This Rebel heart

 By: Katherine Locke

Location: FIC LOC

Genre: Historical Fiction

Review by Kate

 This was just STUNNING. Even as someone interested in history, I'd never come across much about twentieth century Hungary before and this was a fascinating look at the 1956 Revolution and how memories of WWII affected people's feelings during the Cold War in ways I hadn't necessarily thought about before. It's fully of great, complicated characters - Csilla is definitely a new favorite YA heroine for me - and gorgeous, lyrical writing. I loved the way Csilla's magic was rooted in her Judaism and her complicated feelings about the city and country she was trying to save. Also great LGBTQ+ rep of various kinds across the characters and I adored the central relationship. Highly highly recommended!

In the middle of Budapest, there is a river. Csilla knows the river is magic. During WWII, the river kept her family safe when they needed it most―safe from the Holocaust. But that was before the Communists seized power. Before her parents were murdered by the Soviet police. Before Csilla knew things about her father’s legacy that she wishes she could forget. Now Csilla keeps her head down, planning her escape from this country that has never loved her the way she loves it. But her carefully laid plans fall to pieces when her parents are unexpectedly, publicly exonerated. As the protests in other countries spur talk of a larger revolution in Hungary, Csilla must decide if she believes in the promise and magic of her deeply flawed country enough to risk her life to help save it, or if she should let it burn to the ground. With queer representation, fabulist elements, and a pivotal but little-known historical moment, This Rebel Heart is Katherine Locke’s tour de force.