This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke is a beautifully written novel set amid the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian revolution in the post-WWII Communist Budapest.

It is a paean for the citizens of Hungary who fought to free their country from a foreign power. Locke poignantly describes Hungary’s condition under the rule of Stalinist Russia. I loved the fact how she played with colors to describe the transition of Hungary from a country listlessly following the Party diktat to a country revolting for its rights.

Locke seamlessly blends historical fiction with magical realism to craft a powerful story about hope and resilience of human spirit in face of great adversity. The Danube River “speaks” to Csilla; the story features an angel of death, and Csilla tries to bring to life a golem. While it may seem absurd to hear of these, Locke has done a phenomenal job of integrating these elements into the story impeccably.

Moreover, all the characters are three-dimensional and add depth to the story. Not a single character seemed unnecessary to me. I loved all the three central characters: Csilla, Azriel, and Tamas. All are people with flaws, aspirations, and desires. Yet, all battle their insecurities and come together to fight for their country. I loved how Locke portrayed the tenderness and vulnerability of the relationship amongst the three people.

I loved the characters of Csilla’s father, her mother, and her aunt equally. These are complex characters impeccably brought to life by Locke.

This Rebel Heart does not shy away from asking difficult questions such as were the perpetrators of the Holocaust really brought to justice. How could people after reporting on their Jewish neighbors carry on with their lives as if nothing ever happened. Most importantly, it sheds light on the plight of the Jews who survived the Nazi concentration camps and came back.

After a long time, I highlighted several passages in a book which is a testament to the powerful prose of this book. Further, it inspired me to learn about Hungary’s tryst with revolution about which I knew nothing.

However, what stops me from rating this book 5 stars is the magical realism of the tale. While it does make for an original tale, I personally prefer my historical fiction to be grounded in reality. However, this is a personal preference.

I would heartily recommend This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke to fans of historical and literary fiction.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion on the book.

A beautiful story, but it did unfortunately fall short with its confusing magical elements.

I had no expectations for it to involve magical elements, which were so implicit and very confusing. It did ruin my reading experience a bit, until I got used to it. Moreover, the first two parts were agony to get through. The plot moved too slowly at the start, which was the reason why it took my nearly two months to get through it. Immediately when it came to the last half, I managed to complete reading it in one sitting for 1-2 hours.

The ending half was really what made the book redeemable. It was really inspirational at the end, and I really loved to learn about the Hungarian revolution! It did really give an interesting insight in the timeframe.

Overall, it may not be among my favourite books, but it was a solid read. Bit of a shame it took so long to get through.

Over & out. -Nora<3

I enjoy historical fiction books that immerse you in a different time and place. This book definitely did that. After reading I wanted to learn more about the Hungarian Revolution. I loved the heroine and the LGBTQ+ representation that is important for teens today to see in novels.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

In the middle of Budapest there's a river and Csilla knows it's magic. It kept her family safe from the Holocaust, but now the Communists seized power and her parents are murdered by the Soviet police. Trying to keep her head down and to forget what she learned about her father's legacy, everything changes when her parents are publicly exonerated and as protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in her country. Now she has to decide if she believes in her country enough to risk her life by staying and saving it or if she should leave it.

This rebel heart is a magnificent and intense tale of the student-lead Hungarian revolution, while also looking at the impact of the Communism in the country, in a post- WWII Budapest. A read with amazing Jewish and queer representation, magic and history mixing together in an unforgettable story.
Written beautifully, with evocative force and immersive writing style, This rebel heart is a read unputdownable, with Csilla as a great main character, moving between history and magic, deciding her fate and how to live in a country that doesn't love as much as she loves it.
This book was an incredible read, so intriguing and captivating, wonderfully plotted and so creative. I recommend it so much.

Csilla lives with her family and escaped the Holocaust. She credits the river in the middle of Budapest of keeping them safe until the communist seized power. The communists murdered her parents due to false charges. She thinks she will be arrested because the Hungarian secret police are following her. She is “rescued” but a young man who doesn’t seem normal intercepts and helps her. How? After this, she learns more about her family and her country. She then becomes involved in the revolutionary struggle to free Hungary from the Soviet Union (post-Stalin). What will she do?

