Blog Tour: Girl at War by Sara Novic

Title: Girl at War
Author: Sara Novic
Published: 21st May 2015
Publisher: Little Brown

Today I am deligthted to be part of the blog tour for Girl at War by Sara Novic. I have a review of the book to share with you. Honestly this book is so poignant and powerful debut. The other stops on the tour are listed below so do check out their blogs for some other great content.

Review
Girl at War is a truly powerful, haunting debut from Sara Novic that has made an unforgettable impression upon me.
We are first introduced to ten year old Ana Juric, living in Zagreb, Croatia in the midst of civil war. The seriousness of the war is on the outskirts of her ten year old mind and her and her friends Luka see it as a game with the generator bike that works the electricity in the air raid shelters and the sandbags as just part of their playscape. But all too soon the way takes on its true sinister form and is no longer a game. Fast forward ten years and Ana is now in New York but she keeps her past hidden from others and even herself. She knows that she must go back to Zagreb to face up to her demons and rediscover the place she once called home.
Sara really reaches out to the readers emotions with her amazing writing. This is truly a beautiful piece of work. I am so impressed with the detail and care that has gone into making Sara's debut as impressive as it is. It makes for some compelling reading and we get to see the stark contrast of Ana living through the war and its aftermath effects on her character.
Girl at War managed to immerse me in Ana's story so easily. I was struck by how Sara really manages to touch upon the reader's emotions. I really felt like I was right there with Ana and experiencing and feeling everything she is going through. There is one scene in this harrowing story that stayed with me throughout the whole book. It really got to me and made the Croation war feel all the more real. It was also heartbreaking to read Ana's childlike innocence stolen from her far too soon and to read about the true brutality of war. There were many parts to this that were shocking and so sad to read. Sara gives a harrowing account on the war in Croatia that I found so hard to believe only happened just over two decades ago. 
Girl at War has managed to make an impression upon me that very few novels have. This is historical fiction at some of its very best.