To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff at Costco with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.)

In the alternate world of Ryan Graudin's newest novel, Wolf By Wolf, Adolf Hitler remains in power. The year is 1956 and the reclusive Führer rules Europe and half of Asia.  Despite nonagression pacts with other nations, he's eyeing the rest of the continents, discontent until the entire globe belongs to him.  For now, though, Hitler is celebrating.  The Axis Tour is an annual motorcycle race across Europe and Asia, an event that pits teens from Hitler Youth and the Great Japan Sincerity Association against each other in a televised spectacular that applauds the joint victories belonging to Hitler and the emperor of Imperial Japan.  The prize?  A meet-and-greet with the Führer himself.

Yael has one goal: kill Adolf Hitler.  The 17-year-old Jew blames the leader for the extermination of not just her family, but also her people.  A victim of death camp science experiments, she has evolved into a skinshifter.  Thanks to Nazi innovation, Yael can change at will almost everything about herself—height, weight, eye color, the timbre of her voice, etc.  With the blessing of the Resistance, she will use this power to impersonate the Tour's only female winner—Adele Wolfe.  She will use her comely disguise to win the race, lure an unguarded Hitler onto the dance floor, and kill the man who stole everything from her.  Failure is not an option.

As Yael begins the 20,780 kilometer race, which will take her from her home in Germania (formerly Berlin, the city is now the capital of the Third Reich) to the glittering metropolis of Tokyo, she begins to understand just how dangerous her mission really is.  Not only must she stay in character as Adele Wolfe at all times, but she must fend off the attention of her competitors (one of whom is Adele's twin brother), and survive the underhanded dealings of the other riders.  If Yael manages to emerge victorious, she still has to find the strength to murder the most powerful man in the world—and get away with the crime.  Does she truly have the cold-blooded conviction to do such a thing?  Will she even get a chance?  It all depends on a Jewish death camp survivor-in-disguise winning a grueling and vicious race ... does Yael have what it takes to fulfill the most daring mission in history?

I loved Ryan Graudin's last novel, The Walled City, for of its vivid setting, heart-pounding plot, and sympathetic characters.  This one, however, wasn't nearly as compelling.  Yael is most certainly sympathetic, but for some reason, I just didn't feel much connection with her.  Most of Wolf By Wolf's cast, in fact, seems underdeveloped to me.  I wanted more complexity from them, more depth.  Plot-wise, the novel is interesting and exciting.  Not thrilling enough for me to read in one sitting (which is how I devoured The Walled City), but still engrossing.  Overall, I liked Wolf By Wolf, didn't love it.  I don't know if I'll bother with the sequel (Blood for Blood comes out November 1, 2016) or not.  We'll see.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

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As a loyal member of the National Socialist Party and a pure-blooded German, Gretchen Müller knows to stay away from Jews.  They're dirty, sneaky, subhuman—so insists her Uncle Dolf.  Without a father to look to for advice, the 17-year-old must put her trust in the man he died to protect.  Adolf Hitler dotes on Gretchen, his favorite "niece," the daughter of Germany's famed martyr—in return, the 17-year-old owes him her respect and absolute obedience.  Gretchen knows her beloved "uncle" would never steer her wrong, but when a handsome Jewish reporter comes to her with accusations against him, she begins to wonder.  Did her father really die the hero's death for which he's been lauded, or did something much more sinister lead to his demise?  Can she trust Daniel Cohen, who's both a stranger and a Jew?  Especially over the word of Adolf Hitler, the most powerful man in Munich, maybe even all of Germany?

Against all reason, Gretchen finds herself falling for Daniel.  And believing the things he's telling her.  The more she searches for the truth behind her father's death, the more Gretchen questions what her Uncle Dolf has told her—not just about the martyrdom, but also about the Jews.  Fraternizing with Daniel is dangerous enough, but harboring traitorous thoughts against Adolf Hitler?  That could get her killed.  One wrong move and Gretchen's sadistic older brother will turn her in.  In an increasingly tumultuous time, she can't risk losing her uncle's approval.  But, what if Hitler's been lying to her all along?  What then?  Torn between loyalty to her protector and a growing dissatisfaction with his teachings, Gretchen must decide what—and who—she believes.  Even if it means putting herself and everyone she loves in grave danger.

