The Darkest Hour

The Darkest Hour
Age Range
12+
Release Date
July 26, 2016
ISBN
9780545801270
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Never underestimate a pretty face. My name is Lucie Blaise. I am sixteen years old. I have many aliases, but I am none of the girls you see. What I am is the newest agent of Covert Ops. And we are here to take down Hitler. After the Nazis killed my brother on the North African front, I volunteered at the Office of Strategic Services in Washington, DC, to do my part for the war effort. Only instead of a desk job at the OSS, I was tapped to join Covert Ops -- a secret espionage and sabotage organization of girls. Six months ago, I was deployed to German-occupied France to gather intelligence and eliminate Nazi targets. My current mission: Track down and interrogate a Nazi traitor about a weapon that threatens to wipe out all of Western Europe. Then find and dismantle the weapon before Hitler detonates it. But the deeper I infiltrate, the more danger I'm in. Because the fate of the free world hangs in the balance, and trusting the wrong person could cause millions of lives to be lost. Including my own.

Editor reviews

2 reviews
The Darkest Hour
(Updated: July 22, 2016)
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
N/A
Characters
 
N/A
Writing Style
 
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
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Sixteen-year-old Lucie Blaise is a spy in Paris during the Nazi occupation. This is one way she deals with the loss of her beloved brother who was killed while serving in the North Africa campaign. While in Paris she becomes part of the Covert Ops-a secret espionage unit. Her mission is to gather intelligence and eliminate Nazi targets. In this world of espionage, not all is what it seems. This includes knowing who is on your side or who is playing both sides. Trusting the wrong person can lead to the loss of millions of innocent lives including your own.

What worked: The premise of girl spy in Nazi occupied Paris is very intriguing. I love to hear about the war from a girl's point of view. This story isn't as gritty as some others out there but still shows the horrors of war and what some behind the resistance did to fight back.

Lucie comes across at first as being over eager to show her superiors that she has what it takes to be a spy. I like how readers see her hesitation to kill enemies. This give her vulnerabilities and soften what could have been an one dimension character. The letters from her dead brother add to her character and show why it's so important to her to succeed in bringing the Nazis down. I liked that added touch.

The other fellow spies weren't as complex though. Sabine is almost too hard core and even at times predictable with her behavior. I wished we could have had more interaction between Tilly and Lucie at the beginning. As it is the story moves very fast with the girls running against being captured by the Nazis.

The Parisian back drop including an unique twist on where the headquarters of the OSS added to the story. Also some of the weapons Lucie and her fellow spies used were intriguing and gave a 007 feel.

One thing I did have issues with had to be how predictable the story line was along with the 'reveal' of who the double agent was. I kind of figured out what the secret mission involved and who was behind it all. Though I did find the idea of the serum fascinating.

Intriguing glimpse into a female agent in Nazi occupied Paris. Fans of A CODE NAME VERITY are sure to enjoy this recent addition of a female heroine of WWII.
Good Points
1. Intriguing look into a female spy during WWII
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