On the Wings of Hope

I just happened by chance to spot this on Netgalley and as I love this genre decided to give it a go. I am absolutely delighted that I did as it was an absolute joy to read. Totally engrossing from start to finish it really tugs at the heart strings. My emotions were all over the place in this story of sacrifice, hardship, joy and laughter. Everyone needs to read this to bring home the realities of the Labour camps in Russia during the Second World War. This is a superb, well written book and my thanks go to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss is not easy to read. It's not a novel to relax after a busy day. This novel will make you angry, cry, shake! It will make you think, to contemplate, to put yourself in the place of all those who are so masterfully presented through the pages of this novel.
The novel is divided into two parts, which follow the story of two families, two young people, the same hope and destiny during WW2. What a man can do to a man will shake you to the core. The tribute of war, which is most often paid by the innocent. Yes, both parts will equally awaken a spectrum of emotions in you. In the first part, you read about young Yvo and Harry, innocent children who were forced to grow up far too soon, to fight with everything they can to survive each day. It will hurt your soul as you read how families are torn apart, children are snatched from their mothers' arms, exhausted people cry for a piece of bread, a piece of hope that they can open their eyes the next morning. To read that honour and manners are meaningless in the battle of survival. The resignation you see is too painful for you to be able to accept it, and the hope is too small to expect a better tomorrow. And how can you find hope in those camps, where friends become foes, where death is simply palpable, where the value of the human being is reduced to just an ordinary number, mark of the labor force needed to serve the purpose. The purpose of the meaningless.
In the second part, your heart will ache as you watch these people try to collect the pieces and continue to live. How they look forward to small things, a roll of raisins, a mattress with straw, the opportunity to stand and enjoy the warmth of the sun. How they fight day after day, only to be defeated in every turn. And the tax is still here, and it must be paid, regardless of whether it is deserved or not. And we see how a tender love develops, love as a hope for the future, a love that is enough to heal their wounds and make you continue to fight ... An outstretched arm of belonging and trust, a desire for a better future.
And after you finish the last page, you sit in the darkness and think about all those who simply perished without a trace in the flames of war, no matter whether at the front or behind it. You think about those characters, who were so vividly portrayed in front of you, and you try to understand the greatness of their will to live, to survive. And you will think about them long after the last page is over and you will feel more than grateful for the roof over your head and the food on the table.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Firstly have not read anything by this Author before and I can highly recommend.
It's a difficult book not something that would be classed as a light read but the subject matter is very thought provoking and will stay with you for a very long time I really enjoyed reading this book.

The end of WW2 in Soviet Russia is not easy for Soviet-Germans. Harri Pfeiffer is sent to a labor camp and is determined to survive. Yvo Sholz spends the last few years of war in a labor camp holding onto hope that she and her mother will be reunited with her brother and father someday. When the war ends will these families and young people ever be free? Can they find love and hope after so much loss?

This novel is broken up into two parts. The first part is during WW2 and is not an easy read. It is wartime and suspicion, hardship, and loss is all around. Your heart will break for what these families and young people had to go through. In the second half, the war is over but our Soviet-German characters are still monitored closely and don’t feel the freedom they were hoping for. But as the years go on they find hope and love in community and are given back some freedoms that they so desperately wanted.

I felt the pacing of this book was really good. It kept my attention and I didn’t feel like I was missing any details or getting bogged down in the story. The characters are well developed and I was very invested in their lives and families.

This is a beautifully written book. And translated very well. I really liked it. I love learning about history through reading fiction and this book brought a whole different part of WW2 that I had never heard of and I won’t soon forget. As hard as the first part of the book was to read the second part was so rewarding in the romance it brought for Harri and Yvo. And to know that this is based are real people just made it even more wonderful to read! The cover is also gorgeous!

An engrossing novel for anyone interested in WW2 history, family stories, and a little romance.

On the Wings of Hope is a wonderful book full of heartbreak and hope. Well written and thought-provoking, it puts our current events into perspective in a whole new way. I was incredibly moved and these characters will stay with me for a long time.

I’m a sucker for WWII books, whether fiction or non-fiction. On the Wings of Hope is based on a true story, the story of the author’s grandparents and how they survived Soviet labor camps. Every time I read another WWII book, I learn more and more about the plights of so many people, so many different ethnic groups. I knew Soviet labor camps existed, but I previously thought they were filled mostly with POWs. I didn’t realize how awfully German-born Soviet citizens were treated, even so long after the war ended. Harri and Yvo, along with Yvo’s mother, were such strong characters. The author beautifully brought to life their struggles, their personalities, and their perseverance. The intricacies of how the two families were intertwined was fascinating. The language used to depict the labor camps was so vivid, I really felt like I could see it: the cold, the hunger, the pain, the angst, the barracks. It’s hard, in this day and age, to really grasp how tragic and devastating the war was, especially in Europe. So much of the world can not fathom being ripped from families, separated from babies, ruthlessly and mercilessly discarded, but the author really enables the reader to put themselves in the situation. I also didn’t realize the author is also a romance author until I finished the book and read about her. I absolutely LOVE how she told Harri’s and Yvo’s love story. For a moment, you slip from sadness to a lighter romance read, which provided some levity to the story.

