The Pact (The Blood Sisters #1)
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- Create Date：2023-01-18 02:19:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Roberta Kagan
- ISBN：B0BL7WTYMW
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Summary
Austria 1929
When three little girls—Anna， Bernie， and Elica—make a pact to be blood sisters for life， they believe nothing can come between them。
Anna is from an affluent Jewish family， while Bernie and Elica are from poor Austrian families who barely make ends meet。 As they get older， their social differences become all too real。
With infectious Jew-hate-laden rhetoric from Nazi Germany spreading into Austria， it is only a matter of time before their bond of friendship gets severely tested。
How strong is a bond sealed in blood？
When three little girls—Anna， Bernie， and Elica—make a pact to be blood sisters for life， they believe nothing can come between them。
Anna is from an affluent Jewish family， while Bernie and Elica are from poor Austrian families who barely make ends meet。 As they get older， their social differences become all too real。
With infectious Jew-hate-laden rhetoric from Nazi Germany spreading into Austria， it is only a matter of time before their bond of friendship gets severely tested。
How strong is a bond sealed in blood？
Reviews
Maranda Barry
，
The Pact has a good premise: three very different girls during one time period。 It had smidges of a coming of age story， dashes of historical fiction， and lots of young adult elements， all of which would entice young adult readers。The dialogue seemed rather simplistic and forced sometimes。 The girls had a bond， yes， but thinking that the parents never checked up on them or the community didn't see them together required a good bit of suspension of disbelief to make the story work。The plot is eas The Pact has a good premise: three very different girls during one time period。 It had smidges of a coming of age story， dashes of historical fiction， and lots of young adult elements， all of which would entice young adult readers。The dialogue seemed rather simplistic and forced sometimes。 The girls had a bond， yes， but thinking that the parents never checked up on them or the community didn't see them together required a good bit of suspension of disbelief to make the story work。The plot is easy to grasp， easy to follow， and I think this is a nice companion piece to many WWII stories （like Night） that are common in classrooms + maturationally appropriate。 It'll be interesting to see how the entire series plays out。。。Overall: 3。5/5 starsI'll tell my students about: language， sex， trauma， murder， alcohol， smoking， prejudice， war， anti-semistism， LGBTQIA+， physical violence**Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for the free ARC prior to publication。 All opinions expressed are my own。** 。。。more
Amy
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This story set in pre-war Austria and follows the lives of four girls， Anna， Elica， Bernie， and Dagna。 Even though they are separated by social class and religion， they form a tight “blood bond” of friendship。 This innocent but meaningful pact gets tested through the growing anti-Semitic times and simply the act of growing up。 Although the plot moved real slow， I was mesmerized by the character development。 The story is written well， but it seemed to have an abrupt ending。 I would’ve like to see This story set in pre-war Austria and follows the lives of four girls， Anna， Elica， Bernie， and Dagna。 Even though they are separated by social class and religion， they form a tight “blood bond” of friendship。 This innocent but meaningful pact gets tested through the growing anti-Semitic times and simply the act of growing up。 Although the plot moved real slow， I was mesmerized by the character development。 The story is written well， but it seemed to have an abrupt ending。 I would’ve like to see some closure。 3+stars。 。。。more
Aussie Educator
，
Do you like historical fiction set during WWII？ It is a favourite genre of mine and I have read many books set during this period as a result。 So hoe does “The Pact” stack up？ I think it does some things well。 Getting into the minds of children during this time period of 1929-39 Vienna is not easy。 How much would a child know about the world around them and the pressures faced by Jews v。 Other Austrians？ The social divide between Anna and her friends is captured well and the constraints faced by Do you like historical fiction set during WWII？ It is a favourite genre of mine and I have read many books set during this period as a result。 So hoe does “The Pact” stack up？ I think it does some things well。 Getting into the minds of children during this time period of 1929-39 Vienna is not easy。 How much would a child know about the world around them and the pressures faced by Jews v。 Other Austrians？ The social divide between Anna and her friends is captured well and the constraints faced by her father as a Jewish man owning and trying to run a factory。 Prejudices in adults as well as children are clearly demonstrated in realistic ways for the most part。 