Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Brimming with rage, resilience, and deep questions around humanity and creation reminiscent of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Wrath Becomes Her is a genre-blending gem of history, fantasy, and horror. Following the death of his daughter at the hands of the Nazis, a man creates a golem in her likeness using kishuf—ancient magic derided as an abomination against God—in order to avenge her death. Vera is a creation of clay and steel and ink and human teeth designed to be the ultimate Nazi killer... but is that all she is? As she encounters people whom she recognizes from stolen memories and uncovers a plot to channel kishuf to wage war, Vera grapples with the complexities of humanity as well as the nature of her creation and whether she is allowed or deserves to have a life or purpose beyond the one she was given.

Set in Lithuania against the backdrop of World War II, the novel creates an immersive sense of foreboding and the tangible dangers for simply existing as a Jew. Traveling back roads and sneaking through dense forests in the dead of winter, the horrors of clandestine camps for Jewish refugees being found by Nazis or Soviets, the tangible dangers of resistance to the extermination of your people.... These elements all swirl together and fill the reader with the same dread the characters feel with their every move. I am not well-informed enough to know whether the historical elements of this book are entirely accurate, but the world created for this book does feel real and lived-in by these characters. Part of this is likely the writing style, which somehow manages to overwhelm my pet peeve of first-person narration within historical settings and evoke a sense of immersion in the story.

Vera is a stellar character that resonates with the queer experience of being perceived as "monstrous" by others, perhaps even by oneself, and the grappling with identity that comes with existing beyond the traditional roles, experiences and bodies the world demands. I feel a kinship with her: a rage that is both her own and inherited from another, a hunger for more than her assigned role or purpose, a hypervigilance of her own physicality. Her interactions with the various humans she encounters throughout the book are interesting to read; particularly the way that Vera's perception of herself morphs into something greater as her connections and care for the living grow. To see her journey from her creation to creator was deeply compelling.

Deftly pitched as Frankenstein meets Inglorious Basterds, Wrath Becomes Her is a compelling story of Jewish resilience and rage against the Nazi regime during the Second World War that further cements Polydoros as a talented author of young adult fiction.

oh this was. such a solid novel from aden. and so so important right now given the rise of facism not just here in the states but worldwide. but beyond that, it's a look at what makes someone human. is vera human because she has emotions, regardless of their origin? or is she a monster built for vengeance?

thanks to netgalley and inkyard press for the egalley!

"The ability to choose to ignore or fight against evil was a gift of human mortality. I had no such choice."

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros was highly enjoyable. A Jewish historical horror novel about the brutalities of WWII that mixes ancient magic and revenge.

When a father's daughter is killed by Nazi's, he crafts a Golem with pieces of his daughter. What awakens from bits of earth, barbs and body is not his daughter. She is Vera. She feels, has the memories of everything that's a part of her and she has orders written into her skin.

- Vengeance
- Golems and Magical Realism
- WWII Lithuania
- Frankenstein Vibes
- Jewish History

The characters made this novel for me. While the setting is harsh and realistically brutal there is a sense of hope and a growing bond between the characters. Vera in a way reminded me of a mixture of a darker Pinocchio and a deeper feeling Frankenstein. She's surprisingly more human than those she encounters.

That's another aspect that I also enjoyed. The volatile nature of people and the ease at which we can kill each other. Adding this alongside the lines of a character trying to be human was intriguing. This does have a few young adult novel traits in the expression and feelings department. I still really enjoyed having the opportunity to read this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC of this book!

In 1943 Chaya was killed by Nazis. Her father is consumed by grief and makes golem, in her image, to avenge her death. Told through the golem's POV, you see Vera struggle to come to terms with what and who she is. Built as a thing for revenge, but infused with Chaya's memories and feelings, she feels somewhere between human and monster. Her creator Ezra is taken one day by the Nazis, so Vera sets out on a quest to find him and avenge Chaya. On her way she finds Akiva, who at once recognizes her as Chaya... but not. Akiva and Chaya had a relationship and fought together and now Vera is taking up Chaya's mission to fight back. This book tells a side of the war that I haven't read much of before, that of the people fighting and avoiding capture. Beautifully told story.