My only complaints with this book would be the pace at which the story skips ahead, especially in the post-war chapters. I would’ve liked to know more about what they were doing during that period, especially before they were “liberated,” as it were. The period between when the war ended and they were allowed to find their families. I also didn’t like how every time something good, great even, happened, the characters came back to absolutely devastating news. I understand the dramatics of that, but it started to seem very unlikely that every good day had to immediately be countered with tragedy. Though I felt it excessive, it did highlight how hopeless the situation, the forced labor, must have been.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it, especially to other avid WWII readers!

The Will to Survive

This is a five star book. I couldn't put it down and spent all day reading it. Every book I have read by Ella Zeiss is a page turner. I first met he Pfeiffer family and the Scholz family in Ella's first book "In the Shadow of the Storm" . When the new book "On the Wings of Hope" came out I just had to read it and I am glad I did. What a story of survival.

In this book the families are surviving in Labour camps and then at the end of the war trying to rebuild their lives. It is the story of those Labour camps where so many German people living in Soviet Occupied territory were sent to work camps at the whim of the Soviets. First they took all them men and the women had to work long hours in factories to make a living. Next they took the young men as young as 15 years old and when more were needed to work in their factories they took the young girls and the women. They left the children with relatives or as orphans. These unfortunate German people were subjected to hard labor on a starvation diet with little or no medical care. So many perished in these labour camps. Some perished, and some came home, but all were affected by this war.

The war caused so much pain and suffering on so many levels. Mother's fearing for husbands and sons, some they were never to see again. Families torn apart for years without knowing where the rest of their family was or what happened to them. They lived in hunger, in fear and in desperation. Many gave up but some were brave and determined to survive.

Those that returned home had a hard time trusting anyone. Returning to regular life was a bit difficult but they managed to work and excel in their jobs even though the government still had some restrictions on where they could live, work and travel. They even met mates and married.

This book is well written, sad and tragic. It is a must read...you won't forget it for a while. I recommend it.

Thanks to Ella Zeiss, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
On the Wings of Hope is not an easy book to review, the writing is very good, as is the story, however due to the fact that it is based on true events makes it a difficult book to rate and review. I found it difficult to read at times and had a range of emotions going through me at different parts of the book, from pure anger, to tears and sadness. However I still couldnt put this book down and read it in the space of 2 days.
On the Wings of Hope is the story Yvo and Harri's life in the Soviet Labour camps. It is a harrowing story of everything they had to endure as well as a story of determination and bravery. It is heart breaking at times as well as heartwarming in places. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and feel that the author did an excellent job in portraying everything that Yvo and Harri went through.
For anyone that is interested in history especcially WW2 I would highly recommend this book. I learned so much about the Soviet Labour camps that I did not know before I had read this. This is a 5 star rating for me.

Strong Male Protagonist!

Harri was War survivor of atrocities that no persons should have suffered!

Harri , a German young 16 year was. forced to work in a Russian labor camp. His father had already been taken which left his mother and young sister alone without protection and help to sustain the family. Harri came across another young man he happened to know from his area, but unfortunately he died in the labor camp.

After the war ended, Harri had goals of college to be an engineer and later marry. He happened to come across Yvo who was the sister to the boy that died in the camp. Would she get over the fact her brother died and Harri survived and wait several years for him to complete his goals?

This book is heartbreaking and poignant that there are parts be ready with tissues! I am a fast reader, but this book I slowed way down that my husband asked what was wrong with the book! I told him nothing I just wanted to immerse myself into every single word and go back and read certain paragraphs and look things up on the internet!

The author makes the characters and the places around you float into your thoughts and head that I could imagine standing with a bowl trying to push myself to get a ration of soup! I know what it’s like to be hungry when I was a child.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting a strong dramatic read with a male Protagonist who takes you on an unbelievable journey of life and choices!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Historical fiction is always a favorite for me. I have read so many and still keep going back for more! I was so excited to dive into this book and experience another WWII story.

This book had two things I love - dueling point of views and based-on-real-life storyline. Harri and Yvo were so easy to love and even easier to love together.

The beginning of this book really sucked me in. Reading about events throughout the WWII era are always gripping. The raw emotions each character exhibits as the make their way through labor camps and are torn from loved ones make your heart ache. Yvo was lucky enough to stay with her mother through the war only to find her brother had passed. But a chance run in with her mother’s friend from the past allow Yvo to move forward after all the terrible things she’s endured.

