This is a part of WWII history that I had not heard about. I appreciate books that tell underrepresented stories. And the narrative here is visceral, often brutal, but certainly evocative. It's not a comfortable read but feels like an important one.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* certainly a book i plan on buying. Very incredible read, would recommend.

The silent on scene really open my eyes to a new part of World War II. I was completely unaware that there was an actual group called “the silent unseen“ while I found the writing to be clear and concise the characters we’re not easy to connect with and left me feeling emotionally unconnected. I believe most readers who enjoy historical fiction and war books will enjoy this narrative if you prefer character driven novels this may not be the one for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars for an interesting book that just didn’t draw me and emotionally.

After surviving the camps, Maria comes home to find that not only is her whole family gone but her village as well not just from the Nazis but the war between the Polish resistance and the Ukraine Nationalists. When the local resistance comes through she is shocked to discover their leader is her brother that she believed to be dead. In order to track him down she must trust her enemy Kostya.

As someone who is very Polish it was interesting to read books from their point of view during the war and their struggles with the Soviets. This isn't something I see a lot of the time since most people tend to focus just on the Jewish/Nazi side of the war. I felt like I learned more from this book about other sides of the War than I ever did in school.

I highly recommend it to those who love historical fiction!

With the unsettling news coming from Ukraine today, many of us realize how little we understand of the history of the area and the surrounding countries. The neighboring country of Poland has certainly had its own share of upheaval. In 1944 WWII was still raging and Poland was torn apart by the Nazi invaders, the Russians, the Ukrainian Nationalists and the Polish Resistance. Some towns along the Polish border were home to both Polish and Ukrainian populations. But during the war, most of the towns were decimated and the Ukrainians and the Polish blamed one another for atrocities against their people.

Maria is sixteen and is returning to Poland from the forced German labor camps, but her home in Poland no longer exists. It is gone, like so many towns, leaving so many dead people. Maria finds she has no family left until she learns that her older brother is alive and leading a resistance group, part of the “Silent Unseen.” Just as she has reconnected, her brother Tomas suddenly goes missing. In her desire to find him, Maria turns to Kostya, a captured Ukrainian boy who may be the only person available who can help her find him. The tension between the Ukrainians and the Poles is intense but Maria and Kostya must work together, despite the animosity they each harbor.

This is a story of WWII from a different perspective of most novels. The setting in Poland gives us a better understanding of the complex regional hostilities of the area. Both Maria and Kostya are interesting characters and their interactions are filled with the need to work together, mixed with the longstanding hatred for atrocities committed by the other side. The complicated political scene with all the factions fighting, make the story complicated but important to understand.

It is the young pair who entrance us with their open hostility, tempered by their need to rely on each other. They are faced with continual danger from all sides as they navigate a country filled with active fighting factions all along the way. Readers will to come to love the two who are living in a chaotic world; a pair divided yet needing to work together.

The audiobook was nicely narrated although the complexity of the story made following along with the text helpful. I was fortunate to have both the audio and the text version from Net Galley.

An exciting and fast paced story about a young lady who has just recently escaped from a German Slave Labor Camp. After escaping, she unwittingly saves a young man who is a Ukranian Nationalist (AKA the enemy). Then, she runs into her brother whom she presumed to be dead. Everything after that is a bit of a blur. This story is told from multiple-perspectives, so some parts get a little confusing. However, this story is well worth the effort because it explores the little known history of the events that took place in the aftermath of World War II.

This was boring, I don’t know why I just couldn’t get into it I kept trying so hard. And I had to purposely try and finish it. If I didn’t have this to review I would’ve DNF it’s

"How can you even think about working together?"
"Because it's the only way we survive."

The fortuitous timing of this story and its startling accurate applied quotes to today's current events makes The Silent Unseen by insightful author Amanda McCrina a perfect example of the importance of historical fiction literature to the world.

In 1944 at 16 Maria has experienced the worse of mankind. After over two years of hard labor forced upon her by the Nazis she is making her way home. Sadly, she finds her Polish village demolished and her parents murdered by the war between the Polish Resistance and the Ukrainian Militia.

When she finds her older brother, Tomek, she doesn't know if she is more surprised he is alive or that he is now one of the "Silent Unseen", a special operations agent in the Resistance against Ukraine.

Kostya is Ukrainian and he too is just trying to get home after disastrous war hardships. Meeting Maria might be the best moment or, more likely, the worst of his life. He does recognize he is her only hope of finding her brother when he goes missing; though it might get them all killed in the end.

This book is intense, suspenseful and often heartbreaking. Narrator Laura Jennings is remarkable at giving Maria a youthful voice but one tinged with sorrow and distrust. She also lends a disheartening acceptance of circumstances to Kostya and Tomek that is gut wrenching to hear from such young men. An abrupt ending but filled with honest moments.

