Blood for Blood

Gr 7 Up—This sequel to Wolf by Wolf continues the tale of Yael—a shape-shifting assassin in an alternative 1950s Europe and Asia in which the Nazis won World War II. Posing as Adele Wolfe, Yael has completed the Axis Tour motorcycle race and shot the Führer on the dance floor at the Victor's Ball. It is then that she discovers that her victim is a doppelgänger like herself rather than the real Adolf Hitler. In a dramatic escape from the SS, she rescues her fellow racers Luka Löwe and Felix Wolfe, Adele's brother. The three flee across the globe, trying to return to Germania as the world descends into a bloody revolution. Along the way, they encounter Soviet guerrillas, Resistance fighters, and ghosts from their pasts. Graudin has crafted a fast-paced historical fantasy that movingly transports readers into a world of hard choices, great injustice, and daring acts of love. The romantic elements are touching and wholesome and provide a welcome counterbalance to the fight scenes and military details. The story's conclusion, while not a completely happy ending, is all the more satisfying for its notes of sorrow.