I am always drawn to WWII fiction and appreciate when I have the opportunity to hear a different perspective or learn something new from this time period and The Woman at Gates provided both. Based on her own family’s history, and inspired by real people and real events, the author, Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger, successfully pens an unforgettable tale about the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and their plight to achieve Ukrainian independence particularly during the tug of war between Germany and Russia during WWII.

The was an amazing story about ordinary people whose courage, sacrifice and conviction led them to do extraordinary things. Antonia was incredibly brave, resilient and selfless and I could appreciate her passion and love for family and country. The fact that this story was based off the author’s family history made it uniquely intriguing and added an authenticity to the narrative from this lesser told perspective. I look forward to reading more from this perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read an ARC copy of The Woman at the Gates in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adore historical fiction, and I absolutely love stories set around WW2. I know, its a little morbid, but when you think about the incredible things people survived through, human strength should be admired.

This story follows a Ukrainian family during WW2, and their struggle to stay together and to survive. There is a truly wonderful love story woven throughout the book as young Antonia is separated from the mans she loves and sent to a concentration camp.

I loved how the story didn't follow just one character and one story line, but multiple characters throughout the book. This usually drives me nuts, but in this case, it really worked well. And the story didn't stop at the end of the war, it followed the family as the tried to find each other, and ultimately, find a home.

This story was really heartfelt and wonderful to read.

My review will be live on my blog Book Confessions on 9-16-21.

Antonia risks her life every day sneaking messages and refugees across the border to safety. But when she is hiding in the forest behind her house, she witnesses her sister Lena and her nephews being taken at gunpoint by the Nazi’s. She has to make the impossible decision, does she come out of hiding and go with her family to keep them safe or does she stay hidden and continue to fight. Antonia comes out of hiding and goes with her sister and nephews. When they arrive at the labor camp, the conditions are horrible and Lena’s son becomes very ill. Antonia must devise a plan for escape, to save her sister Lena and her two nephews. She spent so many years helping others and now, she is their only hope for their escape and survival. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I cried and found myself cheering them on. I was so enthralled by this gripping and powerful novel, I didn’t want it to end, yet at the same time I could wait to see how it was going to end.

Thank you Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger for such a riveting and intense story. I felt as if it was happening right in front of me. The hope, triumphs and tribulations that the people went through, was so descriptive, it made me feel such compassion for them. This phenomenal story is a must read and I highly recommend this book.

The Woman at the Gates is the second book I have read by Chrystyna Lucyk Berger in the space of a few months. This new story has shed a light on the plight of people from the Ukraine during World War Two and their battle to free their country from repression from foreign rulers. I have read lots of books set during the war but none that focused on Ukraine and I felt this book gave a fascinating insight into the war which I had not given any previous thought to. It brought home yet again the fact that so many countries and such a wide variety of people were affected by the actions of one man hell bent on causing destruction and achieving as much domination as possible. Although prior to the war the Ukraine was struggling with those in power who sought to supress the country’s language, traditions and cultures.

The blurb for this book is slightly misleading as I was expecting the majority of it to be set in a slave labour/concentration camp. Yes, this does feature but instead for a brief period in the middle of the story. Rather the book takes place over several years beginning in 1941 and leading right up to the years after the war and the journey and fight that Antonia, our main character, undertakes is one full of bravery, tenacity, courage and grit.

Summer 1945 and Antonia Kozak remembers the times when life was simple and all they had to worry about was harvesting the apricots from her families farm. How times have changed as along with her sister Lena and her nephews Antonia is now what is termed as a displaced person. The homeland they once knew and cherished has irrevocably changed through the trauma and destruction wrought by war. She awaits news of the love of her life and wonders can they ever claim back some semblance of normality? Was all she was involved with worth it? From the moment Antonia is introduced you just know she will be a powerful character and different from many women. Her job as a university professor gave her independence in her work life and she is clever and not afraid to express her opinions.

