Sky on Fire: A Heartbreaking and Unforgettable WWII Novel of Love, War, and Enduring Hope

by C.K. McAdam

Germany, 1942When a Messerschmitt crashes in the meadows outside her village, eighteen-year-old Gisela’s life changes forever. Drawn into a world on fire and divided loyalties, Gisela struggles with love and betrayal, resistance and survival, as the war closes in on her family.

As the Reich battles on and the Allies advance, Gisela must choose which promises to honor and which betrayals to forgive. News from the Eastern Front, the demands of resistance, and Gestapo searches test the already fragile bonds of family and friendship as the war grinds to its end and the fate of one family and an entire village hangs in the balance.

Sky on Fire is a heart-wrenching tale of duty, resistance, love, and the quiet acts of defiance that keep humanity alive in its darkest hour. As the first book in the No Man’s Land Series, it chronicles one young woman’s journey from innocence to unflinching courage in the face of war’s final reckoning.

Powerful, vivid, and absorbing, this is a perfect novel for readers who cherish the doomed loves and moral dilemmas of All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale.

Genres: Historical Fiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

About the author

C. K. McAdam writes historical fiction and women's fiction. She holds a Ph.D. in history and literary studies and teaches college. Together with her family, she resides in Texas but hails originally from Germany where she grew up. In her free time, she loves to travel, hike, read historical fiction, play pickleball, spend time with her family, and go on walks with her Corgi Merlin.

Reviews

[Toni Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WW11 Novel

No Man’s Land Series, book 1

Wallhausen, Germany, 1942

This novel of love, war and enduring hope chronicles one young woman’s heart-wrenching tale of duty and resistance through her journey from innocence to determined courage till the war’s final moment and aftermath. It is also the story of Fahnrich family and all what they faced during these hard times.

My thoughts:

I had resistance accepting to review this book at first, having read so many WW11 stories set in the European theater in the past I thought “Sky on Fire” would rehash the same old thing. I was wrong, “Sky on Fire” may be set during the war and will evidently touch many sad events that occurred but the license liberty taken by the author brought a nice spin to this terrible time by plunging us deep into the hearts of a German family and telling us what it was like for the German population to be caught in the middle of a raging war and being scared to lose a loved ones even their own life.

It is a nice but sad story that mosey along at a steady pace and weave a wonderfully heartfelt story of love and lost. This is definitely a character driven story that will touch you to the core and will bring out mix feelings of sadness, anxiety and joy. I was pulled in from the start and stayed riveted till the last page.

This story is well said and well done.

I wish to thank the author and Netgalley for providing access to this wonderful book.

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgallery for an advance copy. Absolutely superb book! I recommend to any 'The Nightingale' fans as this story stays with you in the same way. Heartbreaking, breathtaking and a book I couldn't put down. I can't wait for the 2nd book in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read C.K. McAdam's book, The Seamstress of Auschwitz, I've been looking forward to reading her latest release, Sky on Fire, and it didn't disappoint. Once again, she has written a World War II novel with a different perspective than that of most authors. This story begins in 1942, and we are given an inside look at a German family living in a rural village. Three sons are serving in the military, and two teenage daughters still live at home. This family doesn't appear to be particularly political, except for one son, an SS guard serving Hitler at the Berghof. As the war relentlessly continues, Hitler's actions have devastating consequences for the family. Through the characters, the author has woven some of the most important historical events into this story, such as the German defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk, the Lebensborn program, and the T-4 euthanasia program.

Despite the consequential timeline of this period in World War II, Sky on Fire is a character-driven story, with some characters that you'll love and some that you'll hate. There are shocking plot twists, impossible to anticipate, that bring the harsh realities of war home for the reader. My favorite part of the book was when student nurse, Irmtraud, was introduced to the underground "swing" movement:
"The couples spun and kicked in time with the music. Their energy explosive and their face and expressions determined and defiant. Irmstraud couldn't take her eyes off the dancing. Jan was right. This was rebellion. This was resistance. Life pulsing against all the death this war had brought."

