A different aspect of WWII. This is hard to read in spots but it's also got hope. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction,

I enjoy reading historical fiction books that take place during WWII. This particular story had a different focus than what I have typically read. This book occurs in Russia with the Germany army advancing The German people who resided in the Soviet Union were sent to labor camps. The author does a wonderful job describing what the German people endured. This was based on the author’s grandparents’ experiences. It is an emotional read that will touch your heart. You will find yourself grieving for the individuals that are described.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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On the Wings of Hope is based on the true story of Harri Pfeiffer and Yvo Scholz. I found this to be an interesting viewpoint that I do not recall reading before. This is from the point of view of German citizens living in the Soviet Union at the end of WW2. I can only recall Hitler's name being mentioned once during the entire book.

These German citizens were forced in to the labor camps. Even though there wasn't the extreme brutality and torture that befell many Jews, the German citizens were barely fed, worked in extreme settings and deprived basic medical treatment.

This is a perfect example of how a story should be written when it is based on a true story. The story flowed perfectly and smoothly.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Sorry for the delayed review. Not sure how this fell through the cracks.

The German’s army is advancing across the Soviet Union in 1942, and the German citizens living there are scared, and those who haven’t been sent to a work for the labour army are worried their name will be next on the list.

Harri Pfeiffer is sixteen, he’s living with his mother Hilde and sister Emma in Kazakhstan. He’s receives a days notice and he’s to be sent to Chelyabinsk, and nothing could prepare him for life in the camp. Every day he has to unload trains by hand, with a crew of teenage boys, and it’s physically brutal. They live on two small meals of watery soup and bread, and he’s always hungry. Harri tries to harden his heart, people die daily from exhaustion, starvation and disease. He meets Erich Scholz, they become friends, Erich’s most treasured possession is a picture of his fiancé Rita and his sister Anna and Harri doesn’t remember his link to the Scholz family.

Anna and her daughter Yvonne Scholz have managed to stay together, first Anna's husband Wilhelm was sent to a camp and then her son Erich was summoned to join the labour army. The women haven’t had an easy time, forced to leave Komi, Anna the ex-school teacher, cuts wood in a forest, clears debris with Yvo from a factory, and after three years they haven’t heard from Erich. When the war ends, they travel to Chelyabinsk desperate to find him, they register for work and rent a room.

Both Harri and Yvonne were excellent students before the war, Anna could sew, and this is the reason they managed to survive the Russian work camps. On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss is a story about courage, hardship, determination, friendship, family, fate, never giving up, and a treasured photograph.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I have read the previous book in the series In the Shadow of the Storm, it made it easier for me to follow the English translation, and I remember the familiar characters, the secret link between the families and four stars from me.

This is the first but it sure won't be the last of reading these terrific hard to read treatment so many had to go through just to try and survive the most horrible ways that they not only had to live but had to see so many lives being destroyed along with their own hoping that after all of this the only thing that keeps you going is..Will at least one of my family members survive to see once again!! WWII was bad enough and horrible enough and to have to live through it and then if you did to rebuild and block out memories.. You have so much history here and this was different for me in the area this happened in.. I never ever knew I this place and I'm so glad I chose to read this story it just helps me learn mirror the more hero's that had to do what they had to do to survive and to live to tell their story...Received from Net Gallery ,I will be reading more of Ella's stories and even though they are real she has a way of bringing them to life with her words..

This is an amazing story of survival during WW2. Highly recommend!

Thank you for this e-ARC of #onthewingsofhope, Lake Union Publishing and #netgalley in return for my honest review.

2.5 stars.
It was an interesting read. i liked the story alot, but i had a hard tome connecting with the characters in it.

Well written, at times a hard read, thinking about the horrors these people lived through. Would definitely recommend

This was a tragic WWII story based on true events. The writing is atmospheric and shares the emotions of the characters. The descriptions of the labor camps and how the German immigrants were treated was heartbreaking. This is a story I will long remember.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting and deeply emotional tale, good for fans of WW2 fiction. I liked thay it was set in Kazakhstan which is not often represented in this genre. The writing is good.
An interesting read.

