Wrath Becomes Her
Written by Aden Polydoros
384 pages
Release Date: October 10, 2023 by Inkyard Press
4/5 Stars
*An ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy in no way influenced my review*
Did you like From Dust, a Flame? Then you will fall in love with Wrath Becomes Her. Polydoros latest novel explores what it means to be human, what makes us human and if humanity itself is good. Ezra, a father and inventor, discovers that his daughter has been killed by Nazis. Now, his mind is bent on only one thing, revenge. From the dark depths of this brilliant scientist comes the idea of one of the legends of jewish tales, the golem. Thus is born Vera, a veritable Frankensteinian monster carved out of clay, the works of the brilliant minds over years, and parts of Chaya, Ezra's dead daughter.
Vera can feel her purpose, to kill, to revenge, to destroy. At the same time, she can remember things like kisses, tender moments, feelings of...love. Especially when she comes across Akiva, the boy who Chaya had fallen in love with and kissed. Is Vera really Chaya? Are these feelings just memories of Chaya's, or do they belong to Vera? Where does the vengeful golem stop and the humanity of Vera begin, or is Vera human at all? What does it even mean to be "human"?
I said in my review for From Dust that there are not enough books that deal with Jewish beliefs in the Young Adult catagory, so I was excited to learn of this one. Polydoros has done a great job of helping to fill this missing area with literature, and again, he hits the mark. This is not a fast-paced, mile-a-minute read, but instead burns with the wonder of Vera as she takes in the world and finds all of the new, yet familiar things while exploring this concept of humanity. Specifically, trying to figure out what is humanity in the face of all of the darkness surrounding her, from the malevolent Nazis to her creator Ezra and "love" Akiva who just want vengeance and watching the suffering of the people under the yoke of both the Nazis and their own.
I say all of this with some caution to you, dear reader. The book is not necessarily for the faint-hearted. As Polydoros own website already has some content warnings listed which include murder (yes, the author has some very gruesome descriptions that make the violence leap out), death of a parent, body horror and genocide (of course). The body horror is contained throughout the text, as this is a central issue of Vera's and the exploration of what it means to be human. How much of what we are on the outside defines us versus who we are on the inside. Making the setting during the middle of Nazi occupation of Jewish areas is perfect for exploring this idea and brings the issue from just a personal one to a societal question and issue.
While not a perfect book, as there are points in the book that where Vera's getting lost in her head did seem to slow the plot down to just a simmer, Wrath Becomes Her is a great read.

@netgalley 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
𝕎𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝔹𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕤 ℍ𝕖𝕣 by @adenpolydoros

This book was really different compared to other books I have read about the holocaust. The author even wrote a letter in the beginning explaining this. The author letter really made me want to read this book. The author is very relatable and after reading Wrath Become Her I will be checking out other works as well!

A father wanting to avenge his daughters death by Nazi hands, builds Vera using an ancient magic. When Vera awakens she can feel her violent purpose but she is also experiencing memories that are not her own. There moments where my heart absolutely broke for both Vera and Chaya and the lives that were cut too short. As the story progresses Vera realizes she will need much more than Ezra built her with. She will need not just a reason to fight but a reason to live.

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭.”

Wrath Becomes Her focuses more heavily on the fighters, the survivors, and those battling to survive. I was truly in awe as I read this book, and watched Vera go up against the vilest of humans, and fight for what was right. Vera reminded me of Frankenstein having one main purpose engrained but also learning through experience and Chayas memories. I will definitely be adding this book to my shelf when it releases 𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟶𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 and will be recommending this title!

𝙷𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 ✔️
𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝙿𝚕𝚘𝚝 ✔️

#jayjaypjkwreads #thebookishcrew #historicalfantasy #bookreview #netgalley #arcreader #bookstagram #bookrecommendation #octoberbookrelease #comingsoon

Beautiful, suspenseful, and eye-opening.

This book was mind blowing from start to finish and that ending was not what I expected.

The book is historical fantasy and told through a Jewish lens. I will say I am not Jewish nor do I have that much personal knowledge , however some research is somewhat needed to understand some terms, even with the glossary. I will say I learned a lot and appreciate the opportunity to do so and see the small beautiful moments of culture and religion that Vera experiences with Jewish counterparts. Even with the somber setting. It should be noted that stories like this are important so that we never forget the atrocities of the past and do not repeat them.

