Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Very complex, interesting read. Sometimes the shifting perspectives became confusing if I wasn't paying close enough attention, but other than that I thought this was a great story. The narrator was perfect for this as well!

What an amazing and absolutely moving story. WW2 is one of the most intriguing parts of history for me and to read this and get some of those overlooked details was really great. This story was just superb!

I listened to this on audiobook after I had read the physical book twice. Each time I read it, I am more in awe of the author’s ability to creage such a tightly woven, heartfelt novel. Amanda McCrina has become one of my favorite authors with her simple and meaningful prose, nuanced characters, authentic settings, and airtight plots. My only conplaint is that it ended so quickly and I was not prepared to say goodbye to the characters! I need more of Kostya, Maria, Tomek, Tolya, and Kyrylo! All in all, this book is in my top ten. If I could choose only one historical fiction author to read for the rest pf my life, it would be Amanda McCrina. I absolutely love this book and I will be rereading it for years to uncover more details and more deeply understand the story!

I received this audiobook from the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina is a moving story set in Poland in 1944. As I don’t know as much about the war between the Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists, I found this one informative, and I enjoyed the complex character dynamics. While I struggled to keep up with the audiobook at certain points, I still enjoyed the story as a whole and would recommend it to those looking for a historical fiction about hope and humanity.

After escaping a labour camp in 1944, Maria returns home to find her village destroyed and her family missing. In the wreckage, she meets Kostya, a Ukrainian prisoner, and her brother, a resistance leader who she presumed was dead. However, when Maria’s brother doesn’t return one day, she is forced to team up with the boy she perceives as the enemy in order to find him, and recognize their similarities along the way.

❀ AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP

Maria and Kostya have an interesting dynamic, and I enjoyed their complex relationship with each other. At first, they see themselves as enemies as Kostya is ex-UPA, but as they learn to rely on each other, and to accept each other, they discover an unlikely friendship that is beautiful to read about. Both characters are also fully developed, and the author does an excellent job capturing their complex emotions.

❀ HARD TO FOLLOW AUDIOBOOK

In terms of the audio version, I have to admit that I found the story difficult to follow at times. There are many characters to keep track of, and I don’t know much about the UPA or the NKVD, which are pretty central to the story. At the end of the book, there are historical notes and a list of characters, but I would have also appreciated more context throughout the narrative so that I could have an easier time following along. However, this audiobook is also well-produced, and the narrator perfectly captures the high emotions of the story–I just personally feel as though I would have enjoyed this one more in print form.

❀ AN EMOTIONAL STORY

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina is an emotional story about a part of World War II that I was not as familiar with. I enjoyed this learning experience and the complex main characters, but I also struggled to keep up with the plot at certain points because I was missing some of the context. However, this is still a moving story that is perfect for fans of authors like Ruta Sepetys.

DNF at like a third of the way through.

I'm sorry =(

I feel horrible about it.

I am so thankful to the author, publisher and Netgalley for granting me early access to the audio for The Silent Unseen.

I just can't seem to commit to this.

I am a very character driven reader. The Silent Unseen is very plot driven and intense. Which is great but I need to have an emotional connection with these characters.

I feel bad because I feel like this story is important and I believe this is completely a me thing and not the book.
I will be removing this book from my GoodReads shelf and not reviewing it there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Silent Unseen.” When thinking about my experience with this book, I found myself thinking about it from my students’ perspectives. The characters are interesting, and the Polish and Ukrainian perspective is both timely and nuanced. You can feel the stress and tension of not knowing who, where, and what safety looks like. It’s a different vantage point than many other historical novels written in this time period. I did find myself confused and trying to track the different characters. Usually I like novels with more of an ensemble cast, but this time I felt myself having a hard time tracking. I also think that the novel assumes a certain level of prior knowledge that many kids reading this YA book won’t have. (Great exposure for them to learn, though!)

Search for Tomak

A story of war in all it's horrible cruelty. Heartbreaking and tragic it tells the story of the struggle between several different groups during the war in Poland. I didn't know there were so many different ones fighting against each other. It appears there was the German's, the Soviets, the resistance, The Polish Army, and the SOE trained agents known as the Silent Unseen.

The time is 1944, the place is Poland. Maria is returning home after spending some years doing forced labor in Nazi Germany. She finds her home has been destroyed during the war. She saves the life of a boy her age at a farm house and they are captured by a group of fighters. She learns he is the enemy and is taken prisoner. She finds her brother she was looking for is the leader. Then Tomak goes on a journey to try and make peace with another group and does not come back. Maria needs to journey to find him, but the only person that can help her is the young prisoner.

This is a book of what war does to people, how it destroys homes, people and lives. It show the ugly of the war and the courage of those living in that time in history. How a person will do or say almost anything to save a loved one.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator was excellent. The quality of the sound and the settings were very well described and the story was told in a way that I could understand. It is so sad in parts and happy in others. I loved the ending.

It was an interesting book about the war in Poland and the Normandy landing of the allies. I did enjoy the book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Amanda McCrina for writing a great story, to Laura Jennings for an excellent narration, to Macmillan Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio advance reader copy of this book. I want to start by saying historical fiction is not my favorite genre. This was a great story weaved by McCrina. The struggle and horrors the girl, Maria, goes through to find her brother, Tomek makes for an interesting narrative. 4 stars

Audiobook Galley Review - Fantastic historical fiction! Gripping storyline full of suspense and intrigue! Historical fiction fans, especial those who enjoy books about WWII, will find this hard to put down!

The Silent Unseen: A Novel of World War II by Amanda McCrina and audiobook Narrated by Laura Jennings is a gripping, complex, and fascinating book that takes us into a world that has fallen into chaos during and after WWII.

This is the second book I have experienced by Ms. McCrina ( the first I read called The Traitor), and she takes us yet again into a place that just oozes instability, upheaval, confusion, loss, fear, and chaos. This book includes multiple political and idealogical groups such as the Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. This is a work of fiction, but the information included within the book gives us a background and insight into some of these real groups and people.

It is told in alternating points of view, which really adds to the scope and the overall dimensions of the window that we get into peering into this world.

There is mystery, suspense, a bit of romance, and I loved listening to it. The narrator did a fantastic job.

5/5

Thank you NG and A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/5/22.