This was a well written book that flowed easily from character to character. Because I have read so many amazing WWII books, this one fell a bit flat for me. I think it’s a good read but lacked some depth. The author barely skimmed the surface on the awful experiences Yvo and Harri had to have lived. Maybe this was intentional? I still think a great historical fiction digs deeper.

This would be a perfect book for those that are intrigued by the era but maybe don’t want to have all the feels from the time. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 3 out of 5 stars for me.

Oh my goodness what a book. It tells of the hardship of the people who were Germans but were living in Russia during the Second World War.

I had never read about the Germans and found this book sad in places where a most of them end up in labour camps where if they are going to survive you have to be tough and have your wits about you. Sometimes there are people who to get a better life in the camps would spy on their inmates and report them.

There was really nice buts in this book and we have romance as well.

So if you want to learn more about the Germans who were living in Russia and called Russia their homeland please read this.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫. While not as masterfully written as “We Were The Lucky Ones” by Georgia Hunter, “On The Wings of Hope” is still a compulsively readable WW2 novel. I also appreciated the Soviet-German perspective, which is a side of the story I haven’t heard much of as an American. This heartwarming story is based on the author’s grandparents’ story. That knowledge greatly enriched my experience with this book. Definitely worth giving it a read! Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy.

February 1942: Terrifying reports of Wehrmacht's advance across the Soviet Union spread like wildfire, striking new fear into the already oppressed German families living there. Harri Pheiffer,now sixteen, is summoned to the forced Labour camp in Chelyabinsk. Three years later, with the war finally over, Yvo Scholz arrives in Chelyabinsk, desperate for news of her brother. When their paths intersect, Harri and Yvo find a connection they never thought possible.

This is a thought provoking read that will stay with you long after you have finished it. The story is based on the author's grandparents and the hardships of the Germans who were living in Russia. This is an Intriguing Read that will pull at your heartstrings. The raw emotion flows out the pages. This is a beautifully written story that's fans of WWII will love.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AmazonPublishingUK and the author #EllaZeiss for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and I coins not stop reading the first half of this book! Heartbreaking! I loved the whole story line..

On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, translated by Helen MacCormac, is a moving WWII historical fiction based on true events of the author’s grandparents’ experiences in the Soviet Union labor camps.

This is not your typical WWII novel. There is almost no mention of Hitler and the Jewish concentration camps. This story feels like a behind the scenes view of how savage labor camps were used to support the front lines of the war. It is also a testament to how German immigrants were treated during the war even when they were not supporting Nazi Germany.

It was incredible how this story was told from the perspectives of the protagonists as if you were occupying their mind and viewing their inner thoughts. The author’s ability to describe a train of thought and draw out the inner battles everyone has with themselves was incredible. You could feel the stress and the emotional turmoil.

This story is tragic. For every positive experience, there is an equally devastating one to follow. Holding onto hope was the only way anyone could survive the experiences described in this book. Strength, perseverance, family, hope and love are the qualities that make this story bearable.

You will cry, you will cheer, you will grieve, you will ache for the individuals in this story.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing for a copy of this book for review.

On The Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss was given to me as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I am rating this book 4 stars. I enjoyed reading the story of Yvo and Harri in their two separate settings and then how their journeys intertwine. Their individual stories of perseverance and hope in times that were so difficult; working in labor camps, constantly being hungry, and being separated from family.

ATypical WWII Novel. In several ways, this is a typical WWII romance-ish novel, maybe of a Russian kind (ie, hard times all over the place, can be seen as depressing at times, yet ultimately a story of survival and love). In many other ways, this is a very *atypical* WWII novel. For one, it doesn't take place in the more common Western Europe setting, but instead mostly in Soviet forced labor camps. For another, well, the whole "Soviet" thing doesn't get seen too much in Western WWII historical fiction novels. And finally, this is actually directly based on the real-world travails of the author's grandparents, making it the first time I've seen a novel of the type I myself hope to write someday. Overall truly a tremendous work, and very much recommended.

This book is a real treat to read. A lover of world war historical fiction will truly enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was such a beautiful, lovely period piece about two characters stuck in the middle of a war. You also don't get the typical "war" feel the way you would in other novels set during WWII. Instead, you get to experience the war from the perspective of German immigrants -- and how those people were treated even when they did not support the Nazis.

This was such an emotional journey, and I'm so happy that I was given the chance to read this book.

As German families in the Soviet Union are broken apart, during WWII, members sent to a forced labour camp in Chelyabinsk, are basically worked to death. With the war ending, Yvo, sister to Harri, journeys to find him and perhaps their father also. Well written historical fiction.