Our story centers on and is told by a golem named Vera who was created by a man named Ezra for a very specific reason. Vengeance. However throughout the story she realizes that perhaps there is more to life than what we are told we must be. Also, we are not just the stereotypes people have formed. She has memories that are not hers but her feelings and opinions , she realizes , are all her own. Including how she feels about certain people like her companion, Akiva who is with her throughout the book.

Set in Lithuania in 1943 during the Second World War, we see the atrocities and destruction brought upon innocent people for their culture and beliefs. A world where you cannot even trust your own neighbor and the consequences of that situation.

Her relationship with Akiva is about what I would expect in reality. It is a very awkward situation but well written , there is a lot unspoken between them but I like the support they give one another and the lessons of trust and acceptance he gives to Vera as she navigates this new life. These lessons she will carry and use to shape who she wants to be and with whom she wishes to be.

Overall , I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. It was beautifully written and full of life lessons that anyone can relate to.

**This full review will be appearing in the book/magazine, Rise Above, publishing in April 2023 by Wintry Monsters Press. A quoted blurb has been placed on the book's Goodreads listing for the time being.**

The Review: This book kind of blew me away. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Before this year, I’d only read prominently Jewish stories having to do with the Holocaust. The author notes this experience at the start of the book, saying he grew up reading stories in which the Jewish characters were depicted as helpless victims. Wrath Becomes Her doesn’t feature a Jewish cast of that nature, Aden made sure of it; instead, WBH is composed of fearless fighters battling to survive. They are absolute warriors slipping between the shadows and taking down transports, collecting airdrops, and preparing infiltrations of camps and bases. The lead character, Vera, is “kishuf” golem, which a Frankenstein-esque spin of the traditional Jewish golem made purely of clay. With kishuf magic, Vera is infused with real organic matter from the dead daughter of the man that built her. This includes her teeth, eyes, and hair. She looks so much like Chaya, in fact, that people mistake her as the daughter returned to them from the dead. And though Vera has some of Chaya’s memories, she is her own person. As she struggles to accept her unique form (that frightens many), she also struggles to separate Chaya’s feelings from her own. She quickly joins Chaya’s lover, Akiva, and feels a strong pull toward him. Together, they begin to rage war against the Nazis, culminating in a dark and horrific discovery. All of Wrath Becomes Her deals in humanity; whether or not Vera is worthy of love and life outside of violence, whether or not to intervene in the various tragedies taking place every way they look, whether or not there’s a future in which man will stop its senseless monstrosities against one another. The premise is intriguing and unique, the characters detailed and bleeding, and the environments cold and bleak. I was hooked on this book from page one; I found it incredibly difficult to let go and return to my job during the week I devoured it. WBH called to me whenever I had a chance (and the energy) to read. It took precedent over the other titles I was enjoying with ease. Even great books can get respites from me due to my mood reading, but this was a title I couldn’t let a day pass without swallowing a few dozen pages first.

The Bottom Line: For a book that is decidedly grim and full of death, this extraordinary tale is as compassionate as it is horrifying. It will cling to you from the start and draw you into a heartbreaking battle fueled by loss and the hope for a brighter tomorrow.

5/5

*If you liked Hungers as Old as This Land by Zachary Rosenberg, you’ll like Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros (and vice versa).

4.5

This is the first book by Polydoros I've read and I am very intrigued to pick up anything else he writes. Thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy. It came at the perfect time - right before I began teaching a unit to sophomores about the novel "Night" and discussed different view points of the war and who it impacted. I am very excited to add this to the classroom library next year.

I love Vera as a protagonist because she reacts to the world much like the Creature in Frankenstein does albeit with the anchor of a command ingrained in her to avenge the death of her creator's daughter Chaya. She learns the world through interactions with others but with the ghost of Chaya and her experiences in her time as a resistance member. This is why Vera is drawn to Akiva, Chaya's lover.

This is a fairly quickly paced novel and my only negative note would be more exploration into the experiments to lend them greater weight. It felt very glossed over and swift. I also really enjoyed sort of the secondary antagonist and he felt fairly well anchored into the reality created for him.

