Reviews

Book of the Night by Oliver Pötzsch

ameserole's review

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3.0

Interesting book.. but I have so many questions!

First off, why is this mysterious book (which is in the damn title) only really mentioned towards the end of the book? Second, why was the musketeer presence lacking in this book? Third, what the hell kind of ending was that?

Yeah, so I have questions and this book didn't really answer a whole bunch of them. In the Book of the Night, you will meet Lucas. He's pretty young when he watches both of his parents get murdered. From that moment, he was on the run. Now he's trying to save his own neck while trying to find his sister.

Now if you remember any musketeer movie ever made, you will probably find some similarities in this book. Lucas ends up joining a gang of orphans in order to survive better off in the world. However, that's short lived because he leaves them high and dry when they decide to kill innocent people. Somewhere along the way, he ends up joining the army of the Black Musketeers.

Throughout the book you see that he's trying to find his sister. Once he finally does, that's when this whole book come into play. Apparently these two kids were a freaking key to finding this book. Again, I had questions people! Overall, it was an interesting book to listen to and I might dive into the second book just to see if I will get more musketeer-ness or more information about this book.

biblio_lena's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

stormw7nd's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

3.0

chellski's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

rfkmartin's review

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3.0

how do you say 'meh' in German?

monicabhills's review

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2.0

This was a great book for a 12 year old boy but it was not really meant for me. I gave it a try because I love The Hangman's Daughter series. This was not a bad book but I do not recommend this for adult women.

madcassier's review

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4.0

**I received a free digital copy of this novel from a Goodreads giveaway**

I’m a fan of Oliver Pötzsch, especially when he writes historical fiction; his Hangman’s Daughter series is a delight and wonderfully immersive. When I happened upon this novel, I wasn’t entirely sure what this was going to be: what exactly were the Black Musketeers? Well, in answer to that question:

“The Black Musketeers were the best fighters in the Reich…trained in the use of all sorts of weapons and fear by everyone. They served as bodyguards to the Imperial General Wallenstein ... We fought and shot like the devil, with swords, pikes, daggers, muskets, and pistols, and drove the Danes and their allies back across the Elbe River."


Admittedly, not at all what I was expecting. Perhaps this is because when I hear the word “Musketeer,” I associate it with Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan. I associate it with blue cloaks, silver rapiers, King Louis, Cardinal Richelieu, and the immortal phrase, “All for one and one for all.”

So, no, you won’t find any of that here in this book — okay, small lie there, as the phrase itself does pop up in a brief, but delightful, homage to Dumas’ original tale. But what you will find is a wonderful story of a young boy forced to come of age very swiftly while in pursuit of revenge; you will find some magic, both good and evil; you ill find a whole host of characters, some worth rooting for and some very much not.

You will find adventure, the love and loyalty of family, war, friendship, and a promising start to what looks like a great series. It is definitely a Young Adult book — something I hadn’t realised when I snapped it up — but there is enough in here that adults can (and will) enjoy as well.

truestorydesu's review

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3.0

Highly entertaining, and I need entertaining right now. Oliver Pötzsch is definitely my favorite German writer.

Also I should probably learn more about the Thirty Years' War...

jthern's review

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2.0

I have really enjoyed the Hangman's Daughter series, also by Potzsch, particularly for the way the author portrays history and geography as faithfully as he does the characters. Sadly, this book and it's sequel seem to actively try to ignore both the historical setting and geography, almost as if the author (or editor?) thinks the reader (presumably a young adult) is incapable of processing it. In short, these books feel like they are intentionally dumbed down, making them little more than stereotypical YA fiction.

rowena_m_andrews's review

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4.0

This is definitely YA, although on the darker side. There were a few places, particularly towards the end where the pacing felt very rushed and there were new elements introduced without enough time to learn/develop them, although this may be resolved in the second book. I would have liked to have seen more of the Black Musketeers, which was my main attraction to the book, but the plot and characters made up for that and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.