I was so excited for this book. The cover is stunning, the elevator pitch is intriguing, and I enjoy stories based during WW2. Unfortunately, this just fell short for me. The idea was great, it was just the execution was lacking. Vera was more timid than I expected, and took to following Akiva very easily. Which, while it is in the folklore to follow a master, it wasn't expected for her to follow him and change her own thoughts about things just to suit him. Overall there wasn't enough time or movement in their, not even relationship, but just friendship. Which makes sense considering the nature of life around them during the time they know each other. The part that felt the most out of place to me was the inclusion of the German golem. With him being brought in so late in the story, it just didn't feel like his part was originally included in the plot of the story. It just fell flat for me in so many ways. It was still interesting enough to finish reading, but it needs a bit more oomph in terms of Vera mainly.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and it was indeed interesting and easy to read. The pace flowed well and never dragged. The book centers around the resistance effort of Jews in Lithuania against the Nazis, from the perspective of a golem, a mythical Jewish monster created in the image of a human. The main character Vera struggles with her purpose and identity-created solely for vengeance by a grieving father, she wants to be more than just the inherited memories and feelings of a dead girl.

The book was pretty violent and bloody, and the ending left a little to be desired. But it was a unique twist on WW2 fiction and I can recommend it for those who don't mind the darker subject matter.

3.5/5 stars!!

First of all lemme just say I love the Jewish representation and how this tied the mysticism of Jewish folklore with elements of historical fiction together for such a compelling tale. The beginning was so amazing and just sucked you in, but there were moments for me where I struggled to stay engaged towards the middle. It came around and I loved it so much for that. I think that overall the writing could have definitely used a bit more finesse, but honestly I was just happy to see a tale of Jewish empowerment so tied to the culture.

Lithuania, 1943: Ezra’s daughter, Chaya, was killed by Nazis. Since he couldn’t bring her back from the dead, he created a golem in her image to kill Nazis and avenge Chaya’s death. The golem, Vera, has many of Chaya’s memories, including the face of the man who killed her. Soon after Vera is created, their home is attacked and she is separated from Ezra. Vera meets Chaya’s old friend Akiva, and they go on a journey together to find Ezra and survive the war.

This story is a retelling of Frankenstein. It’s unfortunate that when this book was published, another war has just begun. There were many images in this story that reflected what has been on the news in the past couple of weeks. These may be triggering to some readers, but I felt like it was important to read, especially right now, to see a glimpse of what the people experiencing war are feeling. Though Vera was considered a “monster” because she wasn’t human, she learned humanity and realized that killing more people won’t bring back those that were lost.

Wrath Becomes Her is a powerful story.

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book.

Content warnings: war, death of child, death of parent, murder

This book is a brutal examination of the meaning of "being human", the cost of revenge, and how far one is willing to push their faith in search of revenge/retribution. The imagery of a golem being not just a moving lump of clay and mud, but an almost-human being with the literal words of holy texts in her skin and memories of both the river she came from and those of the girl indirectly responsible for her existence is hauntingly beautiful. Vera's desire to be accepted for what and who she was, not who she reminded others of, really hit home for me. Yes, she exists because of one man's need for vengeance, but she's very much her own person as well. Craving validation from the one who created her is very personal (ex. people from abusive or otherwise toxic homes) and also very existential (ex. people seeking some kind of sign from a higher power that their life is important). It was difficult to get through some passages because of how emotional that was. But that's how I know the story is good: it made me *feel*.

I love this book so much!

This is a beautifully written book with such an interesting and unique plot that I've never read before. I do think this book would have actually worked better as an adult book and that would have made it more impactful with less of a YA feel to it. I normally love YA books, but the subject material and plot of this book would have been improved with a more adult-feel to the writing and characterization.

This books comes at such a sensative time, it was almost hard for me to a process as a Jew. This story is based around grief and the horrors the Jewish people suffered at the hands of the Nazis, which unfortunately doesn't seem so far away considering current circumstances. The golem has always been a well known Jewish myth and it is brought to life very well and terryfyingly in this book. I would definitely consider picking up this book and reading it through a different lens in several months.