This is not going to be a novel that makes you experience the horrors of WW2 through the lens of a concentration camp or prisoner of war camp but you will see horror and tragedy and the body horror in this book is very real. I would absolutely recommend this book to others as it is very approachable and based on a religious folklore that isn't often read about.

An absolute contender for the best book of 2023, WRATH BECOMES HER is a story about vengeance that doesn't shy away from the question of what it means to be human and what makes a man a monster.

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-ARC. Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros was a riveting tale of a Golem created by a grieving Jewish man midst Wold War 2 named Vera. Vera battles with her very existence, the memories of those written in her clay, and literal Nazis. Polydoros is an amazing author, giving us grotesque imagery at some points as well as beautiful insights to Jewish culture.
This is an extremely important story as we face rising fascism in modern day. I implor anyone wanting to read this compelling story to check for trigger warnings. YA Fantasy/Horror is the best way in my opinion to catergorize this book. The mysticism mixed with the gore makes it for a captivating read. I rated Wrath Becomes Her 4.5 stars.

Wrath Becomes Her is the second Aden Polydoros book I've read, and he's proven every time that he can write wonderful prose and a fun, engaging story.

I have some contradicting opinions about this book. I feel like it may be marketed awkwardly as a revenge story, but its a little more ethereal than that and focuses a lot more on the main character coming to terms with her identity and what she is VS "lets go kill some nazis". I expected this to be a bit more cathartic than it was, and it was a little jarring. That said, I am glad I have the book a chance because it is quite pretty, and the deeply personal 'Frankenstein' story still has a lot of merit

"Dedicated to any readers who have ever wanted to punch a nazi".

With that dedication sentiment, I knew I was in great hands with this novel. Set in the early 40's and taking place in Lithuania, this tale of golems, nazis, and the search for ones true self is an exciting but often heart wrenching story.

At its core is a golem in the form of a woman who was killed while fighting the nazis along with her small group of resistance fighters. As a golem, memories of the slain girl bubble up and present themselves as if it were her own . This golem was created for one goal... revenge. Revenge against the nazi hordes and especially those that killed her lookalike human double.

As action packed as this novel is (and it is), we have sympathy for the golem. She's not human but has human memories and emotions. But is this just because of the way she was built from the clay? Is she truly an individual entity or will she always be nothing but a vessel for anothers life?

These questions are brought up throughout the book and there's also the very accurate opinion that, even though she is seen as a monster, the true monsters are humans. We see this in the midst of this war and it rings true.

You'll cheer in the victories here and loathe the nazis (as we always should). This is a fantastic beautiful novel that's heartbreaking at times but filled with enough action and suspense to keep your heart pumping. I highly recommend this!

Although I’ve come across golems in books before, either as a passing reference or a minor character, this is the first time I’ve encountered a story where a golem is the main character. Needless to say, I was extremely thrilled. The story is set in Nazi-occupied Lithuania during the Lithuanian Holocaust, which is one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history, and I knew it would likely contain some very disturbing and graphic details.

Right from the prologue, the story was full of action and had a well-maintained pace. The author’s use of conversations and memories to convey world building was impressive, avoiding the need for lengthy information dumps and making the world building truly spectacular. The characters were multi-dimensional, and their interactions were beautifully portrayed. The dialogues were adeptly crafted and had a natural flow. The author skillfully executed many devastating moments that showcased the darkest aspects of humanity, leaving a lasting impact on the reader. In my opinion, his portrayal of Lithuania and its people during the turbulent wartime period, caught in a precarious position among the Soviet partisan fighters, the Auxiliary Police and the Nazis, was exceptional.

“Many people blamed us for the Soviet occupation, even though we suffered the same persecution under the regime that they did. They thought we were responsible. And when the Nazis herded us into ghettoes, they told us, this is what we derseve.”

-Miriam

Had the circumstances been different, it would have been difficult for me to wrap my head around over how easily the characters embraced Vera, accepting her for who she is, without suffering a mental breakdown. However, given the trauma and devastation they had already experienced in the midst of the harrowing events unfolding around them, it felt natural. Nevertheless, there were still some individuals who viewed her with disgust and apprehension, which provided a counterbalance to the situation.

