This perspective into World War 2 was completely different. I liked looking at this from another angle. It did take a super long time to tell this story though. It kind of lost my interest in the beginning and I had to put it away for awhile and then pick it back up again.

Another great historical fiction novel by Kristina McMorris! The Ways We Hide explores the ways that we hide from our feelings, the ones we love, the ways items could be hidden and concealed in WWII and physically hiding to stay safe. Kristiana did a masterful job of weaving in true spy gadgets and people in MI9 in England, with the fictional story of Fen and Arie. I found all the characters relatable and especially connected with Fen. A great read even if WWII historical fiction isn't your jam like it is mine.

You would think by now I would be tired of World War Two stories. I'm not. I'm fascinated by how many different takes there are on the time period. This one takes place in England and The Netherlands but it focuses on spycraft, which I loved. Combine that with a heroine that struggles with PTSD and loves to do magic tricks and you have a really great novel. It got a little long in places, and probably could have been told with about one hundred fewer pages, but it was well worth the read. I can't help comparing it to Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon. Recommended if you don't mind long books and enjoy WW2. Thanks Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC of this book.

This is the story of Fenna, who is a magician. I've day she is asked to become an inventor to help beat the Nazis. It's a great story!

I really enjoyed this book! Magic tricks, WW2, gadgets, British Military and romance equal an absorbing and gripping tale by the author old Sold on a Monday.

Fenna Voss is a determined and unique character. She goes through multiple life changing events but keeps on going. She finds ways to help deal with her traumatic childhood. She learned a lot from her father and her best friend, Arie, and his family about how to survive in this world. When we join her as an adult, she’s now the brains behind a Illusionist act and is getting tired of being treated as an assistant. One evening after work she is approached by a man who wants to recruit her to work with his secret M19 team designing escape aids.

There’s romance, darkness, intrigue, tension, and peril, with an endearing main character I’m certain everyone will root for.I would recommend this to anyone who loves a character driven novel that is impeccably researched and based on true events. There are scenes that will make you tearful and others that will leave you feeling uplifted!

The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris. Pub Date: September 6, 2022. Rating: 3.5 stars. A WWII novel with an interesting, magical twist, this book packs a punch in female empowerment, military operations, romance and escapism. Fenna Vos grew up being fascinated with magic ultimately leading her to working with an escape artist. During her work, she is approached to be recruited to work with the secret M19 team to design escape gadgets during the war. She sets out to design gadgets/tools to help soldiers escape from the Germans. I loved the scenery, the grit of Fenna and the new twist on WWII historical fiction. I did find this book to be a tad long, but overall really enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

Kristina McMorris' Ways We Hide is a WWII novel that will capture your interest and make you consider things about the war that you may have not thought of before, especially when it comes to illusions. Fenna is a young girl with only her father when a terrible accident leaves her terrified of small dark spaces. The only one who can really reach her is Arrie, a neighbor boy who becomes a friend and confidant. When her father dies, she is sent to an orphanage, a lonely, sad place. Upon leaving there, she finds Arrie and his family again and their friendship continues into something more. However, Fenna is unable to face the thought of loss and runs away. As she performs on the stage with magical flights of fancy, she is found by the British government. They want her special set of skills to help with the war effort. She goes to assist, but finds that the past that you run from has a way of catching up with you. I really enjoyed the book and learning more about WWII and the effects of illusion and the way that things were hidden so soldiers could use them. However, some parts seemed to drag for me, which is why it is four stars. I am grateful to have gotten to listen to the audiobook version, as the narrator did an excellent job. And, as always, I will look forward to the next McMorris novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

I’m sad. I really wanted to LOVE this book but I only liked it and not a strong like.

I have loved every book by Kristina McMorris since I read Bridge of Scarlet Leaves ( read that book!). For some unexplained reason, The Ways We Hide fell flat. The story premise is interesting but it got lost in long drawn out details that had me zoning out.

Will I continue to read Kristina McMorris books? Heck yeah. My thoughts on this book may have just been my mood while I was reading. Maybe I should have saved for January when I like big thick books. Others have raved about this book. Go check it out for yourself. She is a wonderful writer.

The book is 496 pages and the audiobook comes in at a little over 17 hours.

This book was amazing. There was so much packed into these pages and I could not put it down. It was well researched and a lot was going on, yet it worked. This one will stay with me for a long time!

A fantastic historical fiction novel based off of true accounts. I appreciate the authors beautiful writing style. The story of love and loss and the battles we face not only on the field but within ourselves. I'll be recommending this one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
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I really enjoyed Sold On A Monday, so I jumped at the chance to read another book by Kristina McMorris. World War II books always draw me in, and I haven't come across one that focuses on spies using the entertainment community to work. Really enjoyed getting to learn more about Houdini along the way.

Kristina McMorris writes unforgettable novels of historical fiction, which means a lot to me since I read so much that I forget a good many books. But not hers.

This well-researched story begins in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, when we get introduced to Fenna Vos, who is working as an assistant and behind-the-scenes manager of a magic act. It flashes back to 1928 in Michigan when Fenna is just shy of 11, and then ends up in 1943 London with Fenna working for the Allies in the war effort.

