2.75 stars

"Night Angels" tells an interesting story, but the characters lacked development and the way they acted and talked didn't feel natural.

Interesting fact based historical fiction. The Chinese consul to Austria Ho Fengshan finds himself to his own surprise helping Jews escape Europe even as the Nazis move in. It's worth doing a little googling for more info on him. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the WWII genre.

Overall I enjoyed this novel - it was interesting although harrowing at times. Others have provided a synopsis of the story so I will focus on my thoughts and feelings regarding this book.

Although I did select the book knowing that it 'was based' on a true of Dr. Fengshan Ho, I realized while reading it that I would have preferred to read a non-fiction book about his efforts to save Jewish lives during WWII. I felt that the characters were adequately if not expertely drawn. The auxilliary characters such as Mr. Rosenburg felt a little flat.

Perhaps the most notable observation for me was the grammar. I felt at times that the story did not flow as well as it could have. Dr. Ho and Grace kept referring to the plight of the 'Viennese' over and over again, which got a little irritating.

Overall, not a bad book, I give it 3 stars.

Interesting fictionalized story about an actual person, Dr. Ho Fengshan, who worked as a consulate in Vienna at the beginning of the war. He was responsible for signing thousands of visas that allowed Jews to leave Austria.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is written as being based on the true story of Dr. Ho Feng Shan, a Chinese diplomat in Vienna during the late 1930s, and early 1940s. It focuses on Dr. Ho, his wife, and a completely fictional language tutor. The story tells how Dr. Ho granted thousands of visas to Jewish refugees so that they could escape to Shanghai.
I think the story is an important one because it is often overlooked in the many that are told about WWII. However, the characters were difficult to like or empathize with, especially Grace who was portrayed as extremely weak - both in spirit and body. The reason this is rated at three stars and not two is because this is a topic that I had not heard of before, and the book inspired me to research Dr. Ho Feng Shan.

Although this is WWII historical fiction, it is a different perspective than most. This focuses on Grace, an American, and her husband, Fengshan, who is the consul general from China posted in Vienna. Although initially Grace is told to avoid her Jewish tutor, Lola, Fengshan ultimately ends up helping her and her family himself by issuing visas to Shanghai. Soon, he is helping other Jews escape the danger of Europe.

An interesting historical fiction book! It was nice to have a different type than the standard white woman protagonist.

Night Angels
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for selecting me to receive an Advanced Reader Copy.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I likely would not have picked it up, but it has since become a new one I am recommending to everyone!

"Disobeying his superior's order would be a betrayal of his duty, but obeying his superior's mandate and declining the wish of thousands of people on the brink of death would be a betrayal of his heart"

Imagine a life, where you are living in a foreign country, and everyday life is different.....so different it becomes more and more extreme. From seemingly small rules to being forced from your house and family if you are Jewish or considered a traitor. Many of us know of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass or concentration camps and the Holocaust, so that is expected. But this novel gives us a view point not typically discussed, how even when you are on the outside of the persecution, you are still very much in danger.
Dr. Ho Feng-Shan, diplomat from China, his american wife, Grace Lee and Grace's tutor/friend, Lola, a jewish woman tell us their story through love, hope and friendship. Grace, young and unworldly, recently married to Feng-Shan moved to Vienna not able to speak German becomes close friends with Lola, her tutor. One of the first encounters they have with changing laws is when Grace and Lola sit on a nearby bench, they are both tossed into jail. Dr. Ho comes to pick up Grace, because she is a diplomats wife and it was clearly a misunderstanding- at that time, Feng-Shan is able to sense the Germans changing behavior. He is strong but nervous as he waits for Grace. Lola is still stuck so Grace asks Feng-Shan to get her as she may never be able to leave any other way. Reluctantly, because he doesnt want to ruffle feathers, a deal is made for Lola to leave. And so begins the roller coaster of torment. Dr. Ho seemed at first a bit more into his job, than what was unfolding before him, but once he saw the reality of what was happening, he had to make a difficult choice- do i follow orders, or follow my own beliefs. The character growth for Feng-Shan is huge, from the beginning to the end. At first shying away from "troubles" to becoming the person standing on his own, to fight for what is right.
The novel starts out slower paced but quickly becomes s a true page turner, to know the fate of our main characters and their friends/foes. I genuinely enjoyed reading this story from the various perspectives.
The end reveals the story based on Dr. Ho Feng-Shan, a real life Chinese diplomat who was assigned to work in Vienna during these tumultuous times. He is known to have saved thousands of lives, using his power of allowing visas to China from Vienna. It is remarkable to know that even in the midst of such tragedy, there is always some good, some love and some hope.

