First off want to say a big thank to the publisher
Bookouture, the author Chrystyna Lucky-Berger as well as NetGalley for the invite to join the blog tour as well as letting me read and review . Because I'm a big fan of reading historical fiction and books on WW 2 and when its both of them in one story then you have no more to say , but there are somethings that need to be checked off and i've found out in the past that it hard to do .So here is what i like for when it comes to historical fiction WW 2:
List
Author has done his or her research of the time period and is able to make their characters and places come to life.
Make you feel everything that their characters do,
You can see the places their talking about .
So with that said I would definitely say this author has checked off everything in in my list , so if your looking for a book that does that plus so much more then look no further.

THE GIRL FROM THE MOUNTAINS
BY CHRYSTYNA LUCYK-BERGER

World War II with Hitler's regime of hate taking place in Czechoslovakia was certainly a uniquely different setting with this atmospheric and gripping novel that I devoured. It starts off with suspense from the first page and does not let up. This was hard to read at times because of the severe cruelty that mankind can perpetrate on innocent people but in this novel it was particularly vivid.

Magda is forced to leave her own loving family and move in with the Tauber's who are a well off family and given more protection because he is treating the mayor. Mrs. Tauber has a son named Samuel and asks Magna to be his Godmother which she accepts. In the middle of a celebration for Samuel's circumcision the Nazi's break up the party. The Tauber's are driven from their home and Magna hides baby Samuel beneath the floorboards where he is smuggled out by the midwife and hidden.

Magda becomes part of the resistance in the Czech countryside with two of the hired help of the Tauber's. Magda's only desire is to be reconnected with Samuel. Magda has a price on her head and with the help of the former gardener and his girlfriend they hide out and she learns how to take action with the Czech resistance fighters. This was meticulously researched and is a sad but powerful story. I highly recommend it to most fans who love historical fiction and with a slightly less known about part of the disruption brought on to disrupt the Nazi's in Czechoslovakia.

Publication Date: February 3, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger and Bookouture for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheGirlFromtheMountains #NetGalley

This book is a spectacular reminder that there are multiple perspectives from which to tell the history of WWII. Magda exemplifies so many women whose lives were altered by the circumstances of the war. Lucyk-Berger made an excellent choice in expanding Magda's tale into a full length book. In Magda we see a woman who evolves from being insecure and self-conscious to a woman who realizes and embraces her strengths as she struggles to survive and set right the wrongs caused by the Nazis. The author writes with such aplomb when relating the horrors inflicted on the people living in the area of what is now the Czech Republic. Readers experience the war through Magda's eyes and with that telling, the reader is given the opportunity to see more than just the Germany versus the world perspective. A quick read that is extremely enlightening.

What a story!

The beginning was a bit slow and I almost gave up on this book but I'm glad I didn't.

It's set in Czechoslovakia in WWII and it follows Magda, from her with her family in a small village, to the end of the war.

I've read a lot of stories set in WWII about the resistance, but usually in the western front. This one, set in eastern Europe, was very interesting and had a lot of different things.

Magda starts out as a naive young lady without a lot of experience and the events she goes through shape her personality.

Loved the ending!

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

In The Girl from the Mountains, author Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger delivers a beautifully written story of self-discovery, courage, sacrifice, and an indomitable will to survive. Exhaustively researched, this WWII historical novel leaps off the page, detailing the journey of the protagonist, Magda, from a frightened Czechoslovakian farm girl to a dedicated resistance fighter. Populated with well-drawn, believable characters, and filled with edge-of-your-seat moments, The Girl from the Mountains is a gripping story that will stay for you long after you have put it down. Slated for publication February 3, 2021, I highly recommend it as an addition to your TBR list.
Thanks to author Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“We are shaped by our circumstances, and marked by our choices.”

