and there during some difficult situations. What I also enjoyed was the switch in character perspective and using different points of view for both and how each character's actions impacted one another without them knowing. I would really recommend my young adult readers that love their historical fiction for sure.

Two teens struggle to survive between 1941-1944 during the brutal war around Lvov as partisans battle Russian, German, Ukranian and Polish forces.. The story jumps between time periods and characters and, while compelling, I found it difficult to follow.

The book Traitor by Amanda McCrina is centered around the Polish, Ukranian and German political conflict of 1944. In this book, Tolya Korolenko, half Polish, half Ukranian, shoots an officer in his unit and is “rescued” by a squad of freedom fighters. Their leader, Solovey, has his own secrets, and Tolya is challenged with determining who to trust. There are some blatantly bad people in this book. Then, you have people who do bad things, but their reasons are complicated. The question of what exactly makes a traitor is addressed throughout, but the real betrayers stand out. Throughout the book, Toyla and Solovey’s stories are told in alternating perspectives, with each of their sections giving insights into who they are and how their paths both mirror each other and ultimately come to meet. At times, it seems like no one they encounter can be trusted, and sometimes you wonder if they are even trustworthy themselves. As the conflicts surrounding them become more and more dangerous, allies are important - trusting the wrong person can be deadly.

This story doesn’t stray from presenting these events as accurately and descriptively as possible. The events are bloody, painful, and deadly. The author does not shy away from describing physical and mental pain, and you can feel the anguish these characters experience. In terms of subject matter, this was sometimes a hard read. I became emotional several times, and connected with these characters in such a way that I was very invested in both of their stories. I had to put the book down a few times and come back to it later, as I needed time to deal with some things that happened. I never put it down for long, however. This story drew me in, right from the beginning. While it appears lengthy, and the subject heavy, it was relatively easy to read, engagement-wise. The events move rapidly, moving you through the story at a good pace. Everything along the way makes sense as you read, even if you’re struggling to figure out character motivations through most of the book.

I didn’t know what to think when I began reading this book. By the end, I didn’t want it to be over. I did want more clarification at the end of the story, as I feel that Tolya’s journey in particular just needed something - if not closure, than something closer to it. That is the only criticism I have of this book - I wanted more. I highly recommend this read to anyone, but especially those with an interest in history, this particular conflict, or just those looking for a book that will allow you to immerse yourself in the characters and events described here.

This was an incredible read.

I felt for all the characters and more than once was thrown for a loop by this book. I really enjoyed it and would recommend for anyone who loves history and incredibly daring stories.

This was a brutal read. Be sure to check the content warnings before you pick it up!

That said, it is masterfully done historical fiction. The uncertainties and tensions between Poland, the Ukraine, Russia and Germany are conveyed in a manner that keeps you guessing who you can trust, or if you can trust anyone. The over all story switches through time between a third person POV from Tolya, and a first person POV from Aleksey. Each story mirrors the other down to the "buttery leather" shoes on the characters feet. The technical details of weapons and firefights will capture readers with those interests. A longer book, but the tension and generous amounts of snappy dialogue keep the pace moving right along.

A glossary / pronunciation guide to the Polish and Ukranian words would have been a helpful addition to the back matter.

A hard sell to the general public, but readers with an interest in WWII, and this particular conflict will get a lot out of this book.