Angels of the resistance

Salazar follows The Flight Girls (2019) with a novel inspired by the real-life bravery of sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. This reimagining is centered on Lien, her sister Elif, and a network of Dutch resistance fighters during WWII. A coming-of-age tale, it begins in 1940, when Lien is just 14, and the Netherlands is on the brink of Nazi occupation. Haunted by recent traumas in her life, Lien is determined to make a difference despite her age and innocence. She and Elif begin helping the resistance with minor missions, but, thanks to their late father's training in the use of firearms and Lien's sharpshooting ability, the sisters soon graduate to more advanced skills and missions, including building bombs and targeting Nazi officials. The first half of the novel builds slowly, then readers are rewarded with heartfelt character-building and nonstop action in a drama of exceptional bravery and expertise. Salazar's latest women-focused WWII historical novel has wide appeal.

Salazar's second World War II novel (following The Flight Girls) begins in April 1940, as the Dutch people who thought they would escape Hitler's Nazi war machine receive a rude awakening. Fourteen-year-old Lien Vinke, her older sister Elif, and their mother soon find their country overrun by the Germans. Lien, still carrying guilt over the death of her younger sister, begs to join her mother and Elif working for the Resistance. Perhaps the lives she saves will make up for the one that was lost and the guilt she feels. Lien and Elif become part of a cell that carries out many successful missions. Along the way, lives are lost, confidences betrayed, and Lien finds she can forgive herself and let happiness into her life again. Readers will be moved to tears by this sometimes heart-pumping, moving novel. Lien, as narrator, reveals the most, but the supporting characters are well-drawn as well. The flaw in the writing is sloppy research, mostly in the small details; if readers can overlook those, it is a fascinating look at the Netherlands during World War II. VERDICT Despite its flaws, this is a worthwhile read, especially for those who enjoy fiction set during the Second World War.--Pam O'Sullivan