Kristina McMorriss has done it again. I loved Sold on a Monday which told of an aspect of the depression that I hadn’t considered. In Ways We Hide, she delves into the invention and use of gadgets to help prisoners of war and the Resistance during World War II. The story is told from the point of view of Fenna Voss, an American woman making her living in the world of magic. She is recruited to join others in England developing gadgets to help the war effort. Fenna’s story is fascinating and enjoyable in itself. The author also incorporated devastating incidents of stampedes in crowded areas that resulted in many deaths into the story. She writes perfect historical fiction that entertains as well as educates particularly about events we probably did not learn about in history class. Bravo Kristina McMorriss!

it took me awhile to finish this book becase of personal things going on in my life......but i really enjoyed it......there was so much going on there could have been about books or more..... being born in michigan and living there my whole like i found the parts with Fenna living in michigan very interesting. I had to look up some of the events to see if they were real as i had never heard of them. And yes, they were real,,,, hard to imagine that i had never learned of them! I found the characters to be interesting and relatable...... I dont like reviews of books that just tell what the book is about....when i read reviews i just want to know if the book was enjoyable and the readers thoughts...... i would recommend this book and i will read others by this author.. thanks for the advance copy!!

The Ways We Hide is historical fiction taking place from 1928 through WWII. We meet Fenna as a child and learn of her childhood traumas and friendships, particularly with Arie and his family. As an adult, she’s an illusionist who draws the attention of British Intelligence (MI9) seeking to use her illusions and misdirection to help the Allies win the war. Focusing on how she uses her abilities within MI9, the plot somewhat implausibly brings Arie back into Fenna’s life, although not quite how she might have preferred. Fenna goes to Holland as an undercover agent with a dual mission: one her formal assignment from British Intelligence and the other her personal quest. Somehow, neither works out quite how Fenna anticipated.

The novel tries to cover too much material. As a result, the story at times feels unnecessarily drawn out and loses its focus. Is it a spy novel? A romance? A thriller? A story of survival? Even so, I found myself cheering Fenna on, hoping that things work out for her in all aspects of her life.

I enjoyed this book but felt like maybe it got a little bogged down with all that was going on. I’m not too big a fan of magic and although I can appreciate it, it went into it too much for me. Specifically in the first few chapters. I loved how strong the main character was and how she was the mastermind behind it all.

Fascinating story about little known war efforts to help the Allies. Fenna, the fictional character loves Houdini and tinkering with illusions. She is recruited to help create games to escape or evade. The author did a good job on researching this type of evasion. Liked her note included with additional facts.

Fenna works with an escape artist but she’s becoming frustrated. He gets all the adulation, despite her being the brains behind the operation. When she is recruited to work in England for Intelligence, she puts her expertise to the test, devising ways to hide information during WWII. Reminiscent of the gadgets of James Bond, Fenna works for Hutton, a brilliant but quirky man, as they create ingenious contraptions and methods for concealing documents and messages.

During a difficult childhood, Fenna had found solace and comfort in a childhood friend named Arie. He was with her during the terrible 1913 Italian Hall Disaster that left 73 people trampled and dead, most of them children. That event haunts her throughout her life. When she and Arie grow up, things get too tense for Fenna and she runs away to follow her dream of working with someone like her hero Harry Houdini. She has always been fascinated with the magic of illusion and it’s these skills that the British want to use. In Europe, Ari and Fenna meet again when they are both working for Intelligence Their lives are on the line and they will once again help each other as they did when they were little.

McMorris weaves real events and real people into her story. There was a tragic disaster in 1913 and there was a British unit under Hutton who invented ingenious methods of hiding maps and messages for spies, prisoners and soldiers. These are the backdrops for the story of Fenna and Arie.

The theme of hiding is prevalent throughout. For one, the characters have a lot of personal issues they hide, there’s also Fenna’s job of making a living out of hiding reality from an audience or from an enemy and finally, there’s hiding in German occupied territory.

The characters are fully realized and the romantic story is touching. Inserting real people and occurrences adds to the impact and gives more weight to the book. Readers will be swept up in the story and won’t be disappointed.

This is the second book by Kristina McMorris that I have read, and I will be reading more. Kristina writes stories about history that pull you in and make you feel.

Fenna Vos is an amazingly strong woman. She endured so much tragedy at such a young age and still went on. Her story was inspiring and you could feel her love for those she truly let into her life.

I love that Fenna was the brains behind her and Charles stage show. I loved that she went to London to help win the war. Although I was heartbroken that her story didn't end quite the way I had hoped, it was beautiful.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of this books. All opinions expressed are my own.

