I'm not sure what I was expecting but this was not it. A very different book. You'll have to read it yourself and see what you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for an eARC copy of The Lady in the Castle by Robert Tecklenburg.

Set in the late to end stages of World War II, The Lady in the Castle is a fast paced historical fiction (which I truly appreciate because I feel that a lot of historical fiction takes forever to build at times) which tells the story of Maria Von Eickler. Maria is an Austrian aristocrat who is found guilty of helping an American pilot, who goes from being abused by the Gestapo and is sent to Dachau, where she begins work as a prisoner/servant in Castle Itler where she experiences the ending of World War II.

I certainly enjoyed that this particular WWII book went into lesser known aspects of the war, it seperates it from other WWII historical fiction and is a fresh take. It's well written and it is 100% worth the read.

This story begins when World War II is almost over in Europe which makes the suffering and death feel so pointless. The heroine, Maria Von Eickler, is an Austrian aristocrat who has been found guilty of treason after trying to help a downed American pilot. In March 1945, after being tortured, brutalized, and raped by the Gestapo, she is shipped off to Dachau with the Russians already advancing from the east and the Americans from the west. Without giving away any details, Maria is chosen at the railway station for Dachau to work as a prisoner/servant in Castle Itter. She is still there when the final battle of the war is fought at the beginning of May, between the remnants of a Panzer Division and an American Sherman Tank battalion.

I'll admit that I don't understand the mindset of "dying with honor" when the war was virtually over for the Germans. They knew that Hitler had already committed suicide so their goal of taking the castle to execute all of the prisoners was senseless. The last third of the book is about Maria's life in Austria after the war in the Soviet sector. I was surprised that she chose to return there when she had an offer of life in Paris. I read a lot about the war in Europe and this Castle Itter battle was new information for me. There is a lot packed into this book and some parts are quite graphic but I appreciated the realism. In real life, not everyone gets a fairy tale ending, especially in war. If, like me, you enjoy reading about little-known WW II history, check out this new book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for the digital ARC. All opinions & the review are my own.

The Lady in the Castle by Robert Tecklenburg is a mesmerizing and harrowing Historical Fiction which is set during the horrors of World War II. Austrian Maria Von Eickler is sentenced to death for treason and she lives through torture, rape, starvation and brutal depravity of the Gestapo. But she does not make it easy for them. She is imprisoned first in Dachau in Germany and then taken to Castle Itter in Austria in 1945 where others are held, particularly French hostages. What makes the story so dramatic and nail biting is that Castle Itter really was the site of a dangerous battle in that year.

Maria is also tormented in another way...she doesn't know whether her husband Josef is dead or alive after leaving for the Western Front. But she stays true to herself and her strength of character gives hope to other prisoners who are basically used to cater to every whim within the Gestapo. One such man (I use the term loosely) is particularly fond of Maria. And then there is SS Officer Kurt, an old friend of Maria so his loyalties are a bit mixed. We see very real struggles within that dynamic. But she is saved from death more than once. Details are vividly and realistically described, not glossed over.

If you are intrigued by this lesser-known aspect of WWII, do read this book. It is original, enthralling and fast paced. Many characters are, of course, despicable but the enterprising spunky nature of others including Maria are admirable. This book has beautiful rawness and substance, a refreshing change from lighter books. Well worth reading.

My sincere thank you to Independent Publishers Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this spellbinding book.