In the 1930s, Hitler's power was starting to rise. During that time, his honorary niece, Gretchen, was growing up as one of his favorite people. She loves her uncle Dolf dearly, the man her father died supposedly protecting. When a Jewish journalist, Daniel, tells her a different version of her father's death, Gretchen slowly learns the truth about her uncle. Together, the two try to find the truth though finding it may cost them their lives.

PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG by Anne Blankman is now one of my favorite books. Packed with heart-stopping action, a heart-warming romance, and deceits you never see coming, it is an excellent work of historical fiction following a young girl in Hitler's inner circle. The setting feels so real and intense, and it gives the tone of the story a haunting kind of air that brims with originality. Gretchen is such a well-rounded and complex main character whose story you will want to devour. Watching her slowly unravel the secrets and hidden agendas around her will make your heart nearly break at times, but she faces it all with a strength tinged with compassion. She is easily one of my favorite characters.

Alongside her is Daniel, the boy who helps figure out the truth with her. Their romance is slow and fragile, but it builds wonderfully into something strong and solid. Getting to see them overcome their own stereotypes about the other is completely beautiful, and some of their scenes together are my favorite.

Overall, I absolutely love PRISONER OFNIGHT AND FOG. I really hope to see a sequel from Anne Blankman, because I'm dying to revisit these outstanding characters again. I would recommend it to any historical fiction fans, particularly those who enjoyed CODE NAME VERITY or nonfiction works like THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.