3.5/5 stars
This was a great book about a girl killed and is then awakened as Vera but still has the previous girl’s memories but she is a weapon of revenge. I loved the entire concept of this book and I the author nailed it with the promising premises. Usually, I don’t go all out on war historical books but I loved the amount of fantasy and the world-building the author has done. Polydoros has a great writing style when it comes to the story filled with Jewish folklore in their writing. I do have to say that it was hard to get into the characters as I author put way too much feeling onto page. It wasn’t bad but also not enjoyable. The romance was not the best I have read and wouldn’t ship the couple but I knew with a different touch it would have been great. Overall a great story!

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros is like a punch to the gut. And it keeps punching you as you read. But the writing is so brilliant and the main character Vera is so easy to connect to that you can’t stop reading. You don’t want to stop.

This book is brutal. It takes place in Germany in WWII. It kind of has to be. It holds nothing back and that’s what makes it such an amazing story.

The story revolves around Vera. She is a golem, created of clay and steel rods and brought to life by the Hebrew on her forehead and all along her body. She was created by Ezra.

When Ezra finds out his daughter, Chaya, has been killed by the NaziS, he is set on revenge and Vera literally embodies those feelings. To make Vera, he used Chaya’s eyes and hair. It’s these parts that give Vera some of Chaya’s memories.

I generally avoid WWII/Holocaust books, because as Aden mentions in the forward of the book, that was so often the only stories with Jewish characters. These days as a librarian and a Jewish person I make an effort to find books with Jewish stories that are not centered on the Holocaust. But, I made an exception for this book because it features a story with Jewish mythology/mysticism. Jewish fantasy novels have become one of my favorite genres since reading From Dust a Flame by Rebecca Podos. This story was a combo of fantasy, horror, and historical fiction. The main character is a Golem, brought to life by a Jewish man using mysticism and dark magic. The Golem is created in the image of his recently murdered daughter, Chaya (a rebel fighter), and with the sole purpose of exacting revenge on her murderers. But once Vera is brought to life, she battles with the idea of what it means to be human when she is not, all while carrying Chaya's memories. With the set up of the story I had assumed the story would be similar to the film Inglorious Bastards (its even referenced in the book description), with Vera on the hunt to kill Nazis in the name of revenge. There is some of that but really the story is focused on humanity, the idea that violence begets violence, and the that sometimes more good is done helping then hurting. Overall, while the story was not quite what I was expecting, it was well written and compelling. I plan to add it to my school's

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book tore my heart out, smashed it to pieces, glued it back together, then destroyed it again. I love Wrath Becomes Her with my whole heart. I cried for the final forty pages, and I have never cried that much in my life. The exploration of self and what makes us "us" was beautiful and heartbreakingly powerful. I loved the inclusion of some elements from Frankenstein and how the story dealt with Vera's creation, creator, the life she was designed to live, and the one she was discovering for herself. I cared about these characters and wished I could jump into the book and destroy every single being who hurt Akiva or Vera. Vera's growth and development was strong, and the story's pacing was lovely. The relationship between Akiva and Vera had me biting my lip and giggling and crying. This book made me feel. It was emotional and enlightening. This story of vengeance, set in 1943 in Lithuania with Jewish main characters, took me on a journey filled with pain, Nazis, and power that I will never recover from. 10/10 recommend!

I have a lot emotions about this book. Starting first with the letter from the author:

"The first books I read featuring Jewish characters were Holocaust books. Desperate to see myself reflected on the page, I clung to those crumbs of representation. At least, until the fourth grade, when my class read a Holocaust book and everyone in the room turned to look at me - the only Jewish student. That was one of the first times I sensed I didn't quite belong."

Without even having started the book I was already so attached. This experience of otherness I know other Jews experienced as children. Since starting to read again, I've enthusiastically devoured any books with Jewish characters that don't focus on the Holocaust simply those books were all I had as a child and reading them now has only gotten harder.

There's also the dedication, "Dedicated to every reader who's ever wanted to punch a Nazi." which this book very much embodies. Vera punches so many Nazis and it is so satisfying. This story doesn't shy away from the horrors of the Holocaust, but it has a strong focus is on vengeance and retribution in a way that I loved. I could have read another 300 pages of Vera just crushing Nazis with her bare hands.

