I really enjoyed this beautiful story of two friends, Simone the daughter of a Belgian General and Hava the daughter of a Jewish family. The two girls are quite different but quickly become the best of friends before their world is suddenly turned upside down by WW2 and Hitlers invasion of Poland. The girls show such strength throughout the book and we follow them on a rollercoaster of emotions. This book highlights the ridiculousness that the two girls can face very different lives and experiences of the war based purely on their religion. I liked that at the beginning of each chapter there were historical excerpts or context which are both thought provoking and helpful to place the events that are happening within the books to what was happening in the war at the time. Some parts I felt were a bit rushed, the ending and the part in Dunkirk but other than that I really loved the book. This is a powerful book about the reliance of friendship, moving forward and courage.

This book is set during Hitler's Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. Ashes is about two eighteen year old girls, Simone Lyon (who is Belgian and Christian) and her best friend Hava Daniels (who is Polish and Jewish). Simone is also the daughter of a world war one hero, General Joseph Lyon. With the war breaking out in the spring of 1940, both the girls end up relying on each other when hit with separation from their families. Hava is eventually taken away due to her Jewish background, leaving Simone distraught. The writing style of the author is amazing, and really leaves an impact on the reader. The deep friendship between Hava and Simone touches the reader's heart, and is emotional against a horrifying backdrop.

I'm not a huge reader of historical fiction, but I do tend to be drawn towards world war two era stories. Having read the Tattooist of Auschwitz I kind of expected this to be a rip off, of that. Bad of me, I know. Although I was really pleasantly surprised, going into this completely blind that this book is written from a Belgian perspective during the war. I'd never read a book about the war based on real events that was set from a Belgian perspective and I really enjoyed that this was something new and unique for me. This book was equal parts enjoyable and heartbreaking, I absolutely adored the characters of Simone and Hava and the ending was incredibly bittersweet for these characters. I really liked the writing style of Christopher de Vinck, having never heard of this author before reading this book. I definitely think this book is deserving of the four star rating, and I'd definitely recommend it for fans of historical fiction or world war two, holocaust era fiction.

Belgium, July 1939: Simone Lyon is the daughter of a Belgian national hero, the famous General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava Daniels, is the eldest daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable. In the spring of 1940, Nazi planes and tanks begin bombing Brussels, their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee. This is a touching and moving story about two women differences that once united them, will not be torn apart by Hitler's Nazi occupation of France and Belgium. Both girls have strong bonds with their fathers. The story flows along at a decent pace through some horrific subject matter. The girls try to escape the Nazi but it all doesn't quite go to plan. I loved the authors writing style. The characters and plotline were complex. This is an emotional read. My only criticism is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperInspire (HarperCollins Publishers UK) and the author Christopher de Vinck for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Ashes #NetGalley

Two young women face the invasion of Belgium by Nazi forces, exploring friendship and the heartbreaking treatment of innocents by those with a cruel agenda. Written in the first person, we see through the eyes of protagonist Simone, who has the fortune of being the daughter of a famous Belgium hero. Her close friend Hava has many fine traits, passion, artistic creativity, empathy for all. Hava being Jewish brought an edge to the narrative, which offsets the frivolity and sometimes twee behaviour of two young friends. The wartime backdrop comes increasingly to the fore as the Germans march westwards. We see the naivety and escapism of youth balanced against oppression and death. The friendship of Simone and Hava is highly believable, impacting the reader when they come against hardships, the first person perspective works really well to elevate emotions such as fear/sadness. There are great supporting characters, I liked Hava’s family, learnt some Jewish culture. The Nazi characters were not investigated too deeply, but they were three dimensional characters. Some factual text about their atrocities supported the significance of each part of the story. There were a few Hitler extracts, Churchill too, at times I found it difficult to tell which was which in relation to their similar styles, the content soon became obvious. This book ranges between 3 and 4 stars, but the latter part of the book rises to 5 stars. Despite great engagement in frivolous aspects of their relationship, the increasingly serious issues come across really well. Don’t be hoodwinked by the easy reading style, it has real impact and there are times when you may wish to take a break to fully comprehend the content. I would recommend this book to everyone, but some should choose the right time to read it, it’s not a beach book.