Review: Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

Prisoner of Night and Fog 

by Anne Blankman 
Publisher: Balzer + Bray  
Release Date: April 22nd, 2014  
Format: e-ARC 

 "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.

Prisoner of Night and Fog enraptured me from the very first page; we’re introduced to Gretchen a.k.a Gretl, her brother Reinhard and his friend Kurt - both members of the renowned SA troops- as well as Gretl’s friend Eva. (Who we should all know later becomes Hitler’s mistress and wife for less than 24 hours.) We’re exposed to the hatred the Germans feel towards the Jews, evident in the abrupt brawl Kurt and Reinhard initiate after simply seeing an innocent Jew walking on the footpath. We’re also presented with a different side of Hitler; as opposed to the tyrannical dictator responsible for the deaths of over 6 million Jews in WWII, we see a kind, loving and supportive father-like figure that dotes on his niece. But of course Hitler begins to show his true colours as the story progresses.

 The story revolves around Gretl and her quest to uncover the truth behind her father’s death. (Her father was a martyr, who died protecting Hitler during the Beer Hall Putsch – an attempted coup in 1923.) Gretl and a Jew reporter, Daniel have reason to believe that there's a conspiracy behind her father’s death and the story starts from there. Gretl is a character I admired – it’s not easy working together with a Jew and later falling in love with him when every other person of her race is intent on killing his race. She’s a risk-taker, and I loved her for it. Throughout the entire book, I was so worried about the inevitable moment when Hitler and/or her brother discovered her intentions and she was faced with the ramifications of her decisions.

There are books that are thought provoking in the moment and others that continue to haunt you days, months, even years after you’ve put the book down. Prisoner of Night and Fog falls into the latter category. Interestingly, what made it so thought provoking and eternally moving was firstly the hope that perhaps, even during the most desolate, vengeful and hate-filled times, people from two worlds who were taught to hate each other realise that instead of hate, it’s love they feel for one another. I love stories of forbidden love, so even after I finished reading this, the thought that perhaps there were more people who shared Gretl and Daniel’s love for one another existed during WW2 consumed me.

The second thought-provoking aspect of the book, which also forever changed my perspective on the Germany’s most notorious leader, was the portrayal of Hitler. As I’ve learnt in history, there is no “truth” in history – it’s all perspective and stories. (E.g. There are historians who deny the Holocaust ever happened). But for those of us who studied history in school, or did extra-curricular research on him, would most likely consider him inhuman due to what he did/engineered in World War II. I would always be filled with despair every time I read about the number of deaths that occurred, and how they died, but part of me always believed that no matter how wretched and extreme Hitler’s actions were, he truly believed his actions were justified, as he only wanted what was best for his country. However, after reading Prisoner of Night and Fog, I realised that Hitler’s character was much darker and morbid. Psychoanalysts (both in the book and from my personal research that was prompted by the psychoanalysis present in the book) characterised Hitler as “psychotic”, and was neither able to feel love nor be able to relate to others. I always thought that even the most evil of all men(or women) still felt love for his/her family…but as for Hitler? In the book he seemed to pretend to care for those around him, but once they began to question him, his intentions and started breaking through his manipulations, he didn’t give a damn about them.

Basically, ever since reading Prisoner of Night and Fog I became rather fascinated with Hitler’s character and have been reading all these reports/texts on Psychological Analysis of Hitler (basically what Psychology students probably read for their assignments) and honestly, they’re incredibly interesting. This is why I love historical fiction – a good historical fiction will always prompt me to conduct research on the characters after reading about them.

As you can probably tell, I LOVED this book. I would always, without fail, recommend historical fiction to ALL readers of any age and this particular book is no exception. This book isn’t perfect, but for a debut and historical novel, it’s one of the better researched, more evocative and engaging ones. I’m looking forward to more books by this extraordinarily talented author.

A massive thank you to Balzer + Bray for providing a copy of Prisoner of Night and Fog for review! 

I also interviewed Anne Blankman last year. You can read the interview HERE. 

Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (JUST IN TIME FOR HEIR OF FIRE)

Crown of Midnight 

by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury   
Release Date: August 27th, 2013 
Format: ARC 

 "A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached. 