Years ago these countries were at war and now Poland is a steadfast ally to Ukraine. It demonstrates our world can be better and our stories must be told so we don't go backwards. I recommend historical fiction because when done right, like this one, it brings humanity to history.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

1940s Poland during WWII. It's almost a if there is no need to say more... but there is so much more. This beautiful work of historical fiction is told in dual POVs between Maria and Kostya. Maria is searching for her brother, Tomek, after she escaped a labor camp. I found her character easy to become emotionally invested in. The building connection between her and Kostya was well done and not overarching. Kostya played an integral role in breaking the bridge between enemy and connection during wartime.

Laura Jennings narrates the audio for this novel. While I loved the immersive experience, I felt some of the narration was read in the same manner across the board of characters. It was not a negative experience, I would've preferred more emotional depth and voice distinction however. This novel is a look into a part of history I have not experienced in most of my reading. It's also an unfolding maze of human character and the kindling of hope. I like having a sense for what the book is attempting to portray in the narrative but felt it didn't completely hit the mark for me in audio format the way I had hoped.

Overall, I was gripped by the context and depth in this novel. I enjoyed the mixture of historical and suspense that kept me engaged and the beauty of connection. I can only imagine how captivating Traitor will be. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me the ability to fully experience McCrina's work. All thoughts are my own.

Thrusting the reader right in, this book really hooks you in from the beginning. Told in two perspectives, Maria and Kostya are ostensibly enemies - Polish Maria returns to find her family after years spent in a Nazi labor camp while Ukrainian Kostya juggles life as a double-informant. WWII isn't quite over, but with the Nazi retreat, the chaos left in their wake isn't often highlighted in fiction. With factions, smaller groups and enemies from all sides, the title refers to Polish operatives, trained in Britain and returned with the intention of a stronger Poland and one free from Soviet influence. This feels like an even more timely read considering the current state of this part of the world is a war zone once more.

This book really reads like nonstop action. There are some large coincidences that help move things along that do feel a bit overly convenient. But the audio is well-performed, though I think physically reading it would have been just as entertaining (and maybe it would have included a map!). The characters all come to life - and while the characters seemed to have so many reasons to hate one another, the small mercies they bestowed made this a much more uplifting read than I expected it to be. Some of the political complexities here could have done with a bit more detail - but I appreciated that family was the main motivation for all of these characters.

Awesome book! I normally don’t go for war books or books written in the past but I loved this one! I liked how you got the POV from both Maria and the Ukrainian Prisoner. There was even room for a little bit of romance! Maria was a badass who despite what she had been taught the opposite her whole life was about to have a soft spot for the Ukrainian prisoner. Defiantly would recommend this book to anyone. I listened to this via audiobook and loved the voices chosen for each character.

This story had me hooked within a few chapters and educated me with details about WWII that I wouldn't have ever learned otherwise, focusing on Poland and Ukraine.

Meet Maria, a sixteen-year-old who finds out that her family is dead after a journey back home from years of forced labor in Germany. She discovers that her brother isn't actually dead like she had thought but is instead in charge of a local Resistance unit and is part of "The Silent Unseen," a special operations agent. She meets a boy named Kostya, who should be her enemy considering his alignment with the group that led to her parent's death.

Don't worry, they definitely start out as enemies, but this book is an enemies to lovers trope undercover.

I really enjoyed following the stories of these characters and being inside of both Maria and Kostya's mind. I even enjoyed getting swept up into the love story that was quietly unfolding throughout. However, I think the ending felt incomplete. The reader gets a clear sense of what Kostya's next move is but not Maria's or their move together in their love story.

Finally, this story is hard to follow in an audiobook format. From what I could tell, there is a list of characters and terms at the end of this book. That works perfectly for anyone with a physical copy, but it made me feel like I was missing out as a listener. I think if there were more detail about some of the terms (like UPA and NKVD) throughout the story, I would have been able to follow along much better.

Thank you to Amanda McCrina and NetGalley for allowing me to have early access!

I really loved the setting for this story. While I have read many books about World War II I haven’t read many if any set in Poland focusing on the Polish/Ukrainian/Soviet struggles. I liked the two main characters, but there were times I felt the story moved a little slower than it needed to. I also felt like the ending was very abrupt. Maria is on her way home after 2.5 years in forced labor and she’s going to learn so much has changed. When she was taken she told her parents she would be home and she is determined to keep this promise. The other voice of the story is Kostya who was a runner in the Ukrainian militia until things went poorly and he went on the run also trying to go home. The two of them meet and don’t understand just how much they’re on opposing sides. I listened to the audio book of this and the narrator was was great with Maria and not quite as great with Kostya’s voice.

I was immediately interested in The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina when I saw it was set in Poland since my husband is a first generation Polish American. This WWII novel is unlike others I've read as all main characters are young adults actively involved in acts of war.

This story features Maria and Tomek, sister and brother, whose home and family have been destroyed by fighting between Ukrainain nationalists and the Polish Resistance. When Tomek goes missing, Maria is desperate to find him and partners with someone very unlikely in her search.

It was surreal to read about Ukranian nationals fighting in 1944 at the very moment Ukranian citizens are fighting against Russian invasion in 2022 - the horror of art imitating life 80 years later. I rarely read YA and was surprised by the amount of violence in this novel. At times I wasn't sure what was going on or who to trust, which felt authentic for the life-or-death situations the characters were facing. Reading this via audiobook helped me experience the emotions more intensely. The story ends quite abruptly so I assume there will be a sequel that continues where this novel ends.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a review copy of the audiobook narrated by Laura Jennings.

