Wrath Becomes Her took me an absurdly long amount of time to read (3 months) and NOT because I didn't enjoy it! In fact I thought it was pretty good, it is just not physically possible for me to read one book at a time and I kept picking up books that I was more excited to read and then would forget that I was reading it…

Anyway, this book follows Vera, a golem created for only one purpose - revenge. After losing his daughter, Chaya, Ezra uses ancient magic and Chaya’s remains to create Vera in her image. But when Vera awakens she learns that she has fragments of Chaya’s memories and emotions from when she was alive, including feelings for Chaya’s former lover. She knows her sole purpose is to kill Nazis, but the story also shows her inner conflict of having human feelings but not being human herself.

I struggled with connecting to Vera. I know her not being human is part of the character, but the title is Wrath Becomes Her, and I figured that she would be just like… a little angrier? She is very disconnected from most of her actions for most of the book, seeming apathetic towards her entire goal.

I liked the supporting characters. They were well-written and complex. Both Ezra and Akiva’s grief over the many losses they’d faced felt so real.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and fantasy, or both at the same time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this story.

Polydoros presents an alternate history, one that should never be forgotten. This novel is the perfect addition to a classroom study of the Holocaust, but is also a great pairing with Frankenstein.
More importantly, the layered symbolism of the golem and what the creature allows us to understand about humanity and how we destroy ourselves and others.
I truly loved the imagery in this novel, and the fact that the main character, the golem, Vera, is as much on a quest for revenge as she is on a quest to find herself, and to become human.

During WWII, a grieving father creates a golum in his daughter's image. Vera- who was created for vengeance - wakes with one purpose...find the men who killed her and end them as well.
Although the magical realism was a little hard for me to follow at times, I liked that this book was written about and during WWII, but it was really focused more on the motivations of family and the relationships we make that sometimes cause us to act out of character. This wasn't my favorite book, but I definitely have students who will love it.

Wrath Becomes Her was equal parts heartbreaking, horrifying, and unforgettable. Polydoros' writing is so beautiful, and I felt like I could clearly see every bleak winter landscape. I loved the way the themes and imagery of Frankenstein were so deftly woven into Polydoro's story, enriching it without feeling like a direct adapatation. Honestly, everything about this book was so beautiful even when it was at its most terrifying.

I really liked this novel. I felt like it had an interesting premise that I’ve truly never heard of before and it was simply unique.
While there are definitely some trigger warnings that I would inform my patrons before check out, I feel like this book was beautifully written but also easily digestible for new hobby readers.

And the cover is gorgeous.

I was only able to get a few chapters in before the book was archived, but that's all I needed in order to add this book to an upcoming order for my library. The premise is intriguing, the writing is compelling, and the emotions are raw. I will be recommending this through reader's advisory.

I'll be honest, I really loved this book, but I feel like it still had a lot of issues, mainly the characterization, which is one of the most important things for me to read about. Vera says she is made for vengance and that she is filled with rage, but the writing style was so somber and melancholy that I never got that sense at all. Also I'm fully aware I have an anxiety disorder, but I did not expect to have genuine anxiety over a golem eating food despite being made of solid clay, I have no idea what happened to the food and it never gets explained, and they even comment on this multiple times I'm sorry but if you didn't want us to ask uncomfortable questions don't bring up the basis for the question to be asked so many times. If anything Akiva had much more rage and he was supposed to be the broken human one, and truly, he was flawed but I loved his character so much. I felt so much for him, his characterization was so strong, especially the saving the baby scene where he considers the danger an infant Jew would be in during the holocaust, and how everyone reacts to him explaining why he doesn't keep kosher or believe in g-d. The layers and themes explored in this one character were phenomenal, but it makes it more sad to see this wasn't explored in Vera. I think if it were written in third perspective it would've helped. I also wish this were a series since I feel like there was a lot of potential that wasn't fully explored that one hundred percent could be. I also feel like I expected more of an ending and when it ended I was surprised the book wasn't 50 pages longer. Overall the writing and themes and using Jewish mysticism as a magic system were amazing, the emotional beats were great and I loved the character Akiva so much, I just felt the tone and main character's description were more consistent, as well as the weird food stuff to be fixed.

Suspenseful, terrific, and engaging. A "you won't be able to put it down" book, Wrath Becomes Her is an engrossing tale of revenge and the fine line between humanity and monstrosity. A definite addition to our collection!