We are taken back to 1941 to see how the situation she finds herself in at the beginning of the book came about. We see how the need for freedom is necessary for survival and that she is proud to be part of an underground resistance network who wish the Ukraine to enjoy freedom and independence once again in the future. Antonia came across as a woman ahead of her time. She had a voice and wasn’t afraid to use it and was well able to play a cat and mouse game of ducking and diving and evading the enemy to outwit and survive. The Soviet Secret Police were a force to be reckoned with but Antonia was sharp and collected, a woman who could hold her own in any setting who had a thirst for liberty at her centre but also the deep seated need to avenge her brother’s death. Viktor, a fellow professor and her long time lover, is just about to propose to her when the worst happens. The scenes which followed were at times difficult to read both shocking and brutal but they needed to be there for the reader to understand what happened at the time and what made Antonia even more determined to see good win over evil.

The plot itself took many diverse twists and turns and there was a lot of moving about in terms of setting which on reflection I think worked well because it did reflect how so many people were on the move at the time trying to escape persecution only to fall into the hands of those they feared the most. It felt like the story branched into two strands as we follow Ivan, a friend of Antonia’s since childhood and a fellow resistance member, as he deals with his own experiences of war. He has harboured a secret for many years and I enjoyed how this came to light. But I have to say when the chapters focused on Ivan, I found them heavy going as there was a lot of detail about battles and where he was located and so many characters were introduced that I found myself longing to get back to Antonia and her family to see where they were and how they were coping. I did love Ivan though, there was something warm and embracing about him. Definitely it was Antonia’s strand of the story that held me in its grip the most and what she goes through is truly appalling and the fact that this based on true events and people only serves to heighten the emotion you feel whilst reading. At the same time she deserves nothing but admiration because throughout all her experiences and the incredible lows she keeps her family at the forefront of her mind, placing herself in terrible situations, always thinking one step ahead in that endless search for freedom and eventually perhaps happiness.

Overall I really enjoyed the book as a whole but there were just two things I felt that weren’t quite right for me. They didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story but still they niggled away at me. The first being I felt the need for a brief background to the political situation in the Ukraine prior to the beginning of the story. When I reached the end of the book the author had a detailed note about why she came to write the story and how it was based on her own family’s history. But truthfully, because I had never researched or paid much heed to this country before, I found myself starting the book confused as to who was in charge and the reasons this had come about? Should they have been in power and how did Antonia and her compatriots join together to fight for their independence? I knew the country wanted to break free from the clutches of the government in control and yes there was historical background added in amidst paragraphs but admittedly I did remain confused and would have preferred just a little bit of extra information at the start.

Secondly, I thought there were too many characters to keep track of. I found myself trying to figure out should I focus on such a character over another only then to discover they wouldn’t go on to feature that prominently. Perhaps lessening the number of characters introduced would have helped me gravitate more towards the central characters than perhaps I did at times. These were the only two issues I had with the book. They aren’t major issues because I did find this to be a very good read but if these two things had been rectified I wouldn’t have found some parts as heavy as I did. Pushing this aside The Woman at the Gates is another interesting and a very worthwhile read from Chrystyna Lucyk Berger. She has a flair for writing in the historical fiction genre and I would be interested to see how she would approach a subject that was different from that of World War Two. This is definitely one to read and I already look forward to what time and place the author will next bring us to.

Historical Fiction is becoming my new favourite genre because they have some amazing Stories and this one is no exception.

The story is written very well and I loved the setting. I've never visited Ukraine before but through this story I felt like I was there with the characters.

I read this in one sitting and I will definitely read more from this author at a later date

Reality morphed into brutality as Antonia and her family are forced out of their home in the Ukraine. In this heartbreaking story, Antonia did not go down without a fight, instead she became a resistance fighter. Nonetheless, she just about lost everything. When her sister and nephews had guns pointed at them, Antonia was far enough away that she could have stayed back and continued her fight against the Nazis. Instead, her heart was with her family and she let herself be herded away without knowing her fate.

When captured, she lost Viktor, someone very dear to her. Struggling inside of a concentration camp among countless others, Antonia continued her fight. Her fight was not just for her people, but a means to work her way back to him. What a tragic, often horrifying story. However, the story slowly became one of hope, with courage proving to be the guiding force.

