Review: A City of Broken Glass by Rebecca Cantrell

Author:

Rebecca Cantrel

Release Date:

Just came out! July 17th, 2012!

Grade:

Does It Have a Trailer?

Not that I know of. :(

Cover:

HANNAH VOGEL!! And, holy crap guys, the cover really captures this novel completely.

Add to Goodreads here.

Summary/Synopsis

In Rebecca Cantrell's A City of Broken Glass, journalist Hannah Vogel is in Poland with her son Anton to cover the 1938 St. Martin festival when she hears that 12,000 Polish Jews have been deported from Germany. Hannah drops everything to get the story on the refugees, and walks directly into danger.  

Kidnapped by the SS, and driven across the German border, Hannah is rescued by Anton and her lover, Lars Lang, who she had presumed dead two years before. Hannah doesn’t know if she can trust Lars again, with her heart or with her life, but she has little choice. Injured in the escape attempt and wanted by the Gestapo, Hannah and Anton are trapped with Lars in Berlin. While Hannah works on an exit strategy, she helps to search for Ruth, the missing toddler of her Jewish friend Paul, who was disappeared during the deportation.

Trapped in Nazi Germany with her son just days before Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, Hannah knows the dangers of staying any longer than needed. But she can’t turn her back on this one little girl, even if it plunges her and her family into danger.

Thanks to this novel. I can finally say that the historical genre is one of my favorites.

Let me start off by saying I had NO idea that A City of Broken Glass was the fourth book of the Hannah Vogel series. Seriously, I had no idea until I was about half-way through the book and thoroughly investigated on Goodreads. That said, it just goes to show how awesome Rebecca's writing is. I had no problem following what was happening in this novel.

A City of Broken Glass takes place around the time Hitler is, you know, alive and I have to say the way Rebecca Cantrell captures the feel and atmosphere at what must of been at that time is completely great. I've only read about 3 or 4 historical novels and I just love the feel they give readers. The language, the clothes, and the communities are all mesmerizing but I think Rebecca's writing has that little magic that made this novel feel even more real.

The characters, on the other hand, were on a whole 'nother playing field. The characters had depth, vivid personalities, and I just loved each and every one of them. After knowing that A City of Broken Glass was part of a series I thought it couldn't be possible. Mostly because usually by the 3rd or so book in a series the main character has done all the life-changing stuff but in this novel we see Hannah Vogel and the side characters grow and learn even more than most fictional characters do.

Another thing I completely loved was the fact that A City of Broken Glass was very plot driven too. I mean, we have murders here and there, an almost-suicide, secret communications, threatening notes, a missing girl. We have the whole package here, folks.

Overall, this book had awesome coming from all over the place. Characters, their development, plot-driven, amazing atmosphere and even some cool spy action!! :D Even though I started reading this series by reading the FOURTH book I definetely want to go back and read the other three. I think A City of Broken Glass is the last book. I'm kind of sure but I really hope it isn't because Rebecca left me with some questions that I want answered!

Credit Time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forge Books for letting me read this amazing read. It's an honor to have received a egalley.