This book has a very fascinating premise, a story on the 'tasters' - women who sampled Hitler's food to check for poison, however, the execution needed more smoothing. The narrative voice was captivating but the romance was insta-lovey, the book felt like it was in two halves -- the first slow with romance and the second faster with more bleak things and there was no joining force between the said two parts. Overall, a solid WWII historical fiction but needs some work!

Given to me kindly by @netgalley. Enjoyed reading this historical novel.
The terror and pain suffered by ordinary people during the Hitler's government is something unimaginable. Thank you. I APPRECIATE IT.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on two separate occasions and during this second attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher, and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

This was a fascinating and unputdownable book.

I admit that I feel that WWII era fiction has been saturating the historical market for a long time and it is difficult to find a different slant or perspective. This is where Alexander reins: in a fresh, compelling and troubling (not to mention bleak look) at a ( to me) unexplored tenet of a harrowing time in history.

Deftly researched and well told in a voice perfect for the subject and story, The Taster is one of the most original historical fiction books I have read this year.

A really interesting and well told story with wonderful writing. I found myself thinking about it when I was reading it and raced pack to pick it up. Thoroughly interesting and well put together by Alexander.

During WWII, Hitler's life was always in danger. One concern was that someone might poison his food. For this reason, he had food tasters, young women who were doing a service to The Reich. When Berlin was becoming dangerous to live in because of Allied bombing, Magda Ritter's father sent her to live with his brother and his wife. They needed Magda to get a job, as they could not afford to feed another person. When she found nothing, her uncle told her to apply to work for "The Party" and he would put in a good word for her. Imagine her surprise when she was hired to be one of Hitler's food tasters. Magda’s story was loosely based on a real taster, Margot Woelk who at the age of ninety-five finally told her story. Magda is not a member of “The Party,” and her sentiments do not lie with Hitler. When she meets Karl, an SS captain, she begins to envision her life with him. He is not a Nazi Sympathizer either, so you can imagine, some unrest and drama ensues. Magda's service takes her from Berghof, the Fuhr's mountain retreat, to the Wolf's Lair and finally his bunker in Berlin. Magda is constantly worried about her safely, her father's safety (her mother was killed during the allied bombing) and the survival of her beloved Germany.

Magda is a strong character and made the read worthy for me. She stood up for herself and others in the story, showing what everyday German's thought about Hitler and his inner circle. The story was well-written and interesting. I really enjoyed this book, especially because of the fresh perspective on WWII. It was a part of the war that I had heard about along the way, but this gave me much more information. It is important to read the Author's notes at the end of the book. They give valuable insight into V.S. Alexander’s research, as well as what really happened and where he took liberties. There were places where the history was not documented, but were believed to have happened, and he explored some of those things with Magda’s character. This is where the author's conjecture came in, it is not necessarily truth, but it could have happened that way. This was a great read and I enjoyed this book immensely. I would definitely recommend it to those who are interested in reading historical fiction, specifically surrounding WWII. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

5 stars! This was a captivating, suspenseful, addictive and fascinating read!

This story revolves around Magda Ritter, a young woman employed by Hitler during WWII. Magda blindly applied for work with the Third Reich, not knowing what the job would be – she was simply looking for employment. She was hired as one of Hitler’s “tasters” – a group of young German women who lived on Hitler’s properties whose job it was to taste his food prior to him eating meals to ensure it wasn’t poisoned. What a job! I had no idea about this piece of history prior to reading this enthralling story.

The unique story, the courageous characters, the piece of history – it was all so fascinating to me! The author, V.S. Alexander, had me engrossed from the first to last page. The story flowed and unraveled perfectly with a pace that kept me hungry for more and wondering how things would conclude. I always find myself drawn to WWII historical fiction novels and this one really stands out as it explored a completely new angle for me.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and V.S. Alexander for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

We all know not to judge a book by it's cover, but isn't this cover wonderful? This is a dramatic historical fiction novel perfect for those who enjoy stories set during WWII.

I love World War II books, anything I can learn I will, even if fictionalized to make it more interesting. The bones are there, and that is what I like. Of course, no one knows exactly what was said, but the setting is true and fills my history loving heart.

