Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

Synopsis:
The girl known as Gretchen Whitestone has a secret: She used to be part of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle. More than a year after she made an enemy of her old family friend and fled Munich, she lives with a kindly English family, posing as an ordinary German immigrant, and is preparing to graduate from high school. Her love, Daniel Cohen, is a reporter in town. For the first time in her life, Gretchen is content.

But then, Daniel gets a telegram that sends him back to Germany, and Gretchen’s world turns upside-down. And when she receives word that Daniel is wanted for murder, she has to face the danger she thought she’d escaped-and return to her homeland.

Gretchen must do everything she can to avoid capture and recognition, even though saving Daniel will mean consorting with her former friends, the Nazi elite. And as they work to clear Daniel’s name, Gretchen and Daniel discover a deadly conspiracy stretching from the slums of Berlin to the Reichstag itself. Can they dig up the explosive truth and get out in time-or will Hitler discover them first?
(Synopsis from Goodreads.)

My Thoughts:
I loved the first book in this duology, Prisoner of Night and Fog. I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I was done, I picked up Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke. Even though I enjoyed it, it was disappointing when compared to the first book in the series.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke was incredibly slow throughout the book. I expected it to be a fast paced, action packed thrill ride to defeating Hitler. However, for a good portion of the book, especially the middle, I was really bored. It seemed like nothing happened. Also, when Gretchen finally saw Hitler was anticlimactic. I expected a bigger battle than what happened.

I did still enjoy the characters. I felt that Gretchen really matured in this book. She really came into her own, and we as reader got to see her morph from a closed minded, brain washed child to an open minded accepting young woman who could hold her own against one of the world's most fearsome leaders.

As far as I know, the series is just going to be a duology. I want more though. I hope the author writes more books in the series. I would love to see how Daniel and Gretchen fair through the rest of World War II. I would also love to see Gretchen's reaction to Hitler's death when it does happen. Also, I would love to see what Gretchen's reaction is to Ava, and the path she takes in life.

I give Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke: 3.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://www.anneblankman.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneBlankman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7012378.Anne_Blankman

I received this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.