Sky on Fire reinforces that even if you ignore politics, it won't ignore you. While reading this book, I couldn't help thinking about my own family's experiences in World War II and what it was like for those who waited at home for news of their loved ones. My parents were married after Pearl Harbor, when my father and my mom's three brothers enlisted, all serving overseas. The daily fear of a telegram arriving for you, and then finally it does. The death of my mom's youngest brother devastated my grandparents, and not having his body to bury only compounded their grief. Sky on Fire is beautifully written, showing what life was like for some Germans not on the frontlines, and the price they paid when the war ended. I am looking forward to the next book in this new series, and I highly recommend this one.

[Terina Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sky on Fire
by C. K. McAdam
Pub Date: Nov 07 2025-FRIDAY

We usually see WWII from the point of Jews experiencing the Holocaust or Americans being sent off to war in a foreign land. In this novel we see it unfold through the eyes of a young German woman and her family. That's tricky because most people believe all Germans are Nazis and most people would find it hard to empathize with a Nazi character. And, let's face it, if you can't like the main character, you most likely won't like the novel. C.K. McAdam's novwl shows a German family who are not Nazis and maybe this view will help others learn the distinction. Now, are there some characters in the book that embrace the Nazi thinking? Yes...it's realistic historical fiction after all, but German does not equal Nazi.
Germany, 1942.- A German fighter has crash near Gisela's village. The handsome pilot Erich escapes death by parachuting down. Gisela and Erich become enamored with each other although they realize the war is calling Erich away, just as it has her brothers.
Gisela's family has worked hard and they would be considered very comfortable. They are no strangers to hardships, though, as they lost Gisela's birth mom when she was young.
Soon, wealth is a thing of the past as the war lags on. Food becomes scarce, her siblings are scatered to the winds, and even her best friend has signed up to help bring new life to the country.
We experience different parts of the country and different ideas of service and patriotism through the eyes of Gisela and her siblings through the years. Bombs drop, Germany falls, and the letters and information about loved ones stop coming.
I actually learned quite a bit through this novel. There's adventure, evil, heartbreak, lessons, good, hope, pain, betrayal, forgiveness, loss, and yes, even some romance.
Great read that reads pretty quickly.
#SkyonFire
#CKMcAdam
#netgalley

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the point of view of a German family during WWII we see the choices, hardship and sacrifices endured by the Fahnrich family, but also fo the acts of courage, the will to survive and the power of love and hope.
Beautifully written and full of historical details this book will live with you for a long time, while you are reading it and much more so when you finish reading it.
I can't wait to read the following book in the series.

[Maria Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful cinematically-written journey through WWII by C.K McAdam. Following the lives of the Fahnrich family siblings, this 1st in the "No Man's Land" trilogy connects us to triumphs, struggles, losses, and betrayals of a German family from the small village of Wallhausen. Sisters Gisela and Irmtraud have their world changed dramatically when a Messerschmidt crashes into a nearby field. The pilot, Erich affects more than just Gisela by his presence and opinions.
As the story progresses C.K McAdam weaves a wonderfully heartfelt page-turner of a story of secrets, rebellion and love that kept me transfixed. I highly recommend this book!
I'm looking forward to the next in the trilogy!

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surviving WWII in Germany was a harrowing transition from early domestic stability to a landscape of rubble, starvation, and systemic brutality.

​Military Campaigns & POWs
​Soldiers on the Eastern Front faced an "existential war" of unprecedented scale. Operation Citadel (1943), the massive tank battle at Kursk, marked the final loss of German strategic initiative, leading to a relentless two-year retreat. While the military sought to stabilize fronts, Operation Margarethe (1944) saw Germany occupy its ally, Hungary, to prevent a separate peace.

​For those captured, survival was a lottery. While German POWs in Allied hands generally saw adequate food and medical care, those in Soviet captivity faced a 35% mortality rate. Approximately 3 million Germans were taken to the USSR; nearly 1.1 million died from exhaustion, typhus, and starvation in labour camps. Some "late returnees" were not released until 1955.

