Daughter of The Dawn by Marion Kummerow

Today I pass the blog baton to Mandie for her review of Daughter of the Dawn, the fourth book in the Margarete’s Journey series from Marion Kummerow. With thanks to publisher Bookouture for the early copy and the tour invite, here’s what the book is all about:

About the Book

1944, Germany: The war is still raging, as a young woman named Margarete hides from the Nazis in plain sight. With each day that passes, she takes more risks. But will one of those risks ultimately take her to the most evil place on earth?

After a bombing led to her identity being mistaken, Margarete Rosenbaum has been living disguised as one of the Nazis themselves, for almost the entire war.

But secretly—aided by Stefan, a resistance fighter she’s becoming impossibly drawn to—she is trying to liberate the Jewish workers sent to work on the land she’s inherited, and to sabotage the work of the factory she’s meant to be in charge of.

She knows that every day she is risking her life. But she also knows what she has to do. Because it could be her on the other side of the barbed wire fence. And for every person she saves from the Nazis, it’s worth it.

Until she is discovered. And to protect the people she had been helping, she knows she must accept her fate. Even when they send her to the very place she’s hoped to save her prisoners from: Auschwitz… Where no one comes out alive. As the war moves towards its brutal end, will she survive to see Stefan again?

A totally heartbreaking story about courage, love and betrayal, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Beneath a Scarlet Sky and All the Light We Cannot See.

Mandie’s Thoughts

This is the final instalment in the Margarete Rosenbaum series, and it has certainly been quite the journey for her as she worked hard to keep her true identity a secret, never knowing who she could truly trust. She is still living her life as Annegret Huber, but it is a life now truly in danger as she is being blackmailed by a high-ranking German officer who is aware of who she truly is. As long as she keeps paying him, her identity will remain a secret and her uncle will stay alive. Left with no other choice she has to do as he asks but as the money runs out she has to return to Berlin to sell jewellery and this is when her life unravels as she is betrayed by a face from her past.

Margarete has managed to make the lives of so many prisoners bearable during her time pretending to be Annegret, but it has come at a cost to both her and those around her. All the secrecy is taking its toll on her so I can kind of understand why she went against all advice to connect with someone who knew who she really was even though you just knew that it would not be a good idea. As she finally finds herself in the one place she has been doing everything to avoid then it becomes clear that no one is now safe.

Daughter of the Dawn charts the final stages of the war and includes events that took place alongside the story of the lives of Margarete, Oliver, Dora, and Stefan, each of them sacrificing so much in the quest to do what is right. Whilst not all of them will have the happy ending you would hope for it is the seamless blending of fact and fiction that has the reader turning page after page to follow their story to the end. I have really enjoyed following Margarete as she navigated her way through the war and her secret identity. It is clear that Marion Kummerow has a real passion, and it shows in her writing. This period in history is often written about and the reader has been given it a different twist, as the author managed to convey the horrors of the time whilst giving the reader a story of hope.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author of historical fiction.

Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and perpetual resilience.

She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, make difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

After dipping her toes with non-fiction books, she finally tackled the project dear to her heart. UNRELENTING is the story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime. It’s a book about resilience, love and the courage to stand up and do the right thing.

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