Review by Folushour -- Sandra Eden's War by Michael Low

[Foluso Falaye]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Sandra Eden's War" by Michael Low.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sandra Eden, a female agent from England, is sent to France to assist with the resistance against the Nazis that had overrun France. When her parachute doesn't open upon landing, she is presumed as dead, and this adds the need to prove herself as the real agent and not a decoy to her already daunting mission. The Germans don't play by the rules; hits are retaliated in inhumane ways, and Sandra and her team begin to understand that they must act fast to destroy the enemy before they have the chance to claim more innocent lives. However, Sandra becomes suspicious and acts to find and remove the betrayer amongst them because the Germans always seem one step ahead.

This is exactly how a war book should be: straight to the point and not bogged down by too many details about machineries and politics. I was drawn into Sandra Eden's War from the very first page. The twists are well timed, and the characters are provided with just enough backgrounds to maintain its fast pace. It was fun to read the languages in French and German and also read their translations in English right after them; I learnt a few new words I hope would stick.

The theme of feminism is established when some of the boys express their doubts in Sandra as a good soldier because of her gender. As a result, Sandra has to prove herself as competent and brave enough to be physically present in the missions. Stealth and reconnaissance are also major themes as the soldiers have to hide their real identities for most part of the book.

Fans of war books and history enthusiasts are going to love Sandra Eden's War. Learning about the trains, the villagers, and other interesting historical aspects was quite insightful; also, the action felt real and easy to picture. There's a scene of torture that may not sit well with some readers, but it's only that one scene; explicit language and sexual scenes are not present, and religion is present only a few times, when they are portrayed to pray before going on missions.

World War II may have had serious negative outcomes, but it produced strength, excellence, and great teamwork skills. Michael Low does a great job of depicting these qualities in the characters. As I have no dislikes for the book and am very impressed by its flawless editing, I rate it a 4 out of 4 stars. Sandra Eden's War is both a reminder of an important and catastrophic time in history and a motivational story of perseverance and determination against adversity.

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Sandra Eden's War
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