Rep: Jewish culture and tradition
Genre: Jewish folklore, Young Adult, Horror, monsters vs. villains

Wrath Becomes Her ticked many boxes on my reading checklist due to my fascination with the golem concept and discovering a new author in my book list!

NOTE: My golem concept needs to be revised, at best. I thought it was as simple as reanimating molded clay to do the maker's bidding, but as I researched the topic a bit more, it was more complicated than expected. It's knowledge of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) of "placing a soul" that brings both hope and terror.

Vera, a golem and main FC, becomes more than a pawn in the book. She embodied an entity beyond revenge and justice, which was an unexpected outcome by its creator. This book felt like a "coming of age" for Vera, who continues on Chaya's life but also "starts to pave her future" with her later decisions. She exposes herself to humans (more humanoid than her other counterparts) in a more vulnerable way than typical golems with a superiority complex. Her most distinctive characteristic is having a "soul" and being emphatic to all - humans and others. She had her creator's daughter's memories, thoughts, and feelings that made her unique and able to "outwit" her rivals. But given this "advantage," it is also the source of much internal conflict that makes her relatable versus just a "weapon." Her human side made the nuances she represents (especially to the Jewish community) urgent, current, and valuable. I cried during those times.

This book is character-driven versus plot-centered, wherein the actions and scenes happen because of the characters' decisions. Vera will make readers think, reassess, and want to fight for truth and justice!
The plot may sound simple - a grieving parent seeking revenge against the Nazis who killed his daughter and thought of using a golem to exact his revenge. But due to the reimagined and new nuances of this particular golem and a few new "food-for-thoughts" on Jewish ideologies infused.
The characters were complex and with a lot of internal and external conflicts. It wasn't only Vera, but all of the characters had to decide and weigh in what is important to them in the end and how they see their future. Vera came into this world as an innocent. Granted, she had Chaya's thoughts and mannerisms, but she is still an individual with her opinions and innocence. She needed to find a purpose after being "left behind," so that was something that anyone would relate to. It gives a "coming of age" feeling since any child will go through this - wanting to please parents while still being true to what they would want for themselves. It is not unreasonable to be selfish in a scenario one might not see tomorrow.

The book had many emotional segments, but the author provided a counterbalance of suspenseful action scenes and many "rage revenge" moments that made me cheer for Vera. I was stunned by how happy my reaction was to the bloody fight scenes after reading through so much of the injustices and cruelty succumbed by the Jews just because of their heritage. Readers can skip these if you have a weak stomach for deadly fight scenes and gory details, but note that some get pretty vivid.

Overall, I found Wrath Becomes Her insightful and enlightening. There is the usual revenge aspect entailed with the folklore, but I was in it for the mystics and nuances of family, love, and compassion. Even with all the violence in a few scenes, I would encourage young readers to read this book since it gives a lot of new nuances on humanity, life, and hope.
The emotions and empathy spring out in the pages from the beginning, and even after the last chapter, these things lingered in me and were impossible to forget. This book impacted me and will be considered one of the most memorable ones I have encountered. Based on the author's initial letter to readers in this book, I will look through the author's past books to learn more about Jewish culture and traditions.

Wrath Becomes Her is a shorter novel that brings Jewish folklore to life, quite literally. Vera is a golem, brought to life by her creator to avenge the death of his daughter, who was killed by Nazis during WWII. As Vera explores the world, she uncovers a mysterious operation headed by a Nazi doctor intended to bring the rebels to their end. I loved the characterization of Vera and how the author explores what it really means to be human and have humanity. This is a great work of historical fiction mixed with folklore that anyone would enjoy.

Thank you, Inkyard and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

In Lithuania, 1943, a father is desperate because his daughter was killed by the Nazis. He can't bring her back, but he can use an ancient profane magic, kishuf, to create a golem in her image, a Nazi killer to avenge her death. So is Vera created. Made for vengeance. When she awakens she's filled with purpose and vengeance, but also with memories of warm kisses and a past life and when she meets Akiva, who gave the kisses, she has to fight between memories that don't belong to her and her own life purpose. As she lives and learns about those who uses kishuf for horrible reasons, Vera has to learn to have a reason to live, not only one to fight.

Aden Polydoros wrote another masterpiece with Wrath Become Her, a brilliant, brutal and haunting Jewish historical horror novel about a golem and her thirst for vengeance and life at the same time.
The story is beautiful and painful to read and it's hard not to get involved in it, in the magic and Vera's whole existence, her struggles between warm memories and death, her purpose and her desire to be more than just that.
In this thrilling story, the author doesn't shy from death and violence, vengeance and revenge and also the ability of loving and fighting to get a purpose in one's life.