This is the story of Magda Ritter, a German girl, but not a party member because she wasn’t sure she believed the ways of the Reich. When Berlin was being bombed her father and mother sent her to Berchtesgaden to live with her aunt and uncle who praised Hitler. They demanded she get work, at which she went and eventually because a taster for the food to be eaten by Hitler. This was a job that was very dangerous, but showed extreme faithfulness to ensure the safety of the Fuhrer. Magda fell in love with an SS Captain, who turns out felt the same as her and was in a group set to kill Hitler. Being close to the Fuhrer also brought some advantages to make this more possible. She watched as two friends were killed, one was murdered, and the thought of her love dying brought the cause of killing Hitler that much closer to the person she wanted never to become.

I truly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it highly to those that enjoy reading about World War II and the trials that some went through to stay alive.

I received this book from Netgalley, Kensington Books, and author V. S. Alexander for my honest review. As such I would give this one 4.5 stars.

An absolutely amazing novel loosely based on an interview a 95 year old woman gave several years ago that was a taster for Hitler. It was fascinating to read about the many books the author has read on the Third Reich and all the research he has done on this. German woman Magda Ritter is at the end of her life and feels she must release her lifelong secrets from their inner prison. She feels she has been punished enough by them so it goes to the beginning of her life and tells her story. . Young German women are expected to do their duty—working for the Reich or marrying to produce strong, healthy children. When she is interviewed she is assigned to Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat. She is there for weeks clueless before she learns of her duty as one of fifteen tasters of Hitler's foods. She offers herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned. Upon arriving for her assignment she was meek,mild, timid but as the books moves on we see Magda come into her own as she adjusts to where she is and becomes a stronger woman and self assured. She then goes on to reassure other new women coming in to work. As time goes on she becomes disillusioned and hatches a plan to "get rid of Hitler". Tough,gritty,heartbreaking,breathtaking and not knowing what to expect will keep you on your toes wanting to read more and more of this book.Hitler was pure evil but yet he was grandfatherly towards some of the children and his dog Blondi went everywhere with him. I enjoyed it so much it was hard to see this Historical fiction book come to an end. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.
Pub Date 30 Jan 2018 I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the cover art for this novel....and the story fit it exactly. Full of intrigue, mystery, realness. Five stars.

This book was enjoyable and interesting. It was well written and the storyline kept me interested. I highly recommend.

“Who killed Adolph Hitler? The answer lies within these pages. The circumstances surrounding his death have been disputed since 1945, but I know the truth. I was there”

Wowza! This was such a good book. You guys know me and my love for WWII fiction, so I was super excited to dive into this beauty. V.S. Alexander spins the history of Hitler’s death a bit by imagining a slight twist in the demise of this evil man. We find out the alternate ending by going on a journey with Magda Ritter. She was one of fifteen women who tasted Hitler’s food before he would eat it. He was obsessively concerned about being poisoned by his enemies, so he put others’ lives at risk in order to protect his own. Through Magda’s eyes we gain insight as to the person Hitler was behind closed doors. When she first meets him and begins working for him, she describes him as if he is someone’s Grandfather. He strikes up conversations when she runs into him, enjoys the company of others and loves his dog Blondi fiercely. Clearly, the contrast between Hitler in the public and Hitler in private was drastic. “He was not particularly handsome, but his eyes held you in their powerful grip.” Magda says she “Always imagined he would have been a better storyteller; if only he would have let his imagination play out in words rather than in malevolence.” “He mesmerized a nation, inducing euphoric riots among those who believed in the shining new order of National Socialism.” I loved the insiders perspective on Hitler that V.S. Alexander gave us. Using Magda as our eyes and ears in the story, we get to learn so much about this time in our history. Magda is a German citizen who doesn’t necessarily buy into the Hitler hype, but falls in line out of necessity. Her look isn’t the traditional blonde hair and blue eyes that Hitler was so focused on having in his country to the extent that an SS Officer questions her. He says “You are not what the Fuhrer would typically request. You are too dark, too Eastern looking. One might question your loyalties-your heritage.” Yikes! In the beginning of the book she has a youthful naiveté that I was a bit put off by until I realized that she needs to grow up over the course of the story in order to tell it properly. We see her change from this naïve young girl into a strong willed and unafraid woman. I loved seeing this growth and watching her slowly realize how terrible of a situation her country is in. She gets word through one of the SS Soldiers that Hitler has camps where he is murdering thousands of people and the wool is quickly pulled from her eyes. When Magda is first given her assignment as a Taster, she is told “You, and others, taste the Fuhrer’s food. Your body is offered in sacrifice to the Reich in case the food is poisoned.” How terrifying would that be? I put myself in Madga’s shoes and had anxiety thinking about it. Not only are you constantly at risk of consuming poison, you are also at risk of being accused of poisoning this man who is fearful at all times of disloyalty. While Magda is working as a Taster at the infamous Berghof, Hitler’s mountain retreat, she meets and falls in love with Karl, an SS Officer. Their love story isn’t without bumps and during wartime, their allegiances are called into question. Their thoughts on the war itself change puts them into imminent danger as they realize that Hitler is not the man their country believes him to be.