 It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend." 

 From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. 

 Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

 Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

Adarlan's Assassin is back as the King's Champion, and this time she's deadlier than ever.

Throne of Glass immediately shot up to my all-time favourites list when I first read it in 2012. Between the sassy, fiery and fearless protagonist, some kick-ass action, layers of mystery and a certain handsome Captain of the Guard, I couldn’t resist the book’s charm! I'll admit that after more than a year, my memory of ToG was a little fuzzy, but luckily Crown of Midnight started off in such a way that I didn't need to skim through my review of the first book in order to understand what was happening.

Crown of Midnight admittedly started off slow; I wasn't exactly bored but my mind did occasionally sway to other things whilst I was reading it. However, the real action picked up soon and I was able to completely immerse myself in this fantastic sequel.

The highlight for me for the majority of the book was obviously Celaena and Chaol's relationship/interactions. I'm a firm Team Chaol (wait, do the 'Teams' still exist? It doesn't feel like a love triangle anymore) and I absolutely loved his banter with Celaena, his protectiveness and most of all, his love for her. All the things he did, said, thought and felt touched me, and honestly, if they don't end up together by the end of the series, I'm going to chuck the world's biggest tantrum. And no one wants to see that.

Celaena unveils another side of her a few times in this book; one that is ruthless, uncontrollable,  and the epitome of 'deadly'. It's a side that no one wants to see, and suffering her wrath is not something anyone wants to experience. Ever. Unleashing this side of her scared the crap out of me, but it did add some heart-thumpingly intense scenes, and demonstrated exactly what the world's best assassin is capable of.

There is so much I loved about this book. I loved Celaena and Nehemia's beautiful friendship. I loved Chaol's fiercely selfless actions to protect the person he loves most in the world. I loved Dorian's newfound vigour, aggression and desire to do something right for his country.I loved the new revelations, some that were slightly predictable, others completely mind-blowing. I especially loved the ending. It set the scene for the next book, which by the way I'm willing to trade my first newborn for and was a revelation I had not seen coming. Thanks to that though, I've set my expectations for Heir of Fire miles high and I'm expecting something monumental to happen, something along the lines of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Remember the war? Yeah, that's exactly what I'm anticipating in the next (few) books in this highly recommended series!

Sooooooo guys READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY! I was literally chanting “HOLY CRAP. HOLY CRAP” all throughout the last few chapters of the book – my friends can vouch for me. This is simply a sequel you cannot miss!

A massive thank you to Bloomsbury Australia for providing a copy of Crown of Midnight for review! (So sorry for the super late review!!! But at least it's just in time for Heir of Fire :D) 

Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day

by Gayle Forman
Publisher: Random House 
Release Date: January 10th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 369 pages

 When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

*** This is a long overdue review. I wrote this around mid-2013 and I remember this book had a huge impact on me as I could relate to the main character perfectly. I think if I'd read this any sooner or any later, it *might* not have impacted me on such a personal level. Basically, all I have to say is; life is unpredictable :) ***

Gayle Forman never fails to impress. Her books are automatically placed on my “will-buy-for-sure” list as soon as the announcement for the publication is made, and honestly, her books will always be worth my money. I thought Just One Day was entirely different from If I Stay and Where She Went, at least in respect to how they affected me. While Forman’s first duology was heart shattering, poignant and left me bawling my eyes out every time I read them, Just One Day was less of a tearjerker, but I related to it on a personal level.

 Allyson ‘Lulu’ Healey is reminiscent of the typical, lost YA/New Adult main character we’re so familiar with. What makes her stand out, however, is how the readers are privy to all aspects of her life- her transition from the girl she’s always been, and the girl she wants to be and the journey she embarks on in order to truly find herself. She’s always been a 'good' girl, the sort of girl my Asian parents (and her Jewish parents) want as a daughter; she’s taking subjects her parents want her to study in college, no objections raised because well…it’s what she thinks she should be doing. Her mother controls her life; she chooses the subjects, tells her what she should be doing. Hell, her mother even picks out her outfits. While my parents are by no means like that, I do understand what it feels like to have someone else control my life, while I sit quietly and dutifully on the sidelines listening to lectures of how what has been planned out for me is for my own good and how ‘it doesn’t matter if I don’t like what I study, as long as it gets me somewhere in life’.