This book was honestly not my cup of tea. I have never been a fan of historical fiction but there have been books in the genre that I have loved. Sadly this is not the case of this book. By any means the writing was bad but the story felt to real even for that kind of genre and idk I feel like maybe in the times that we are now and what's going on this one might have not been the right book to read.

Fan's of Frankenstein will find their next best read in this book. A hauntingly beautiful book filled with justified revenge against the world.

Unlike anything I have had the pleasure of reading before. This is an incredibly impactful book, which expertly uses the story to discuss themes of rage and grief and what makes a person a person. Aden Polydoros is one to watch.

The story is about Vera, who is a clay golem who has been brought to life. She was created by a man named Ezra whose daughter, Chaya was murdered by the Nazis. Ezra used Chaya's hair, teeth, nails, eyeballs to create Vera and whose sole purpose will be to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, despite not being a human, she can feel glimpses of a human life loved, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy and a horrible death. Then Vera meets Akiva, she recognises the boy with whom she shared kisses. But these memories aren't hers and she doesn't know if she deserves to have a life beyond what she was made of.

The book is based on the horrible tragedies faced by the Jewish people by the Nazis. The book is powerful yet very emotional. The author has written the moments very powerfully that you can actually visualise the scenes.

The book also showcases Jewish culture and their lifestyle. The resistance they put up against the Nazis. It is a historical fiction book with a whole different vibe and the readers are absolutely gonna love it.

I totally recommend the book.

Until now, I have really enjoyed all of Aden Polydoros’s works that I have read! The City Beautiful was one of my top favorite reads in 2022 and I would recommend that book to anyone. I had hoped that, just like The City Beautiful, I would be able to dive headfirst into the story and be happily led along as Polydoros seamlessly blended a Jewish centered history with fantasy and Jewish mythology, but I struggled getting into it. I am not sure if it was the pace that tripped me up or the history (history being the names and places and motives) that I had trouble following, but I became disengaged quickly and unable to get back into it.

In no way shape or form will this be my last Polydoros book - Like I said, I have loved everything else I have read by this author, but this was sadly a miss for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Aden Polydoros, and Inkyard Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“I would show them and their collaborators that when they slaughtered innocent girls deep in the forest, those girls sometimes came back.”

Wrath Becomes Her is a story about Vera, who is a clay golem who has been brought to life. She was created by a man named Ezra whose daughter, Chaya, was murdered being part of a Nazi resistance group. Vera wasn’t just created in Chaya’s image. Ezra used Chaya’s hair, teeth, nails, and even eyeballs to mold Vera into a duplicate of his daughter, and had the sole purpose of vengeance in mind when doing so.

So Vera has all Chaya’s memories, looks exactly like her, and is a virtual Nazi-killing machine. But she also has more sentience than Ezra planned, and has a very wide spectrum of human emotions.

Vera comes across Akiva, a boy she remembers from Chaya’s memories, and the two of them carry on the Nazi resistance he’d been a part of with Chaya. But as they get to know one another and come across a spectrum of people, good and bad, we learn a lot about Vera’s confusion about her own agency and personality. She wants to be her own person and have her own desires but just doesn’t know how to separate herself from Chaya when Vera is so much of Chaya, mentally and physically.

So while it is a story of vengeance and Jewish folklore, but it’s also a story of identity and self that is told so seamlessly. I never thought I’d feel so much for a golem! I’m obsessed with Aden Polydoros’s writing aaf

This book was not an easy read, but I think it was an important one (for me and for many others). A 'retelling' that is more like an additional telling of the legend of the Golem, this book is set during World War Two and follows a story of Jewish partisans. Though not fully historical, the story itself is an important one as it shows a side of World War II and the Holocaust that isn't as prevalent in mainstream knowledge: the fact that Jewish people defended themselves and were often on their own even when amongst other partisan groups. This book was powerful for me and also gave me some wonderful opportunities to delve deeper into my own thoughts on the philosophies and traditions of my people. I think this book is a must read, but it can be heavy so be prepared.

From the vibes alone I was fascinated by Wrath Becomes Her which manages to channel Frankenstein vibes mixed with Jewish folklore. Set in a historical fiction setting, Wrath Becomes Her examines who the real monsters are. Because if you think it's very simply the ones who are created, then you've got a lot to learn. Much like Frankenstein it explores how one learns of their monstrosity, of the crimes others perpetuate under guises, and cruelty.