​Ideology & The Home Front
​The Nazi state weaponized biology and desperation through several key programs:
​T4 Program: A secret "euthanasia" project that murdered ~300,000 disabled Germans deemed "unworthy of life."

​Lebensborn: An SS-run program to increase "Aryan" births, later evolving into the kidnapping of "racially valuable" children from occupied territories.

​Volkssturm: A last-ditch national militia conscripting boys as young as 12 and men up to 60 to defend the crumbling Reich with antiquated weapons.

​Leibstandarte: Hitler’s elite SS bodyguard division, known for fanatical combat and numerous war crimes.

​The Aftermath of Defeat
​As the Reich collapsed, civilians lived as "basement dwellers" amidst Allied bombing. Upon occupation, the experiences diverged sharply:
​Western Zones: While initially strict, the Americans soon transitioned to the Marshall Plan, providing massive aid to rebuild the economy.

​Soviet Zone: The Red Army’s arrival was marked by mass violence. Historians estimate hundreds of thousands to 2 million German women were raped by Soviet soldiers—a trauma that was buried deep for decades. The Soviets also dismantled entire factories to ship back to the USSR as reparations, leaving East Germany in destitution.

[Marcia Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I raced through my advanced reader’s copy of “Sky on Fire” in a matter of hours, enthralled from its opening page to its very last. It’s quite literally a page-turner, with unbridled action, non-stop surprises, suspense, and shocking and disturbing developments. The writing is wonderful, the storytelling superb, the descriptions evocative, and the characters compelling. I’m thrilled that this book is only the first in a series and can’t wait until the next ones are available. Thank you to NetGalley and author C. K. McAdam for allowing me to read this one for free. My opinions are voluntary.

This novel takes a completely different view of the tragedy and human toll of World War II than most of the books I am used to reading; it’s not a tale about survival in the camps or the ghettos, evading Nazi capture, resistance movements, or generational trauma; nor is it a tale regarding various Nazi experiments and atrocities nor their ideology, their baby-making programs, their officers or their wife’s. It’s a story about the devastating effects the war had on regular, every-day German families and towns who lost innumerable lives, brothers, husbands, sons, daughters, fighting in the war or just going about their lives and being destroyed by bombs or gunfire or invading forces. Many of the lives lost did not subscribe to Hitler’s ideology or his tactics. Many were conscripted. Many were seduced by propaganda and early childhood indoctrination, and many were simply innocent women and children caught in the crossfire.

[Theresa Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid reader of WWII historical fiction, I found Sky on Fire to be a compelling and thought-provoking novel. What makes this book stand out is its perspective: it tells the story from the point of view of Germans during the war, offering a lens that is often overlooked in the genre.
The narrative captures not only the soldiers on the front lines but also the families left behind, those who lived in constant fear and worry for their loved ones. McAdam portrays their vulnerability with honesty, showing how ordinary people were caught in extraordinary circumstances. The longing for the war to end, and for life to return to something resembling normalcy, resonates deeply throughout the story.
What struck me most was the humanity in these characters. They were not faceless figures of history, but families hoping, waiting, and enduring. The book reminds us that war affects everyone, not just those fighting it, and that even in the darkest times, people cling to hope for peace and ordinary life.
Overall, Sky on Fire is a powerful addition to WWII fiction. It broadens the reader’s understanding of the era by exploring the emotional toll on German families, making it both an engaging read and an important one.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy. It’s very much just a slice of life novel set during the Second World War, but this time it’s featuring a quite normal German family: sons fighting with the SS, living in a small village, more or less just going about their lives under the shadow of war. There are small bouts of resistance and discontent with Hitler’s regime but that’s not overly the highlight of the book. It’s interesting to just read about how a regular family fared, and what happens when the Americans - and then the Soviets - occupy their town. I was disgusted that the Americans just up and left them to their fate and “gave” the town to the Red Army without a care in the world for the civilians! They were right to be afraid.