 It’s obvious in the first few chapters Allyson has no idea what she truly wants in life, and it’s something I understand. At home, her mother takes charge, and outside of home, her best friend Melanie takes charge. Allyson is the ‘sidekick’, the ‘shadow’ when she’s with Melanie. They’ve been best friends for almost/over a decade and while it's realistic how the two began to grow apart as they left for different Unis, it's also regrettable and heartbreaking. This, I can also relate to. While most of my friends/close friends are either in the same Uni as me, or is studying at a nearby Uni (we’re all in the same city), I can feel the distance developing between all of us.  It seems surreal for a 10 year friendship to just fade away into an awkward ‘hello’ during unexpected encounters, but it’s reality. It happens. The memories will stay with you, but like in Just One Day, both Melanie and Allyson changed throughout the year, and sometimes, it just becomes too tiring to make an effort for two completely different people to ‘make things work’. I liked seeing Allyson become closer with her new friends from college (thought honestly, I have yet to meet a potential gay best friend from my own Uni!!). NOTE: I HAVE MET A GAY GUY FRIEND! YAYYYYY<33333

It is debatable whether love plays a major role in the book or not; I personally wouldn’t say it does. Sure, Allyson spends the majority of the year pining over what may have happened between them, but I think that while her relationship with Willem contributed to her change, she wasn’t so much mourning him so much as mourning herself. Being with Willem brought out the side of her she always wished she had the courage to show everyone; it’s not necessarily the real her, but it’s who she wants to be. And she was this person for one day. This story is ultimately Allyson’s journey to find that person who was lost the morning she woke up to find herself abandoned by Willem. I don't know about other people, but this feels like me minus the boyfriend part. I have this side that I show to most people, that people recognise as 'Shirley', but there's also this other side of me that is only brought out when I'm around certain people. Like Allyson, it's the side I want to show the world and it's the side I mourn when I'm not with these certain people. We all interpret books differently, but this is how I pictured Allyson's life. 

Some people will read this merely for the enjoyment of it, but for me, this was more than just an entertaining read. Half the time I felt like the author had thoroughly analysed my life, wrote it as a novel  with a few alterations here and there. Obviously I loved it, and the only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because my emotions didn't run wild here. If I'd had a tumultuous relationship with the book, eliciting all these different emotions in me at different stages then it would have been perfect<3 Nevertheless, this is something EVERYONE should read!

Review: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life
by Leila Sales 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Release Date: September 17th, 2013

Format: ARC

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing. 

 Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together

This song will save your life starts off with a melancholy tone. We’re introduced to the main character, Elise who is unpopular, friendless and would do anything to change that. She’s unpopular because she’s precocious. She’s different. She doesn’t conform to what society deems acceptable, whether it be fashion, music, looks, or intelligence; she has her own unique style. And that’s why she’s getting bullied. Elise has attempted to change her appearance to fit in, but like she said in the book, it just doesn’t work. And when all this hurt, anger and self-hatred builds up over the years, Elise considers one thing- suicide.

I think that for some people, in order to wholly understand or relate to Elise’s character and the situation she’s in, one has to have experienced bullying to some degree. I, unfortunately can’t 100% relate to her because honestly, I haven’t encountered bullying to her extent. I might’ve been bullied back in first or second grade when I couldn’t speak English, but that hasn’t had a profound impact on my life considering 1) I couldn’t understand what the bullies said to me and 2) I don’t remember all the details. As mean as it sounds, sometimes I felt she didn’t entirely try to fit in despite how much she wanted to. She says she wants friends but I think what she really means is, ‘I want popular friends’. I didn’t like how Elise treated Sally and Chava at the beginning of the book; they truly tried to be her friend, but she pretty much thought “I’d rather not have losers as friends”. However, I’m glad Elise matured and realised that sometimes, you have to make an effort to make friends.

