The Altar Girl

Nadia Tesla #0.5

by Orest Stelmach

The daughter of uncompromising Ukrainian immigrants, Nadia was raised to respect guts, grit, and tradition. When the events around the seemingly accidental death of her estranged godfather don’t add up, Nadia is determined to discover the truth—even if she attracts the attention of dangerous men intent on finding out what she knows through any means possible.

Her investigation leads her to her hometown and to the people least likely to welcome her her family.

In this thrilling prequel to the Nadia Tesla series, Nadia must try to solve the mystery surrounding her godfather’s death—and his life. The answers to her questions are buried with the secrets of her youth and in post–World War II refugee camps. What Nadia learns will change her life forever.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Amazon, Historical Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Orest Stelmach is the Kindle#1 bestselling author of six novels. His Nadia Tesla Series has been optioned for film development and translated into numerous foreign languages. He's a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Orest lives in Weatogue, Connecticut, with his wife and rescue cat.

Reviews

[Kylie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the lives of Ukrainian immigrants in Connecticut. Nadia has escaped her Ukrainian background and now lives in New York, however her past comes crashing back when she is kidnapped of the street by her childhood crush Donnie Angel, asking her questions about her late godfather's businesses. Nadia soon realises her godfather's death wasn't an accident but murder, and after she gets away from Donnie she hedas back to Connecticut to investigate.

Some people in the community don't welcome her back with open arms however, and Nadia finds as she reconnects with family and former friends that not all is as it seems, putting her, and her loved ones, lives in danger. Will she find the truth? Or will fate catch up with her first?

I found The Altar Girl to be an okay read, though at times it did get a bit bogged down. The characters weren't totally relatable, and some scenes not particularly realistic, but altogether it was enjoyable enough.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the Kindle First offerings for April. It took me almost two weeks to decide between the four because none of them really seemed that great to me. This was an interesting book - I enjoy a thread of history in my books, but overall I wasn't thrilled by the mystery in the book. When Nadia couldn't explain why she was looking into the death and found that she wasn't all that fond of the dead man, I had a hard time continuing to read. If the protagonist doesn't care, why should I?
It was ok - I won't be reading the series that follows though.

[Nel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have hesitated to write this review because it's very difficult for me to write a negative review on a novel that someone has poured their heart and soul into. I especially struggle with such a review when the author is clearly very educated, as evidenced by his vocabulary and knowledge. To boot, he certainly did his homework, managing to teach me something along the way. Unfortunately, this novel fell short of my expectations.

Much of the novel seemed contrived. For example, shortly after an intensely perilous moment in her life, the protagonist quotes, “ If nothing else good came out of it, my current predicament was going to help me lose those last seven and a half pounds.” Although I’m sure this was intended to inject humor, it seemed poorly placed, considering what had just happened to her. In addition, many of the metaphors seemed nonsensical, "The flame illuminated a pair of lush lips, the kind that could suck a grapefruit dry from across the room." Hmmm... Furthermore, the storyline was very predictable and implausible, and I never ended up caring for any of the characters, because their development was minimal.

However, I must give credit where credit is due. I give the author kudos for enlightening me a bit about Ukrainian Displaced Persons. I would guess that many are unaware of what became of these people during WWII, and this gave a very small taste of their plight. It piqued my curiosity enough to further research the history of DP’s. For this reason, I increased my rating to two stars.

http://mamasgottaread.blogspot.com

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the Nadia Tesla novels, which I think the author is done with, considering what happened at the end of the last one.
"The Altar Girl" gets into Nadia's strange relationship with her family and the Ukrainian American community she grew up in. The author wrote it because he wanted to write about the tragedy of the Displaced Persons in Europe after WWII.
I had the honor of meeting several of these people myself in the 1980's who were lucky enough to have made it to the U.S. without having been repatriated to the Soviet Union. But they told sad stories of friends and relatives, all who had survived the concentration camps, only to be shipped back to the USSR, where they were never heard from again.I
We were not without blame after the war.

