Dark Shadows Hover

by Jordan Steven Sher

A young Bosnian-Jewish boy escapes transport to a WWII death camp, joining Tito’s Partisans to fight the Nazi and Axis powers, and faces what no child should ever have to.

This biographical fiction based on the early adolescence of Moris Albahari dives into the little-known events in the former Yugoslavia during World War II. Moris’s harrowing story takes him from the small city of Drvar, Bosnia, escaping transport to a Croatian death camp, and eventually joining Tito’s Partisans. Now, he must face the onslaught of the Nazis and their collaborators.

As a Partisan, Moris hides his Jewish identity fearing reprisals. This adds a layer to the hardships he endures as a liberation fighter in a country that has many factions fighting each other, while trying to defeat the fascist invaders. All the while, he doesn’t know if his family is alive. He feels alone within his fighting unit, except for a few trusted friends. His is a story of loneliness, grief, heartache, inner conflict, and ultimately the jagged edges of resilience.

Moris’s traumatic wartime experience will touch you with its heart-wrenching saga during the most heinous event in human history in a region steeped in its own long-standing history of conflict.

276 pages, Hardcover

Published January 26, 2025

Reviews

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book moved really slowly, considering the topic. In the e-book version, it was about 80 pages before the main character escaped from the train headed toward a concentration camp.

The best way that I can explain it is to say that I felt like the pacing of the book was more in line with a non-fiction book than with a historical fiction novel. The dialogue needed some work. It felt a bit choppy. It almost felt like it was a translation from another language, where it didn't translate well.

There were a few places in the story where I felt like the story skipped ahead or didn't fully connect. When reading historical fiction that's based on a true story, I like to know what parts of the story were real and what parts were made-up. The author didn't include that.

This book did include some swearing. There were mentions of violence, including very subtle mentions of rape, but it wasn't graphic violence or graphic sexual content.

I received a free ARC from BookSirens, and I provided a voluntary review.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a young adult, wartime, coming of age story based on real life. The bulk of the story is about a teenage boy while he lives in the woods with the Partisans, who are fighting for Yugoslavia under Tito. But the book started with the main character as a young boy, and I found it hard to get into. However, these early days are important to provide the background necessary to see how much he grows up over the course of the story, from little Momma’s boy to a young man fighting for his country. The storyline is the book’s strong point, and a good reminder of the hardship of war, notably on youth. Unfortunately, the pacing was choppy at times and the dialogue somewhat stilted, and the writing wasn’t conducive to seeing or feeling anything that was described.
I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting novel as far as Moric and his unbelievable resilience and courage are concerned. I always enjoy reading about people whose strength of survival is a lesson of life for everyone else. However, I feel this story should have been written as a biography. Indeed, the dialogues did not feel right somehow, to me they were clumsily expressed. When the narrative was about facts, it felt much better as if the author felt more at ease in this particular writing style as opposed to novel writing.
I received a digital copy of this novel from BookSiren and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

[Su Thor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read much on the Yugoslavian Sephardic Jews who lived in that region and because of this, Dark Shadows Hover was of great interest to me. It is based on the true story of the young Jewish partisan Moris Albahari who escapes and survives the war as a fighter. Jordan Steven Sher has done a good job bringing Moris (and others) to life. It is a story which should find it's way into school libraries - it is important for the next generations to know the struggles people faced in the past, in the hope that they never happen again. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julie Brill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Shadows Hover is based on the true story of the young Jewish partisan Moris Albahari who escapes and survives the war as a fighter. Thank you Jordan Sher for centering your beautiful book on the unknown story of the Sephardic Jews from the former Yugoslavia. An engrossing, memorable, and important book for young adult and adult readers. I hope it finds its way into libraries, classrooms, and homes across the globe.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of " Dark Shadows Hover", by Jordan Steven Sher via LibraryThing. I must admit, I knew very little about the events happening in former Yugoslavia during WWII. This was a very interesting and educational book. Jordan Steven Sher did a great job of telling this story. The characters were alive and interesting.