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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
- Uninteresting and whiny main character ✓
- Tedious plot ✓
- A vacuous and instalove relationship ✓
= NO, THANK YOU!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must admit that I wanted to read Prisoner of Night and Fog the instant I saw that it revolved around Adolf Hitler. I have this fascination with people like him. People who can manipulate, who can sway the masses so perfectly that he can cause them to turn against one another. There's something both terrifying and intriguing about a man like that. I was also very interested to see how Anne Blankman would weave her story around Gretchen. What would it be like to be part of the Nazi party? To be that close to someone so influential? I went into this book with high hopes my friends, and I wasn't disappointed.
Gretchen's character is perfection. Who better to show how easy it was to be caught under the spell of "Uncle Dolf" than a young girl? What's special about Gretchen is that she has a big heart. Even when the Nazi slogans and beliefs were rattling around in her head, even when she tried to steel her heart against violence towards the Jews, I couldn't hate her for it. This is how Gretchen was raised. Raised to accept what was around her, and quietly go about her business. I won't deny that I silently cheered her on as she slowly started to break out of her shell. I wanted this girl to overcome. I wanted her to see the dark, bloody truth. I liked Gretchen, and that made this book so easy to read.
Even more interesting is that you'll see key players from Adolf Hitler's life peppered into this tale. Even Ms. Eva Braun is a pivotal person in this quick moving story. I loved seeing deeper into his whole persona. Into the sad, lost man who was behind it all. I'll grant you the fact that Prisoner of Night and Fog is historical fiction, but it feels real. It's easy to get lost in, and that's what I'm always looking for in a new read.
Add in a forbidden romance, some intrigue, and the type of secrets that should stay hidden, and you have quite the book. While I wasn't in love with all the aspects of it, I can't give Anne Blakeman's book anything less than a huge round of applause. If you're a fan of this time period, or a fan of historical fiction in general, this will be a book you'll want to check out. Well-written and moving. I loved it.
Gretchen's character is perfection. Who better to show how easy it was to be caught under the spell of "Uncle Dolf" than a young girl? What's special about Gretchen is that she has a big heart. Even when the Nazi slogans and beliefs were rattling around in her head, even when she tried to steel her heart against violence towards the Jews, I couldn't hate her for it. This is how Gretchen was raised. Raised to accept what was around her, and quietly go about her business. I won't deny that I silently cheered her on as she slowly started to break out of her shell. I wanted this girl to overcome. I wanted her to see the dark, bloody truth. I liked Gretchen, and that made this book so easy to read.
Even more interesting is that you'll see key players from Adolf Hitler's life peppered into this tale. Even Ms. Eva Braun is a pivotal person in this quick moving story. I loved seeing deeper into his whole persona. Into the sad, lost man who was behind it all. I'll grant you the fact that Prisoner of Night and Fog is historical fiction, but it feels real. It's easy to get lost in, and that's what I'm always looking for in a new read.
Add in a forbidden romance, some intrigue, and the type of secrets that should stay hidden, and you have quite the book. While I wasn't in love with all the aspects of it, I can't give Anne Blakeman's book anything less than a huge round of applause. If you're a fan of this time period, or a fan of historical fiction in general, this will be a book you'll want to check out. Well-written and moving. I loved it.
very engaging story with an interesting premise that i think the author pulls off pretty well
Fantastic historical fiction dealing with the inner workings of Hitler's rise to infamy. Lovely point of view character whose strengths and weaknesses are real and believable. Love her character arc!
4 out of 5 stars
I had only heard good things about this book, and I was not disappointed. The plot was very enjoyable, but the characters were what made this book. The best thing about Blankman's writing was the emphasis on psychology.
While I was reading the book, I knew that Reinhardt (forgive me if I spell names wrong, I listened to the audiobook) was a psychopath just from the amount that I have studied them. His inability to recognize emotion is evident at the end of the book, and I thought Blankman did a good job of emphasizing that psychopaths literally cannot understand emotion at all. It was satisfying, then, to have the psychological emphasis from the author. Hitler's character presented a very interesting analysis. He is often compared and contrasted to Reinhardt in terms of emotional capabilities. It is clear that Hitler feels emotions, but he seems to be incapable of compassion. He has a warped belief about who his enemies are in addition to a dangerously charming personality that makes people follow with whatever he says. It makes sense that Gretchen loves him so much at the beginning. He can mold himself into whoever he needs to be to gain power, which makes him the most dangerous type of person. He and Reinhardt's cruelty is chilling because they can make people believe that what they are doing is right.
The main complaint I have about this book is Gretchen and Daniel's relationship. It was full of insta-love and didn't make a lot of sense to me. Is declaring your unending love for someone after a few weeks strange, or am I just very afraid of romantic commitment? (yes, that is true, but that's not the point). The plot involving their relationship seemed very unrealistic to me.
The audiobook was very good. The narrator actually had the correct accent for the setting of the novel, and I thought her voices for the characters were really good. I would recommend listening to the book if you are interested in the audiobook. This did make it difficult to keep the minor characters straight, however.
Overall, I would recommend this book because of the interesting setting and the characters.
I had only heard good things about this book, and I was not disappointed. The plot was very enjoyable, but the characters were what made this book. The best thing about Blankman's writing was the emphasis on psychology.
While I was reading the book, I knew that Reinhardt (forgive me if I spell names wrong, I listened to the audiobook) was a psychopath just from the amount that I have studied them. His inability to recognize emotion is evident at the end of the book, and I thought Blankman did a good job of emphasizing that psychopaths literally cannot understand emotion at all. It was satisfying, then, to have the psychological emphasis from the author. Hitler's character presented a very interesting analysis. He is often compared and contrasted to Reinhardt in terms of emotional capabilities. It is clear that Hitler feels emotions, but he seems to be incapable of compassion. He has a warped belief about who his enemies are in addition to a dangerously charming personality that makes people follow with whatever he says. It makes sense that Gretchen loves him so much at the beginning. He can mold himself into whoever he needs to be to gain power, which makes him the most dangerous type of person. He and Reinhardt's cruelty is chilling because they can make people believe that what they are doing is right.
The main complaint I have about this book is Gretchen and Daniel's relationship. It was full of insta-love and didn't make a lot of sense to me. Is declaring your unending love for someone after a few weeks strange, or am I just very afraid of romantic commitment? (yes, that is true, but that's not the point). The plot involving their relationship seemed very unrealistic to me.
The audiobook was very good. The narrator actually had the correct accent for the setting of the novel, and I thought her voices for the characters were really good. I would recommend listening to the book if you are interested in the audiobook. This did make it difficult to keep the minor characters straight, however.
Overall, I would recommend this book because of the interesting setting and the characters.