Prisoner of Night and Fog, a debut novel by Anne Blankman, brings the fear and uncertainty of 1930s Munich to vivid life.  With tight prose, an engaging heroine, and a tense, compelling plot, it's a fast-paced page turner that will appeal to anyone who loves historical fiction.  Sure, there are some holes in the story, but overall, I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Pam Jenoff's adult novels about WWII, The Kommandant's Girl and The Diplomat's Wife)

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When Anne Frank began her diary, she had no idea that one day, it would be read by millions of people. Neither did Peter Van Pels. He could not have foreseen that the world would come to know him based on the scribblings of a 13-year-old girl. If he had lived (he died at Mathausen in 1945), what would he have thought of her portrayal of him? Would he agree with her observations or vehemently deny them? If Peter had kept a diary, what would he have said about Anne, Margot, Otto and the rest of his Annex roommates? The answers to these questions will never be known. In Annexed (available October 2010), Sharon Dogar's fictionalized account of Peter's ordeal, the British author imagines what he might have thought, felt and experienced. It's a sensitive, realistic portrayal of a young man the world will only ever know through the eyes of another.
The story, which moves between Peter's days in the death camps, and those he spends in the Annex, begins on the morning Peter goes into hiding: July 13, 1942. Although the 16-year-old is grateful to the Franks for allowing his family to join them in the Annex, he's not looking foward to spending his time cooped up inside. And with annoying Anne Frank, no less. Desperately missing his (fictional) girlfriend, Liese, Peter's sad and moody, knowing he'll most likely never see her again. His new life holds little interest for him. He can only read so many books, draw so many pictures. Peter longs to be outside, running free. But, he can't leave the prison of the Annex. Nor can he run, shout, peek his head out the window, or let his guard down. Ever. His life, and those of his family, depend on staying quiet, hidden away.
Naturally, the people in the Annex grow bored, quickly becoming irritated with one another. The women bicker, Otto Frank tries to keep the peace, and Anne never stops talking. Or writing in her infernal diary. Peter can't escape his father's scrutiny or Dr. Pfeffer's unpleasant smells. He has no privacy, nowhere to really be alone. Through their forced togetherness, Peter and Anne eventually form a close friendship. Despite a crowd of prying eyes, their relationship blossoms into a romance full of stolen moments in which they share their thoughts, dream of better times, and try to keep their raging hormones in check. When betrayal leads all of the Annex's occupants to Nazi death camps, Peter mourns the days of relative peace spent hidden away. Mostly, he grieves for Anne, the girl he loves. As he lays dying, it's her he thinks of, her he longs to see, her for whom he pines.
Like most Holocaust stories, Annexed is horrifying, yet strangely compelling. Largely unsentimental, the book's nonetheless a moving tale of a boy's desperate fight for survival against insurmountable odds. It's bleak, depressing and hopeful all at the same time. Although the book's publication has been marred by controversy (click here and here for more info), I didn't find Dogar's portrayals of Peter, Anne, or the other "characters" in the story at all offensive. We'll never know what truly happened in the Annex and that's okay. Personally, I find Dogar's interpretation almost as valid as Anne's - after all, who's to say that the words of a young girl (especially an imaginative dreamer like Anne Frank) are any less true than Dogar's fictionalized, but well-researched account? The fact is, we'll never know. And personally, I don't care all that much. The story's always going to be gripping, heartbreaking, and utterly affecting - no matter how it's told.
Annexed is not the best written Holocaust tale ever, but it's definitely compelling. Drogar drew me into Peter's story right away, making me want to keep reading even though I knew exactly how it would end. While Peter may not be as vibrant or as lovable as Anne Frank, his tale is still worthy of being told - I think Dogar does an admirable job of telling it. Some of Dogar's prose needs work, sure, and I desperately hope that 90% of the exclamation points that appear in the ARC will be edited out, but all in all, I found Annexed a fulfilling read. Not the "sexed up" book it's been accused of being (although Peter does have some rather vivid dreams), just an honest re-telling of a familiar story. If you've ever longed to hear Peter's side of the story, you'll want to give this one a try.
** I'm not a huge fan of book trailers, but I thought Sharon Dogar's thoughts on writing Annexed were interesting:


(Readalikes: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl; The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman)
Grade: B-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), sexual content (most of which occurs in Peter's imagination) and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Annexed from the generous folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Thank you!