I don't see Anna's parents allowing her to go to Berlin in the timeframe given though， they are cautious people and would have understood the political context much better than their daughter。What dragged this book down from a higher rating was how often things were said or even repeated in the thought world of the characters when the plot needed to keep moving rather than be slowed down by this report on of facts or thoughts。 The middle section did drag and the last third could have had more time to go through some of the issues explored in a more holistic way。 I also thought it would be a stand alone novel but seems to be part of a series so was wondering toward the end how a resolution could be reached so close to the end…。alas， we have to wait for the next instalment。Thanks to Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Delina
，
The story focuses on three （four） girls who become 'blood sisters' at 11 and plan to be best friends thier whole lives。 Anna starts out a wealthy Jew， her friends Elcina and Bernie are poverty stricken gentiles。 This is how the 'original ' conflicts of jealousy and discord occur amongst the girls。 As they grow， bigger issues come up such as the Austrian sympathizing with Hitler's Germany， class differences and of course they have to throw in some LBGT。 （eyeroll） The story ends on a rather sharp The story focuses on three （four） girls who become 'blood sisters' at 11 and plan to be best friends thier whole lives。 Anna starts out a wealthy Jew， her friends Elcina and Bernie are poverty stricken gentiles。 This is how the 'original ' conflicts of jealousy and discord occur amongst the girls。 As they grow， bigger issues come up such as the Austrian sympathizing with Hitler's Germany， class differences and of course they have to throw in some LBGT。 （eyeroll） The story ends on a rather sharp cliffhanger which was rather disappointing。 Pros: the truth is people grow and change and sadly many friends of Jews turned their backs on them when they needed help。Cons: there was a lot of repeated information and sections that should have been edited out。 The lesbian storyline was unnecessary。 The idea that lying is so easy and the only way to grow up was just ridiculous。 Overall， I felt like the original appeal of the book was to younger girls but as they get older there is a lot of sex talk that wouldn't be appropriate for that age group。 So I am not sure who this book is trying to reach。 。。。more
Tara
，
A story of the bonds of friendship and the power of love。 While the book wasn't what I expected， I enjoyed the writing style and storyline。 The characters were both lovable and hateful and I enjoyed following them along on their journeys。 I will definitely check out the rest of the series as I want to know what happened to everyone！Thank you to Netgalley and the Book Whisperer for this advanced reader copy。 A story of the bonds of friendship and the power of love。 While the book wasn't what I expected， I enjoyed the writing style and storyline。 The characters were both lovable and hateful and I enjoyed following them along on their journeys。 I will definitely check out the rest of the series as I want to know what happened to everyone！Thank you to Netgalley and the Book Whisperer for this advanced reader copy。 。。。more
Kelly
，
Set in the years leading up to and including the rise of Hitler， this book focuses upon four girls who make a pact to be blood sisters when they were young。 The girls are a diverse group。 Anna is wealthy and Jewish。 Elica is a natural beauty and poor。 Bernie is kindhearted and a lesbian。 Dagna is cruelhearted and poor。I found it a stretch that the girls stayed together as a group as long as they did， but it was a quick read with some twists。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance Set in the years leading up to and including the rise of Hitler， this book focuses upon four girls who make a pact to be blood sisters when they were young。 The girls are a diverse group。 Anna is wealthy and Jewish。 Elica is a natural beauty and poor。 Bernie is kindhearted and a lesbian。 Dagna is cruelhearted and poor。I found it a stretch that the girls stayed together as a group as long as they did， but it was a quick read with some twists。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bookbug_40
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Set in 1929， Austria， when Nazi，Germany is spreading it's hate and cruelty against Jews。 Three little eight year old girls， Anna， Bernie and Elicia nade a blood pact to support each other always and became blood sisters。 Anna， a sweet and kind girl， is from a rich Jew family and Elicia is their maid's daughter。 Anna loved her friends deeply。 Elicia and Bernie are from poor non Jews families。 As they grew older their social differences challenges their bond several times。 It's their story of sur Set in 1929， Austria， when Nazi，Germany is spreading it's hate and cruelty against Jews。 Three little eight year old girls， Anna， Bernie and Elicia nade a blood pact to support each other always and became blood sisters。 Anna， a sweet and kind girl， is from a rich Jew family and Elicia is their maid's daughter。 Anna loved her friends deeply。 Elicia and Bernie are from poor non Jews families。 As they grew older their social differences challenges their bond several times。 It's their story of survival amid heartbreaks， prejudice， discrimination and finding freedom and happiness。A superbly written book with intense emotions and painful experiences。 Characters are defined throughly。 Story of finding happiness and love in hatred filled surroundings。 I liked the writing style which is easy to relate。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Beth
