The Ways We Hide
By Kristina McMorris

This is a work of historical fiction, a genre I like because of the things I learn while enjoying the story. It has a strong female protagonist, Fenna Vos, who has an unusual calling to magic – everything from sleight of hand While

The story begins with Fenna's decision to walk away from Charles, her partner in her magic show, and to accept an offer to move to England and work along-side a real life character named Christopher Clayton Hutton in developing tools to help captured allied prisoners escape.

But before she makes that move, Fenna's backstory explains how she becomes the person she is as an adult. It begins with her copper miner father and introduces her dearest friend, Arie Janson, and his family. The circumstances of her childhood are fraught with tragedies and mishaps, which lead to her walk away from Arie when he asks her to marry him.

After some time spent in England, Fenna is startled to find Arie in England and back in her life. Circumstances force Fenna to participate more actively n the war. She is parachuted into Holland and the story proceeds with many twists and turns from there.

There are two things the author does here which make me like this book even more: she resists the temptation to write the expected ending, and her Author's Note explains just how she manages to bring together a number of disparate historical situations to create this book. Kudos, Ms. McMorris!

Excellent historical fiction about the lesser known M9 division of British intelligence during WWII. Revolving around magic, trickery, and family this beautifully written story follows Fennes from the Cooper mines of Michigan to the theaters of New York and to Europe during WII. Full of history, a bit of romance and tragedy, it is a wonderfully woven story of a forgotten and hidden time.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC

I loved this novel. Imagine that during World War II the British government creates a Military Intelligence department devoted to misdirection, hiring magicians and people who create ordinary objects that have hidden cameras, tools, so they can be used to advance their cause. This was hard to believe, until you think of the “M” character in the James Bond novels. The author links two tragic accidents that tie the two timelines together. And I kept thinking of the numerous ways we hide things, both physically and emotionally.

I absolutely loved this book! I immediately did not want to put it down. It was full of suspense, twists that I did not see coming, lovable characters, heartwarming moments, and heartbreak. I loved the theme of magic that flowed through the story and played so many important roles and connected so many small details. While there were some heartbreaking moments, the story felt hopeful because of the strength of the characters, especially Fenna. I love a book that develops characters so well that I feel like I have known them their whole lives, and that is how I felt with Fenna and Arie. This was an amazing and suspenseful story that beautifully connected the history, characters, and plot seamlessly. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinion is my own.
This is a fascinating historic fiction read. I enjoyed the sweeping time lines and the story of the savvy smart protagnist. Set among WWII a magicans assistant with special. talents is recurited by the British to help the war effort with her talents. its a compelling story that is based on true events. The charcters are richly drawn to the story, the action and suspense perfectly crafted to the story. A most enjoyable read for all fans of historical fictions.

Fabulous read of Fenna Vos, a magic show escape artist who uses her skills in espionage for the British intelligence service in WWII. The title evokes not only her physical skill in hiding but also her life experiences of hiding. Engrossing, educational, and a recommended read.

Oh my!! Add this fabulous read to your fall book list. Fans of historical fiction will be swept away by the compelling storyline and intrigue. Thank you NetGalley for providing an early review copy.

From the author of the wonderful Sold on a Monday comes another heartfelt story full of all the feels.

A story set during World War II of an illusionist who was recruited by British Intelligence and the ingenious use of Monopoly as a tool.

Fenna Vos is from Michigan. She knows what hardships are and she knows how to survive. As the war rages on overseas, she is working as an assistant to an escape artist. While she is the mastermind of the act. She controls it all. And this is one of her survival mechanisms. Control.

Just as she is fed up with her partner in the act, a man approaches her about working with British military intelligence. She works to design escape aids. MI9 is looking for those with special skills to end this war.

So Fenna becomes an inventor. Her loyalty will be tested and she may never be able to escape her own past.

This is a beautiful story of survival, courage, and overcoming when the odds are against you. And who knew about the Monopoly angle? I did not and I love it!