This book was wonderful. It takes us on a journey through time to a place that we have heard so much about, but still continue to want to learn more. Magda’s life goes from the highest highs while she is living in the Berghof, mingling with Eva Braun (Hitler’s girlfriend and later wife for one day), eating delicious (although potentially poisoned food) and living in relative safety. To then crashing down when she is sent back to her family and watches in horror as bombs are dropped all around them and people she loves are killed. The rage she feels for the Führer grows and grows until all she knows is that she must stop him. She is murderously mad seeing all that he promised his followers and how dangerously different the world around him has become. Magda is a survivor and I admired her courage throughout this story. There were many times she could have just gone along with what was asked of her taking the easy road, but she continued to stay true to herself. She witnesses horror’s that most of us cannot even imagine but stayed resilient and strong. I loved her character and that is a testament to V.S Alexanders excellent writing.This book was so extensively researched that I felt transported to wartime Germany and felt as though I was in Magda’s head through the imagery and details provided.

PS: I am a huge fan of Kristin Hannah’s WWII novel The Nightingale and I finally feel like I have found a book that just about matches the level of love I have for it with The Taster. I highly recommend that you read it and love it along with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a taster for Adolf Hitler in his Austrian hideaway, MagdaRitter is expected to make sure that no poison finds its way into Hitler's meals. As time progresses, she becomes aware of the atrocities of the Reich, and finds herself having to be courageous and brave in her beliefs.

The Taster is a fabulous read. I highly recommend it and give it 5 plus stars. I am looking forward to more by VS Alexander in the future.

My Thoughts

“You are one of fifteen.”
I shifted in my seat. “Fifteen what?”
“Tasters who work for the Führer at his headquarters.”

Having read a great deal of historical fiction, I had never come across or really thought about this aspect of Hitler and his regime. I was intrigued. Of course I had read of attempts made on Hitler’s life, but never through this means. The author does note that it can be loosely tied into the account of a real life taster that Hitler employed, although it must be stressed, this is a work of fiction. Accounts of the time were kept confidential until the taster was almost 100 years old. Once again, intriguing and most worthy of a book.

Therefore, if you enjoy historical fiction as I do, you will enjoy this tale - a young girl at the height of Hitler’s power, gaining access into Hitler’s inner circle and all the time truly despising the man! It made for an interesting perspective, as those of us on the outside question how so many Germans could seemingly follow such a monster as Hitler was. This sheds light on the fact that perhaps there were those who were not complicit and in fact, tried within the means available to them, to prevent the horror that was unfolding before their eyes.

“We were trapped in a make-believe world propagated by the Reich while all around us battles were being fought, troops slaughtered and innocents butchered.”

The author does an excellent job in detailing the various locations where Hitler stayed - everything from the scenic ‘Berghof ‘to the claustrophobic ‘Wolf’s Lair’. At times it was as if you too were sick of being locked away and the atmospheric setting was successfully conveyed. I found the bombing of Berlin and the Russian invasion of that city in the final throes of war, to be terrifying. A more real tale of destruction could not be found.

“Your mother, who thinks washing dishes is still important while the world burns, believes the Reich will win the war. She has no idea about the rumors that circulate. I fear the worst for us all, Magda. It’s like we live in some manufactured world that’s shrinking day by day. I can feel the walls tumbling on Germany, on Berlin, on us.”

My only fault lay in some of the characters themselves. Magda is an interesting character but I just found that her relationships at times were a little wooden - especially with her husband Karl. There was just that something lacking - real emotion and depth of feeling - both with concerns to the tragic and romantic. At times I found some relationships, especially with Karl to be artificial and mechanical, no passion and lacking that next level of engagement. One must also allow some fictional leverage in interactions with Hitler and Eva Braun, that at times, I found difficult to allow. More detail with secondary characters such as Karl, Eva and especially Magda’s father, would really have added that compelling ingredient. Still, it made for an interesting story with detail and location compellingly portrayed.