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I love WWII historical fiction and has high hopes for this book。 The premise first of all seemed interesting at first but very shortly into the book I found the writing to be very repetitive and almost simple。 Trying to get past that I found a lot of the story to be both improbable and hard to buy into。 It felt like the same thing happened over and over （for example one of the characters tried to betray Anna so many times and Anna just kept going back to being “friends” with her）。 I appreciate N I love WWII historical fiction and has high hopes for this book。 The premise first of all seemed interesting at first but very shortly into the book I found the writing to be very repetitive and almost simple。 Trying to get past that I found a lot of the story to be both improbable and hard to buy into。 It felt like the same thing happened over and over （for example one of the characters tried to betray Anna so many times and Anna just kept going back to being “friends” with her）。 I appreciate Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
，
The book began well。 Three friends take blood oaths to always be true friends， despite their economic differences。 However， I found most of the characters， except Bernie， to be quite unlikable。 I knew what Elica would do and with whom amd I was correct。 Daniel was a complete louse and although I don’t wish harm on people， I wish a lot on Dagna。Anna is too gullible and trusting。What I found hard to accept was the notion that the main characters， including Ulf， acted like they hadn’t heard much ab The book began well。 Three friends take blood oaths to always be true friends， despite their economic differences。 However， I found most of the characters， except Bernie， to be quite unlikable。 I knew what Elica would do and with whom amd I was correct。 Daniel was a complete louse and although I don’t wish harm on people， I wish a lot on Dagna。Anna is too gullible and trusting。What I found hard to accept was the notion that the main characters， including Ulf， acted like they hadn’t heard much about Hitler， although the time frame in the book I’m referencing was 1937-1938。This is the first book in the series， but I some issues with it。 However， I am curious to see if Dagna gets what she has coming，Thanks to The Book Whisperer and NetGalley for the early read。 。。。more
Susan Matthews
，
The premise of this book is endearing - 3 young women of different backgrounds forging a friendship that will， hopefully， last over time despite the challenges thrown at it。 The character development seems to be largely through the exposure of their thoughts。 Constantly learning what the person is thinking， rather than necessarily doing， left little for the reader to conjecture。 As I read each character’s internal thoughts and arguments， I felt a little cheated that I was not allowed to ruminate The premise of this book is endearing - 3 young women of different backgrounds forging a friendship that will， hopefully， last over time despite the challenges thrown at it。 The character development seems to be largely through the exposure of their thoughts。 Constantly learning what the person is thinking， rather than necessarily doing， left little for the reader to conjecture。 As I read each character’s internal thoughts and arguments， I felt a little cheated that I was not allowed to ruminate on the issue at hand。 All in all， however， the book was a good story about friendship and the changing times in Austria and German prior to World War II。 。。。more
Danielle K
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I enjoyed this book for the most part！ I thought the writing was amazing， and she did a fantastic job of giving background to each of the girl’s stories。 I think I enjoyed that part the most。 It definitely felt a bit more like a YA type drama than just a historical text， but that was a positive for me。 The book obviously leaves it open for a sequel in the future with that cliffhanger。 Thank you to the author， NetGalley， and Book Whisperer for the e-arc ！
Tanya
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W woman are friends who decide they will become sisters in a pact。 One is from a family with money and the challenges will grow between them。 A beautiful read which you may need tissues as you get caught up in their emotions
Ailurophile