Set in Lithuania in 1943, Wrath Becomes Her looks at themes of loss and revenge during World War II.
Chaya is a resistance fighter who is killed by Nazis. Her father Ezra funnels his grief and need for revenge into a golem, an animated clay humanoid being from Jewish folklore. Using ancient and forbidden magic, he imbues his daughter’s body parts into the golem hoping to recreate her. While he is unable to perfectly recreate her, Ezra is able to bring to life this creature with his daughter’s memories. Named Vera, this creature has one goal: to take revenge on those who killed Chaya. But Vera is not just some objective without desires of her own. Soon her purpose becomes more than just simply killing.
Aden Polydoros explains in his introduction that he takes some liberty with the mythology of the golem, choosing for a gothic feel to his tale. Polydoros succeeds in separating the golems of this story from more traditional versions. He even brings the Kabbalah into the play which is the book of Jewish mysticism (readers might be familiar with the exaggerated and exploitive version once promoted by big celebrities). He also succeeds in his wish of making the Jewish characters power heroes of their stories instead of passive victims waiting for rescue.
I have enjoyed his young readers’ work including Ring of Solomon. This book gears a little older than that one though. This one is for teens and includes some gory parts. The writing style isn’t complex nor is it boring making it not only easy to read but moves the story along nicely. The only negative is that so many ideas are barely touched on. Vera had deep thoughts and while expressed in ways that are easy to understand, not a lot of time is spent on rumination. In fact, World War II itself is emotionally complex and none of these ideas get to marinate instead Polydoros favors quick action so the story isn’t bogged down.
The ending left me wanting more, to see how the resolution plays out past the pages.

Publication Date: October 10
I received an ARC from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book, mostly because I feel like I was expecting something different than what I got. Wrath Becomes Her follows Vera, who is a golem created to avenge Chaya’s death by her father. And I guess that with that title and with the description mentioning Inglorious Basterds, I was expecting something more vengeful, and this is not really what I feel I got.

The story does bring Jewish folklore and mixes it up with the history of World War II, and I think there is something to say about Vera’s humanity through the story, which shines in a way that felt interesting, but contradictory to what I was sold. And I think that’s where I felt a little let down, because I was in the mood for a story of vengeance. And I guess, it is in the book description that there is that part about her confronting what it means to be human. But you cannot expect me to read Frankenstein meets Inglorious Basterds without expecting a little more vengeful actions.

Still, I think it is an interesting read, and I don’t regret reading it. I simply wish I had different expectations, as I think it would have led me to enjoy it more.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This was a well-written story with lots of focus on Jewish mythology and the Holocaust. However, I would've liked to see more of Vera's "wrath." She was not as badass as she could've been, especially since she was created for the sole purpose of killing Nazis. I felt like she ran around a lot and trailed after Akiva way too often. The romance should've definitely taken a backseat to the actual storyline.

A modern twist on Frankenstein and the World War II era set in Lithuania with the mythological Golem, protector of the Jewish people. This was an excellent story, with action and heart wrenching emotion that keeps you on the edge of your seat and rooting for the MC.

A father who is consumed by grief for his daughter killed by Nazis. He uses Kishuf- an ancient profane magic- to create a Golem in her image to exact Vengeance.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, and it exceeded my expectations. I felt the despair, the heartache, the immense grief, and the anger as it just flowed from the author’s writing. This is by far one of my favorite reads of 2023! The creativity of this story is next level, and is definitely a book I recommend to all.

I throughly enjoyed this book, the premise of this book is fascinating. It is extremely thought invoking and powerful. It was a great yet sorrowful read.

I felt the strength of this book’s voice by the first chapter, and by the second I was enthralled. The language is vivid, the pacing is urgent, and I loved the internal conflict of the narrator. I have never read a story like this before. I look forward to reading more from this author! Thank you to Inkyard Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! My review will be posted on Instagram @rivalreads in the next week.

“Humans were capable of the same brutality and violence. My rage was simply a reflection of their own.”

This book was really well executed in my opinion. The premise of a Nazi killing Frankenstein of vengeance really pulled me in. It’s hard to pull together my opinion on this book because I felt a lot of things. It brought in a lot of self questioning of humanity and how cruel and unfair humanity really is. I was left stunned and sad in a lot of these charters as we followed Vera in her journey to find purpose and what personhood really is.

This is the first book by Aden Polydoros that I’ve read. I started BONE WEAVER, but got pulled away from the book before I could finish it. I knew from that that I liked the writing style, so I felt pretty confident that I would like this book– and I did!

The subject is pretty dark, and the story takes place in winter in Lithuania, so it’s freezing cold in the middle of a war in which the Jews aren’t guaranteed to be safe even from the soldiers fighting against the Germans.Vera’s exploration of her identity and her desperation to understand humanity reminded me a lot of the book FRANKENSTEIN. She knows she’s other, but she has such deep human impulses and desires, and at first, she idolizes humans. The more she sees war and how people treat one another, the less enamored she is with people.

