The Silent Unseen is a story about Maria and Kostya, two young people caught up in an unstable world that is post-WWII eastern Europe. I will admit I did not know much about this period and what happened in Poland with the NKVD and UPA. The beginning of the story was a bit slow but it really picks up after a bit. It was hard to keep track of who was who because there were a lot of characters coming and going. Sometimes they used nicknames and code names so that was a tad bit confusing at times. All in all, I really did enjoy the story and was happily surprised at one turn of events.. t is a quick read, I wish it had been longer. By the end, I wanted to know so much more about Maria, her brother, and Kostya.

Prepare yourself and grab some tissues. This is a captivating story in the World War II Era. The story is beautiful and the characters are captivating. I wish I had read it sooner. I didn't realize that it is a companion novel, and I haven't read the other book. In my opinion, it isn't necessary to have read it first. I will certainly be picking up a copy though!
I felt like there needed to be a little more background information. I think the author was trying to avoid info dumping on the readers, but in some places I think it was necessary. This book was heavy, which I am sure people would know by reading the synopsis. It left me feeling like the next book I read needs to be upbeat and easy to read.

In The Silent Unseen, Amanda McCrina gives readers a story rooted in the dangerous and unstable world of post-WWII eastern Europe. In McCrina's tale, Maria has lost far more than any sixteen year-old should have. Taken from her home at fourteen to work in the Nazi's forced labor program, she only wants to make it home after the war, but the home she remembers is gone. Her town was caught in the crossfire between Polish resistance fighters and the UPA, Ukrainian nationalists trying to reclaim their own ethnic lands. Believing her older brother to be dead as well, Maria faces a future without the people or the places she loves. When she hears a young man being tortured by the NKVD, the Red Army's secret police, she kills the soldiers and rescues the boy, only to find out that he is part of the UPA, the group who destroyed her home and killed her family. In the middle of her confusion and outrage, she finds her brother, Tomek, who is part of the "Silent Unseen," a special operations force trained in Britain to aid the Polish Resistance. While Tomek gives her back a piece of what she has lost, he is still serving the Resistance, and when he disappears, Maria has to ally herself with the enemy if she wants to save him.

McCrina weaves a strong plot with a fast pace and high stakes. Her characters are authentic and credible. In their pain and confusion, they hurt others and strike out to protect themselves, yet their generosity and compassion come through as well. One of the most impressive things McCrina accomplishes is the atmosphere of danger, inhumanity, and cruelty. She makes the torture, threat of execution, and brutal interrogation clear without descending into graphic detail or gratuitous violence. She suggests the pain and fear without glorifying it or even making it the focus. In a world where graphic violence is becoming more commonplace, McCrina's careful handling of a region and era of violence is outstanding.

As a teacher of history, I was intrigued by the factions McCrina draws into her story, but even I was confused at times by the individuals, acronyms, and interplay between them all. I think some readers may not take the time to learn about the UPA or the Polish Resistance, the NKVD or the Silent Unseen. While McCrina does define these groups at the end of the novel, many students may have been lost by then. I would have liked to see more description and explanation of each group so that the tension and danger of life in Poland is even more clear and gripping. Similarly, the relationship between Kyrylo and Kostya is difficult for me to reconcile. Kyrylo's nature is so evil and brutal, I find his explanations at the end to be whitewash, rather than a revelation of some truth that explains all and helps me to understand and forgive.

Overall, The Silent Unseen is a story that grabs readers from the first page, makes us care about the characters while we find our bearings inside a dangerous and historically accurate world. McCrina's characters are genuine and show the courage, resilience, and persistence that young adult readers need to see in role models. From Tomek's fortitude and bravery to Maria's strength and initiative, McCrina has given readers a powerful story of endurance, growth, and love.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own. This book was so fast-paced and exciting! I felt like so much was happening and I couldn't put the book down. I also enjoyed how most of the characters went through some sort of character development and there were a lot of surprises and things learned about characters. I loved reading and hearing about the resilience the main characters had. I also liked how lots of the relationships were tense, complex, and felt real. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope there is a sequel!

THE SILENT UNSEEN is a gripping story of loss, love, and hope with a fascinating dive into an often overlooked part of WW2 history.

Maria and Kostya fall on two different sides of a complicated war, but working together is the only way for them to both get what they want. These rich characters immediately drew me into their devastating world, and I loved seeing how, in the midst of so much loss, they not only fought to maintain their humanity, but grew to realize the importance of it. And throughout all of this, McCrina deftly handled the complexity of their situations and relationships, propelling the story along at a breathtaking pace with her sharp, focused prose.

I was lucky enough to read an advance e-book, but I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy. I know this will be a book I come back to again and again, not only to read and enjoy, but as an example of quality fiction.

The Silent Unseen is a solid YA novel about the chaos of the immediate post-WWII period in Eastern Europe. Polish nationalists, Ukrainian nationalists, and the Soviet Union all struggled for land and power, enlisting teens as soldiers and commanders in their campaigns. While this novel is a bit choppy in its overall form, it tells a good story about siblings and their various allies and enemies as they seek safety and to influence the outcome of the political battles in which they are forced to pick sides.

I think this book assumes you have a decent amount of prior knowledge about the topics explored, as I found myself having to google things that were mentioned and seemed important but were not necessarily explained. However, this book really excelled in establishing meaningful relationships between characters that readers could be invested in. If you're interested in the time period, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try.

This is a fast paced, high intensity look at Poland near the end of WWII. However, very little of the story involves ‘The Silent Unseen’, it’s mainly about Maria, an escaped Nazi slave and her Ukrainian Resistance friend. It’s also hard to follow who is who and who is on which side (granted it probably was during this time period). Also, this book requires more knowledge about the period and Nazi/Soviet actions and policies than most young adults generally know, without explaining the background that would help give a reader who is being introduced to WWII Poland and Ukraine for the first time some context.