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"That's what I love about reading。 You can go to places that are scary and dangerous without ever leaving the safety of your room。" I was incredibly excited to pick this book up。 I have relatives who are Jewish and novels set in the WWII time period are incredibly resonant to me。 This time period also， almost by definition， tends to provide a lot of drama and conflict that it's easy to sink your teeth into。The book opens with a bang in 1940， and if the first chapter were the only thing I had to "That's what I love about reading。 You can go to places that are scary and dangerous without ever leaving the safety of your room。" I was incredibly excited to pick this book up。 I have relatives who are Jewish and novels set in the WWII time period are incredibly resonant to me。 This time period also， almost by definition， tends to provide a lot of drama and conflict that it's easy to sink your teeth into。The book opens with a bang in 1940， and if the first chapter were the only thing I had to go on I would have said this could surely be an international bestseller。 In it， the main protagonist （Anna） and her family are discovered by the gestapo。 I was immediately on the edge of my seat and dying to know what happens next。Unfortunately what happens next is that we are taken back to Anna's childhood and her relationship with two friends， Elisa and Bernie， and one frenemy， Dagna （who bizarrely is not currently mentioned in the book description despite being a huge part of the story）。 We flash forward to the 1940 capture again only twice-- once about a third of the way through the book and once at the very end。 These sections were gripping。 The book ends on a cliff-hanger so amazing that it made me want to read the next book in the series， something I'd have said was unlikely 10 pages before。 Despite the problems I am about to describe， the book generally held my attention， and I think Kagan is a writer with solid ideas for plot and it's execution。 Unfortunately， all of the main characters but one were unlikable。 Anna vacillates between almost too naïve to be believed and profoundly observant-- for instance she literally does not know that lesbians exist， and truly thinks an anti-Semite she's dating won't care once she tells him she's a Jew。 But！ as a child， she's able to divine that her maid is upset with her not for anything actually having to do with her， but because being around her makes the maid's daughter want expensive things。 It was sometimes hard to feel like Anna was a real person。In the meantime， Dagna is a raging anti-Semite， unbelievably manipulative， and cruel。 Elisa is shallow， vain， and incredibly stupid， as well as disloyal。 It was hard to feel any sympathy for them。 Bernie was kind， principled， and level headed， but forgettable for much of the book， as the main focus of the book is Anna and she thinks far more about Elisa and Dagna。 While there's hope that some of the following points may be cleared up in the final print edition， the way the dialogue was written throughout was stilted and awkward。 The characters all spoke to one another very formally and unnaturally， even for the time period。 A lot of the text was repetitive or told instead of showing。 For example at one point we are told Anna loves books; one sentence later we are told Anna loves to read。 This could have been effectively shown by her regularly going to a library or reading， and in fact it was later， so this felt pointless。 Descriptions were often simplistic。 For example one character is simply described as having "a chubby face， bright blue eyes， and light brown hair"。 I don't think authors should wax poetic about every little thing， but it felt forced， not like I was coming upon information naturally in the course of the story。A final pet peeve was that， whenever a Jewish character would say a Hebrew or Yiddish word out loud to another Jewish character， they would immediately verbally follow it with the English translation， as though another Jewish person would not know what the word goyim meant。 I understand the desire for the audience to understand the dialogue but I think it would have been better to let them figure it out from context， or from another character's thoughts on the remarks made， or even， if necessary， from Google。 I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction set during WWII， and those who are all about a good cliffhanger。 I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