I highly enjoyed getting to know Elise’s new bunch of friends from Start, the town’s best underground dance club. I loved how through a mutual passion for music, Elise is able to meet some of the best friends a person could ask for. Vicky is the sort of friend everyone needs in their life; she genuinely cares about Elise and doesn’t judge. She stands up for her friends, is supportive, encouraging and I love how she took Elise under her wing without a second thought. I loved Mel, Harry and Dave as well<3 As for Pippa and Char, while I didn’t like their actions, I felt they were realistic representations of people in our society today. My feelings towards Char are conflicted; on one hand he seemed like he genuinely wanted to help Elise learn to DJ, and even encouraged her to pursue her love for DJing, but on the other hand, he also showed a selfish and slightly manipulative side. He's the type who helps people only if he's certain their abilities are beneath his & will never surpass him. He helps those he doesn’t have faith in. I didn't like this side of him but his character did feel realistic. 

I personally believe this is one of the most powerful YA contemporary books that holds the ability to leave a profound impact on its readers. It is thought-provoking, beautiful and a realistic story of self-discovery, and I would strongly recommend it to everyone. I’ll admit that I couldn’t relate to Elise’s actions/thoughts at times but I can’t pretend to understand what a person who has been bullied her entire life would feel/do. Music plays an integral role in this book, and I should mention that Elise has convinced me to well…listen to songs that are out of my comfort zone. So guys, definitely read this when you have time! I’m eagerly anticipating Sales’ next project :)

*Guys, you MUST read Emily May’s review ofThis Song Will Save Your Life. I cried- no kidding- I  cried while reading it, and I  never cry when I read reviews!

**If any poor Year 12s from NSW who are conducting a frantic search for a Belonging related text just happens to stumble across this post, I would highly recommend considering reading/using this book!

 A massive thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing for providing a copy of  This Song Will Save Your Life for review! 

The Boys of Summer Blog Tour: Review

The Boys of Summer
by C.J Duggan 
Publisher: Self-published 

Release Date: December 17th, 2012

Format: Kindle, 321 pages

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

 Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins. 

 To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets. 

 How did she let her friends talk her into working? 

 After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos. 

 All with the one boy she has never been able to forget. 

 It will be a summer she will always remember.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a relaxing, ‘Summer-y’ book, and even longer since I’ve read one by an Aussie author! The Boys of Summer is the perfect book to read by the pool, or while you’re sunbaking or taking a break from your busy life; it was certainly my guilty pleasure!!

The Boys of Summer and I actually got off to a bad start; Tess was a pathetic and slightly annoying character. She was always relying on her friends to stand up for her, and never even attempted to stand up for herself. Her dialogue was childish at times (I don’t know if it was a 90’s thing, but did 17 year old girls honestly say BOY COOTIES?!). She was so selfish I was tempted to just…stop reading because I couldn’t tolerate her any longer. By page 44, I hated her. HOWEVER, all my hatred towards Tess disappeared when the ‘Onslow Boys’ made their appearance; from then on, I didn’t care how even though it's set in the 90's I couldn't tell until halfway through; I didn’t care how the dialogue sounded fake sometimes; I didn't care how Tess's character was so contradicting...I JUST FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure most teenage girls (who read) love books set in Summer where the main character develops a crush on a hot, charming, unattainable  guy while on holiday ? Well, I certainly do J By the halfway mark, I didn’t care about the flaws…I was so invested in Tess’s Summer experience, there was no room in me to find any faults in the book. Tess’s massive crush on Toby was so relatable (I mean, haven’t we all had a crush on an older, out-of-our-league kind of guy when we were in our early teens/pre-teens?). Every time Toby smiled at her, I genuinely felt her happiness and I was gushing. Every time Toby looked at her and she blushed, I grinned. And every time Toby did something that sent mixed signals to Tess, I felt her confusion and pain.  This one is certainly a book filled with FEELS.

Other things I loved about the book include the year 12 muck up day theme, which was so similar to the theme for my friends’ schools last year. I liked how I’m finally able to go “YES. I KNOW WHAT THIS IS LIKE” unlike with books set in USA where I’m always so envious of the activities that take place over there!

In a nutshell, GO READ THIS BOOK. It’s a fast read, so no one has an excuse to not read this J  Tess & Toby’s Summer romance is one that is not to be missed!

                              

 A massive thank you to YA Bound and C.J Duggan for providing a copy of  The Boys of Summer for review!