This is historical fiction . It is a story that takes place in Hungary in 1956. This is an engaging story combining characters and themes. It questions home and activism. The author has written about a time in history that is not well known. At times, the story is heart-wrenching as I felt so upset at times. I did like learning about this time in history. I didn’t know about it. It is a book that can be read by anyone.

I think this book walked the line between YA and NA really well - often my critique of a book that tries to is that it would be more successful in one camp or the other, but the balance here was well done. Csilla, Tamas, and Azriel were so richly and tenderly drawn, and you can't help but hope that the attempted revolution will go differently.

It took me a minute to understand that the fantastical elements working in the book were actually fantastical, and not just metaphors, and I wish that had been more cleanly done. But overall, what an entrancing read, and oh man, that ending.

I was sent a widget of This Rebel Heart for a promotional post through Turn the Page Tours- here is the text from my promotional post

Welcome to my stop on @turnthepagetours’ release tour for This Rebel Heart by @bibliogato! To celebrate the release of this harrowing historical fiction novel, I will be sharing some quick information about the book as well as details about how you can win your own copy! Be sure to check out the full tour schedule over on @turnthepagetours’ page for links to the rest of the tour content!

Here’s a synopsis of This Rebel Heart:
A tale set amid the 1956 Hungarian revolution in post-WWII Communist Budapest.
In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most--safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her father's legacy that she wishes she could forget.
Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she loves it. But her carefully laid plans fall to pieces when her parents are unexpectedly, publicly exonerated. As the protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should let it burn to the ground.

Giveaway details:
What you can win:
Up for grabs, we have ONE (1) finished copy of This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke.

How to enter:
Head over to the link in my bio, click on this post’s icon, and complete the rafflecopter form there!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is in no way associated with Instagram and will be open to U.S. residents only and will run from March 4th to March 11th at 12 AM CST. No giveaway accounts will be allowed. Follow to unfollow will ban you from future giveaways.

When I was in fifth grade in 1961, we had a new girl in class who had moved from Hungary. She could speak English, but not well so she was very quiet. Over the years I have wondered about her and that is why I was drawn to this book. It did not disappoint.
This is a story about Csilla, family and friends living through the Hungarian revolution in 1956. After surviving the Nazi invasion and then the Soviet occupation the Hungarians rose up and this story tells the experiences of the main characters. It is historical fiction with some magical realism, and a coming of age story very different from my own as we see the characters experience being “disappeared”, followed and spied on by the secret police, university officials and homosexuals being executed as “enemies of the state”, and more. Csilla’s mother quoted from the Talmud “whoever can protest and does not is responsible for what happens without protest”. This is an enlightening book about the power of individuals to make a difference. An important reminder to all of us during these times as well as in the past.
I now understand a little more about what my childhood classmate and family may have experienced before arriving in the US
Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for an advance copy of this book

This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke takes place in Budapest during the 1956 Hungarian revolution, an event that I wasn’t too familiar with. The story follows Csilla, a Hungarian Jew, who survives the Holocaust and WWII, but never truly feels like she is safe in Hungary. Csilla’s parents were disappeared after the war under the brutal Communist regime that took over post-war. Then, inexplicably, they are exonerated and given a very public state burial. As rumblings of revolt against Communism grow throughout Eastern Europe, Csilla must decide if she is willing to give everything to a country she feels never fully accepted her. Csilla is shadowed by the AVH, the Hungarian secret police, and never fully trusts those around her, so when she is approached on the dance floor by a dark, dashing young man who pleads with her to find out what happened to a friend, Csilla knows the choice she makes will change her life forever. This Rebel Heart is part historical fiction, part romance, part Magical Realism. It was the magical realism that lost me: the river that separates Buda from Pest is its own character and is involved in some very fantastical situations; an angel of death joins Csilla; a golem is created. The others in the story, Tamas, Azriel, Zsu, Szendry, are never rounded out; I don’t know enough to truly care about them. This one is hard to review. Locke’s other books that I’ve read, The Girl with the Red Balloon and The Spy with the Red Balloon, are built around mystical, unreal premises, but ultimately work because the ideas are introduced as experiments. And are recognized as impossible. But in This Rebel Heart, the impossible and “magical” elements are just…taken for granted, as just fact. And, for me, it changed the way I invested as a reader. It took me out of the historical, which is a shame because the elements of the revolution and those who took part were the most interesting parts of the novel. There were moments of beautifully written lines- Locke is a talented writer. But, the plot was confusing and disjointed, the magic was never fully fleshed out, and there were elements of repetition that were forced and cliché. Ultimately, I just did not buy-in enough to care about the characters or outcome.

