Wednesday, July 20, 2016

The Darkest Hour

26625720Richmond, Caroline Tung. The Darkest Hour
July 26th 2016 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Teenager Lucie Blaise's father is French, but she lived in the US. Now that her older brother has been killed in action during WWII, she has decided to use her linguistic skills and join the British covert ops team with other girls. Provided with a variety of different identities, she travels around on different missions. Her first mission is to kill an informant while she is disguised as a nun, but he claims to have more information, and she lets him go. When she finds out that the Nazi "secret weapon" is actually a horrific disease, she tries to figure out how to keep it from being used. It's hard to know whom to trust, as many people have divided loyalties or are not who they claim to be. There is a lot at stake-- can Lucie manage to keep herself safe while she is trying to keep the world safe?
Strengths: This had some interesting dealings with the Nazis and the various kinds of soldiers, doctors, etc. that had a part in that horrific war machine. Lucie isn't the most competent spy, but it's easy to identify with her and for the reader to put herself in Lucie's place. I like the cover. 
Weaknesses: It was hard to believe that Lucie was really recruited as a spy. Historical notes on real life spy organizations that involved young women might have helped. 
What I really think: I'll probably buy a copy of this, but it lacked some spark. 

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