Overall, I would recommend this book - allow a little latitude to some plot developments and wishful of more character development, but on the whole it provided a fresh perspective and a really interesting angle on a well versed topic.

‘Soon I had eaten enough for a meal. “Now what?” I asked Cook. “Now you wait.” She said these words simply and without emotion, as clinically as a heartless physician telling a patient she only had a short time to live.’


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

A big thank you to Kensington publishing, V. S. Alexander and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you as well to my Goodreads friends for introducing me to this book. The moment I started reading, I was captivated and intrigued. It's not too often that a book captures my attention from start to finish but The Taster was successful in achieving this feat.

I found the writing style to be quite interesting. It was simple and straightforward and worked well in this instance. We meet Magda, a young woman who is naive and seemingly apathetic about WW2 and her country's Nazi regime. Up until now, Magda has lived a sheltered existence but her life is about to change. As the Allies draw nearer to Berlin and the likelihood of being killed by bombs increases,, Magda's parents arrange for her to stay with relatives outside of the city. It is through her uncle that she is hired as a Taster for the fuhrer. Who knew that such an occupation even existed??? The story does a fabulous job in mixing Magda's fictional experiences with historical details. It is the first time I've read a war story from this particular perspective and with Hitler playing a prominent character in the narration. I found it fascinating.

The story moves along at a good clip. Readers that enjoy more of a plot-based narrative will probably enjoy this book. Magda's situation changes throughout the story, which allows the reader to witness many different aspects and autricities of the war from a German civilian perspective. i felt the author successfully achieved a nice balance of detail and narration. Although it is raw and tragic, it is well crafted and I found the violence to be an instrumental part of the plot, which added depth and understanding. I do love a good war story, however, so this may not be everyone's cup of tea.

If you're okay with some violence, like WW2 stories and looking for an interesting, engaging and unique WW2 historical fiction, this might be worth a try. I found it fascinating and hard to put down.

I really wanted to like this and was excited for the opportunity to read it. The cover is beautiful, the premise was interesting and intriguing. Unfortunately, I became less enchanted with it the more I read. The writing was a little choppy-sometimes I felt like I must have skipped a page because it seemed to jump or missed information but that was just the writing. I was always able to figure it out, but it didn't flow well. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and the storyline. It seemed too extreme that it became almost absurd. I wish I could give this a better review, but I just did not enjoy it and was glad to be done with it.

This was an very engaging book about a little known aspect of the war. Magda is pressed into service as a taster of Hitler's food. It is a dangerous, potentially deadly job. Magda has an insiders view of Hitler's war, traveling with him to various locations as the war drags on and Germany is starting to come to grips with its ultimate defeat. The longer Magda serves Hitler the more she comes to hate him for all the atrocities that are occurring because of Hitler's unquenchable desire to win the war. The horror of war in this book is balanced very nicely with the love story of Magda and Karl, an SS officer, who also sees the insanity of Hitler's plan. The book is well paced, and the characters of Magda and Karl grab tightly onto your heart. You will be enchanted.

While I think that this novel shows a very unique perspective of such a historical point in time, it failed to captivate me. 

I really liked how the author gave readers an insightful look into Hitler's lifestyle. We see the opulence of the food and the way many people consider Hitler to be a father figure, someone worth supporting and fighting for. The author doesn't shy away from talking about the horrors that Hitler has inflicted on people, but the focus is very much on what it is like to be close to Hitler. 

I actually have no problems in terms of the content, message, or intent of the story. In terms of these 3 aspects, the author did a great job. 

But this wasn't a story.

It was hard to connect with Magda, our protagonist. At no point did I feel sympathy for her - and I had plenty of opportunities to do so. Where the author lavishly described details of life in Germany, there was an omission in creating depth in his characters. The relationships that developed throughout the story were lackluster and didn't have the right flow to it. While I could factually understand why there were people who did not agree with Hitler and wanted him to die, I could not feel the emotion behind those sentiments. Of course, it's obvious that Hitler did bad things and deserved to be punished, but why don't you make me feel it in my gut as I read about it from the characters who are seeing this cruel side of him?! I wanted more connection and more depth to the story and the characters. At times, it felt like I was being told and not shown things, and that led to this feeling that the story was just surface-deep and had nothing more beneath it.

Do I think this is an important topic to discuss and an interesting perspective to take? Yes. But it was far too factual, with more telling than showing and lacked a great deal of depth in terms of character development. For those reasons, I'm giving it a 2/5 stars.