Review: Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman
Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Prisoner of Night and Fog #2)
by: Anne Blankman
Publication Date: Apr. 21, 2015
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-ARC provided via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 406 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars
The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.
But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.
Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?
But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.
Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?
This dualogy completely took me by surprise! I haven't had the opportunity to read a lot of historical fiction lately, so I was so glad I stumbled across these books! There are certain time periods that just fascinate me and this is one of them. The fact that we get to see Germany pre-Hitler's rise to dictatorship was something I'd never really known much about, so I was completely immersed in these books. Blankman has done her research and we really get to see that in her Author's Note. She has done such a great job of creating a fictional story among such a difficult time period where there is so much sadness and grief, so I applaud her for handling Daniel and Gretchen's story with such poise and beauty.
I adore Daniel and Gretchen. They have to be one of my favorite new YA couples. They have had such a difficult journey and as you can see, it's not over yet. There were times where my heart felt absolutely broken for these two and I felt such despair for them and their situation. They love each other so much so to see them struggle over an uncertain future was absolutely gut-wrenching. I didn't like seeing them distance themselves from one another, but I loved seeing how much they would sacrifice for the others' happiness and well-being. That's true love right there.
I didn't quite love this one as much as the first book, but I still really liked it. We got to see a different side of what was going on in Germany, what with the Ringvereine and the criminal underworld. We do get to see a few familiar faces from the last book though and I have to say a few ended up surprising me.
I want to keep this review short, as I definitely don't want to spoil this book for anyone. All I can say is that I thought this dualogy was awesome. Blankman has really done an incredible job with it and I can't wait to read what's next from her. I hope you take the time to read these and fall in love with Gretchen and Daniel just as I have.
8 comments
I love historical fiction and this sounds like a promising read. I haven't read many set in Germany, so I am especially interested in this time and place. I will have to look into the first book Thank you for your review.
ReplyDeleteSuzi, I really hope you look into these! They really are gems! I am so glad I discovered them!
DeleteAw, I am glad you enjoyed this! I still have yet to read it but I am SO excited to!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it too girl! It's not better than the first IMO, but I still really loved being with Gretchen and Daniel again.
DeleteI didn't enjoy this one as much as you did but I thought it was okay! I was actually really confused when everyone kept saying it was only a duology series... I wanted more! I feel like there wasn't enough Adolf appearances in this book, like nothing with him was really resolved! Or maybe it's been a while since I've read this one. In any case, I wish there was another book!
ReplyDeleteExcellent review, Jess!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Alyssa, I totally wanted more! I agree- it didn't quite rival the first book for me either, but I think it would have been more intense had Hitler played a larger role as well. The storyline was ok, but I did think it lacked that spark the first one had.
DeleteYay! I'm so happy that you enjoyed this one as much I did. And I agree, Daniel and Gretchen have a fab relationship, they always put the other first and I was afraid to breath at times in case it all went wrong for them.
ReplyDeleteYes! Those two have got to be one of my many OTPs! Haha. They definitely made me swoon hardcore!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
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