(I realized after someone 'liked' my review I forgot to add in my review which had been posted at my blog already after I finished reading the book back in April! Whoops! Lol!) 
 You can read my full review at The Bookaholic. Thanks! 
 Prisoner of Night and Fog presented a story that felt much different from the usual World War II tale we often see. This wasn't about the Holocaust or a Jew trying to survive in a camp or hiding out in family's home, etc.. Instead, we're given a different perspective with the view of a German girl within close proximity of Hitler himself and having a Nazi-crazed brother. A girl that doesn't quite understand the reality of her world in the beginning, but begins to see things as she learns through observation and a growing conscious. 
 This book pulled at my heart strings in so many ways. Many times, it's said a child will only know hate and such by how they're raised within their family, and I was glad in a way that the content of this story proved otherwise. I've always felt a child can learn these 'traits' --and unlearn them-- through other means besides family: whether it's peers, current events, and their own growing mind that makes them their own individual self. I've witnessed this first hand... As well as my own upbringing. It hurts at times, when I hear immediate assumptions coming from people of any child during adolescent ages: "oh they get that from their parents..." No. That's not how it always works. One can't judge by this. And it also works vice versa: beliefs/morals can change on their own as well, despite what one might be 'used to hearing' around them. I have vastly different beliefs from my mother-- and she tried to raise me on hers. We're all just our own individuals eventually, in my opinion. 
 Trust me, I had a reason to get sidetracked with a semi off-topic discussion or whatever. 
 This is why I connected with PoNaF so much, I think. Gretchen has been raised around these ideas presented to her that we know of as hate, and many times in the beginning, the reader is brought back through her thoughts and fears while she is around her newfound Jew friend, Daniel, to remind herself how "wrong" it is when it's not. And her revelation to knowing Hitler and his side has been wrong all along was mesmerizing and chaotic and brilliant. I adored the way she interacted with Daniel, the forbidden feelings that left the reader on the edge of their seat hoping they wouldn't get caught since it was such an awful time... And the slow growth and development as she came to realize there was something wrong with the world after all, and it was only about to get worse when Hitler--Uncle Dof--would come into full power. It all started with that first kind act of a helping hand that most people nowadays probably wouldn't take a second to consider doing. Back then, it was even more different, especially depending on who you were. She didn't hesitate, stepping up to her crazed brother, and it only showed once again that hatred works differently for every human brain. 
 The really interesting part of it was Hitler. He was presented in this story unlike any other I've read in recent years: He was nearly humanized. Almost to a point where a reader could sympathize with him as a character until his later traits come out and you begin to really understand the depth of What Is Adolf Hitler. I genuinely believe the truth in this book. The man was pure psychopath. It astounded me to read him as a character--not just in the background somewhere with small notations of the damage he is causing. But dialogue and interaction. I'm still dumbfounded by this man. 
 The romance worked so incredibly well. I didn't expect to like it so much going into the book, to be honest, but when it happened, it worked. And it worked beautifully. Sure, it may have been a little cliche. You probably couldn't have got any more cliche than that really with the romance.... However, it was completely beautiful and adorable and I loved it. Shipping that ship there totally. 
 I was locked in tight for this book from the moment I'd started reading. It'd been a book I'd anticipated since the start of the year and I'm glad I had the opportunity to sit and read this one after the hectic schedule I've had lately. Once I'd started, I couldn't put it down... and I didn't. I read through the night until I reached the end because I had to know what happened next. Every time I tried to stop, I was continuing on to the next page or chapter! Certainly not a title you want to miss out on this year! (And I look forward to reading a lot more from this author in the future.) 
 <3 
 Pixie