This is by no means a bad book. I loved that it gave voice and representation to an important marginalized community. I also appreciated it was a post World War II novel but from the standpoint of Hungary‘s attempt at revolution.

I simply wanted so much more from this book and felt there was a ton of potential left unwritten. I was really dissatisfied with the world building especially explanations of the river magic and why she had access to it. Additionally the pacing of this novel wasn’t my favorite. It felt as though we went from a scared girl to a battle hardened revolutionary within a page. I wish there had been a meatier plot to sustain some of the forward progression because the last fourth of this book felt messy.

I really think the bones of the story is very interesting I just wish the execution had been more polished.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book!

This book was so well written. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did, but I was so immersed in the story. The diversity of characters was excellent. The story centers on queer and Jewish characters in 1956 Hungary. We follow Csilla, who is Jewish and lives with her Aunt Ilona (a concentration camp survivor). I don't want to dive to much in the summary!

My favorite part of this book is the imagery and the connection between Csilla and the river. Again, I really don't want to go too in depth here because the writing is worth reading. I highly recommend reading this book!

*Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Once Again, I Do Not Read Historical Fantasy Usually but also I literally picked this one up for the cover because it's a REALLY NICE cover. Look at it! This is set after World War 2 and it is about a Holocaust survivor, Csilla, and magic, and Jewish folklore, and the Hungarian uprising, and magical realism that is also fantasy. And I think it's really good, actually? Very sad in parts and very intense and very slow at the beginning. Also, polyamory!

Five stars.

I really have enjoyed this novel. It is a strong historical fiction about the postwar time in Hungary and the impacts of the Communist reign in the country. It also really touches on the aftermath that the Holocaust had for the Jewish population and the grief that is associated with both of these events. I didn’t realize going in that there would be queer rep which I was happy to see and enjoyed. I think there should really be more queer rep in historical fiction and I’m glad Locke included it in this novel.

This Rebel Heart is set just at the beginning of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. It's a lyrical story, part historical fiction, part magical realism YA story.

It has 3 POV, but the main character is Csilla. She lives with her aunt and they are planning to leave the country soon, all their other familiars are dead, whether at the hands of the Holocaust or the Soviet intervention.

The prose was beautiful, the author weaves a hard (and real) story with magic and metaphors. Budapest is not longer the colorful and vibrant city of Csilla childhood, is a grey and colorless place. Csilla is not safe, but she found reasons to stay and fight.

The others characters are Azriel, Tamás, one is a friend the other at first is a mystery.

There's romance too, I didn't expect it and it was one of my favorite parts of the story, it felt natural and it fits perfectly, without it becoming a romance novel.

It's a slow story about courage and love, about finding your way and fight.

Read it if you want:
Learn from a historical event not so well known internationally
Historical Fiction with a little of magic
Strong and diverse characters

This Rebel Heart is, at its base, historical fiction, set in Hungary shortly after WWII. The fantasy piece of it is secondary to the plot, and could have been left out without significantly altering the story line.

Csilla is a Holocaust survivor, who returned to Hungary with her parents and her aunt following the war, to a Hungary which had been made a subsidiary of Russia as part of its emancipation from Germany, complete with secret police - a Hungary that still did not like Jews. Csilla's father was a member of the Hungarian Secret Police; her mother a housewife - but somehow, they had both come afoul of the government, and were executed for crimes against the state. They were later exonerated, and that's where the novel begins: at a funeral ceremony held following their acquittal. After her experiences as a child and young adult, losing her extended family to the concentration camps and her parents to the government, Csilla is a quiet, rule-abiding young woman - until the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 begins, and Csilla, like so many others, becomes caught up in it.

