Beautifully written and deeply introspective, the novel build[ s] a profound and moving portrait of generational trauma, and the ways love can both wound and heal. A poignant meditation on what it means to feel understood. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Award-winning Arnold truly puts her prose prowess and grasp of complex topics on display in this story. Noras characterization is incredibly powerful, capturing the nuances of an autistic experience. Whats even more impressive is Arnolds ability to bring humanity to the complexity of the pandemic and anti-vax parents without diminishing the harm caused. A must purchase. Booklist (starred review)
This ambitious novel anchor[ s] the reader in Noras distinct voice for an examination of the intersection between individual and societal trauma. A bittersweet reminder that healing is still something to work for. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
Holloway is a symphony, a museuman homage to art and what feeds it. Elana K. Arnold paints prose like a master, every word in place. Noras story is a fascinating journey through time, love, and forgiveness. A.S. King, Michael L. Printz Award-winning author of Dig
"Arnold successfully renders Noras sensory and intellectual overload through the protagonists lyrical reflections on perception, the societal connections between postCovid pandemic and post-WWII eras, and the making of art as essential and eternal. Posing thought-provoking questions about time, love, and relationships, its an ambitious and immersive portrait of one neurodivergent teens experience." Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Blood Years "This book is many things: an examination of love and duty, a revelatory account of a Holocaust experience many wont know, and a wrenching coming-of-age story. A moving glimpse into a past that is an all-too-possible vision of our future. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Arnold confronts tough subjects via unflinching depictions of war and compassionate renderings of intense familial drama. Searing." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Arnolds gripping novel of sisterhood and survival amid both Soviet and Nazi occupation illuminates a little-explored part of the Holocaust in Romania. A must-read. School Library Journal (starred review)
"Extraordinary. This beautifully written novel juxtaposes passages of transcendent insight with terrible loss. An excellent choice for readers of Monica Hesse and Ruta Sepetys, and a first purchase for all teen collections." Booklist (starred review)
"Arnolds compelling and well-researched narrative is deeply personal, respectful, and redemptive; through story, she bears witness. Her depiction of Riekes experiences allows readers to truly feel how the horrors of war give the character many reasons to hate as well as to discover her enormous capacity to love." Horn Book (starred review)
"Each page of this extraordinary story teems with nerve-tingling, edge-of-your-seat anxiety. A riveting addition to the Holocaust-literature canon." Jewish Book Council
The Blood Years gives us tragically underrepresented history viewed through a lens of love. Devastating and beautiful. Ruta Sepetys, New York Times-bestselling author of I Must Betray You
"Ferocious and delicate, brilliant and emotional, The Blood Years is a finely wrought portrait of love and betrayal and what it costs to survive the unimaginable." Nina LaCour, Michael L. Printz Award-winning author of We Are Okay
"Once you meet Reike, you wont ever forget her. Elana K. Arnold entwines history irresistibly with fiction to tell a story of great magnitude and emotional impact, centered on the bravery of a Jewish teenager in Nazi-occupied Romania and on universally human questions of romantic love, moral compromise and family loyalty." E. Lockhart, New York Times-bestselling author of We Were Liars
"A captivating, harrowing, uplifting story of a Romanian-Jewish teenagers struggle not just to survive but also to live. By the time you reach the final page, each person in Rieke's family will feel like a member of your own. Emotionally stirring and ethically complex, this is Elana K. Arnolds finest work to date. Dashka Slater, Stonewall Book Award-winning author of The 57 Bus