Antonia was a remarkably strong woman to say the least. Her strength shone through time and again, no matter the danger. No matter the challenge. Her love for her family was remarkable, even if it allowed her heart to be broken in the process. This story wrung me out to dry. The fact that it was based on a true story (see Author's note) nearly floored me. The characters that Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger used in the story each had a model and a background that readers just have to know about. So please, read her note at the end of the book. When a talented author can take the devastating experiences of others and create an affecting story that mixes fact and fiction it truly demonstrates amazing talent.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved The Woman at the Gates. I have a huge fascination with anything World War II related and this novel really shows us the brutal truth of what these extraordinary people had to endure during this time.

The setting for the book is Ukraine, and you read all about the Ukrainian resistance fighters and their tug of war battle between the Russians and Germans. It wasn’t the easiest of books to read, but it is very rewarding. The author provides notes at the back to help you translate some of the words in the text. This was very helpful.

The main character Antonia is a fantastic character, she is strong, selfless, and resilient. She is a university professor by day and a militant underground activist by night. Her family and country mean everything to her. You will love to read and follow her journey throughout the book. There are elements of love, friendship and of course the extreme fear of discovery. I can’t wait to read more books from this author in the future.

A highly recommended read if you are looking for a book to get stuck into.

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger’s “The Woman at the Gates: Epic, heart-wrenching and gripping World War 2 historical fiction” is truly a story that lays hold on your heart, gripping so tightly as it struggles to beat.

The Ukraine 1944, during WW2 this is the story of Ukrainian resistance fighters, caught in an uncertain world where are the choices between the evils fall on blurred lines, where a people fight for their homeland and unspeakable evils reign, yet they fight on. Antonia is independent, intelligent, and a young woman willing to do whatever it takes for those she loves and to fight for her country’s freedom. She is a professor by day and a resistance fighter by night, intent on saving those she loves and preserving her precious country and the life she has known and loved there.

The authors research is impeccable. She pens well-rounded, believable, and very alive characters in this story. Her rich, visual and sensory prose crafts with immense skill a story that holds you in its grip from beginning to end. I have great respect for Antonia, her courage and her extraordinary strength. The plot is strong, compelling and the ending wasn’t exactly what I suspected.

Based on a true story of the authors own family, this is an unforgettable, poignant story of love, hope, courage, betrayal, and of the power of human endurance during history’s darkest days. The story of extraordinary people whose courage and conviction saw them through the horrific horrors of war. I was reduced to tears more than once throughout the story. It was clear to see that it was written with the heart and soul of the author.

Thank you so much Ms. Lucyk-Berger for this beautifully written, wonderfully told, unforgettable story.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to review an early release of this book

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book begins with a short chapter set in 1945, then moves to the start of WW11, and progresses through the war and beyond. It is set around Eastern Europe, featuring a small family unit and a few close friends. The reader meets many other characters along the way, sometimes with similar names, and the place names can be tongue-twisters for those of us who only speak English, and know little about that area of Europe. The author has provided a glossary of terms at the end of the book to translate / clarify words scattered throughout the text. She explains that characters and events are taken from family stories and factual records so the reader is assured of the level and quality of historical accuracy.
The main character, Antonia, is family - orientated and believes in her country and culture so strongly that she works as a university professor by day and a militant underground activist by night. The story progresses through imprisonment and camps, conveying the constant fear of discovery and punishment. There is an additional theme of Antonia's love story running throughout the book which adds to the readers' understanding of Antonia's emotions as she worries about Viktor and Ivan.
This is an amazing book, I was engaged throughout, willing Antonia and her family to survive. The characters were interesting, the descriptions of the countryside were beautiful and the people, their lives and feelings were described so well I felt as though I were there with them. I fully recommend reading this novel, and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Set in Ukraine during WW2, The Woman at the Gates tells the story of Ukrainian resistance fighters. It shows a world where the sides and the choices aren’t ever black and white, where sometimes you have to choose between two evils just to survive. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, and this managed to be an entirely unique story.