NetGalley/September 6th, 2022 by Sourcebooks Landmark

The main character of this novel is Fenna Voss. The story begins in her childhood with a traumatic event that affects the rest of her life. As an adult, she is the creator of a magician's escape artist act based on that of her hero, Harry Houdini. She is recruited by MI6 to apply her skills to the British war effort. Later, she herself goes into the war zone as part of a dangerous plan. There are several stories in this book. Kristina McMorris shows her skill by seamlessly weaving them together.

The book started out slow for me, but once I got into it, I could not put it down. The author's note is not to be missed. It explains the heal history behind the story.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

3.5 stars. Good read, but not too different from many of the other WWII books. The book moved a little slow overall until about 2/3rds through. I wish the magician angle was a little bit stronger, but played out fine throughout.

Excellent book! Five stars for The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris. I was thoroughly absorbed from the very first page. The author transported me to a turbulent time in our collective history. It is a story of love, loss, intrique, evil and triumph. This book has it all. Richly developed characters and an impressive storyline kept me turning pages. The historical events described and depicted left me wanting to find out more about that time in our history. I loved the main character, Fenna, and her courage and resourcefulness. A sweeping and emotional novel, this is one you shouldn't miss.

What an amazing book! I wasn’t keen on reading yet another WWII historical fiction but the spin on this was a story about a female illusionist. The twists and turns were non stop. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and the insight into the undercover techniques used by spies and agents. It’s heartbreaking at times, emotional and thought provoking. I haven’t read her other books but I will definitely look into them now. Highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Ways We Hide is the latest by the author of Sold on a Monday, and one more reason to keep reading this author’s great books. The story of a young woman, Fenna Vos, magician, illusionist, escape artist. After a confrontation with her performing partner after a show Fenna finds herself on her own, facing an uncertain future, and suffering from a tragic past. A unique and unknown British Intelligence department offers Fenna an escape and an opportunity to use her skills of misdirection and escape to help the Allies win the war by shipping things like maps, knives and tools hidden in unusual items.

Fenna is an inspiring yet eminently human and flawed heroine, and her story takes us to places we’ve never heard about before. Based on real stories, The Ways We Hide is one of those books you can’t put down.

The book followed the childhood to adulthood of the main character, Fenna Vos. Her early years were pretty tragic, but she found interest in performing magic. She befriended a neighbor boy named Arie, who played a significant role in her later years.
In adulthood, Fenna is recruited to work for M19, the arm of English intelligence that developed secret spy tools. This was due to her natural ability to understand and perform magic. She followed Arie to Nazi occupied Netherlands and her life took a dramatic turn. She returned to England, then the U.S. with an adoptive child as a single parent.
This book joins a long list of recent stories of remarkable heroism during WWII. Components of How We Hide are based upon recounted stories, but the overall tale is fiction. Early in the book, I skimmed long paragraphs of flowery language that didn’t seem to move the story along much. Maybe that’s because I have vague interest in magic and how tricks work. As the story moved on, it became more interesting to me. However, in a crowded market of WWII historical fiction, I found this book mediocre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark who provided me with an ARC.

Right when I thought that I was done reading any more books about WWII, along came this lovely story and I enjoyed it so much! The historical aspects of this story, as well as the fictional parts, blend seamlessly to create a wonderful book of love, mystery, and intrigue that I didn't want to put down.

Fenna Vos is an expert at escape. The resiliency that she learned while living in an orphanage as a child, along with her skills as a magician's assistant that she hones when she grows up, make her the perfect candidate to work for the spy agency MI9 in England during WWII. She helps to create espionage gadgets for the British armed forces that could have come right out of a James Bond movie. Fenna experiences love, loss, hidden truths, lies and redemption as she learns that security and freedom are tenuous and cannot be taken for granted.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone and everyone that likes historical fiction, as well as readers who enjoy books by Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff, Alan Hlad, or Kelly Rimmer.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book.

