Once Upon a Twilight!: Book Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

Prisoner of Night and Fog
Prisoner of Night and Fog #1
Author: Anne Blankman
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: April 22nd 2014
Review Source: Balzer + Bray

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.

I first heard about Prisoner of Night and Fog back in December when I saw the Epic Reads girls fangirling over it. I instantly went to Goodreads to read the description and feel in love with the concept. It jumped to the top of my TBR pile and once I got my hands on it I dropped everything I was doing to read it.

Gretchen Miller has grown up in the National Socialist Party. She has been kept under the faithful wing of her beloved uncle Dolf ever since her father gave his life to save him. Her whole life she was told her father died a hero, but when a certain jew named Daniel starts claiming that her father was murdered by a fellow comrade. Doubt clouds her mind and she naturally starts questioning everything. Will she choose to ignore this accusation and live out her life as the beloved adopted niece of Adolf Hitler or will she start digging into the past to uncover the truth? In doing so, she will be putting both her and Daniel's life at risk.

The one thing I truly loved about Prisoner of Night and Fog was the history. You can tell that Blackman put a lot of effort into researching the time period and everything that was going on during that timeframe. I love that she was able to meet weave in accurate history events into her work, it made for a nice surprise. I actually lent Prisoner of Night and Fog to my nephew and the one thing that stuck with him was this entirely different side of Hitler. He said and I quote "It was almost like he was human." Funny how that's not true considering what the man did in real life. It's eye opening to see what an author can do to a real life person when you place them into a fictional world.

A lot of these characters stay with you for many reasons, but Reinhard will stay with me for a completely different reason. He had no sympthay and showed no emotion whatsoever when it came to doing such horrible things. I mean my brother and I aren't exactly BFFs, but he wouldn't take it to the Reinhard's extremes. Funny to see what characters stay with you after finishing a book. It goes to show you what incredible writing went into this book.

Bonus: I highly recommend authors note at the end. Its super spoilery so only read after you've finished the book. It gives you a different perspective of what is real and what was fiction. Kind of cool to see everything Blankman researched.