#NightAngels #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Night Angels had the promise to be a phenomenal read. A rarely explored character and historical account of Dr Ho Fengthan, a consul general of China living in Vienna with his American wife, Grace. Grace befriends a Jewish woman named Lola but quickly realizes that Vienna is filled with the hate of Nazis. Lola and her family is persecuted by the Nazis leading Grace and Dr. Ho to do what they can (and must) to help Lola and other the other Jewish families in Vienna.

As this is based on a true story I truly appreciated the story as a glimpse into something that occurred in our not to distant past. The market is saturated with WWII era books but Night Angels follows a storyline and historical event not often written about.

Unfortunately, I found the writing to be extremely choppy making it difficult for me to read and enjoy. The characters would often refer to each other by name which also got very grating. "Jo, it is nice outside." "Ann, yes. It is a nice day." This got to me rather quickly and the annoyance carried throughout the book for me and took away from the storyline. I also wasn't able to invest in the characters; they all seemed to be a bit underdeveloped. There was enough there to understand their place in the narrative but not enough to invest in them.

Grace was a lumpy character that was not very likeable. I would have rather the book followed Dr. Ho as the main character; it would have made a lot more sense and made for a better read in my opinion

In the end, Night Angels fell a bit flat for me.

I liked this book! It was certainly an interesting take on WWII fiction, but it wasn't my favorite. I had a difficult time getting into the story and keeping things straight at first, but started to enjoy it more as I went! If you are a historical fiction lover, this is great for a new take on a well covered time period! I'm thankful I had the opportunity to read this one, and I'm grateful for the early review copy!

3 stars! I liked it!

Night Angels tells a little-known story of an unexpected WWII hero. Dr. Ho Fengshan runs the Chinese consulate in Vienna in the late 1930s, after the Nazis have invaded Austria. Dr. Ho and his American wife, Grace, take action to issue visas and help vulnerable citizens escape as they witness the escalation of abuses against the Jewish population, including their friends and colleagues.

I enjoyed this story, and was glad to find a WWII historical fiction from a new angle. It covers the political and diplomatic side of the war amidst the continued rise of Hitler and explores the stance of China and its leadership throughout, which is a viewpoint I hadn’t heard much about. It was interesting in and of itself, and more broadly was a great example of the layers of political considerations that color these global conflicts.

The author also delves into the human side of the suffering and devastation of the time period through the stories of Fengshan and Grace’s friends of Jewish descent, and brings some of the sense of hopelessness home even further in the couple’s own home life. I thought it was a good balance of character-based and historically-based plot.

Structurally, the chapters are very short which made for a fast-paced read - but readers should be aware that the POV alternates between husband and wife pretty much every chapter, which can feel a little bit choppy at times. I didn’t feel that this novel had quite as much emotional depth as I would have expected - there were some powerful plot points, but none that quite drew me in all the way - and I think the rapid shifts in perspective and fast pace may have been a part of that.

Overall I enjoyed this story and the historical context it provided. I’m adding The Last Rose of Shanghai, also by this author, to my TBR!

Well written historical fiction by amazing Weina Dai Randel. The brutal actions of Adolf Eichmann in the city of Vienna during WWII prompted Dr. Ho Fengshan, Chinese Consul, to issue hundreds of visas to Shanghai in aid to many Jewish people. Recommended reading.

What a read! A novel based on fact detailing the diplomatic efforts of Dr Ho Fengshan who signed visas of thousands of Jewish people 8n Vienna so they could gain sanctuary in Shanghai. It also imagines the relationship with his second wife and what it was like for her in Vienna. Little is known it seems of this historic circumstance and also of the impact of WW2 on China. Books like this and those by Alexa Kang in her shanghai series need to be read widely. The other historic figure heavily involved in this novel is Eichmann. In his trial for war crimes in Israel he is quoted as saying that he is not the monster people think he was. If this book is accurate, and I do not doubt it’s veracity, Eichmann was a monster. Great to see that exposed. This is a well written, well researched book that gripped me throughout

This is a graphic tale, telling the gruesome experiences the Jews of Vienna experienced during the second world war. Much of the detail of the events occurring in Vienna at this time have not been covered until now. It is good to read of the true story of Dr Ho Fengshan, a Chinese diplomat in Vienna whose courageous action allowed thousands of Jews to escape the clutches of the Nazis. In the midst of the horror and pain, it is heart warming to read that good people still act courageously to save the lives of others.