On the Wings of Hope is a WWII novel based on true events and the lives of the author's grandparents, Harri Pfeiffer and Yvonne Scholz,  Germans immigrants living in Soviet Russia who were forced to work in labour camps in savage  conditions during WWII because of their German heritage. Even after the war ended, they had to keep fighting for their rights and opportunities at every turn.

Told from both Harri and Yvonne's perspectives this novel is sad, tragic, moving and yet filled with hope. It shows a different side to the WWII narrative where innocent German immigrants were treated unfairly and harshly even though they did not support or have any part to play in what the Nazis did.

This book is an English translation of the original and I think Helen MacCormac has done a wonderful job.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Amazon Publishing UK and Lake Union Publishing and the author Ella Zeiss for the e-Arc of the book. This book was published on 17th November 2020.

As a fan of this genre of book and time frame I was very pleased with this book. It brought out a lot of heart in the writing.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

As German families in the Soviet Union are broken apart, during WWII, members sent to a forced labour camp in Chelyabinsk, are basically worked to death. With the war ending, Yvo, sister to Harri, journeys to find him and perhaps their father also. Well written historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was such a beautiful, lovely period piece about two characters stuck in the middle of a war. You also don't get the typical "war" feel the way you would in other novels set during WWII. Instead, you get to experience the war from the perspective of German immigrants -- and how those people were treated even when they did not support the Nazis.

This was such an emotional journey, and I'm so happy that I was given the chance to read this book.

This book is a real treat to read. A lover of world war historical fiction will truly enjoy this book.

ATypical WWII Novel. In several ways, this is a typical WWII romance-ish novel, maybe of a Russian kind (ie, hard times all over the place, can be seen as depressing at times, yet ultimately a story of survival and love). In many other ways, this is a very *atypical* WWII novel. For one, it doesn't take place in the more common Western Europe setting, but instead mostly in Soviet forced labor camps. For another, well, the whole "Soviet" thing doesn't get seen too much in Western WWII historical fiction novels. And finally, this is actually directly based on the real-world travails of the author's grandparents, making it the first time I've seen a novel of the type I myself hope to write someday. Overall truly a tremendous work, and very much recommended.

On The Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss was given to me as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I am rating this book 4 stars. I enjoyed reading the story of Yvo and Harri in their two separate settings and then how their journeys intertwine. Their individual stories of perseverance and hope in times that were so difficult; working in labor camps, constantly being hungry, and being separated from family.

On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, translated by Helen MacCormac, is a moving WWII historical fiction based on true events of the author’s grandparents’ experiences in the Soviet Union labor camps.

This is not your typical WWII novel. There is almost no mention of Hitler and the Jewish concentration camps. This story feels like a behind the scenes view of how savage labor camps were used to support the front lines of the war. It is also a testament to how German immigrants were treated during the war even when they were not supporting Nazi Germany.

It was incredible how this story was told from the perspectives of the protagonists as if you were occupying their mind and viewing their inner thoughts. The author’s ability to describe a train of thought and draw out the inner battles everyone has with themselves was incredible. You could feel the stress and the emotional turmoil.

This story is tragic. For every positive experience, there is an equally devastating one to follow. Holding onto hope was the only way anyone could survive the experiences described in this book. Strength, perseverance, family, hope and love are the qualities that make this story bearable.

You will cry, you will cheer, you will grieve, you will ache for the individuals in this story.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing for a copy of this book for review.

This was my first book by this author and I coins not stop reading the first half of this book! Heartbreaking! I loved the whole story line..

February 1942: Terrifying reports of Wehrmacht's advance across the Soviet Union spread like wildfire, striking new fear into the already oppressed German families living there. Harri Pheiffer,now sixteen, is summoned to the forced Labour camp in Chelyabinsk. Three years later, with the war finally over, Yvo Scholz arrives in Chelyabinsk, desperate for news of her brother. When their paths intersect, Harri and Yvo find a connection they never thought possible.

This is a thought provoking read that will stay with you long after you have finished it. The story is based on the author's grandparents and the hardships of the Germans who were living in Russia. This is an Intriguing Read that will pull at your heartstrings. The raw emotion flows out the pages. This is a beautifully written story that's fans of WWII will love.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AmazonPublishingUK and the author #EllaZeiss for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.