I also have very strong feelings about the choice to name Ezra's daughter Chaya, a name that means life, and with her death, Ezra brought Vera to life.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Vera is a golem, made from a father’s grief. She is created to hunt down Nazis. Along her journey though she confronts what it means to be alive.

I thought this would be action-y than it was. It definitely is more character driven than action driven. If I’d known that going into, I might have enjoyed it more. I kind of wish too that the true monster Vera was fighting would’ve been evil humans, but alas it was another golem. Cool lore, but not as much action as I thought based on the synopsis.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good solid book. I would probably rate it more 3.5/3.75 but it was definitely a good book! Great storyline, good suspense. There was great relationship building between characters and it was such a interesting take to see the world through the eyes of a golem.

I'm still a little in shock about the ending but overall I would recommend this to fiction readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially WWII era fiction.

I adored Wrath Becomes Her! Vera is here to murder Nazis, and I wholly support her mission. This is a great historical fantasy that does a wonderful job balancing storytelling with a little education about an aspect of WWII that many aren't as familiar with.

Horror is the perfect match for Aden Polydoros’ writing style. Grief and rage permeate the entire novel, which is a painfully accurate—albeit fantastic—depiction of the Holocaust. I need more stories to incorporate magical realism and Jewish mysticism and folklore.

“Akiva had called me a memorial, but I swore to myself I would become more than that. I would be the Jew that the Nazis couldn’t kill.”

Despite the delivery of the unique premise, Vera disappointed me as a main character. Vera was created for vengeance, which kindles her kinship with Akiva, Chaya’s former lover who’s out to avenge deaths at the hands of Nazis. However, Vera’s rage feels exaggerated. She feels intense anger based on Chaya’s memories, but the center of the story is really her detachment from these emotions and her struggle to form her own identity. I kept waiting for her to explode, and even she sort of did, she was still taking orders; she still lacked agency. In contrast, Akiva was wonderfully fleshed-out. The story revealed so much about his motivations, his violence, his fear of death, and his feelings for Chaya and now Vera. The latter, though, could have been omitted—it made sense but also rubbed me as awkward.

Wrath Becomes Her is not a happy book. It’s a look into the dangers of “impartiality” and the people-led protests that persist in the face of oppression. Although it was a bit more subdued than I expected, it is an important read that mixes Frankenstein-style horror with the man-made horrors of genocide.

Wrath Becomes Her is a historical fantasy story, set in Lithuania in 1943, in the of the horrors of the Second World War. It has Jewish folklore and inspiration from Frankenstein

Vera is a golem, made with clay but also with human parts, her image is like Chaya, a murdered girl, her father who cannot accept her death, creates Vera to fight Nazis. She is mainly created with clay, and her main objective is revenge, but that does not mean that she does not have human emotions.

Vera is abandoned, at first, she only has one goal, to find Nazis, prioritize those who murdered Chaya and take revenge, but along the way, she will meet Akiva, a friend of Chaya. At first, he thinks she is Chaya and doesn't know how to react when he finds out that she is a golem. Golem are mythical creatures, of destruction and violence and Vera looks very human.

Revenge seems to be the main theme, and in the first part it is, for Vera and Akiva, but for the second part, it’s a story of feeling hopeless, and survival (and more action). It’s kind of slow and the prose is lyrical, but the story is hard, very emotional, and human. It is easy to feel compassion for Vera, she has a purpose and feels angry but at the same time she is lost, she is strong, but feels helpless.

It’s a descriptive story, it’s young adult but it does have moderate descriptions of the horrors of war, The Nazis (although they are the main ones) are not the only villains, it is a war, and everyone is against everyone. We read about people being sick, dying, and being mistreated. Also, it’s atmospheric, it’s winter and you can feel the cold in your bones.

Read it if you want:
• Historical fantasy fiction
• Jewish representation
• An emotional story

This was such a dark and intriguing book. The concept was so unique and the author did an amazing job of weaving everything together. The Jewish history and fantasy elements really worked for me. I've read Aden Polydoros before and I enjoyed those books as well so they are definitely becoming a go to author for me when it comes to YA books. I cannot wait to see what concept they come up with next.