As a fan of this genre of book and time frame I was very pleased with this book. It brought out a lot of heart in the writing.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

On the Wings of Hope is a WWII novel based on true events and the lives of the author's grandparents, Harri Pfeiffer and Yvonne Scholz,  Germans immigrants living in Soviet Russia who were forced to work in labour camps in savage  conditions during WWII because of their German heritage. Even after the war ended, they had to keep fighting for their rights and opportunities at every turn.

Told from both Harri and Yvonne's perspectives this novel is sad, tragic, moving and yet filled with hope. It shows a different side to the WWII narrative where innocent German immigrants were treated unfairly and harshly even though they did not support or have any part to play in what the Nazis did.

This book is an English translation of the original and I think Helen MacCormac has done a wonderful job.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Amazon Publishing UK and Lake Union Publishing and the author Ella Zeiss for the e-Arc of the book. This book was published on 17th November 2020.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting and deeply emotional tale, good for fans of WW2 fiction. I liked thay it was set in Kazakhstan which is not often represented in this genre. The writing is good.
An interesting read.

This was a tragic WWII story based on true events. The writing is atmospheric and shares the emotions of the characters. The descriptions of the labor camps and how the German immigrants were treated was heartbreaking. This is a story I will long remember.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well written, at times a hard read, thinking about the horrors these people lived through. Would definitely recommend

2.5 stars.
It was an interesting read. i liked the story alot, but i had a hard tome connecting with the characters in it.

This is an amazing story of survival during WW2. Highly recommend!

Thank you for this e-ARC of #onthewingsofhope, Lake Union Publishing and #netgalley in return for my honest review.

This is the first but it sure won't be the last of reading these terrific hard to read treatment so many had to go through just to try and survive the most horrible ways that they not only had to live but had to see so many lives being destroyed along with their own hoping that after all of this the only thing that keeps you going is..Will at least one of my family members survive to see once again!! WWII was bad enough and horrible enough and to have to live through it and then if you did to rebuild and block out memories.. You have so much history here and this was different for me in the area this happened in.. I never ever knew I this place and I'm so glad I chose to read this story it just helps me learn mirror the more hero's that had to do what they had to do to survive and to live to tell their story...Received from Net Gallery ,I will be reading more of Ella's stories and even though they are real she has a way of bringing them to life with her words..

The German’s army is advancing across the Soviet Union in 1942, and the German citizens living there are scared, and those who haven’t been sent to a work for the labour army are worried their name will be next on the list.

Harri Pfeiffer is sixteen, he’s living with his mother Hilde and sister Emma in Kazakhstan. He’s receives a days notice and he’s to be sent to Chelyabinsk, and nothing could prepare him for life in the camp. Every day he has to unload trains by hand, with a crew of teenage boys, and it’s physically brutal. They live on two small meals of watery soup and bread, and he’s always hungry. Harri tries to harden his heart, people die daily from exhaustion, starvation and disease. He meets Erich Scholz, they become friends, Erich’s most treasured possession is a picture of his fiancé Rita and his sister Anna and Harri doesn’t remember his link to the Scholz family.

Anna and her daughter Yvonne Scholz have managed to stay together, first Anna's husband Wilhelm was sent to a camp and then her son Erich was summoned to join the labour army. The women haven’t had an easy time, forced to leave Komi, Anna the ex-school teacher, cuts wood in a forest, clears debris with Yvo from a factory, and after three years they haven’t heard from Erich. When the war ends, they travel to Chelyabinsk desperate to find him, they register for work and rent a room.

Both Harri and Yvonne were excellent students before the war, Anna could sew, and this is the reason they managed to survive the Russian work camps. On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss is a story about courage, hardship, determination, friendship, family, fate, never giving up, and a treasured photograph.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I have read the previous book in the series In the Shadow of the Storm, it made it easier for me to follow the English translation, and I remember the familiar characters, the secret link between the families and four stars from me.

On the Wings of Hope is based on the true story of Harri Pfeiffer and Yvo Scholz. I found this to be an interesting viewpoint that I do not recall reading before. This is from the point of view of German citizens living in the Soviet Union at the end of WW2. I can only recall Hitler's name being mentioned once during the entire book.

These German citizens were forced in to the labor camps. Even though there wasn't the extreme brutality and torture that befell many Jews, the German citizens were barely fed, worked in extreme settings and deprived basic medical treatment.

This is a perfect example of how a story should be written when it is based on a true story. The story flowed perfectly and smoothly.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Sorry for the delayed review. Not sure how this fell through the cracks.

I enjoy reading historical fiction books that take place during WWII. This particular story had a different focus than what I have typically read. This book occurs in Russia with the Germany army advancing The German people who resided in the Soviet Union were sent to labor camps. The author does a wonderful job describing what the German people endured. This was based on the author’s grandparents’ experiences. It is an emotional read that will touch your heart. You will find yourself grieving for the individuals that are described.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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