Roberta Kagan is the author of over 30 books， most of them about World War II。 In her own words Ms。 Kagan says， “I am trying to reach out and touch many people， not with the message of the horrors but with the promise of hope。” She is very humble in her desire to tell the stories of the brave people of that time。 The Pact is set in Vienna in the time leading up to the War。 It is about a group of young girls who decide to mix their blood to show that they will always be the best of friends， alway Roberta Kagan is the author of over 30 books， most of them about World War II。 In her own words Ms。 Kagan says， “I am trying to reach out and touch many people， not with the message of the horrors but with the promise of hope。” She is very humble in her desire to tell the stories of the brave people of that time。 The Pact is set in Vienna in the time leading up to the War。 It is about a group of young girls who decide to mix their blood to show that they will always be the best of friends， always available to help one another。 Anna is Jewish。 She goes to a Jewish school and her family is well-to-do。 The other girls come from poor families and one of their mothers is the maid for Anna's family， which is how the girls met。 The Pact covers the girls' relationships for ten years， beginning with the blood sister pact when they were eight years old and ending around the time of the Anschluss， Germany's annexation of Austria。 It has a cliffhanger ending and there will be a second book about the group。 The story flows easily and the girls and their experiences are interesting。 It at times seems as if it were written for a younger audience。 The author quite often uses a narrative of a character's thoughts even though it is obvious to the reader what the character's emotions are。 The four girls are a rather clichéd group - the smart girl， the pretty girl， the lesbian， and the bully。 I felt that Anna， the Jewish girl， wanting to go to Berlin in 1939 and her parents encouraging it was far-fetched。 They were aware of the bad feelings toward Jews and the bad things happening to Jews in Germany。 All in all， though， the book was interesting and enjoyable。 Thank you to NetGalley and Roberta Kagan Publishing for the ARC of the book。 。。。more
Donna
，
An amazing and moving story。 Anna is a strong character and her beliefs in her blood sisters is pure。 What she and her family endured being Jewish， is beyond comprehending。 So many who were rich， had it all， but lost to Hitler。 The suffering and hatred， but they still hung on for a better tomorrow。 I was given an ARC of this book by the author for an honest review。
Shirley McAllister
，
Blood SistersLove， Sisterhood， Compassion， Jealousy， Bitterness and Forgiveness are all packed into this beautifully written story about four young girls。 It's a story of growing up in a turbulent time， coming of age and realizing the differences that society places on people。 How not only a difference in religion and culture， but also in social standing can often cause damage and even destroy relationships。 This story follows these four girls Anna （a girl from a wealthy Jewish family）， Elica， B Blood SistersLove， Sisterhood， Compassion， Jealousy， Bitterness and Forgiveness are all packed into this beautifully written story about four young girls。 It's a story of growing up in a turbulent time， coming of age and realizing the differences that society places on people。 How not only a difference in religion and culture， but also in social standing can often cause damage and even destroy relationships。 This story follows these four girls Anna （a girl from a wealthy Jewish family）， Elica， Bernie and Dagna girls from poor Austrian families。 Elica， Bernie and Anna are close friends in childhood， they form a group and they become blood sisters through a pact， they do not want to but they must include Dagna who wishes to be part of the group and is Elica's friend because she will tell Elica and Bernie's parents they are associating with the Jewish girl Anna。 The book is about the girls， it is about society and whether or not close relationships can stand the limits placed on them by society， by differences and by circumstances。 The girls lives， loves and experiences in the takeover of Austria by Hitler's henchmen。 It was a story of friendship and of betrayal and of redemption。 The story started off interesting and ended with a bang of a cliffhanger for the next book in the series。 If you are looking for a new series to read I would recommend this one。 Thanks to Roberta Kagan for writing yet another great book ， to The Book Whisperer for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review。 。。。more
Kims。reading。nook
，
Four young girls living in Vienna in the 1920's make a blood pact that they swear will bind them as sisters forever。 Over the course of a decade， life changes drastically as WWII begins and their bond is tested in ways that could be lethal。 Anna， a wealthy Jewish girl， is hyper aware that there are many in Vienna who disapprove of 'her kind'。 The daughter of her hoisemaid， Elica is absolutely beautiful and attracts a lot of attention， but struggles with the class divide between the two families。 Four young girls living in Vienna in the 1920's make a blood pact that they swear will bind them as sisters forever。 Over the course of a decade， life changes drastically as WWII begins and their bond is tested in ways that could be lethal。 Anna， a wealthy Jewish girl， is hyper aware that there are many in Vienna who disapprove of 'her kind'。 The daughter of her hoisemaid， Elica is absolutely beautiful and attracts a lot of attention， but struggles with the class divide between the two families。 Sweet Bernie comes from a particularly impoverished family and is grappling with feelings of love that she doesn't know how to handle。 