This is the story of two friends in wartime, one a Belgian and the other a Jew. Though warned to sever her association with Hava Simone loves her friend like a sister and when Belgium is invaded they both are in danger of their lives so flee together. This is their story and their journey to try to escape the harsh, German regime that is sweeping across their peaceful country. I loved this so much, I read a lot of wartime fiction and general history books on the wars. This was sensitively and beautifully written though of course dealing with this subject matter at times it gets quite graphic. You could really feel the emotion and fear of the characters just reading of their plight. I really liked the girls, Hava especially was a sensitive, sweet character who saw the good in life but who through religion suffered persecution. A brilliant, haunting read.

I don't even know where to start with this novel, it was amazing and one of my fave reads of this year. It tells the story of Hava Daniels and Simone Lyon, a Jew and the daughter of a Belgian national war hero. Their friendship at this time should never have been according to society's dictates and prejudices. During the occupation of Belgium in 1940 they are both forced to flee together to try and survive. This was an incredibly harrowing account of their attempt to escape the atrocities of war and the stigma attached to being Jewish. Loosely based on actual true events of the author's family I found it very moving and nearly reduced me to tears as this subject matter is worse than any horror novel as these terrible things did happen during wartime. This for me outshone other novels of this genre, I really engaged with the characters and cared about them and what happened to them to the point I was googling the author, the history of the book and it's inspiration. If a book can move you even after its finished to make you bother to research the events and story then the author has done a wonderful job. Simone says in the novel "People remember Anne Frank, perhaps they will also remember Hava Daniels." The book resonated with me so much, the kindness of the character Hava and her empathy for others even during a disgusting period of our history, she showed such caring towards people that it will live long with me. It also shows the prejudice, racism and bias of people towards others and that behaviour is learnt and the message that comes across strongly throughout that though from different backgrounds and religions Hava and Simone's friendship endured in the hardest of circumstances. I feel this would also be a wonderful and powerful candidate for a movie adaptation. A beautiful story of love and friendship set against the cruel backdrop of war.

Following a story of a young women’s journey throughout WW2 and her strong, unstoppable friendship with a young Jewish woman, Ashes is just perfect in tone, in narrative and in portraying the tragedy of war - not to mention highlighting the bravery amongst friends, and kindness of strangers. Reading this book is like reading somebody’s published memoirs, with such detail and sense of accuracy that I could visualise being there, observing Simone and Hava from afar. Christopher de Vinck has added such detail and well researched additions, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming or overbearing - just completely the right proportion to make everything about this utterly believable. I found myself feeling angry, frustrated, proud, even inspired and, also, feeling bereft. There are not many books that have the capacity to draw out so many emotions and yet makes one feel better educated within the space of a few hours. Ashes is one of those rare finds. This is great book and one that I know will stay with me in the future. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

A Heart-felt story of a Belgian woman, Simone, who is the daughter of a Belgian general, her best friend, Hava, who is a Jew, at the time of the Nazi occupation. The girls try to escape Belgium, but the bus they are travelling on is stopped by an SS patrol, and Hava is taken off. Simone gets to southern France, after spending some time there she returns to Brussels for the rest of the war. Simone tries to trace Hava and her family but is unable to until the war is over. This is a story of friendship amongst war and persecution. I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Inspire and Author Christopher de Vinck for allowing me to review pre-publication.

The author Christopher de Vinck has written a lovely and touching novel and is based around 2 women during the Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. in 1939 Simone and Have are best friends and are inseparable. Once the bombing of Brussels arrives in 1940 they are forced to flee. The friendship of a jewish girl and the daughter of a belgium war hero is tested to the limit. Will the terrible circumstances break the bond of friendship? i found the book made me have lots of conflicting emotions. ranging from tears, hope, sadness all mixed up within the story. Its a brilliant book and one i would definitely recommend for teenagers and adults alike thanks to net galley for an opportunity to read an advance copy in return for an honest review #Ashes #NetGalley