REVIEW: The Ventriloquists

The Ventriloquists
Author: E. R. Ramzipoor

In 1943 Brussels, the Nazis have taken over. Helene is 12 years old. She's an orphan who survives by disguising herself as boy. She sells newspapers. Her life changes when she is drawn into a secret underground network that publishes dissident anti-nazi news. When a high-ranking Nazi officer discovers the group, he demands that they print pro-Nazi propaganda or face death. The group decides to pretend to comply, while actually publishing satire against the Nazi occupation.

While I enjoyed the characters, the history and the premise of people willing to risk their lives to fool the Nazis and resist occupation....this book was a difficult read for me. I just couldn't seem to connect with the story. I'm not sure what caused the disconnect though. The book is well written. The characters are complex. The plot is good. I just....didn't really like this book. I think it's just a case of not every story is for every reader. I enjoy WWII history, both non-fiction and historical fiction. I just didn't get sucked into this story. I read every word.....but it just wasn't a story for me.

I would definitely read more by this author. And I might pick this book up again in the future and see if I like it better after a second read.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Harlequin via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**