We learn that in 1943 Fenna has been recruited by Christopher Clayton Hutton, a real person who was responsible for “tricking out Monopoly games and designing countless other escape-and evasion ‘toys’ for MI9.” [MI9, as Wikipedia explains, was the the British Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 9, a highly secret department of the British War Office during WWII. It had two principal tasks: (1) assisting in the escape of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) held by the Axis countries, especially Nazi Germany; and (2) helping Allied military personnel, especially downed airmen, evade capture after they were shot down or trapped behind enemy lines in Axis-occupied countries. To this end, the department devised a number of - in effect - magic tricks to give to soldiers as equipment, such as compasses hidden inside buttons, hollow boots in shoes that were filled with dried food, or maps concealed in playing cards. McMorris tells us in her Author’s Note that MI9 used the services of former magician Jasper Maskelyne to design some of these devices, and it is thus she got the idea to add Fenna as an assistant to Hutton.]

McMorris also adds a strong romance element to her stories, and this one is no exception. Fenna, orphaned young, grew up with the family of Arie Jansen, one year older than Fenna, and like her, the offspring of a Dutch family who had come to America to work in the copper mines. She and Arie had always been close, and it was Arie who gave Fenna a book, “Houdini’s Big Little Book of Magic & Stunts” to help distract her from nightmares. Fenna buried herself in learning magic and tricks: “The art of escape became more than a tool to rein in my fears and reduce my nightmares. It was an all-out obsession.”

It served her well during WWII, not only during her stint with the British War Service, but when she is sent into enemy territory and comes under mortal danger.

Thereafter the tension escalates exponentially, as Fenna has to muster the courage to use her skills to orchestrate the ultimate escape.

Evaluation: As with the other novels by McMorris, you find yourself swept up in the historical events and romance she depicts, and you can’t turn the pages fast enough. Afterwards, you find yourself haunted by the story she has told, and grateful for the opportunity to have read it.

This was one of my top novels of 2022. You follow the along this fast paced novel where a female is recruited to the British military during WWII. I could not put it down and bet many readers will feel the same way!

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I've loved prior books by this author and was so excited to read this one. From the minute I started reading I was unable to put it down. I found this book to be very well-written, and a fast-paced read. I'm typically not a historical fiction fan but Kristina may turn me into one!

Sweeping two decades, McMorris brings us a historical fiction that is epic in proportion. A book that will have you pondering long after the last page is turned. A story that is extremely well written. This is not just another WWII novel, but a story that will have you captivated throughout every one of its many pages! Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Taking place during World War II Fenna is recruited by British intelligence. I love the strong female main character and this story is based on true accounts. Thanks NetGalley and the author for this eARC.

This book was everything.

Fenna--an illusionist's assistant in WWII is recruited by the British intelligence to help the war effort.

She is such a strong character to put herself in harm's way by ways of the Nazis and I dont know if I could have been as brave as she was. I loved that she invented things for the soldiers like hidden maps within a pack of playing cards and other mysterious things to help the war.

I was hooked from the very beginning and I cant wait to read more Kristina McMorris books!

Thank you so much.

Fascinating book on the use of illusionist skills in the war effort. Loved Fen and Arie's characters. Brought together through tragedy and brokenness, what a beautiful friendship develops. Intrigue and danger and just heart touching glimpses of this young woman's heart makes this a page turner. I loved learning little known facts about the resistance coupled with a great historical fiction.

WAYS WE HIDE by Kristina McMorris

The pros: A gripping historical fiction story filled with anecdotes that make one marvel.

The cons: The novel—and it’s a lengthy one—started slow for me. Although it picked up steam, this book may be best in an audio format.

Conclusion: I’m so glad I read it!

British intelligence recruits Fenna, an expert illusionist skilled at escape and evasion techniques. Her top-secret task is to design tools for World War II Allied airmen held in German captivity. The German guards welcomed packages of “distractions” for their prisoners. With the diversions, the prisoners wouldn’t plot an escape plan. Or so the captors thought.

Fenna and her colleagues crafted baseballs with radio parts inside. Playing cards transformed into maps when liquid spilled on them. Board games held silky maps between the seams. Flexible saws were threaded into catalogs.

Inspired by stunning true accounts, this novel portrays love and loss, the internal and external wars we fight, and unexpected courage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance copy.

Kristina McMorris is such a good storyteller and I knew The Ways We Hide was going to be another great adventure. I have really been reading a lot of stories about World War II lately and this is one of the best I've read.

The characters are woven together expertly with an unusual main character, a female escape artist. Fenna is called upon to help out her country using her special skills. Little did she know how entrenched she would become in the whole espionage world that she found herself dropped into.

The Ways We Hide is based on a true story and it truly is amazing to read about all of the heroic people who helped others survive during the war. Ms. McMorris has done a wonderful job of taking the story of a courageous woman who went to great lengths to help, making it a tale that I became so wrapped up in that I felt like I was there - feeling the terror, drama, and happiness right along with Feena.

This is an excellent read for all lovers of historical fiction and I highly recommend it!