Dagna may have forced her way into the blood pact， but this hasn't changed the extremely negative way she views Jewish people （including Anna）。 As these four unlikely friends face a changing political landscape， will they stick together or will their differences pull them apart？ I really enjoyed this book and thought the cliffhanger ending was incredible！ I didn't see it coming and think that author Roberta Kagan has done a brilliant job at ensuring that the second book in the series will be one no fan will miss！ Occasionally I felt that the language spoken by the characters was almost broken English， or similar to someone for whom English was a second language， which only bothered me as the characters would be conversing in their own language and therefore there wouldn't be any language barriers。 Thank you to Netgalley， author Roberta Kagan and The Book Whisperer for this ARC copy to read and review。 。。。more
Rik
，
This was a heartwarming story of a difficult time in history。 The author portrayed each of the characters on many different emotional levels。 I wish the story would continue so that although we all know what happened in history， we would be able to stay attached to the characters we have become fond of through the story。
Andrea
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The Pact was not the story I thought it was going to be。 In fact， for a book that leads up to and into World War II/Holocaust， which isn't my usual book of choice， it's overall very different。 Yes， the story overall is formulaic in nature， but given the time periods， the people and the ages involved， everything makes sense。 The best part of the book is the ending - am not saying this meaning that I was glad the book ended。 I mean this in the sense of that I liked the ending。 However， beware， rea The Pact was not the story I thought it was going to be。 In fact， for a book that leads up to and into World War II/Holocaust， which isn't my usual book of choice， it's overall very different。 Yes， the story overall is formulaic in nature， but given the time periods， the people and the ages involved， everything makes sense。 The best part of the book is the ending - am not saying this meaning that I was glad the book ended。 I mean this in the sense of that I liked the ending。 However， beware， read the book vs skipping to the end， because if not， you're missing out on a great story and you'll get an ending that doesn't make sense！ 。。。more
Devin
，
Decent story， if very predictable。 My only real issue with it is the dialogue。 Absolutely none of it sounds natural。 I think this book needs at least one more pass over by an editor。 If not that then at least the author needs to read some of this out loud。 I think that would would be very enlightening for her。Ends with zero resolution to anyone’s story。 Instead there’s just three cliffhangers and sequel bait。
Riley K。
，
Anna， Bernie， and Elica have made a pact to be blood sisters for life。 While they are from different socioeconomic classes， they don't let that stop them from being sisters for life。 As life goes on， their differences become more prevalent which puts their bonds to the test。 I thought that the story was well written。 The characters were not one dimensional and they showed growth。 The plot was amazing。 I cannot wait to read the next book。 Anna， Bernie， and Elica have made a pact to be blood sisters for life。 While they are from different socioeconomic classes， they don't let that stop them from being sisters for life。 As life goes on， their differences become more prevalent which puts their bonds to the test。 I thought that the story was well written。 The characters were not one dimensional and they showed growth。 The plot was amazing。 I cannot wait to read the next book。 。。。more
Trudy Dowling
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This is one of those times that I wish Goodreads and others used a sliding scale for ratings。 I want to give it more than three stars， but unfortunately I can't rate it with four stars。 The Pact is the story of four girls growing up in Austria。 Elica， Bernie and Dagna are living in poverty， the parents struggling to put food on the table。 Anna lives in luxury in a Jewish household。 They are brought together when Elica's mom needs to bring her to work at Anna's home。 A blood pact was to make them This is one of those times that I wish Goodreads and others used a sliding scale for ratings。 I want to give it more than three stars， but unfortunately I can't rate it with four stars。 The Pact is the story of four girls growing up in Austria。 Elica， Bernie and Dagna are living in poverty， the parents struggling to put food on the table。 Anna lives in luxury in a Jewish household。 They are brought together when Elica's mom needs to bring her to work at Anna's home。 A blood pact was to make them blood sisters forever。 They created what was supposed to be an unbreakable bond。 Prejudice can destroy anything， even friendship。 The Pact is a story that takes place before and at the beginning of World War 2。 