Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Cilka’s Journey

Author: Heather Morris

Book Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz Book 2

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Some LGBTQA+ relationships mentioned, Jewish main character and side characters

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction (based on a true story)

Recommended Age: 18+ (TW rape, TW child molestation, TW sexual assault, TW torture, gore, violence, language, childbirth)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Pages: 352

Amazon Link

Synopsis: In this follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the author tells the story, based on a true one, of a woman who survives Auschwitz, only to find herself locked away again.

Cilka Klein is 18 years old when Auschwitz-Birkenau is liberated by Soviet soldiers. But Cilka is one of the many women who is sentenced to a labor camp on charges of having helped the Nazis--with no consideration of the circumstances Cilka and women like her found themselves in as they struggled to survive. Once at the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera, where she is to serve her 15-year sentence, Cilka uses her wits, charm, and beauty to survive.

Review: I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing immediately drew me into the book, the story saddened and depressed me, and the main character was very well done. It’s hard to make likeable characters out of characters who do bad things sometimes, but the author did this very well with Cilka. The book was also very well paced and the world building was marvelous.

My only issue is that the book time jumps a lot, sometimes with dates at the top, but sometimes not, so you really have to pay attention to the timeline of the book.

Verdict: A very well done and beautiful book!