An incredible story based on real life events that I never realized happened. Ponary Massacre is another tragic account of the genocide of Jewish people during WW2

This occurs before the concentration camps are built and what distinguishes it is that the neighbors and towns people are the ones killing their fellow citizens before the Nazi’s get involved. The story follows a family and their neighbor/boyfriend. The story is both tragic and triumphant.

Set during WWII we discover what living in Lithuania was like when the country was occupied by the Germans and the Russians. We see how mass murders were hidden in Ponary Forest with the ‘Burning Brigade’. The novel follows a family and their loved ones during the war and how some of them managed to survive.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Excellent characters whose stories reflect real events and how they managed to survive. Well paced and many locations. A haunting read.

If I had it sum up this book in two words, they would be beautiful and heartbreaking. I had no idea of the part Lithuania played during the holocaust, nor the atrocities Lithuanian Jews suffered during that time. Gary W. Toyn wrote a cast of characters that are easy to root for. They have so much heart and “flesh” to them. I found myself celebrating, grieving, fearing and rejoicing with them on every step of their harrowing journey. From fleeing their homes in Lithuania, to being forced to work in labor camps and everything afterward and in between; I was rooting for them.

The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a great job giving each character life and voice.

As difficult as it was to read about the horrors of WWII, I enjoyed this book and would read more from this author.

This was a very well told story based on actual events. I really enjoyed how rhe author provided references at the end of the story about this lesser known history.

Well written and a good story - a pity it is based on true events.
Our history classes document the horrors of the holocaust in Poland and western Europe but less is written about the tragic events in the Balkan States and in Ukraine.
Here the reader is told of the harrowing events through the eyes of a young Jewish man, Olek Kosmen. When he is captured he is forced to carryout the most awful things. Vowing to escape to join his girlfriend in Sweden he set about this task. In places a bit too harrowing for me.
But once you start this story you won't be able to put it down. Thanks to Netgalley, American Legacy Media, and Gary W. Tony for the ARC. All opinions are my own given freely.

It has only been recently that I have found WW2 novels addressing the horrors faced by the people of the Baltic states. They were treated equally as bad by the Germans and the Soviets as the war raged across their countries. This novel uses true stories fictionalized into the experiences of one Lithuanian family and their friends and associates. The novel was very well researched and the author even included notes and sources.

The fictional characters were well developed and memorable. The plot was gripping and well paced. The ending was satisfying. I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator was great!

From Malice to Ashes is a sobering tale of the horror of war, loved ones and family during WWII. There are many many well rewritten stories of the Holocaust and this is not just another one. It is a very well written novel, inspired by actual events, spanning Nazi occupied Lithuania, the Soviet labour camps, and the refugee halls of wartime Europe. You will sympathize with those who helped the refugees, and fought the deadly killing machine of hatred.

This is the story of three families, torn apart by two brutal and monstrous regimes. Gary W. Tony’s novel is enveloping and compelling, definitely not for the faint of heart.

Olek Kosmen is a student, who was raised Catholic, and the only thing indicating he was born Jewish is his circumcision. Olek’s fiancée and her brother flee to neutral Sweden from Lithuania. From there her brother goes on to America where he joins the fight against the Nazi’s. Their parents briefly meet up with Olek and allow him to stay in their cottage in the Ponary Forest. Sadly, parents are discovered and taken to the frozen gulags of Siberia.

The Ponary is the site of massacre… murder of thousands of Jewish residents. The Jewish prisoners were forced to dig deep pits, then strip and were expeditiously shot. The next group of prisoners were then forced to cover the first layer of bodies, some not yet dead, with sand or dirt and the process was repeated. It is estimated that 40,000 Jews were slaughtered.

Olek discovers a wounded boy, named Mordecai, who manages to escape from the pits and cares for him despite the risk. That is, until Olek is captured and forced to join the ‘Burning Brigade,’ a special prisoner unit forced to exhume the bodies and burn them to hide the war crime. Even though survival seems impossible, Olek never gives up.

While entertaining and informative, the book reminds readers of what happens when hatred goes unchallenged.

It brings to my mind most vividly, Niemöller’s Quote at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that reads:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Narrator Matt Armstrong voices each character with distinctive personalities making the stories easy to follow.

I highly recommend this excellent book.

4.5 stars rounded up

Whenever I read a book like this which is inspired by actual people and events, I am reminded of the unbearable suffering some people have endured. I just can't imagine being faced with such horror and having to make decisions that didn't align with my core beliefs to survive or keep others safe, knowing that those same decisions could see me punished as a collaborator. This book hits home - it will stay with me for a long time. It's informative, confronting, devastating, and emotional. The author has expertly woven facts into this story of survival, hope, and loss, all delivered through well-developed characters. There are multiple POVs which are easily distinguishable, the narration is well done and the narrator breathes life into the characters, and the author's notes are excellent. Parts of the writing are a little clunky at times, but it was still very much an enjoyable and unputdownable book for me. Highly recommended reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, American Legacy Media, and the author for a complimentary copy for review. My review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, American Legacy Media, and the author, Gary W. Toyn, for providing an early audiobook edition of “From Malice to Ashes: Forest of No Mercy” by Gary W. Toyn, narrated by Matt Armstrong, in exchange for an honest review. Matt did a good job with the narration.

From Malice to Ashes is another great WWII book. This WWII story is from the perspective of a Lithuanian family: Mom, Zaneta; Dad, Matis; Daughter, Leva; Son, Al; and Daughter’s boyfriend, Olek. It starts on the eve of Germany's invasion of Lithuania. Zaneta and Matis are planning on driving out of the country to Matis’ mother’s home in Sweden. Leva and Al are taking the train to Grandma’s house, and Olek is heading out to the country in a town called Ponary. The story follows each of the characters during the duration of the war, with Olek getting the most attention as he witnesses the mass slaughter of 75,000 Jewish people by first the Lithuanian citizens, then the Germans. He can see these atrocities from his balcony, where he journals what he sees and buries the papers in the ground in glass jars. When he is captured as a collaborator, he is forced to unbury the bodies he saw murdered and burn them to hide the evidence of what the Germans did.

Meanwhile, Leva and Al make it to Grandma’s, but Al gets restless and moves to America, where he becomes a citizen by enlisting in the war. He is trained as an airplane shooter. Mom and Dad did not make it to Sweden; instead, they were arrested by the Soviet Union and sent to Siberia to perform hard labor.

Like his first book, Mr. Toyn did an exceptional job of weaving real history into the story of Olek, Leva, Al, Zaneta, and Matis. Character development was superb. This story is about a history that we in the Western world are rarely told, and as such it is hard to picture what the Lithuanians had to endure first from the Soviet Union, then their own racist people and German’s and finally the Soviet Union again. The story has dates, and when the dates passed D-Day without any indication that something happened that day, you recognized – “Wait, wow, this is really a different part of the war.” I appreciate learning about the war from all perspectives and truly enjoyed learning about this dark history. The more we know, hopefully, the more we learn to be better human beings.

As soon as I saw this book I wanted to listen to. We have recently came back from Lithuania and the Poniary region. It was very difficult to find out any information regarding this time in the history - plenty relating to Soviet atrocities which were extreme but very limited on the Poniary region itself. I found this fascinating. I also learnt a lot re the clandestine exchanges of people and also the treatment of the survivors in Sweden and how Sweden was feeling post war.

Initially I wasn't sure how the book was going to work as it started out very slow and a bit simple but it really got going and it was extremely intense and I just had to keep listening to see what was going to happen.

The ending section was really informative.

I am now buying the paperback version for my husband as he doesn't do audio or kindle.