I am grateful to the author for giving me a timeline by dating each chapter。 Two girls from different sides of the city come together in 1929 not yet influenced by the prejudice that surrounds them。 Much changes during from 1929 to 1940 when the story comes to an end。 The story reminds us that attitudes of World War 2 were there long before war broke out。 Elica and Anna remain friends as they reach school age when differences become more apparent。 Many citizens in Austria are becoming ugly。 The hatred for the Jewish people is spreading。 Adults opinions are becoming their children's opinions。 The hatred grows with time making me sadder and sadder with each chapter I read。 I had forgotten how mean kids could be。 It had never occurred to me that the Jewish people had to fear children almost as much as they feared adults。 The Pact is a great reminder that anyone can act without care。 The Pact was a very sad read especially knowing what the future held for the girls。 The Pact illustrates how easily innocence can be lost。 。。。more
SheRose13
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This is the first book by Roberta Kagan that I have read。 WW2 setting in Austria。 Three young friends， one Jewish， two not， grow up best friends despite cultural differences。 I loved this book！ Anxiously waiting for sequel！
Kate Baxter
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3。5 / 5。0 StarsThis story is of four young girls who seal their friendship through a pact of sisterhood in their elementary school years。 The story moves from 1929 Vienna to 1936 Berlin and reaffirms the universality of teenage angst and the associated emotional rollercoaster experienced as one passes through puberty and into young adulthood。 The girls are of differing socio-economic backgrounds which， although initially matters not in their young innocent lives， eventually becomes more prominen 3。5 / 5。0 StarsThis story is of four young girls who seal their friendship through a pact of sisterhood in their elementary school years。 The story moves from 1929 Vienna to 1936 Berlin and reaffirms the universality of teenage angst and the associated emotional rollercoaster experienced as one passes through puberty and into young adulthood。 The girls are of differing socio-economic backgrounds which， although initially matters not in their young innocent lives， eventually becomes more prominent and troublesome as they become aware of the darkening world through which they must negotiate。 Yet， through it all， the thread of friendship ultimately binds them to one another in ways that one could never imagine。 So begins "The Blood Sisters" series。I'll be honest， the beautiful cover art of this book captured my imagination。 Once I was into its pages though， the writing felt as though the story was intended for a younger audience than the cover might imply。 There was a strong morality thread strung through the story as though its intent was instructing young readers on what is acceptable behavior and what are the common pitfalls to which young people often succumb。 I noted a few historical inaccuracies which hopefully， were caught and corrected prior to publication。 This is a charming coming of age story， the setting of which just happens to take place in the years leading up to World War II。I am grateful to author Roberta Kagan for having provided a complimentary copy of this book。 Her generosity， however， has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone。Publisher: Roberta Kagan PublishingPublication date: January 7， 2023ISBN: 978-1957207247 。。。more
Lisa Gisèle
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Thank you netgalley for this ARC。 I am leaving an 100% honest review。I will start off by sayibg WWII Historical fiction has become a favorite of my mine。 The pact managed to be different then the average story on the book shelves， but ended a bit abruptly。 I aware that there is a second book coming （which makes me happy） but I do wish there was some sort of temp closure。 I didn't feel fulfilled upon completion。 Still it was a wonderful done book that did an excellent job telling the story of 3 （ Thank you netgalley for this ARC。 I am leaving an 100% honest review。I will start off by sayibg WWII Historical fiction has become a favorite of my mine。 The pact managed to be different then the average story on the book shelves， but ended a bit abruptly。 I aware that there is a second book coming （which makes me happy） but I do wish there was some sort of temp closure。 I didn't feel fulfilled upon completion。 Still it was a wonderful done book that did an excellent job telling the story of 3 （four including Dagna） including back story。 。。。more
Albanis