This book doesn’t shy away from senseless death either, and in some cases does not give any closure - which is painfully realistic. People’s chapters just end abruptly and their families never know what actually happened - no spoilers but one of these was in particular very shocking!

[Maree Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read The Seamstress of Auschwitz which I found to be a harrowing read at times, but I loved it nonetheless.

When I saw this on NetGalley I didn't hesitate to apply to read an advance copy, as I expected this to be another worthy offering. Gee was I right.
This was indeed another deeply moving story, focusing on a German family living in a small village and how the events of WWII affect them. The family consists of a father, mother, 3 brothers and 2 sisters, and several colleagues and friends in the village complete the main cast of characters.

Each character is affected differently. The 3 brothers are all in the army, stationed in different areas. The sisters live at home with their parents. We follow each of them through their struggles to survive during the hardships of war, not knowing what the future holds for any of them.

I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that I loved the epilogue and can't wait to read future books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and C.K. McAdam for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Kay Schuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rather pleasantly surprised at just how much I ended up enjoying this book. The author is new to me. I chose to give it a read based on a comparison I came across on Amazon from one of my favorite authors ever. Not at all sure what to expect I loved that the author chose a different approach to WWII historical fiction. Seeing the war thru the eyes of German citizens who were trapped between a maniacal dictator and their own personal morality was kind of refreshing. At times I have asked myself the question of just how the everyday citizens of WWII Germany felt and coped in a world they didn’t really know how to handle. I’m so grateful this author chose this style to crest this story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely recommend it as seeing WWII thru different eyes! Thank you C.K. McAdams

[Edward J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written and fastmoving story of a young womans quest for survival in the most tragic circumstances is a must read. So many World War II books deal with the immense suffering of the soldiers and the peoples of the world particularily those in the lands of the victors and especiallly the Jewish people but this book speaks to the immense suffering and bravery of many German people in the war and their absolute distain for the brutality and inhumanity of the Nazi regime.
It is shown through the story of Gisele who first appeared in CK McAdams earlier book - No Mans Land and details her difficult and tragic journey from adolesence to womanhood and clearly shows the frutality of war and the immense endurance of the human spirit.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting storyline! I enjoyed this novel about an ordinary German novel set in WWII. The reader follows all family members and their various beliefs and values as to Hitler's ideology. No long discourses within the family but the reader feels each of the characters. The focus is really on their everyday life with their fears and hopes. A rather short novel , though intense and I came to like the family very much. I definitely want to follow their future development in East Germany. I hope there will be a sequel!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bryle_Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sky on Fire was an excellent book on WWII historical fiction from a different view then I was accustomed to. It reminded me of how my mind was open to another way of thinking when I read All The Light We Cannot See. The struggles and devastation war brings to every human touched by it. So important to read and learn about these things so we can avoid it in every way possible. I learned new things that happened in Germany during this time frame that I did not know about. Such a good storyline and makes you feel as if you were there. I love when books do this and this author is really good at that! I love C.K. McAdam's books.

[Ash Laverty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a powerful book with unexpected twists throughout. I am glad that some people close to Greta were lost in the war, as terribly sad as those deaths were - but many books have the unrealistic outcome of everyone surviving and coming home unchanged, which was not the case here. Greta’s grief caused her to mature and realise what is important, and it was a vital part of the story.

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

[Pam Papworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC of this book, which was just published a few days ago. I love WWII historical fiction and have read a lot of it. This one was different for me in that it was written from the perspective of a German family. I usually forget that they too had to endure difficult times while their leader plunged them into war. It's a story of hope and survival. I would read other books by this author.

[Su Thor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a long time to get into this story, but when I did I couldn’t put the book down. In the end I enjoyed reading it and I was glad I stuck with it.Having read other boos by this author I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks for writing the story, thank you to Paper Forest Press for the advance copy. Thanks to NetGalley for distribution.