Magic! The Ways We Hide is a propulsive, fascinating, well researched novel focusing not only on World War II, but also on a myriad of other themes, including family, friendship, love, tragedy, grief, prejudice and the experiences of American immigrants. As I read, I often found myself wondering how in the world Kristina McMorris conceived of this unique, complex, imaginative tale. And though I’ve enjoyed a veritable mountain of stories set in WWII, I learned many new facts reading The Ways We Hide. For example, who knew the UK had an organization called. “MI9”?! The Authors Note at the end was among my favorite parts of the book, and the descriptions of the myriad of gadgets for wartime use were great fun.

Not all of the story worked for me personally. I’m not really entertained by most magic tricks and the details of such in the early pages seemed to bog down the plot. And, while I enjoyed this novel in part for its complexities, I dare say the range of topics explored might have been a tad bit overly ambitious. For me, the story would have been strengthened by the elimination of a few themes/scenes.

That said, I definitely recommend this books to fans of McMorris, Kate Quinn, Kristin Harmel, Martha Hall Kelly, and anyone else seeking intelligent, superbly researched, beautifully crafted World War II tales.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Historical fiction crossed with a love story. Ways We Hide tells the story of Fen, an Orphan of Dutch immigrants, who finds a home with Arie's family and solace in mastering illusions. When the British army requests Fin's assistance in developing items for soldiers using her expertise, she has no idea that it will bring Arie back into her life! But, has Arie been drawn to the other side? If so, why? And, will he be assassinated as a traitor?

Sounds like a lot going on, right? Well there is a lot going on in this book! The author has good character development and a well written story! It was, however, a bit longer than I felt necessary with a few storylines that could have been left out. It was also a lot more of a love story than what it was described to be which isn't one of my favorite genres. If romance is your go-to then you will probably enjoy this book more than me!

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.

WW2, historical-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, escapologist, grief, grieving, British-intelligence, performers*****

This is the story of a fictional inventive illusionist who became a performer and later a designer of escape tools for British Intelligence. Her life and loves are well presented and seem quite real. The historical aspects are well researched and made me wonder why I had never thought about the designers of the things that helped so many during the wars. I don't know how to meaningfully condense the story without getting overlong.
I really enjoyed it.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. Thank you!

I found this to be a riveting story unlike any other I've ever read. (And I read a lot!) I was fascinated by the concept of an illusionist helping the war effort. I'd never heard of anything like that before.

And adding the complications of Fenna's early life experiences and how that shaped her reaction to people, places and situations, made the story all the more compelling.

I highly enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed historical fiction that inspires.

Thank you to Kristina McMorris, SourceBooks and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Ways We Hide
A Novel
by Kristina McMorris
Pub Date 06 Sep 2022
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction


I am reviewing a copy of Ways We Hide through Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley:



Fenna Vos learned to focus on her own survival, as a little girl raised amid the hardships of Michigan’s Copper Country. The ability to focus on her own survival sustains her even as World War 2 rages in faraway countries. Though she performs onstage as the assistant to an unruly escape artist, behind the curtain she’s the mastermind of their act. Ultimately, controlling her surroundings and eluding traps of every kind helps her keep a lingering trauma at bay.



Yet for all her planning, Fenna doesn’t foresee being called upon by British military intelligence. Tasked with designing escape aids to thwart the Germans, MI9 seeks those with specialized skills for a war nearing its breaking point. Fenna reluctantly joins the unconventional team as an inventor. But when a test of her loyalty draws her deep into the fray, she discovers no mission is more treacherous than escaping one’s past.




The Ways We Hide is inspired by true accounts, and is a gripping story of love and loss, the wars we fight on the battlefields and within ourselves and the courage found in unexpected places.


I give Ways We Hide five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and give an honest review. This was a very different book than what I am used to reading. I love historical fiction which is why I thought I’d give it a try. Fenna is an illusionist recruited to help in the war efforts. This grabbed my attention, but was a bit disappointed given that the book was so long and did not hold my interest. The story itself was very unique, which I liked, but dragged a lot and was very hard for me to stay in tune with it.