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The actual rating is 4。5This is a story about friendship and I really enjoyed it。 It makes me curious about the historical references， the writing was on point， really loved the way the author wrote this story and the evolution of the characters was really great （except for Dagna）。 The story is very interesting and the cliffhanger at the end made me want to read the next book， so I'll be sure to pick up the next one in this series。Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for for the eARC in ex The actual rating is 4。5This is a story about friendship and I really enjoyed it。 It makes me curious about the historical references， the writing was on point， really loved the way the author wrote this story and the evolution of the characters was really great （except for Dagna）。 The story is very interesting and the cliffhanger at the end made me want to read the next book， so I'll be sure to pick up the next one in this series。Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for for the eARC in exchange of a honest review。 。。。more
Caroline Hedges
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The idea was great， a sense of who betrayed Anna ran throughout the book， and I changed my mind numerous times。 What I didn’t enjoy was the dialogue。 All the girls shoulder the same。 The author didn’t give the four girls enough of an individual voice。 All the dialogue was stilted and unnatural。 It felt like the author was using dialogue to help move the plot line along rather than letting it evolve naturally through conversation。 This jarred me。 I also felt that it needed one more editorial go-t The idea was great， a sense of who betrayed Anna ran throughout the book， and I changed my mind numerous times。 What I didn’t enjoy was the dialogue。 All the girls shoulder the same。 The author didn’t give the four girls enough of an individual voice。 All the dialogue was stilted and unnatural。 It felt like the author was using dialogue to help move the plot line along rather than letting it evolve naturally through conversation。 This jarred me。 I also felt that it needed one more editorial go-through。 One paragraph used ‘Elica’s birthday’ about five times。 This repetition was annoying to me，I understand there will be another book after this one， so it ended on a cliffhanger。 I want to learn more about how Anna develops as a character， so I will look out for it。Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Natisha
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This was a beautiful told story of childhood friendships and the effect of external factors， tainting the innocence of these relationships as the girls grow older， set with a background of the Holocaust brewing in Germany and Austria。 The story starts in 1940， with Anna and her family being discovered in their hiding place in a friend's attic and then moves back to the 1930's to focus on the blood pact between 3 friends and a fourth girl who bullies her way into the group。 There is some focus on This was a beautiful told story of childhood friendships and the effect of external factors， tainting the innocence of these relationships as the girls grow older， set with a background of the Holocaust brewing in Germany and Austria。 The story starts in 1940， with Anna and her family being discovered in their hiding place in a friend's attic and then moves back to the 1930's to focus on the blood pact between 3 friends and a fourth girl who bullies her way into the group。 There is some focus on the Holocaust and the unrest that is stirring but largely the story focuses on the lives of the different girls and how religion and class divides and causes jealousy。 Anna is the daughter of a rich factory owner who had previously escaped a precarious situation in another country with his wife。 Elica is the beautiful daughter of Anna's housekeeper and the two have grown up together， becoming close friends。 They become friends with Bernie in school with Dagna， who is a bully and hates Anna for her religion， rounding out the group。 The story moves forward to the point where Anna's family is found hiding in the attic。 I hadn't realised that there was a sequel and was quite confused with the cliffhanger and loose threads， but I need to have it as soon as possible because that ending was something else。I loved how well Roberta shaped her characters， they were believable and reflective of how people justify their actions。 Anna is a kind girl， willing to go to great lengths to help her friends but it is sad that this is only reciprocated by Bernie who seems to be her only true friend。 3。5 Stars rounded downOverall， this was a good book and although I found some parts a bit rushed， it was a quick and easy read。Note to readers， particularly those of South African descent， there was a discussion of a book called Heart of Darkness and although they did not agree with the opinions， they did mention the people being from uncivilized tribes but still deserving of kindness which I found quite condescending。 。。。more
Mouna Rao
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I immensely enjoyed reading this book。 The story revolves around friendship， sisterhood， love， betrayal and above all life in general。 I loved the way of writing。 This is my first book from the author and I definitely look forward to reading more。Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC
Salma Khaled
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