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

[RKeinath]

[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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The year is 1944, and the world is ablaze as the Nazis seek to conquer Europe. Sandra Eden is a British SOE (Special Operations Executive) officer, who parachutes into France on a mission to aid the French Resistance in cutting off Nazi communication links. However, when Sandra’s parachute fails to open, and the report labels her as dead, the SOE sends in Nancy Lake to replace her with orders to shoot anyone claiming to be the fallen operative. Miraculously, Sandra survives her fall and begins aiding the French Resistance against the Nazis, but it seems there is a traitor among them. Action, espionage, and the cost of freedom abound in Mike Low’s Sandra Eden’s War.

Low’s fast-paced and action-packed novel brings to light the men and women of the SOE and French Resistance as well as the many difficulties they had in pursuing the goal of bringing the Nazi reign to an end. While Sandra Eden is a fictional character, Low brings a lot of history to Sandra Eden’s War, which makes it all the more exciting and incredible. Additionally, he does not relegate women to the role of seductress, damsel in distress, or go-betweens. Instead, they are intelligent and capable strategists.

Much to my delight, Low interlaces humor into the narrative, which serves to lighten the serious tone of the novel. Additionally, the presence of cliched phrases adds to the era and characters without seeming to be out of place or nonsense, making it all the more enjoyable to read.

I am disappointed that the main story does not explore the characters in depth. Instead, the main focus is on the accomplishments and actions the characters take. While Low's novel is enjoyable and filled with history, I feel that there is a piece of the story missing as the characters come on the scene fully formed without much background.

I highly recommend Low’s novel to young adults and adults who enjoy action-based and historical fiction novels surrounding World War II. Sandra Eden’s War is violent and contains mild cursing. The violence is generally non-graphic, but there is one scene that I flinch away from as it is more descriptive than the rest. Thus, this is not suitable for all audiences.

I rate Low’s Sandra Eden’s War 4 out of 4 stars as it contains little to no errors, which shows the great care the author and editors took with this incredible novel. It is also very well-written, researched, and expertly blurs the line between fact and fiction that leaves me wishing for more.

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Sandra Eden's War
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