"The Kommandant's Girl" by Pam Jenoff (We Both Liked This One!)

The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff is a very interesting story about a Jewish girl, Emma, doing whatever she needs to do to survive the Nazi rule. Emma is just 19 and recently married to Jacob, a leader in the resistance movement, at the start of the book. When Jacob leaves Emma alone to work on dangerous missions for the resistance, Emma goes to live with her parents, but finds that they have been taken away to a Jewish ghetto. She follows them but with the help of the resistance, escapes to her husband’s Aunt’s house who she then lives with. When the aunt throws a dinner party for high ranking political officials, Emma takes on a whole new identity and begins to work for the Kommandant at Nazi headquarters. Will she ever be reunited with her husband? Will the Rabbi’s little boy who lives with her survive? Will he ever know about his Jewish heritage?

This book is about Emma’s journey and raises some moral and ethical questions. I liked this book and was not disappointed. The double life that Emma found herself in was very interesting and I also liked both the Kommandant and Jacob. I could easily see how Emma could be unfaithful to her husband under the circumstances. It was fun trying to figure out who Emma could trust. It would be a good one for a book club to discuss. There is lots of aspects to discuss. I highly recommend this one! I read this book because I liked The Orphan’s Tale by this author so wanted to try another one by her. (Karen's review 5/2/17, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 4/29/17:
In The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff, Emma is a newly married woman when the Nazi's take over Poland.  Her husband goes underground to fight the takeover.  Emma wants to help too, but when circumstances give her a chance to do her part, it is very dangerous.  One false move means death for her and those she loves!

This is good stuff!  The story line is very good and I felt the tension grow.  The characters are very believable too.  (5+ stars)

We both also liked The Orphan's Tale by this author.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

This is linked up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop in response to the book review prompt.  

"Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire

In Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, the children find a way into a fantasy world, for a time at least.  Their parents send them to a home under Miss West's care to get their heads straight.  When Nancy arrives, strange things start to happen and it is up to Nancy and her schoolmates to get things back in order.

I got this as an audio book.  I enjoyed the different children and how they had to work together but give it only 4 stars because it is so short.  The book only has 170 pages.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Dead House" by Dawn Kurtagich is Really Spooky and Creepy!

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich is a very dark, creepy book I just read for a change of pace. I was intrigued that it was about a girl with Dissociative Identity Disorder or multiple personality disorder. It is told in a very unique way through interviews, video transcripts, notes and emails. This is a psychological thriller with paranormal activity as well. I wish it was written in chronological order because I found it a bit annoying that I was reading parts dated “after the incident” before I even knew what incident it was referring to. Parts before the incident included dates and a countdown of days before the incident—quite an interesting way of creating some suspense, I admit. This book is an interesting and creepy mystery that drew me in. If you like strange and unusual mysteries with black magic, then you would most likely love this book. I did not like the ending at all! If you read this one, we’d like to hear what you thought of it.
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich is really creepy!  It tells the story of a diary that belonged to Carly Johnson.  This is a VERY disturbed mind for sure.  She tells of Kaitlyn, Carly's alter ego!  This book got me hooked because of all the strange goings on.  I just had to see how it all played out.

This author really knows how to play with your mind, that's for sure!  I won't be able to get this one out of my head for a while.  To me, this is even creepier than many of the Stephen King books I've read!
(Gerard's review, 4/20/17, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"BANG" by Barry Lyga

In Bang by Barry Lyga, Sebastian had a terrible incident when he was 4 years old. He has had to live with his actions from that day every day. Now he knows that there is a way to make it stop, and he has decided that it is time to do just that. I got into this book from page 1. The characters were well developed and very believable. It is a very quick read!
 (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

She has taken my words seriously and not treated me any differently.  A part of me imagined that learning about my past would either repel her or bring her closer to me, but she's acting as though she hasn't learned something horrific.

From page 161 of Bang by Barry Lyga.


Karen's:

(AL):  That's what made her case so interesting.  She had only one other alter, and that one was fairly normal, as far as alters go.

From page 55 of The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by The Purple Booker.   Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.  Happy Reading!