I read Traitor by this author and I have very similar feelings toward this book that I had for that one. This time around I went into the book knowing I was going to have to pay very special attention to the characters. It was very hard to keep the characters straight last time and so this time I had to constantly be paying attention to the names. So, it was easier to keep them straight this time. I think having problems keeping the characters straight has a lot to do with the names. They are names that are Polish and Ukrainian, so I am not familiar with them which makes the names just blur into words.

Like the other book there are some interesting moments that build suspense, but overall, the book is just following the characters without having an end goal. The book doesn’t end with a win or a loss, it just ends. This is something I don’t nessisarly like. I did find that I enjoyed this book more than Traitor, but I think that is because I listened to this book. For me this is a slower book, so it is more suited for me listening to it while doing other things. Just sitting down to read it physically would be to boring for me.

I’m also not a big history buff and don’t know a lot about history, which might aid you in this book. A lot of the stuff and groups in this book are not explained and need to be previously known to understand what is happening. But one thing I do appreciate is that there is a list in the back of the book explaining what each group is and who each person is. This can be a very helpful toll while reading the book because not a lot is explained in the actual story.

I don’t hate the book, but it also isn’t my favorite. The writing is good but there needs to be some polishing to the story and the novel itself and the writing is a lot different than what I have read before. Maybe it just isn’t my type of book.

This book is a young adult historical fiction set in WW2 era Poland. It follows a young girl named Maria who returns home after years of forced labor to find her whole family slaughtered and her village destroyed. Along the way she finds an injured Ukrainian boy named Kotsja and they continue along together. A chance encounter allows her to find her older brother Tomek, long thought dead, and now a member of the silent unseen or Polish resistance. When he once again disappears, she will do anything to find him.

I thought this was a very well done book, particularly considering it’s young adult label. I appreciated that it covered a lesser known part of WW2 history and that it centered around a strong female character. I thought that it did a good job of balancing the horrors of war without making it too mature for a teenage reader.

The characters were a particular shinning point in this story as they seemed realistic and their actions understandable. I especially appreciated the bond between Maria and Kotsja as they learn whether or not they can trust each other.

The narrator of this audiobook was pretty solid. I didn’t expect the way she sounded at first, but once I settled into the story it was easy to lose myself in it. I did find the reading a bit slow, so I sped it up to 1.5x speed.

All in all, if you are a fan of historical fiction, I would recommend this book whether you read it or listen to it. The history it covers is important and the story tells it well.

An interesting book that was a historical fiction taking place at the end of WWII. Maria is a teen returning home after being in Nazi Germany. She was in a labor camp and is anxious to return home
She finds her town and home destroyed and parents killed.due to a war between Polish Resistance and Ukrainian Nationals . Her brother was presumed dead but is the leader of a Resistance unit and living as a Special Ops agent.
Maria reluctantly teams up with a young prisoner to search for her brother. The author’s information was well researched. The book held my interest but was violent. The characters were well written.
Thank you NetGalley , the publisher and the author for this ARC. This is my honest opinion

The Silent Unseen follows Polish Maria as she tries to track down her brother whom she thought was dead. Thrown into the mix is Kostya, a Ukranian, sworn enemy of Poland during World War II. They have to work together in order to find Maria's brother.

To be honest, I had a really hard time getting into this book. I will admit that historical fiction isn't my genre, but I generally enjoy YA historical fiction. However, this one just didn't snag me like other YA historical fiction books. I don't know if it was the writing. I think it was beautifully written. It could have been the characters or the narrator. I can't seem to pinpoint one reason why this book kept losing my interest. However, I read it because I think there might be a niche of students who will be interested in this kind of story and now I will be able to recommend it to them. In this end, while I appreciate the importance of a story like this, this book wasn't one of my favorites.

Usually I don't have bad things to say about audiobook narrators, but I found Laura Jennings to be rather boring at times. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC.

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina is a gripping WWII novel. The author wrote the book with the setting of Poland/Urkraine/Russia area. The characters were remarkable with their devotion to country and family and need to survive. I really enjoyed how the author brought the area to light in this book. Typically I hear stories of other areas in Europe, and I appreciated this new view and perspective. Laura Jennings was fantastic performing the book. She gave the characters distinguishable voices, and I could envision so many details and know who was speaking. The accents she gave the characters sounded authentic to my ears. Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this pre-release audiobook! I loved it!

Okay, so I want to preface this by saying that I really think the story, the history and the themes of this book are so very important and need to be told. As a piece of historical fiction, you can tell the author does her homework with the research, and it brings to light a side of WW2 history that I never knew about before. And the author is a very talented writer, that is to be sure. The reason this book was rated 3 stars as opposed to 4 stars is that I listened to the audiobook ARC and the narrator just didn't do it for me. The book lost my attention and didn't grip me for this reason, so I wasn't fully immersed in the story in a way that would make me give it a higher rating. I would have done A LOT better reading this in print, I think.