Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Paris, 1944. Stepping under the dim glow of the streetlamp, Jewish orphan Josette tightens her coat and adjusts her leather satchel. The German soldiers who patrol the streets see neat plaits and shined shoes, but she is no schoolgirl. For months she has been slipping unnoticed past the enemy carrying important messages for the Resistance inside hollowed-out textbooks.
Shouts echo down the twisty cobbled streets, but she takes a deep breath and checks her disguise. The man she lovesis waiting for her, desperate for the secret documents she’s carrying – she cannot let him down. Her heart skips as she thinks of Paul. The passion and devotion with which he leads their resistance group. The warmth in his voice when he talks about his beloved little sister Suzanne. The look in his brown eyes when he holds Josette close under starry skies each night and tells her he loves her…
But everything changes when Josette hears the terrible news. Suzanne has been captured by the Nazis, accused of treason. Fear gripping her, Josette knows that if she and Paul can find a way into the prison by morning, they might be able to save her, but it may cost them everything.
Can Josette and Paul rescue Suzanne before it’s too late? Or will they have to sacrifice everything to force their enemies to set her free?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The War Orphan’s Courage to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The War Orphan’s Courage is the third and final instalment in Jenna Ness’, Orphan’s of St. Agnes trilogy. Although this can be read as a standalone story I suggest starting with book one as the timeline flows directly on from the end of each book. For new readers there is lots of information dropped in about the previous books, so you don’t feel as if you are missing out. But still books one and two were excellent reads and you’ll come to appreciate Margot and co even more. The book is split into three distinct parts starting in 1942 where the reader is quickly reacquainted with Margot who is trying to get back to Paris in order to find Le Lerot, the Resistance leader whom she has never met but had secretly been passing important information to for several years. Her time working as Otto Shroder’s secretary has come to an end and needless to say Otto is not happy having discovered what Margot had been up to. He claims he loves her, but her love lies elsewhere and no way would she have fallen for a Nazi especially after everything he has put them through and will continue to do so in this book.
Otto is the villain of the series who has been pitched perfectly throughout. He is vindictive, bold, callous, evil, deceitful and hell bent on enacting revenge for a significant event in his past which has affected him ever since. It’s just unfortunate that Margot and the orphans have been caught up in his web of fear and vengeance. The connections and links that appear between all the characters are making themselves ever more present in this book and I loved how the author joined all the dots together. Every previous action or event has a forbearing on the characters motivations throughout this final book and each girl, Lucie, Margot and Josette has their own personal vendettas which they wish to see come to fruition. Otto is there every step of the way to thwart their plans and several times they come face to face. There is no evasion here and each time this occurred I thought that’s it, it’s game over for the group but the author continued to weave an incredible tale that continued to give the reader more and more time and time again.
There is so much that happens with everyone throughout that I must be careful and not give away important plots or spoilers from previous books that would impact the readers reading experience. Margot is filled with fury, tenacity, bravery and courage as she herself wants vengeance for an event at the end of book two that left her devastated and filled with a burning fire. Needless to say it’s Otto who is the source of her rath but she knows she can’t instantly go straight for the jugular as he is wielding a power over several of the characters. They all know action needs to be taken but given the constraints of the war they have to tread carefully. I admired Margot’s restraint in this matter and that she knew she had to bid her time. Although I loved towards the end caution was thrown to the wind and sacrifices were made because time was running out.
Margot discovers who Le Lerot is and it’s a surprising turn of events as to who has been hiding behind that name and what they have been doing with someone else very significant in Margot’s life. I’m purposefully being very vague here lest I slip up with a significant spoiler. Margot throws herself into resistance work, sabotage, espionage and secrets earning infamy along the way but her ruthlessness, desperation, pain, grief and strength are what fuels her alongside the more emotional side. I enjoyed how the romance element played out for her and she proved time and time again that she was a remarkable young woman who I would say surprised herself with regards to her capabilities and became someone who stepped up when needed the most and became a leader full of truth, ambition and resilience.
Lucie, when we first met her, was very young, like the baby of the elder group within the orphanage. As with all the characters she has been through so much and despite being only in her late teens she has found happiness. Margot had been her protector and guide but someone else has stepped into that position although the others are very much wary of that person given their background and connections. But Lucie knows lasting love when it comes to her and after all she has always given her love to everyone each orphan that passed through the doors and those she continues to help hide. I was heartbroken for Lucie at what unfolds and you could see her whither and shrivel up despite needing to soldier on for one very important reason. I thought she would have just given up and given herself to Otto in place of others for she no longer wanted to be in this world. The path that her storyline undertook was brilliant to read about and out of the three young women she was the one for me who did a complete 360 from book one to book three. Maturity is one word which springs to mind when I think of her journey.
As for Josette, in the first two books I found her to be so infuriating and whingy. Always moaning no one loved her and all she wanted was love and to belong. She couldn’t see what was right at her door. I felt she would have betrayed the group given half a chance but again here she transforms. Her plot in this book was like her redemption. I think she surprised herself and her friends. She really stepped up when needed and there were certain things she did that I knew when first meeting her wouldn’t have been plausible or achievable at all. She pushed herself deeply out of her comfort zone and worked as part of a team. She was less hard and closed off although opening herself to love proved challenging for her. She played her role well throughout and fitted much more into he group.
The War Orphan’s Courage was a fantastic conclusion to what has been a brilliant trilogy from beginning to end from Jenna Ness. I’m genuinely sad that I won’t be given the opportunity to read more about Margot, Lucie, Josette and co. The character development has been phenomenal seeing them transform from young innocent girls living in an orphanage to tough, brave and stalwart young women. They certainly are not the same people that I met in book one. It’s just a pity that they had to go through such devastating, hard and brutal times and grow up so quickly to achieve this transformation. I adored this series and really didn’t feel like leaving once I had reached the final page. It was a bittersweet moment as the plot was expertly developed and flowed wonderfully throughout the three books reaching an exciting climax. The writing throughout was realistic, vibrant and thrilling and you never know what was around the corner. You’ll feel a whole myriad of emotions and be rooting for each character. Those you may not have warmed to in the beginning, yes I’m talking about Josette, she was the one who really surprised me. Little did I think reading book one that I would come to admire and respect her for actions and the changes within her. This book is packed full of twists and turns, raw emotions, action, romance and lots more and I couldn’t recommend it and the series enough. The further I got into the storyline I thought this trilogy as a whole would make a perfect drama series. It has all the ingredients to make it a smash hit. In the meantime do yourself a favour and make sure to read all three books I assure you, you won’t be left disappointed.
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