[Dan Mayland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a novel. Taut, moving, funny, unbelievably suspenseful, brutally honest, and above all else a wonderful character portrait of Ukrainian-American heroine Nadia Tesla. The interactions between Nadia and her strip-club-owning brother and scheming mother are priceless, as is the way Stelmach weaves dark post-World War II histories of displaced Ukrainians into his story. Although primarily set in the present, the mystery is amplified tenfold by remembrances of a harrowing episode from Nadia’s past, an episode that helps to define her, and perhaps the Ukrainian-American experience. Really, really loved this book.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story (well maybe enjoy is too strong a word given the subject matter), but it really made me think again of all the atrocities committed during World War II. I hope that we all remember from our past so we don't repeat the same sort of mistakes. Given the current state of the world pandemic of COVID-19 we really all need to pull together and remember what we all have in common - not what we don't.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this Kindle e-book as part of the Amazon Prime program. It was an unusual mystery about a young girl (Nadia Tesla) in the Ukrainian community in Hartford, Connecticut, who was kidnapped at the start of the novel by a former acquaintance who is trying to find out what she knows about her godfather's business. The godfather had died in an apparent accident but Nadia thinks he has been murdered. The novel switches back and forth between what Nadia is doing in the present to solve the murder and an episode in her youth where she was put through a 3-day test to win a survival badge. Along the way, a lot of Ukrainian history is found to be connected to the godfather's death. This is mostly about what happened after WWII when many Ukrainians were liberated from Nazi concentration camps and were known as displaced persons (DPs). The Soviets were trying to repatriate the DPs and send them back to the Ukraine but most were considered enemies of the state and were executed when they returned. The parts of the novel dealing with this history were very fascinating and educational especially in light of the current situation in the Ukraine. Overall, I would recommend this one. It is actually prequel to a series of books about Nadia Tesla which I may also seek out.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadia Tesla has left her Ukrainian American community in Hartford, Connecticut behind. She’s established and enjoyed a new life in New York City until a violent encounter with an old acquaintance forces her to return to her roots. When she returns home, old wounds resurface, and Nadia must deal with those issues while attempting to uncover the mystery of her godfather’s sudden death. In addition to a good mystery story, this novel includes a wealth of information about Ukrainian traditions as well as information about the fate of displaced persons after World War II.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I only wish I'd read this before I read the Nadia Tesla series. It's one of the few prequels that is as good as what comes "after".

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been dying to read this series for a long time. Already a few chapters in and I knew it had been worth the wait! The back and forth from present to past and the connections that were made was really great at bringing the story into focus. Nadia had such a strong will, and I instantly liked her fight and fire. It was masterfully written as the pieces continued to fall into place. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

[OjoAusana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certainly goes from 0 to 60 real quick! its not as good as I thought it was but it was also a lot different than I thought it was so I still think it was really good. It has a lot of flash backs, that are certainly relevant and, wow if this is ever made into a film will transfer over great. Liked the main character, and really liked the cultural back info they give on the characters and community. Might check out the rest of this series.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent story. Learned a little more about Ukrainian history during WWII and 'Displaced Persons'. I have to say that the Amazon First books seem to be of decent quality. Worth trying one or two each month, especially since they are free!

[Bèbè ✦ RANT ✦ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason why I got this book was because it's very similar to my Russian heritage & I had to know how it was written.

It was good. According to Goodreads, 2 stars is "It was okay".

Story started out good but I lost interest & do not have any desire to finish it.. DNF at 34%

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were compelling and the back story was woven in well, filling out the characters as the mystery unfolds.

[julia de jong · Rating 2 out of 5]

kind of disappointed cause i really really loved all the other books in this series, but this one just didnt hit as hard. still my favorite book series though 🫶

[AJourneyWithoutMap · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy from Reactor 4, the first book in the Nadia Tesla series which was released in 2013 was a thrilling mystery with a lot of suspense, adventure, drama and action thrown in. However, the next book in the series, The Boy Who Stole from the Dead, saw a dip in all aspects while the third book, The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark, failed to evoke my interests though I managed to finish the story, albeit with a lot interruptions in between.

Author Orest Stelmach’s fourth book in the Nadia Tesla series, The Altar Girl, is one of those books that I read just because I don’t want to miss any book in the series, as is my wont with serialized novels. However, I was soon stumped with awe and admiration as I explored the story of Nadia which took place before the story of The Boy from Reactor 4.

The Altar Girl by Orest Stelmach is the disturbing and traumatic story of Nadia, her brother Marko and Nadia’s parents who suffered the ignominy of being displaced after World War II. A story of a dysfunctional family, with a lot of background information on Nadia’s Ukrainian cultural heritage, The Altar Girl marks a turning point in the life of Nadia as she is forced not only to confront her past but also dig into the suspicious death of her godfather which was officially declared as an accident. What she discover will change her life forever. A fine read by all means, I strongly recommend this book.

[Ebehi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was about to start reading The Boy from Reactor 4 when I saw this prequel on Amazon Firsts. This book almost dissuaded me from reading the other Nadia Tesla books, but I'm happy I gave the next one a try.

Although I really enjoyed The Boy from Reactor 4, I found this book tedious. The author's descriptions were too hyperbolic. In fact, it just seemed to make a big deal out of nothing. Many of the descriptions just seemed too overwrought for the situations they applied to. For example, in the opening scene, Nadia makes a big deal about how Donnie could hurt her and she was completely at his mercy, and then a few chapters later, we see her shift into fighting mode and braking his leg. The same goes for the parallel story about her time in the woods. The author made it seem like it was such a traumatizing experience that she had blocked it out of her memory forever, only to find out that she ended up getting rescued by Marko and earning the merit badge.