“I told him to just look how we destroy each other, and tell me who the real monsters are.”

-Akiva

However, my only minor complaint is that I would have preferred if the author had explored the Kishuf magic in more depth. As someone with limited knowledge of Judaism and Jewish mythology, I was hoping for more elaboration and details. Furthermore, the initial encounter between Vera and Akiva appeared almost too good to be true and effortless, raising suspicions about its authenticity. Occasionally, (even though there was a glossary at the end of the book) I had to resort to a quick internet search to clarify some unfamiliar terms or concepts, but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Vera’s character was captivating, and I empathized deeply with her struggles throughout the book. As a being formed from mud and brought to life, she was grappling with her identity and purpose, compounded by the presence of Chaya’s memories and thoughts. This internal turmoil added an extra layer of complexity to her character, making her all the more compelling.

“Chaya was long dead and buried. I’d never even known her. But even now, I felt drowned within her shadow.”

-Vera

Akiva’s character was highly likeable, and his struggles to disentangle his feelings towards Chaya and Vera were poignant. It’s difficult to imagine how challenging it would be to face someone who looks, speaks, and even remembers exactly like a person you once loved. Little wonder that he was struggling so intensely with his emotions at the outset. The author skillfully captured the sense of powerlessness and despair Akiva experienced as a young man trapped in a country ravaged by war.

Having delved into extensive research and readings about World War I and II, and the horrific experimentation conducted by Nazi scientists/doctors on prisoners of war, the plot appeared predictable to me. Nevertheless, I hope that for others, the plot may not be as apparent or obvious, adding to the overall suspense and intrigue. And that ending!!!!

Overall, the book left a lasting impression on me as I was thoroughly impressed by the author’s beautiful writing and the comprehensive research and effort he put in crafting a vivid and detailed world for the story. Highly recommended.

Wow, this book is a masterpiece.

Aden Polydoros is already well established as one of my favorite authors of all time, and Wrath Becomes Her only solidified him as an absolutely masterful, gut-wrenching storyteller. I don’t quite have the words to adequately describe this book, only that it is something both courageous and vengeful, soft and heartbreaking all at once.

Set in Lithuania in 1943, the story follows Vera, a newly formed golem created in the image of Chaya, a young Jewish girl who’d recently been killed. Amidst working out the purpose of her existence— namely, her creators task of exacting vengeance upon Chaya’s Nazi killers— Vera must also learn what it means to be human, even when she’s not human herself.

Although much of the story is downright harrowing, cataloguing the horrific reality of the Jewish people living in Europe at the time, there were so many beautiful, tender moments like pearls of hope amidst a very bleak situation. I loved Akiva especially— how courageous he was despire unspeakable odds and how he wasn’t afraid to die, but terrified to live where his community wasn’t allowed much of a life to cling to. The exploration of his character in contrast to Vera’s served as a larger portrait of what it means to survive. Akiva didn’t want to think of anything outside of vengeance, outside of living minute by minute. He’d seen the worst of humanity and was simply trying to survive. My heart broke for him and I don’t think his character will be leaving my thoughts for a long time.

As with all Aden’s writing, the emotion and descriptions were extremely visceral and poignant. From the descriptions of Vera’s making to the coldness of a Lithuanian winter, the prose jumped from the page with a lifelike vitality. Wrath Becomes Her is a story that comes from anger and wrath, yes, but it is also a story rooted in humanity. In caring for each other amidst the horror of war and the poison blade of hate. It’s a look at survival and family, and how far we’ll go to memorialise those we love. The easiest 5 stars ever.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

"But in my short time on earth, I had begun to realize that what we wanted in life was seldom what we got.”

"Wrath Becomes Her" is, in my opinion, a very sad and yet beautiful story about humanity seen through the eyes of a golem. Vera comes to understand the hardships of what it means to be human and that evil takes on a human form as well. Moreover, she comes to experience the beauty of love in the battlefield and its redemptive power.

This is the first book I’ve read by Aden Polydoros and I must say I was very impressed by the story and it’s strong themes. It's also the first book, in general, that has made me literally cry. I absolutely loved the heroism of these Jewish characters and their pride in being Jewish, especially in the face of antisemitism. Truly a profound story!