Prisoner of Night and Fog

By: Anne Blankman

Narrated by: Heather Wilds

A gripping historical thriller set in 1930s Munich, Prisoner of Night and Fog is the evocative story of an ordinary girl faced with an extraordinary choice in Hitler's Germany. Fans of Code Name Verity will love this novel full of romance, danger, and intrigue!

Gretchen Müller grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her uncle Dolf—who has kept her family cherished and protected from that side of society ever since her father sacrificed his life for Dolf's years ago. Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler. And Gretchen follows his every command.

When she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen, who claims that her father was actually murdered by an unknown comrade, Gretchen doesn't know what to believe. She soon discovers that beyond her sheltered view lies a world full of shadowy secrets and disturbing violence.

As Gretchen's investigations lead her to question the motives and loyalties of her dearest friends and her closest family, she must determine her own allegiances—even if her choices could get her and Daniel killed.

This was a forced book for school, but I actually really liked it

I haven't enjoyed a book in a while but this one kept me on my toes the whole time. I read/listened to it in only two days. The narration is really excellent as well, it made reading the book even more amazing.

Amazing Historical Piece

I loved this novel! It offered such a fresh perspective on history and it is about a time not very much written about in fiction. I loved every piece of it.

The narration was excellent. The German accent was perfect to bring the story alive, and every character was very distinctive from each other. It was so easy to tell them apart. Seriously great narration.

Great book!

I loved the story line, and the characters. However, the first couple of minutes, it was hard to get used to narrator’s German accent but once you get used to it, you don’t notice it. Highly recommend.

Excellent, intriguing story.

This story captured my attention and held it throughout each chapter. The storyline, characters and narration are all excellent. I'm looking forward to starting the next book.

Inside the National Socialist Party

Prisoner of Night and Fog imagines what it would be like to grown up under the protection of Adolf Hitler. Gretchen Muller lives in 1930 Munich. Her father became friends with Hitler during the Great War and then died to save Hitler's life during a National Socialist Party demonstration. Uncle Dolf, as Gretchen calls him, has been like a second father to her.

However, Gretchen is now nearing adulthood. She is capable of thinking for herself and begins to realize that under the party doctrine she will never be treated as an adult.

Gretchen then meets a Jewish reporter, Daniel Cohen. Together they start investigating her father's death. What they find will change everything.

I didn't like Anne Blankman's book as much as I thought I would. I think the reason why was because it features a set-up we see so often in young adult novels: Girl meets handsome boy and handsome boy changes her perspective on the world. Along the way they fall in love. It's not that I don't like Daniel or that I think this set-up is unrealistic (even if maybe it is, a little). It's that I have seen this set-up time and time again. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if Gretchen had started wondering about her father's death on her own and then had sought out Daniel herself?

Still, the insider perspective into the early years of the National Socialist Party was certainly intriguing. I'm going to read the sequel and see what happens next.