I wouldn't recommend this for anyone as an introduction to the Nadia Tesla series. Just move ahead to the other books. They are much better.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Review-
This was a free book... so I got what I paid for. I can tell this is a prequel to a larger and more interesting series... This had the potential to be a pretty good book, but * Spoiler Alert* it just ends. It was like the author reached the required number of pages and just stopped... coped out. The ending ruined the whole book.

Summary-
The daughter of uncompromising Ukrainian immigrants, Nadia was raised to respect guts, grit, and tradition. When the events around the seemingly accidental death of her estranged godfather don’t add up, Nadia is determined to discover the truth—even if she attracts the attention of dangerous men intent on finding out what she knows through any means possible.

Her investigation leads her to her hometown and to the people least likely to welcome her back: her family.

In this thrilling prequel to the Nadia Tesla series, Nadia must try to solve the mystery surrounding her godfather’s death—and his life. The answers to her questions are buried with the secrets of her youth and in post–World War II refugee camps. What Nadia learns will change her life forever.

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[Don Massenzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This month, I finally took the plunge and joined Kindle Unlimited. I also decided to branch out and read work from authors that might not be as well known (because the well known authors don't typically participate in Kindle Unlimited). This led me to "The Altar Girl", the first in the Nadia Tesla series by Orest Stelmach.

From the very beginning, I was intrigued. The niche that his protagonist, Nadia Tesla, exists in is a small, but influential community of Ukranian emigres that live in Hartford, Connecticut. His story revolves around the death of Nadia's godfather and her investigation into the circumstances.

Stelmach does a very good job of telling the story from a female protagonist perspective without trying too hard like many other more famous authors. He also does a very good job of alternating the current story thread with a thread from Nadia's childhood as she goes through survival training.

I look forward to reading more of Stelmach's work and I'm grateful that joining Kindle Unlimited led me to his books.

[Crystal Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent quick read

This was a great easy read with a fantastic mix of history, mystery, family secrets, difficult relational dynamics.... the characters were quickly formed and you knew what they were about fairly early, you knew whether you'd root for them or not, who to love, who to be suspicious of, without losing the tension of the story. Besides the main plot of the story, I completely enjoyed the history lesson regarding the Ukrainians experience during WW2, as well as learning about their culture, mindsets and familial expectations. I look forward to reading more in the series and more by this author.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE ALTAR GIRL

This book kept me interested right from the beginning, Nadia had a can do attitude from an early age, she is a survivor- those skills were honed into her. The story goes back and forth between the present and her childhood, mainly age twelve. Those early years help explain the grown Nadia.

The Ukrainian influence is prominent in the book, in fact it takes center stage. All in all, I am very glad I chose this book for my kindle first. The story flows all the way through to a very satisfying ending.

[Candace Morehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing story but not entirely believable

I finished this book in 2 sessions based upon a good story line with lots of details about Ukrainians only a real one would know. I loved the plot and the mystery and the flashbacks and especially the characterization of the protagonists but...about 2/3 of the way through the story got a little too fantastical. All of a sudden our pragmatic heroine turned into a fearless ninja and I just couldn't it. Overall a good story with exceptional writing but just couldn't award it 5 stars. Go ahead and read if you love thrilling mysteries.

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of Nadia (which means hope) and her ability to be a strong person despite the way she grew up, her disfunctional family and her love for her brother. The books takes you on her journey...to find out who killed her godfather..even though it was called an accident by the police. But Nadia knows better...the story also goes back and forth between her childhood and the present time. Although annoying, it serves a purpose to make you understand why she is so courageous. And of course the unexpected ending is the icing on the cake. Worth reading...

[Danielle Brown-Barba · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Oh-My-Gosh!! This book was so good!! I read it in a day!! I received it through the Amazon First, as my April selection. It was high paced, throughout the whole book and reminded me of the joy I felt when reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo/Millennium" series!

"The Altar Girl" is a prequel to the "Nadia Tesla" series, which I had not heard of, but plan to sink my teeth into ASAP! Fortunately, all three books are available through the Kindle Lending Library for Prime members. Yay!!!

[debra conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good Read

I had not until now read any of (The Nadia Tesla Series)...I shall be correcting that oversight. I loved the fullness of the characters, and thought the use of flash back very well done. Most teachers tell us to avoid that particular style, but in this case, it provided essential information and developed the characters beautifully. I feel as though I know them well. I recommend this book to those who love a mystery an those who just love a well written story!

[Dinah Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Altar Girl (The Nadia Tesla Series)

I enjoyed reading this book. I'm not sure if the main character of it was as brave as a child as the author portray she was, but it was very well written. I enjoy reading about different cultures and countries. The life that the kids had to live under their father's abuses was so very sad. I would recommend this book to an adult reading group.

[Addey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the history that was imbedded within the story. This story helped me understand the Ukrainian culture better....this was free from my prime membership.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional


This is a story of hope. It is also a poignant mystery that wraps you around its theme and leaves you breathless with its twists and turns.

[Mum · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars.

Kindle and audio. After four books narrated by the same woman I still cannot get used to her.