Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Flight of the Ukraine Sparrow by Wolfgang Black is likely to spark plenty of interest since Ukraine is presently at the center of the world’s attention. It is an exciting blend of romance and spy thriller that will keep you absorbed in its stylish and kinetic narrative. The story is told from the point of view of a Ukrainian farm girl named Alexaskya Resnik, who recalls being abducted and sent to the KGB State School Four, a training program that specializes in espionage using sexual techniques. She manages to escape from this unique school, but at the cost of losing her boyfriend in the process. Granted asylum in the United States, she takes on a new identity as April Markov and a complete cover story with credentials. As she gets used to the American culture, she discovers that she will have to sacrifice more than before when she becomes a defector.

Flight of the Ukraine Sparrow offers more than the usual spycraft. Alexaskya has the right reasons for escaping the espionage school, and her dashed expectations of life on a foreign shore are what make the storyline grind with tension. This novel is about female empowerment—about how a woman’s charm can disarm the most dangerous of men while choosing the right to take control of her own fate. Wolfgang Black uses the setting as an integral factor in character development. Alexaskya’s new life in the west begins with promise and verve, but she risks blowing her cover when she falls in love. But who can blame her? After all, don’t we all tend to let our guard down when we get hit by Cupid’s arrow? It’s a brilliant story that I highly recommend for its good pacing, strong characters, and crisp narrative.