I am a total WWII junkie, so I was excited to be offered the chance to review this book and was predisposed to like it. At first, the reading was a bit slow.  I couldn’t figure out how a fake fire alarm, magic, and an orphanage, had anything to do with the war. The author spent considerable time developing the heroine and the plot didn’t move forward much.    

However, once the setting shifted to WWII London, the action really accelerated- and the author used all of the seemingly disparate aspects of the heroine’s life to create an exciting, believable story with a sympathetic heroine. Her ability to perform magic was instrumental in creating gadgets that helped British soldiers escape from German prison camps.  Her magic skills were also useful in helping her escape from a perilous predicament. The incidents with the orphanage and fire shaped her character, contributing to her resilience, resourcefulness, and relationships. 

The Ways We Hide is an engrossing book that provides a unique focus on the events of WWII.
--
Dr. Amy A. McClure
Emerita Rodefer Professor of EducationPast President, Ohio Association of Colleges of Teacher EducationPast President, Children's Literature Assembly of NCTE
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, Ohio 43015
aamcclur@owu.edu

This is a historical novel set in the WWII era. This book combines magic, romance, and history for an unusual but well researched read. Kudos to Kristina McMorris for her development of the characters and storyline.

Thank you for the chance to read this work.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would have to give this 3 stars. I personally don't think I'm the right reader for this story unfortunately. I'll break down what I liked versus what I didn't.

What I liked:
- The magic parts and escapology- this was my first book that intertwines this with history
- The historical aspects

What I didn't like:
- Very long and drawn out- a lot of descriptions and some chapters dedicated to internal monologues
- Wished there was more history added in rather than focusing solely on characters
- Felt like a character study of Fenna rather than a historical fiction book

Perfect for fans of: Taylor Jenkins Reid, young adult, character driven stories

Ways We Hide, Kristina McNorris, Sourcebook/Landmark (Publish Date: 9/6/22)

I was skeptical of a book about a magician, but I am so glad that I gave this historical fiction novel a try. Kristina McMorris is already a bestselling author from her prior work, Sold on a Monday.

Fenna Vos saw incredible tragedy as a young girl in Michigan and is a young adult performing as a magician's assistant in a traveling show when in a freak meeting, a British Military Intelligence contact invites her to join the war effort during World War II. She moves to London and joins the MI9 where she creates devices with hidden features to protect British soldiers. The story unfolds in alternating chapters across different time periods. When Fenna's childhood friend is in trouble, she goes into occupied territory to find him and bring him back to England facing unimaginable personal danger. In the process, she must confront both her past and her future.

This book is a page turner with important messages about how loss shapes our lives. I found myself unable to put the book down even as the book's suspense builds. Five stars.

McMorris has written a compelling story about the second world war and a young woman who penetrated the occupied Netherlands to get out a beloved friend. Fenna was the daughter of Dutch immigrants to the United States Midwest. She lost both her parents by the age of 9 and ended up on the social welfare system, first with a foster mother and later in an orphanage. She became angry, closed, and almost paranoid as a teen but her escape was in learning magic and illusion. She went on to start her own travelling magic show until approached by a British agent to come to London to use her skills in the MI9 office.
There she had success until she found out her dear friend, Arie, was in Amsterdam and could not be contacted by British agents - he seemed to be avoiding them. She offered to go to Amsterdam as bait to draw him out and find out what was going on. The trip was full of danger and suited her - she didn't trust anyone and that attitude assisted her in her time in Amsterdam.
McMorris' writing makes the danger of being a spy in enemy territory come alive. I did find it difficult living in Fenna's head when she was so angry and afraid all the time. It was like she was a sulky teenager and never grew up until she got back to the US and new responsibilities there. Also a bit less of Fenna's thoughts and worries would not have detracted from the book. All in all though, a well-told story.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC; the opinions are my own for which I was not compensated.