If you’ve never had occasion to read a book that left you reflecting on how far you’d have to be pushed to become uncivilized, where that threshold is and what would make you cross it, maybe you haven’t read a book like "Wrath Becomes Her". Aden Polydoros revisits World War II in this brilliant and sincere story of retribution, wrapped up in a young woman who is more humane than the monster she was created to be. And more human than the enemy bent on the genocide of her people.

Polydoros has an immense gift for telling stories that are exceptional, eloquent, and introspective. He says this is a story he wishes had been available to him in his teens, and then he went about making it happen now, for the benefit of his readers. He makes heroes of his characters as they are faced with the horrors of Nazis and their enablers—those who fought alongside them and those who looked the other way while innocent people died.

Vera is all of us, trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into the world. Vera is none of us, as she is unique unto herself. Her conception was inspired by grief and hate, and she was created deliberately and with a purpose; though that purpose sometimes puts her at odds with those she means to help. It makes her powerful in ways that elevate her beyond the enemy who will feel her wrath. Vera becomes wrath. She also becomes something more to Akiva. She becomes salvation. She is the hero of this story. She is the contradiction and the courageous.

"Wrath Becomes Her" is far and away one of the best books I’ve read this year. Then again, I was able to say the same of "The City Beautiful" and "Bone Weaver". Aden Polydoros composes his stories so artfully that they captivate as well as educate.

Loved this mix of historical fiction, Jewish lore, and fantasy. A thought provoking and fascinating story that kept me reading.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This novel was reminiscent of Frankenstein; the creation of Vera being a desecration of the dead (in this case-a 17 year old girl), the connection Vera has to her creator Ezra, the desire for love, and the topic of “purpose” being prominent. I found this novel to be engaging and heartbreaking, it showed some of the realities of Nazi occupation from the perspective of someone who had only just learned of its existence and was trying to make sense of something incomprehensible. This novel inspires anger and disgust at the treatment of Jewish people and acknowledges how doing nothing contributed to the suffering by condoning it. Vera is created to be wrath incarnate but she doesn’t come across like that. She often feels a range of emotions and has many childlike qualities that take away from her anger. I would’ve loved to see her own her righteous anger instead of immediately condemning her wrath as “not her own”.

This YA horror novel is a sickening, horrifying depiction of the atrocities that happened to the Jewish community during World War II and one man's attempr at exacting justice for his daughter.

When Ezra creates Vera, he uses abominations to create her. In spite of this, there is something inherently human about her. Through this character's point of view, we see the beauty and pain of experience while she embarks on a journey that is not her own.

I loved this book not only because of these reasons, but because it was a well-researched novel that introduced aspects of Jewish culture to readers without over-explanation within worldbuilding. I did have to search some of the vocabulary, but I've learned so much about Jewish culture and legends through this book. Super excellent story!

Ever since the untimely death of his seventeen-year-old daughter Chaya, Ezra has wished for nothing more than to have her back with him. When he uses a rarely practiced set of skills and the tools at his disposal to create a golem in Chaya’s likeness, he is pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to have a humanoid creature in his presence who happens to share some of his daughter's biology. But Ezra does not count on the overall knowledge such a companion could possess, and Vera quickly surpasses every expectation that Ezra had for her. And as Vera becomes ever more powerful, she is ultimately given the choice to use her abilities either for good or for evil.

This Frankenstein-esque tale blends Jewish folklore and culture with Holocaust-era Europe in a novel and fascinating way. While the Nazis continue to be the villains of the story, this narrative offers a fresh take on the abilities and strengths of the Jewish people in a time of great oppression. Using excellent writing, a compelling premise, and memorable characters, this novel transports readers through time and space to a fantasy experience that often feels more real than imagined.

Readers who appreciate World War II literature and the power of humanity to overcome great suffering will relish this unique take on this period in history. Rich and sometimes difficult descriptions give depth and dimension to the story, helping to make 1940s Lithuania remarkably present in the mind of the reader. Additionally, Jewish language and culture are prevalent within the narrative, welcoming both Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike especially with the inclusion of a glossary at the novel’s end. Gripping and emotional, this is a riveting take on the horrors of World War II recounted through the eyes of an unexpected and powerful heroine. This is a strong addition to library collections for young adult readers.