As always with this author, the book was clearly well researched and well written. The characters were all developed and interesting, and there’s a good mix of internal and external struggles that helped make the story feel real.

I’m torn on how to rate this, though. In terms of personal enjoyment, this would be a three stars read for me, but in terms of book quality it’s probably four stars. I point this out to say that this opinion is my own, and I understand why others loved this book. I would’ve loved this book, if not for one character: Ivan.

Ivan frustrated me from his introduction. While he was a very well developed character, I just found him grating the entire time, and I spent most of this book genuinely hoping he wouldn’t be the main love interest. Because the story starts with Antonia in love with Viktor, a man who challenges her and loves her mind, who doesn’t even consider taking the choices that are rightfully Antonia’s away from her. Ivan, on the other hand, came across as feeling entitled to her. Without including spoilers, I can’t really include examples, but how Antonia was with the two characters and how the two men thought about her was so notably different and I just couldn’t get past it.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for the chance to review an early release of this book.

I have read a lot of historical fiction books, but this was the first one that was based on Ukraine and their involvement in WW2. This follows resistance fighter Antonia as she does everything she can to protect the ones she loves in order to save her country. If there is thing about this woman, it is her absolute dedication to her beloved country. She worked right alongside Ivan, Pavlo and her fiancee, Viktor to free Ukraine from the battleground it had become. Everything changes when they are all captured. However, no one knows what happened to Viktor. The remaining group escape. Eventually the Nazis came and instead of fleeing away from them, Antonia gave herself up as they captured everyone in the village. While they fight to survive, she steps up to keep her family alive. The only way is to break out of the camp. Meanwhile, while Antonia and her family try to survive the camp, Ivan and Pavlo face the front in fighting against the Germans.

This book goes back and forth through the war as it follows Antonia. It grabs you from the beginning and thrusts you right into the story. While there is plenty of tragedy, there is also a love story. You will absolutely go through every emotion through this book including multiple kicks to the gut.

Thank you all for the opportunity to review this book. It’s out next Thursday (9/2) so if you’re a fan of historical fiction, make sure you check it out. Now, excuse me while I log back into Net Galley and hopefully don’t go crazy!

The Woman at the Gates is the story of Antonia, a Ukrainian resistance fighter captured by the Nazis and sent to a labor camp. It's a very different WWII book from what I've read so far. Being from the UK, I was only taught about the UK/Germany (granted I didn't study this period to exam level). I'm glad I picked up this book as it opened my eyes to learning about the involvement of other countries in the war. (Although, I believe Ukraine wasn't an official country during this time period.)

The Woman at the Gates is set across Ukraine, Poland, and Germany (potentially with a few other Eastern European countries too) in WWII. Although I'm not familiar with this area (I've only been to Krakow), it did feel very real to me. And I did like the characters, although there were so many with similar roles I sometimes got confused. Antonia is such a strong, independent main character who just wants to protect her family and I really felt myself growing to love her.

The story is told in 4 parts which I quite liked as it broke the story up quite nicely. And there was an alternating first-person POV between Antonia and Ivan for the majority of the book. I did find the book quite slow to get into, but once I was past the first part I really began to fly through it. The story is predictable in the sense that we all know how WWII ends, but Antonia's story is just heart-wrenching and poignant and I didn't expect it to end the way it did.

The ending wrapped the story up nicely, but being WWII it was bittersweet. I really felt the emotion throughout the story and was hoping that Antonia and her family would be okay in the end. Especially when it always seemed that any hope was squashed.

I enjoyed The Woman at the Gates and it's definitely reignited my interest in historical fiction and WWII. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical stories and I'm also going to be keeping my eye out for this author in the future.