Fenna is a magician/illusionist/escape artist who developed her skills as a child as a means of dealing with claustrophobia after narrowly escaping a tragic accident in which many people were trampled to death in a stairwell. During WWII, Fenna is recruited by M19 in England to work on developing devices that could help imprisoned allied soldiers escape or survive. This work eventually leads to her traveling to the Netherlands in order to “bring in” her childhood friend and love of her life, Arie who is accused of being a double agent.
I have mentioned in previous reviews, there is so much current WWII fiction being published, I think that authors need a different “angle” to keep readers interested. This book definitely has that angle to a certain degree with the illusionist story. I did read about all the research that the author did and very much appreciate her incorporating this interesting information into the story. I see that other reviewers have loved this book so glad it resonated with them. However, I had a hard time getting through the book. It took me over a month to read it because I dreaded picking it up and chose to read books that I found more entertaining. The book was just plain boring to me. The interesting “angle” was such a small part of the story and the rest was typical WWII drama - working with the resistance, narrowly escaping the Nazis, some characters being caught and killed, helping children and of course, some romance thrown in. And it seemed like the story was drawn out much longer than it needed to be. The episode of Fenna parachuting into enemy territory as a civilian with no training was so unrealistic, it sort of negated the author’s careful research. I think I am so done with WWII historical fiction!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Ways We Hide is a historical fiction book about an illusionist who uses their skills during World War II. The main character Fenna Vos has had a hard life but seems to endure, when she starts working for British military intelligence she comes face to face with a part of her past. I found the characters very well-written, the main character Fenna is so intelligent and strong-willed it's inspiring. The story got a little slow for me at parts, especially in the middle. I flew through the end, the action is really intense. The story itself is very unique and I enjoyed learning the crazy ways that illusion and tricks came into making some really weird gadgets that helped allied prisoners of war. This is a good one that historical fiction fans will love.

I think this is great book but it is so long and I dosed off in some parts and you can't shorten it because each part is important but it just isn't my type of book but I really tried.

What I love most about this book is after finishing the incredible story, is finding out how much of it was true (from the Author’s Note)! This book is full of adventure, love, magic, spy craft, and war. There is truly something for everyone. Fen is an illusionist who gets recruited in the war effort and ends up on a much bigger mission. It’s a little unbelievable, some of the things she’s allowed to do as a civilian during the war, but I happily suspended belief in order to follow her along on her adventures. It’s a real page-turner that is filled with memorable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I gave it a 4, but it was more like a 3+. The author’s notes at the end may have been the best part of the book. I appreciated learning how immigrants from Europe migrated to the upper mid-west and how they kept their communities very separate by nationality and religion. We start with a very drawn out story of Fenna’s time as a magician and magician’s assistant. It’s not that this work is unrelated to the story, but it could be condensed. I also found the events surrounding Arie’s sister and her family to be a stretch from history. No, I am not a Holocaust denier. I am particularly dismayed when the camps are used for a convenient storyline and given the timing and what they knew, I find it hard to believe they went to Europe during a troublesome time.

'Everything is better with magic!' It indeed is.
The Ways We Hide - a magical tale of a fierce young illusionist determined to help while fighting her own demons.
The Ways We Hide is a historical fiction novel with a magical plot comprising amazing characters. The best thing about the novel is the rich and vivid writing, which I absolutely loved. I knew right off the bat that this book would be a special one. Through this novel, Kristina has chosen to write and show the readers something that's lesser known and talked about. The novel revolves around a World War II illusionist named Fenna Vos who unexpectedly is employed by MI9 to design escape aids for the British soldiers who were fighting against the Germans. Fenna Vos has become one of my favorite characters. She is a force to be reckoned with, and she is an inspiration. Fenna's emotions jumps right off the page and she's such a realistic character. The book is based off many facts, and hither and thither Kristina has altered them so as to suit the plot, about which she has extensively discussed in the author's note. The book literally pulled my heartstrings, brought out tears, smiles and anxiety in several scenes. Though it took me a while to get through the book, this is one of my favorite books in terms of the writing, the plot, the imagery and the characters. It's a highly recommended novel for lovers of history, magic and rich writing. Looking forward to read other works of Kristina McMorris.

Thankyou NetGalley and Kristina McMorris for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If I was to sum up my reaction to “The Ways We Hide” in one word it would be “WOW.”. When I first started the book, my thought was that I had no desire to read about an aspiring magician. I honestly thought about not continuing but when I got to 1928 and started reading about Fenna Vos’ life, I became absorbed and wanted to know more. Her early years were marked with tragedy, loss and constant change, her near death experience, the loss of her parents, her time in an orphanage, and her finally growing up in the house of her best friend.

Fast forward to 1943. With the war raging in Europe, Fen leaves the stage and becomes part of the war effort as part of M19. At this point in her life, I was totally hooked. I couldn’t put the book down. She takes part in a dangerous mission in occupied Netherlands to find the best friend she grew up with and find out if he has become a traitor. What she uncovers is both heart warming and tragic. She experiences both love and loss. Kristina McMorris is very descriptive in her writing with well written accounts of courage, fortitude, love and war. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this pre-release in exchange for an honest review.