Prisoner of Night and Fog - Anne Blankman - 5 stars

This book was chosen for me to read as a part of the pick 5 challenge that I am doing with a friend of mine, where we chose books for each other that were out of our current comfort zones. This book was a good choice for me even if I did not think so at the start of the challenge, but since then I have enjoyed more and more historical fiction, so it turns out that this one was a great choice. I am so glad that it was a part of my challenge.

This is the story of Gretchen Muller who grew up in the Socialist National Party. She thought she would always be protected by her 'Uncle Dolf' who turns out to be Adolph Hitler. This is not really her Uncle but he had been a part of her family for many years after he served with Gretchen's father. It had been said that her father gave his life protecting Uncle Dolf and Gretchen followed his every command, in return he would protect her and her family. This only lasts until she meets Daniel, a young Jewish reporter. She had been taught to despise Jews, but she could not resist Daniel and his story. A story that would change everything.

I absolutely loved the plotline of this story. I thought it was very interesting how the author took true facts and wove a story of fiction around that while still using some very real people in the story as well. It all flowed so brilliantly. Always something was happening to keep me on the edge of my seat silently praying for Gretchen and Daniel. The story was also very real and I loved how it brought so much history to the forefront. It gives another deeper look at Hitler and his life and the mental problems that surrounded him.

The characters were developed beautifully, and I fell in love with Gretchen and her stubbornness. She knew right from wrong and she was not afraid to act on it regardless of the sacrifice involved. She went through some real struggles dealing with the issues of her family and Uncle Dolf at the same time while her world crumbled around her from discovering the truth. She showed so much strength through all of it. I also really enjoyed Daniel as well, another very strong character who tried desperately hard to get the truth out there for anyone who would listen.

I recommend this to everyone, even those who do not necessarily like historical fiction. It is so worth the read and I feel like everyone should read it. I look forward to Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke, and will hopefully get that book soon. Look like another trip to the Library! 

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson - 5 stars

This book was chosen for me by a friend that I am doing a pick 5 challenge with for this year. I was not too sure about this book, as this is a first time read for me with this author. I finally got around to getting it from the library and after reading it, I decided that I need to own this book. It was such an awesome, feel good book that I found hard to put down. What a great summer read.

In this book we have Amy who recently lost her father to an accident in which she blamed herself for. She is told that she is taking a road trip with Roger, (who by the way, needed to get to Philadelphia.), to where her mother moved them to in Connecticut. Amy realized that she was losing herself and this road trip is exactly what she needed to find herself again.

I really liked the plotline of this story. This is an awesome 'feel-good' story. Who doesn't love a good summertime road trip? I know I do, so this book was right up my alley. I found it heart wrenching, exciting, happy and sad all at the same time. I found it to be very engaging and very memorable and I had a hard time putting the book down. I love stories like this.

I loved the characters so much. I found them to be developed so well and also very memorable. I really found Amy to be both likable and relatable, in so many ways. I loved her character probably the most. I liked how she learned to take the bull by the horns and just live, and enjoy what she was experiencing. I also liked how she really started opening up throughout the story. I was not all that thrilled with her mother though I have to say. She seemed cold and distant, but it also made me realize that these things can happen as we struggle to deal with loss in our lives.

I recommend this book to everyone, especially if you like great adventure stories with a little romance on the side, because this one has plenty of both. I do look forward to reading more from this author. She is quite talented and has a very fun writing style.

Voyager - Diana Gabaldon - 5 stars

I am reading this series/book for our Outlander series Read along group. We are reading one book a month until we finish the series. This book, Voyager, is a favorite next to Outlander for me. I am so glad I decided to read this series, there is so many great elements in every one of the books I have so far.

I don't want to give a synopsis for this book since it would contain spoilers for the books before it and I don't want to spoil anyone. This journey should be taken without knowing any of the events to come with each installment. So I will just say that the adventure, the romance, and the sacrifice continues with this book.

Again the world building in this book is amazing. Readers get to not only time travel, but also travel to many different places that we could only dream of visiting. Again with no surprise this installment was very engaging, hard for me to put it down when I needed to. The story just carries you way on these adventures that, as a reader, will never forget.

The characters are all so realistic and unforgettable. They are so well developed that you feel as though they are your own family and friends. They grow on you with each turn of the page and as readers of this series we invest so much time into their lives learning about them and getting to know who they are and what they stand for. A lot of times the characters will surprise you, make you mad, and fall in love with them all over again. There is a great cast of characters, but not so many that readers feel overwhelmed with them all. Claire & Jamie are definitely my OTP.

I do have to recommend this series to anyone who loves a good adventure with great elements such a time travel, historical, and of course Romance. If you have not yet picked up book 1 to this series, you need to because this is an adventure that you don't want to miss. I have not been bored or disappointed with anything I have read in this series so far. Diana Gabaldon has a great talent and I look forward to the rest of this series and going even further into history and into Claire and Jamie's lives.