This is a gritty, powerful, heart-breaking war novel set in what was once known as Bohemia, the German Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia. I was enthralled to discover a new area of history that I knew very little about, brought to life with believable characters and hooking me right in with the first menacing, ominous pages.
It’s a story about war that spares no punches – shows us the cruelty and prejudices of Nazi Germany against the courage and determination of the resistance, but not in swashbuckling, derring-do style. Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger paints us a war where “it’s dog eat dog.” It is passionate without being slushy, introducing us to a cast of characters that are flawed but strong, showing us how the human spirit and desire to do right can conquer. The heroine, Magda, has a distinctive birthmark on her face and she is told: “…birthmark is not an excuse for avoiding risks. It should not be the thing that prevents you from performing acts of courage.” I love that she proceeds with bravery but is fearful (and therefore so identifiable) at the same time. She is truly human even though her lover calls her a “warrior queen”.
I have read other books by this talented author but this is her best so far, in my opinion. The writing flows, the descriptions are original, the world these characters live in was so vivid to me. There are beautiful, clever lines like when the Nazis begin to roll in: “… witness the Germans chalking off the Sudetenland demarcation with their exhaust fumes”. I love the author’s voice: “A crow cawed and grazed the winter sky…”; the menacing lines where Magda is interrogated: “Koenig strode to her, reaching over and crushed the cigar out, leaving a dark bruise in the ashtray…”; “Danger left a funny metallic taste on Magda’s tongue. It stuck to the roof of her mouth, thick and syrupy. Sometimes it made her feel sick…”. Towards the end of the story, when the hunted become the hunters and Magda returns to her birthplace for the first time since the outbreak: “This was what it must have felt like to be dead and to return as a ghost, to be looking in on a life that had gone on without her.”. These are just a few lines that I highlighted and went back to savour again.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read an early copy of this amazing book in return for an unbiased review. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 full fat stars.

This book is fantastic!!! There wasn’t a moment when I wasn’t gripped!
My heart really aches during some of these chapters. It’s written so well that it is very easy to image what the author is trying to convey. I really love this book and highly recommend people read it. Incredibly gripping!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion. Thank You.

The Plot in brief: (no spoilers) Magda's cheek is disfigured by a large birthmark, a map of Siberia she calls it. It marrs not only her face but her perception of herself. She hides her face behind a scarf and buries her self-confidence deep inside herself.
This was a very interesting book. Magda' s journey from a protected childhood at the parental farm, part of her adolescence as a maid where she was loved, and afterwards how she was forced to learn the horrors that wars can cause. A read that I could not put down as I wanted to see how the story would end. This was the first book/story that I have read that was written by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. I can not wait to read more by her. Great work

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, in her absolutely heartbreaking and gripping historical fiction, ‘The Girl From The Mountains,’ examines how far a person must be pushed to find the courage and strength to defy the enemy. To be published February 3, 2021, this gives readers enough time to check out her Facebook page and blog to become familiar with the historical background, enriching the reading experience.

Magdalena Novák, a Christian Czechoslovakian girl whose family’s farm has been seized by the Nazis for new German settlers, goes to look for a job in Litoměřice, a neighbouring town. In obvious dire straits, she is taken in by the Taubers, a Sudeten German family living on borrowed time, and serves as a governess for their 6 year old daughter, Eliška When the Gestapo comes to arrest the Jewish family, Magda discovers her own strength and resilience and makes it her mission to save their lives. Asked to safeguard their new son, Samuel, Magda whisks him away for protection by the Resistance and remains in the requisitioned home as a servant to the Nazi commander and his pregnant wife. Risking her life, she shares information with the secret network until one day she is caught and flees to the mountains with a price on her head. It’s here that she joins a group of partisan fighters and earns her nickname, Warrior Queen. With nothing left to lose, she’s willing to lay down her life to save the Taubers and reunite them with Samuel. Will she outrun Obersturmbannführer Koenig or will her trademark betray her?

This story gripped me from the first page and I read it in one sitting! Lucyk-Berger’s masterpiece is spectacular; the first thing readers will notice is the easy reading and descriptive writing. It pulls you in because you can paint a picture in your mind as you read. Don't be fooled, though, this is not junk food fiction nor cookie-cutter retelling. This is a meat and potatoes read; one that nurtures and informs. Next, you’ll notice her well-crafted and multilayered characters. I’ve read many World War Two historical fiction novels recently, but I think Magdalena will stay with me for a long time. I think the reason for this is how adeptly the author gets her readers invested in the characters. Knowing how the protagonist thinks and why she has those thoughts, helps to understand her better. Seeing the duress Magda is put under and how she transforms is exciting as a reader. Setting this story in the Sudetenland makes it unique as it’s not well known to lovers of historical fiction. Reading becomes purposeful as readers are looking to learn more about the circumstances in which the characters find themselves. Many stories set in this time period feature a female protagonist joining the resistance and finding herself pregnant and alone. This was a refreshing story about a young girl forced to dig deep and find the strength and courage to defy the enemy. The tagline reads “not all battles are fought by soldiers,” and Lucyk-Berger successfully enlightens us.

“I believe the soul can die a thousand times before the body does. That’s a good thing, because it means you have the chance to recover. So today, right now, we must choose to live.”

Thank you to Chrystyne Lucyk-Berger, Bookouture and NetGalley for this 5-star advance copy in exchange for my honest review.