At times this reads more like a textbook than a story and by the nature of it, if one has humanity and compassion one has to lay it aside for a while. Somehow, thought the story draws you back in.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. Thank you to Netgalley and to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read it.

Night Angels is fiction, loosely based on a brief but important period in the life of Chinese diplomat Dr Ho Feng-Shan. Beginning in late 1938, and for a period of nearly two years, Dr Ho issued thousands of visas to Vienna's Jews, who were able to escape certain murder by allowing them to escape to Shanghai. In Night Angels, author Weina Dai Randel has fictionalized these true events by turning them into a novel with too much domestic drama.

In Night Angels, author Weina Dai Randel provides Dr Ho with an American wife and a life that becomes more soap opera than Dr Ho deserved. One of my friends, a Holocaust survivor and one of the founding members of the New Mexico Holocaust Museum, was a Shanghai survivor. I know the true story well. The depiction of Dr Ho in Night Angels is in many respects accurate, in that Dr Ho did save thousands of Jewish lives. The fictionalized part of his life, is, as the author admits in the end notes, fiction. As a result, Night Angels, with a title that fails to describe the contents of the novel, is diminished. Dr Ho's story is one of heroism, and even in historical fiction might have been told with more accuracy. Instead Weina Dai Randel creates a novel that is more domestic fiction than historical fiction. The last 25% of the novel fails to elevate Night Angels into a helm of historical fiction and turns Dr Ho's personal life into soap opera.

Night Angels will hold the attention of readers who are not familiar with some of the events described in this novel. But for readers intent upon learning the real story, more research will be necessary. Dr Ho was a heroic man, who sacrificed his career to save lives. I want to thank the publisher for providing this ARC. My review of this novel reflects my honest evaluation of its contents. Thank you also to NetGalley for providing this novel.

Night Angles is a story of courage and defiance as Dr Ho Fengshan issues thousands of visas to China, also a country at war, when many countries wouldn’t increase the immigration quota. I found it to be interesting as it shows the reader many political issues he faced and a glimpse into what it was like in Vienna as the Nazis started the terrorization of the Jewish people and China as they tried to stop the invasion of the Japanese. Dr Ho was a brave and extrodianary man who saved thousands of lives.
I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the kind of story that you start out reading and gradually get more and more caught up in as it continues. There is plenty of drama here, but the story itself felt kind of manipulated and dragged out unnecessarily. It could have used more editing. Yet, it is based on an actual diplomat who really did issue these incredibly important visas. So I appreciate the story being told, though it might have been more effective written as non-fiction and being more true to the facts. The reader will get a good taste of Vienna and some of the wartime atmosphere. And hopefully an appreciation for the diplomats that obeyed their conscience rather than their superiors.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a story that needs telling.

Author Weina Dai Randel’s story, inspired by true events, explores the risks courageous people took to protect the vulnerable from the grasp of the Nazis. What makes her book stand out is the unique perspective - China’s position during wartime. While many authors concentrate on European or American perspectives, Randel focuses on a Chinese man and his American wife.

Dr. Ho Fengshan, a consul general of China in Vienna, and his American wife, Grace, risk it all to help Viennese Jews escape. Grace’s friendship with her Jewish tutor is tested when violence against the Jews escalates. Aware of her husband’s power, Grace encourages him to secure safe passage for Lola and her family, showing that love and friendship can transcend boundaries.

In addition to the unique perspective, amazing characterization and fantastic portrayal of the effects of Anschluss on the ordinary citizens, I appreciated seeing how the pogroms and strict rules forced Dr. Ho Fengshan to evaluate his personal beliefs and work to repair the damage to his marriage. When authors can increase my understanding of the wartime experience through fiction, it makes for a winning combination - one that makes me continually reach for their books. Randel’s exploration of politics and history is eye opening.

I was gifted this copy by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.