Second World War, Ukraine, true story about Author's relatives.
Antonia is an university teacher and a member of Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists,
"to help free Ukraine fo foreign rules": before Soviet regime, than German power.
As you can read in the book: "The need of freedom was as natural as the need for air and water, necessary for survival", but civil people didn't see and understand at the beginning: "our best hope is that Wehrmacht does the job fo us [...]. Destroy the Soviets. That's what the German are here for. To help us"
Unfortunately the history tells us a different end.
How many countries were involved in II WW, how many people died, suffered, were separated..!
Thanks to brave, strong men and women that fought for their countries.
We never must be afraid to fight for the Right, Peace, Freedom.
This book is a really good book, which story must be make known, a real must to read in the schools,
because we must learn about the past to understand the present.
Thank you to let me read this book to: Author, Editor, Netgalley.

"The Woman at the Gates" by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
Release Date: 9.2.2021

In 1945, Antonia Kozak; her sister, Lena; and her nephews, Konstantin and Nestor, are living in a displaced persons camp ran by the British after the war.

It then flashes back to Lviv, Ukraine, in 1942, when Antonia works as a university professor. In one moment, Antonia is in the forest behind her family's farm in the Ukraine when Nazis arrive. Her sister, Lena, and young nephews are taken to the trucks. Antonia needs to decide whether to stay hidden and continue her work with the Resistance or join her family. She knows she makes the right decision as she walks onto the truck to be taken to a labor camp.

Based on a true story and real events, this novel focuses on the experiences of Ukrainian families during World War II. What an exhilarating read!

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.





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This was a gripping WWII story that was beautifully written, and filled with a unforgettable characters as well as unbreakable bonds of friendship and love in the face of imminent danger. Definitely recommend.


My review is my own thoughts and opinions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my Arc for a. honest review.

After reading The Girl from the Mountains, I was super excited to read her next novel, The Woman at the Gates this time, based in Ukraine about resistance movement.

Antonia is a professor at the university and she secretly is involved in freeing her country from the warshed. She works with a handsome man named Viktor. However, when Nazis take over the country, Viktor disappeared and Antonia assumed he is dead. She along with her sister, Lena and her nephews were taken to a labor camp and Antonia hacks up a plan to escape from the brutal camp.

The fact that this story was written based on true events fascinated me as many of you know, I am a sucker for WWII and Holocaust stories (be it fiction or non fiction). The first part of the story was a bit boring but nonetheless, I got hooked into the story, wanting to know what's going to happen to Antonia, what really happened to Viktor and if Antonia and her lover Ivan would end up marrying together. The author seemed to have done tremendous research about the events that happened during the WWII in Ukraine, how these courageous men and women fought for freedom seemed all too realistic that there were parts in the book where it was emotional and heartbreaking. Though I would say, I liked The Girl from the Mountains more than this book, I actually enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you Chrystyna for inviting me to review this book and thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Antonia Kozak was a university professor who worked with the Resistance to get her beloved Ukraine out from the grips of both the Soviet Union and the Nazis. Along with her fellow compatriots Antonia desperately wanted to see a free, self-governed Ukraine. Members of the Resistance had different opinions about how that should be accomplished. A raid at the university coincided with individual members making their decisions about how to best serve and save the Ukrainian people. Antonia found herself forced away from the university and the man she loved. As she struggled to continue her fight for Ukraine, she found herself in the grips of the Nazis. Once entrenched at the dreaded concentration camp, Antonia struggled to find ways to keep her sister and nephews alive.
This story has so many subplots and intriguing characters. It is an absolutely gripping tale of defiance and resilience.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Having just spent a few days in Lviv Ukraine it was very interesting reading this story about Antonia a resistance fighter who had awful decisions to make during WW2 when her sister was captured. Does she give herself up so her sister is not alone or does she carry on her fight to free her beloved Ukraine I enjoy reading stories such as these and this one did not disappoint. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Just like her other book , this one had me in tears , and feeling all of the emotions, there was times I had to put it down and step away for a while but then i would have to pick it back up , just to see what happens to our beloved character , this author might just become one of my new all time favorite historical fiction WW 2 author's because of how she writes her stories and makes you feel everything her characters feel.

I really enjoyed this book i couldn't putvit down and was read in a matter of days, 5 stars from me.