sssnoo's review
3.0
Cradles of the Reich adds a largely unexplored topic to the list of WWII historical fiction titles. Coburn takes a deep dive into the Lebensborn Society, a horrific eugenics-based breeding program.
The tales unfold through the voices of three women, one devoted to Nazi ideology, one a nurse at the Lebensborn Society home, and the third an unwilling resident. I liked this approach, but the characters needed to be more developed. Each was so extreme in their characterization with little to no complexity or internal conflict. Irma was the best-developed of the three. Hilda was almost cartoonish in her behavior and made a melodramatic villain. There were few surprises in the plot, and the ending was as expected, except I didn't feel any closure with Hilda.
I liked that the stories unfolded linearly, and the author did not use a dual timeline crutch to pad the narrative (can you tell I'm tired of dual timeline historical fiction tropes?).
I recommend this book to fans of WWII historical fiction as it tells a new story. I hope the author continues to write historical fiction because I expect she will get better and better.
Thanks to NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.
The tales unfold through the voices of three women, one devoted to Nazi ideology, one a nurse at the Lebensborn Society home, and the third an unwilling resident. I liked this approach, but the characters needed to be more developed. Each was so extreme in their characterization with little to no complexity or internal conflict. Irma was the best-developed of the three. Hilda was almost cartoonish in her behavior and made a melodramatic villain. There were few surprises in the plot, and the ending was as expected, except I didn't feel any closure with Hilda.
I liked that the stories unfolded linearly, and the author did not use a dual timeline crutch to pad the narrative (can you tell I'm tired of dual timeline historical fiction tropes?).
I recommend this book to fans of WWII historical fiction as it tells a new story. I hope the author continues to write historical fiction because I expect she will get better and better.
Thanks to NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.
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