I thought the story might follow a well-established pattern in which the idea of personhood is explored and romance happens between a created being and a human. There are some hints of romance, especially on Vera’s side, but the story doesn’t center around romantic love.

I really liked the ending of the book. It wasn’t simple, but it felt right to me. I think readers who enjoyed THIS REBEL HEART by Katherine Locke will like this one, too.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

I started reading Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros the day after Hamas led that surprise attack on Israel. That attack and the subsequent counterattacks impacted my approach to Ms. Polydoros' novel. Suddenly, Vera's ideas about humanity and what it means to be human carry more weight.

While Wrath Becomes Her occurs during World War II and Latvia's fight to oust Nazi Germany from its borders, Vera's story could occur during today's ongoing tragedy. While she is a golem and the story is from a Jewish perspective, what she sees and experiences applies to any people facing genocide.

Since Vera is not human, she is uniquely qualified to observe human behavior. Her criticisms of those who choose hate rather than love and destruction rather than creation are powerful and, sadly, timely. It is a powerful statement against the insanity that is the destruction of any life for any reason.

There are people who will read Wrath Becomes Her and form certain opinions about what it means to be Jewish and what the Jewish people deserve after all the atrocities done to them over the centuries. However, to do so, I feel, is to miss Ms. Polydoros's point. Vera speaks out about all human behavior, not limiting her observations to the Nazis and Soviets. All life is beautiful, and no one deserves to have their life cut short by someone else.

When I found out this was Frankenstein-esque with a focus on Nazi WWII era, I was sold. I knew I had to read this book. The premise of a golem created to seek vengeance for a girl's murder during WWII was innovative and nice to read. The fusion of magical realism with early 1940's history and Jewish culture was an intriguing combination. I like how the author was able to educate me on this time period in a natural way.
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Vera was an interesting character, but I found her very unlikeable and weak. I was growing rather tired of the author telling me how strong she is or what she feels, instead of showing me with her actions. Vera was created for "vengeance" but I really didn't feel it was executed well. Instead, what I got was a golem who was more of a puppy dog following men around and taking orders from them. I also wish I would've gotten more "wrath" from Vera, since that's how this was pitched and because of the time period it was set in.
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Overall, this was a nice Frankenstein-esque story that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a refreshing take on the WWII era.

This book was everything I could have asked for - Jewish MC, Jewish resistance, and a golem? I am so glad that it lived up to my expectations.

After Ezra's daughter is killed by Nazis, he uses ancient magic to create a golem in her image with the sole purpose of vengeance. That is the set-up that got me hooked on reading the book. I love a good vengeance story, particularly when that vengeance is against Nazis.

What I loved about the story was the uniqueness of it. I've read many books with golems, but this was the first time I read one that used this kind of profane magic to create a golem in someone's image. I also really loved the way Vera wrestled with what she was - desperately wanting to find her humanity. I also appreciated that this book focused mostly on resistance rather than concentration camps. I feel like that's something we need more of and this book did it very well.

I also loved all of the Jewish culture and folklore - the author even mentioned an old Yiddish song that I remember my mother singing to me when I was a small child. I hadn't thought of that song in years!

My only issue overall was the pacing felt a little off. The middle of the book was a bit of a slog at times, but once the story picked up again it flew. But that's just me looking for something to nitpick. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it for ages 14+

I quite enjoyed Wrath Becomes Her with its Frankenstein feeling with folklore entwined. It wasn’t quite what I expected with the cover/title/summary in the way that I did feel Vera came off a bit like a YA character vs NA or adult. All in all I did enjoy the storytelling and world building.

In 1943 Lithuania, a grieving and revenge filled father resurrects a golem in the image and flesh of his daughter. His sole purpose for this creature, that he finds repulsive, is to revenge his daughter who was killed by the Nazi's. He embeds Vera with memories from a past life that both guide and haunt her.

Vera's perspective on the acts of WWII offer a unique perspective and look into what was going on in civilain life during the war. Through Vera's eyes, we witness the emotional turmoil and harrowing experiences of those struggling to survive in an unforgiving landscape. There was a lot of emotion behind the story and all of the characters we were introduced to play a significant roll in painting a picture of what life looked during the war. It was a unique perspective to be focused on the civillians and their part in the war versus just the action of war.

The sporadic action scenes, although brief, are juxtaposed with extensive passages of reflection and contemplation, which may disrupt the pacing of the plot. Nevertheless, the characters' motivations remain clear, driving the narrative forward.

Overall, this book was an interesting and emotional look at WWII in Lithuania and the civilians left behind to take care of each other and fend for themselves.