Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: October 10, 2023
Pages: 302
Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful
Vera was made for vengeance.
Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.
When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves—to have a life beyond what she was made for.
Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.
Vera was made for vengeance.
Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.
When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves—to have a life beyond what she was made for.
Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.
I've read a lot of WWII fiction, and this story was definitely unique. I don't often find books about Jewish resistance fighters that aren't located in a ghetto or concentration camp. So this book featuring a super human, nearly indestructible golem was definitely different than that.
I'm not very familiar with Jewish mythology like golems, so I'm not sure if the portrayal in Wrath Becomes Her is accurate, but I was fascinated by the mysticism and process described and loved the care that her creator used when he was crafting Vera.
I couldn't help but hope for success for Vera and Akiva in every mission they undertook. We all know Nazis are the bad guys, so obviously I'd want the resistance to triumph. And with the superhuman abilities Vera possesses, that seemed pretty much guaranteed.
Ultimately, I was left pondering how WWII may have been different if golems really existed. Overall I give Wrath Becomes Her 4.6729 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Aden Polydoros is an award-winning author of young adult fantasy and horror. His books include THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, BONE WEAVER, and the forthcoming RING OF SOLOMON and WRATH BECOMES HER. Along with receiving starred reviews from School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, and Booklist, his gothic fantasy novel, THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Award, and the 2022 World Fantasy Award. The novel was also selected for the 2021 Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot, and was declared a Best YA Book of 2021 by New York Public Library, BookPage, Buzzfeed, and Tor.com.
He can be found on social media at:
- https://twitter.com/AdenPolydoros
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