Inkspell - Cornelia Funke - 4 stars

I read this book as a buddy read with a friend here on Good Reads, and since I enjoyed the first book, Inkheart, and it's world building so much I thought I should get to this one as soon as I could. I am glad that I decided to get into this series, but I must say it is a pretty complex story and is definitely not light reading.

In Inkheart we learn that Mo, Meggie's father, can read characters out of the books that he reads aloud. Well this one continues on with all those great characters and several new characters for readers to enjoy as well. You have to pay attention to what you are reading in this book though because the story and the characters both are very complex. It really is not a light read, but it has a beautiful world with a lot of great imagery.

The characters in this story are very well developed, vibrant and complex. There are plenty of characters to hate as well. I really enjoy Meggie and Dustfinger the most I think. They are both very likable. I think they just get better with each of the books in this trilogy and I certainly look forward to spending some more time with them.

I recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy. It has great world building with a pretty complex plot line and characters. I do look forward to the last book in the series Inkdeath. I am sure it will have an amazing conclusion.

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness - 3 stars

This book was picked for me by my friend Shannon for our pick 5 Challenge. I had heard some really good things about, but was not sure when I would actually get to it. So this is a really good challenge to get these books read. I ended up not liking it as much as I thought would like it, so that was a little disappointing, but it was a decent read.

In this book you have Conor who has started having 'nightmares of a monster' that in a way helped him better deal with his Mother's illness. As he tried to figure out where this monster comes from he begins to see things in a very different light.

I thought the premise of this book was pretty good, I just expected something entirely different than what I got after reading the synopsis of the story, and I think this is what took away from the story for me. I did think the writing was beautiful and it gives a good look into dealing with illness, loss and how people deal with these things differently. I thought the illustrations in the books were amazing. I love that part of the story. Even though the book did not blow me away, I still found it to be engaging and easy to read. There were some pretty heart wrenching parts to this book.

I think Conor was developed very well and I really enjoyed his character a lot. I think his personality could be easily relatable for teen readers. I like how he used these nightmares to better deal with his mother's illness. I thought Grandma was a little rough around the edges and pretty hard on Conor as far as how she dealt with him when it came to his own dealing with situation at hand.

I think this book is very worthy of reading. So I recommend this to everyone. I do think it would have been helpful to have a better synopsis written. I think it is a little misleading and says more than what it really is about I think.

Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys - 4 stars

I read this book as a buddy read with a friend. This is also a first time read for me of this author. I was unsure about it since I do tend to struggle with historical. I do find this 1940's era interesting though so I decided to go ahead and read it. I am so glad that I did. I found this book and Lina's story very engaging.

This the story of Lina, a very gifted 15 year old girl and her family in the 1940's residing in Lithuania. In the middle of the night their home is invaded by the NKVD and Lina, Jonas, her brother, and Elena, her mother are forced to climb into the back of a truck. They are then deported to a farm and they work for mere bread rations. This is Lina's story of their journey to Siberia.

This is a very gripping story full of sadness and depression, but also love and courage. It was so engaging and I could barely put the book down. I could never imagine what these people had to endure at the hands of Stalin and his control. It certainly does make you wonder what a human life is worth. This story is told with honesty and feeling. I think the author did a beautiful job with getting this story told on a more personal level than history teachers can convey.

The characters were just amazing, and so well developed. It made them so believable. I loved them all. The author allows readers to experience and feel the pain that they felt everyday. I know I did. Readers are also witness not only to what really went on and how these people suffered, but also those small victories that they counted amongst themselves.

I recommend this book to everyone. It should be read and talked about. It is such an important part of history, and those of in America should be grateful that we did not have to endure this kind of life.

Fallen - Karin Slaughter - 5 stars

I have been reading this series for a few months now and I have enjoyed all of the books I have read so far and this one is no different. This could be my favorite so far in the series, and I look forward to the rest of the books and any that may be written in the future.

In this installment we have Faith who goes to her mother's house and sees that things are not what they usually are when the front door is open and a bloody handprint in on the door. Her mother has been abducted, and it is up to her and Will to find out why.

I love these books so much. Each has a different mystery to solve, while we watch our characters develop through each story. I love how they are so engaging and easy to read. I just get so easily wrapped up in the story that I feel as though I am there in the middle of things. The authors uses great imagery throughout the story to keep readers totally enthralled. I did not expect the wrap up that I got with this installment and I loved the added drama.

The characters are brilliant and so well developed. I feel as though I know them personally. Will is definitely my favorite of all of them. He is so gritty and flawed you can't help but love the effort he puts out to get through each obstacle in his life, such as his maniacal wife and the fact that he is dyslexic to boot. There are also plenty of characters to hate as well. All of them are amazing.

I can recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery series wrote by a strong female author. All of the books are so well done. I look forward to the rest of the series.