This novel contains flashbacks of two different types: Csilla's memories, and the memories written out in her father's journals. Both of them recall the events of Csilla's childhood, which shape her present; they also recall the influence of the Danube river, which, in some inexplicable fashion, preserved Csilla and her parents for several months during WWII. This, along with the presence of an angel and, briefly, a golem, make up the fantasy portion of the novel, but in many ways, those parts were irrelevant to the plot, and seemed almost tacked on to widen the genres in which the book is written. I enjoyed it, and the historical piece is quite good - but I never quite understood what was going on with the river, and the character of the angel could easily have been replaced by a person without altering the story significantly, as could the Jewish mythology surrounding the golem. Both were simply extra, and added little to the novel beyond scenery.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Set during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Csilla, Holocaust survivor, and survivor of Soviet purges that killed both of her parents, plots her escape from the country that has caused her so much grief and pain. But as the people rise against the Soviet powers, she decides to stay and rise with them, holding her country and her fellow Hungarians in her heart.

This was a really lovely novel, mixing magical realism with real historical events. The river that runs through the city saved Csilla once, and will try to save her again, calling her, and giving her what she needs to help her people rise against the Soviet powers and Hungarian puppet government. She is surrounded by her best friends and the angel of death who stands guard, protecting them, even loving them. I know it’s hard for many people to imagine what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain, and to suppress any type of rebellious thoughts out of fear of Siberia, or worse, but Locke does a great job describing it. I know because I have relatives who lived through many horrors that both the Soviets and the Ukrainians put them through, and I grew up hearing about them, and also experienced a little of what life was like in eastern Europe in the 80’s before the wall came down.

I really appreciate it when novels like this are published, as many people seem to have forgotten just how bad it was post WW2 in many countries behind the Iron Curtain. Csilla captured my heart- her strength and willpower were quite amazing.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this lovely book!

Read if you like: strong female characters, Hungarian history.
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Csilla survived the Holocaust and her and her parents return to Budapest to try and return to their lives. But the Soviets take over and the country darkens under Soviet rule. The book follows Csilla and the Hungarian uprising of 1956.
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The writing was lyrical and beautiful. I loved the descriptions and the symbolism and personification of the river. The writer talks about the loss of colour in Hungary because of the Soviets, which I loved. This was a heartbreaking account of life in Hungary after WW2.
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CW: anti-Semitism, WW2, secret police, violence, death, torture, death of a child and parent, war.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And let me tell you, as soon as I get paid I'm getting my hands on a physical copy. This book is amazing!

The emotions THIS REBEL HEART evokes are so real. You can easily imagine the fear, the confusion, the ambition in each character. Not to mention Katherine Locke's WRITING?! Oh my God, Locke's writing is so good. It's perfectly descriptive and keeps you hanging on.

THIS REBEL HEART's story can be difficult to work through sometimes due to the time period and subject, but maybe that's one of the things that's so great about it. It's not often I find a book that I want to just read repeatedly, but this is definitely one of them. I can't wait to convince everyone I know to read it and join the emotional journey.

This is kind of a hard book for me to review. I had been looking forward to it for a while. I've never read a book by Locke before and I was excited. I kind of just thought it was good. Not great, not bad, just good.

This book took me a lot longer to read than I would have liked. I found that the language as well as the book being historical meant that I struggled to feel involved and attached to the book and characters. I didn't DNF the book, but I came close to it several times.

I'll probably try re-reading this book on another day when I'm a bit more into the idea of a historical book.

DNF
I hit the 30% mark and I don't feel like continuing with this book. From some of the reviews here it seems like the second half of the book gets a bit more pacing; but I am not motivated to continue.
I also was expecting a lot from the so called poliamorous relationship but nothing happened so far and I am not interested enough to wait for it to happen.
Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC!