I only requested this book cause of my name in the synopsis and its spelled correctly. I have never met a Shaylee with the same spelling let alone seen it in a book. Ive been interested in alternate realities of the Holocaust/Hitler and this one was interesting for sure. Took me a while to get there it but its definitely unique for sure. Of out the few alternate/scifi/fantasy versions of Hilter I've read, I have yet to read on similar to this one.

I'm sorry I was not able to read and review this book before it was archived due to serious health issues

The thing that bothers me the most is the context/background story. About a clone of Hitler. Why? How can an author (or anyone) think it's a good idea/context for a book. I'm wondering if Barton Ludwig is some kind of extremist/white supremacist? I understand most YA books have a dystopian background, and this one is set in the USA but with a part of a small town living as if it's Hitler's Germany. It just doesn't make any sense. At all. It was really disturbing and hard to read at times for the racist background of the story. Made me think I wouldn't get through it at times. But I kept on pushing through.

And there's a lot of things that don't make sense in the story and a lot of plot holes. These were sometimes really disturbing and hard to set aside. The main character speaks German (but again, the story is set in the USA?!?). Nowhere in the story do they explain why/how this happened. Not even at the end. That's the kind of plot holes I'm talking about.

The friendship between the main character and 2nd character made me smile often though and the relationship between them is what made me keep pushing through the book.

In the end, setting the racist/supremacist background is what saved it for me. Dismissing it totally. And the only reason I chose to set that part aside is because I was given the book to do a review and tried to remain neutral. But it cannot be dismissed. It is highly troubling. And need I remind you this is supposed to be a YOUNG ADULT book?!? That's what's really bothering me. A lot. I just don't understand how/why this got to be published. It's a young adult book for god's sake. How is the racist background of this acceptable in any context?

The only reason this gets a 3 star from me is as I mentioned earlier. The relationship between the main characters was good and surprising at times. But if I took the racist background of the whole book. This would get no stars. I won't be reading any books from this author. I wouldn't spend a dime for the story either. I don't recommend it.

I don't think I've quite read a story like this one before nor do I expect to read a similar one any time soon. Compelling and certainly interesting with a unique take on, well.. Hitler. This one was definitely a book that stands out from the pile

I cannot take any more... Leaving this at DNF by 45%. I think I've given this enough of a shot to say it's not for me. I'm not sure what the author is looking to accomplish. There is almost a fantasy vs reality, the distant past vs the present. I'm slightly reminded of the rival gangs from The Outsiders. It is mostly ridiculous.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't like at all, It was slow in terms of the history and not captivating.
Not my kind of literature and sadly couldn't read everything.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book because it had such an interesting premise. I think I expected a bit too much from it. While the cloning aspect was cool, I found it really repetitive and I had a really hard time getting into it. Not bad by any means, but not nearly as good as I expected.

Reading the premise led me to believe that certain things may happen inside. These predictions did not flourish and that is one thing I am glad of! The idea that this boy is a clone of Hitler and that football is a way of "attacking" those countries was an interesting way at looking at the destruction and invasions that were orchestrated by Hitler. Ludwig took a slightly weird idea and made it work really well. This book made me think about the the nature vs nurture debate and how certain things can be coded in ourselves whilst others affect us more than we realise. Ludwig created a highwire feeling were you where unsure what Addie was going to do and accept his "fate".

I have never read anything quite like this book. I kept stopping to read parts to my husband, which drove him crazy. I’m not even sure how to review it, it’s one of those you will love and read in one sitting (me) or not finish.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

This is a strange and difficult book to pin down. The premise is very clever and it had a lot of potential but somehow I felt strangely unsatisfied when I had finished reading, The idea of having a clone of Adolf Hitler was clever and I wish the book had focused more on how that came about and how he was raised in a strangely controlled, almost Truman Show like environment, in order to ensure he grew up as much like the original Hitler as possible. Instead we get a touch of this , mixed with a poorly developed art forgery plot.
Interesting ideas, and some clever writing but ultimately for me it fell flat.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Okay, so this book is insane, and I love it.

First, understand that this is a book about teenage Hitler - things like racism and misogyny come up early on, and it's a bit jarring, but it's supposed to be awful. Right from the beginning, I was a little put off by how everything seemed to mimic real Hitler's life so perfectly, from the names of his friends to events in his life, but this is quickly explained by the revelation that Addie (the clone of Hitler) is basically part of one big Nazi experiment attempting to replicate the original's life in a slightly more modern setting. There's also a sub-plot involving counterfeit artwork smugglers that gradually becomes more ad more important. This all takes a backseat to the main plot, which is soccer, and Addie's team's failure to win a game.

A lot of the humor is very surreal, so you kind of just have to roll with the story when it starts getting weird. And oh strawberries, does it get weird. Ludwig is a good writer, and I really liked how the plot didn't quite follow the standard YA formula. I did feel like information was repeated a lot, sometimes on the same page, and the ending kind of glazed over a lot of really bonkers stuff that could have been summed up in a scene rather than an explanation (and this book seriously had the most bonkers ending I think I've ever read). I'm not sure if any of this was cleaned up in the final version, as I received this as an ARC from Netgalley, but over all, it didn't take away too much from the story, and Addie was a really entertaining narrator.

Also, Thomas and his "colorful" language was absolutely hysterical, and I've started using it instead of profanity.

Advanced reader copy provided by Heartlab Press in exchange for an honest review

I had a professor who told me that history does not repeat itself but it is we who repeat history. Blitzball is a coming of age story on how our past does not have to define us and how we are the masters of our own fate.

I read this book in just two days and I have to say, this is one of the strangest coming of age stories I have ever read and I love it. The concept in itself is already insane yet it's worth venturing into. At first, I was quite doubtful especially considering the fact the book is told in the perspective of a teenage boy growing up in a facist and racist environment yet this was actually the reason why I was so hooked into the book. Addie's perspective is humorous and at times, chilling. The conflict in him regarding drawing himself away from the identity he was given and from the people he grew up with or choosing to remain with them is quite relatable in a way and the added sci-fi twist to it makes it such a unique book that I'm still not over it.

It wasn't just Addie's growth that kept me reading but I really liked the parallelisms of Reichfield and 1930s-40s Germany. This book was just really well thought of from the characters and Addie's life to the events happening in the story. The narration, once again, puts the reader not only into a state of disturbance (which I believe to be quite important as the book sheds light on the mindset of white supremacy) but also into a state of shock and bewilderment as the plot unfolds and starts to connect. Here we watch Addie grow up and learn things that are new to him and there are times where his commentary is just utterly disturbing but amusing at the same time.

The book however could improve on developing the other characters. I would have liked to see more development on the citizens of Lower Reichfield, especially on Shaylee. It's stated that she's Filipino and Mexican and as a Filipino, I really couldn't identify with her since I could barely find my culture in her. The word "Filipino" is mentioned throughout the story yet I couldn't even feel my culture at all.

Overall, this book is an enlightening read and an ingenious coming-of-age story that doesn't just focus on becoming an independent person but also gives us a haunting perspective on the white supremacy that could still be seen to this day.

Creepy vibes to the WW2 extreme in this original dystopian YA story. “Addie” is a teenage soccer player in Reichfield which is an all-white suburb in the middle of nowhere USA. The soccer team often plays the next town over whose players are ethnically diverse. Addie and his friends were all raised to be white supremacists.

There are some issues, and it turns out that Addie is a genetic clone of Adolf Hitler and he lives in a Truman Show situation. Addie isn’t all bad, but he is no saint. It’s an exciting premise and not for the younger end of the YA audience. I would say high school and up.

So, besides the mature themes who else will like this?

World War 2 buffs, kids who love to think about all that kind be done with DNA, soccer players, kids who know German (lots of German swearing in this)

My only complaints are some seriously dark moments which I think are necessary but hard to read and the fact that it took so long for Addie to figure out what was going on. To balance that I’d say that in spite of all that there were many dark laugh out loud situations.

Blitzball by Barton Ludwig was an interesting book. There were parts that I really liked about this book, and parts that I liked a little less. Overall, I thought the book was good.

The story was about "Addie," a soccer player for Reichfield High, located in this off the grid country somewhere in North America. Reichfield High is a school consisting entirely of "Aryans," with the exception of one Jew. Every week, his soccer team plays the team from one town over, which consists of players that are primarily non-white. After Addie and his friend Thomas debilitate the star player of their team, a girl, Shaylee, takes their place, and Addie's life changes. He comes to realize that things might not be exactly as they seem, and he might not be exactly who he thought he was. Can he defy genetics?

I really liked "Addie" the character who was a genetic clone of Adolf Hitler. Not in an "I'd love for him to come to my house and hang out" kind of way (he is a Nazi, after all), but because he is well-written. He is one of those "ugh, what a horrible person he is" types. However, he sees tremendous growth throughout the story. While I don't think he quite gets over his Nazi-like attitude before the end of the story, he's headed in the right direction.

I thought the concept was really interesting. It reminded me a little bit about the movie "Er ist Wieder da," which is a movie where Adolf Hitler suddenly appears in a park and this photographer finds him. This book is a little different in that the town Addie grows up in seems to be specifically built into recreating the life of Adolf Hitler in modern times.

There were a few things that I liked a little less about this book. The ending seemed a little over-the-top. Plus there were quite a few unanswered questions that came with this book. Who was setting up this Truman-show type scenario in the first place? Why? I thought that the epilogue seemed fitting, but the climax of the book before that was a little bit too much, I thought.

While it didn't bother me (as I'm a German speaker) there is a LOT of German in this book (mostly swear words). Some people might find it a little distracting. It isn't always translated (even some of the words that aren't swear words). Because I speak German, I can't really say how much this might bother people, but it might make it difficult for some readers.

One content note: this is not a book for younger YA readers. There are some situations in this book that aren't quite appropriate for younger teens, and younger readers might not have the maturity to realize that some of the attitudes in this book are supposed to be seen in a negative light. It could be confusing to some.

So while overall I did like this book, there were parts that I didn't like quite as much that brought down my enjoyment of the book a little.

E-arc received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is confused. It’s confused about what it wants to be, whether it wants to be sci fi with a twist of realism, or reality with a mere flash of sci fi. Those two might sound like the same thing but they’re not.

If it was going to be sci fi with a twist of realism it would have the main character, Addie discovering his identity earlier in the book and would continue the narrative to a surprising conclusion, given Addie’s “real” identity as a clone.

If it was going to be realism with a twist of sci fi, Addie would discover his identity much later and would either rebel against it and buck against the system that created him.

However this book seems to do neither. It just putters along in fits and spurts with clunky scene changes and chapters that seem to have been edited to within an inch of their existence and other chapters that seem not to have seen the merest hit of editing finesse.

The setting is confusing (which may be intentional) with the reader unsure of what year it is, what technology is available and very little consistency between slang that is used by various characters. At some points it has a very 1950’s feel to it and at others it seems thoroughly modern with cell phones featuring prominently as a way for our main characters to communicate.

The sub plot with the counterfeit paintings seems unnecessary and out of place and altogether confusing.

Addie’s racist attitudes are disturbing but unsurprising given who he is a clone of but his attitude toward women and losing his virginity is downright disgusting. At one point he asks his friend to get some Rohypnol for him so that he can drug one of the other MC’s in order to rape her so that he can lose his virginity without worrying what the girl will think of his sexual prowess.

This subplot is deeply uncomfortable, disturbing and frankly dangerous in a book that is seemingly directed towards the YA market given the age of the characters and the tone of the writing. 

In essence this book is confused and confusing to read. I would like to read other books by the author in order to see if this is their preferred writing style or just a quirk of this book.

2/5 stars

My overall thoughts about this book:

If you liked Riverdale-ish stories, Blitzball is for you.

The premise of the story was promoted as "Addie being cloned the Adolf Hitler's DNA." Great! Who wouldn't loved to see a twist on that theme of the story. But this book is more on a dude-lit (instead of chic-lit, you would get that). Some private high school teenage drama with some unappealing suspense and mystery.

It is juts that I didn't focus on the theme that I've been promoted. I thought of the criticisms and how would the main character deals with the issue that he was cloned after Hitler. But some messed-up Rivedale wannabe is all I read. No offense.

It also says, "Filipino fans would loved this." All I get is a sideline/extra character being dumped throughout the story,.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very intriguing idea the whole nature/nurture thing but for some reason a lot of times the book just fell flat for me. There were a few moments where Addie's notions about life were challenged and I would have loved to see him interacting more with these ideas and technology.

Addie's is great for an unlikable narrator. Maybe a little too good? I don't exactly get the feeling that he'd actually changed that much by the end of the book.

The premise sounded so interesting and I was invested in reading this, but I got to 24% and I just couldn't read more, I didn't connect to the characters, I got lost so many times, I felt like it was just weird.

I'm not saying this is a bad book, but it just wasn't for me, a lot of other people really liked this, I'm sad I didn't. I went to read some reviews to see what I could expect for the rest of the book and see if I should continue, and from what I read it won't be something that interests me. So I DNFed at 24%...

Going by the synopsis, Blitzball seems to be a straightforward modern Sci-Fi story about cloning and metamanipulation. Our main character, Addie, finds out he is the clone of the leader of the National Socialist movement of 1930-40 Germany, Adolf Hitler (hence the nickname Addie). The twist to the story, however, is that Addie and his friends are high school soccer players at Reichfield High, and they are repeatedly beaten by their North Prep rivals; when they grow tired of the humiliation, they-of course-decide to cheat by poisoning the North Prep star player.

This could have been an amazing story. I pictured from the description: “An adolescent student grows up in a racist, megalomaniacal culture and is brainwashed to believe the “Aryans" are superior. He finds out through working with his rivals that he is actually a clone of Hitler and his whole life has been manufactured as an experiment to recreate all of Hitler’s experiences. Of course, the master manipulators do not anticipate that their Truman Show-style life script will fail. Addie finds out that he’s a clone and everyone around him has been strategically placed to recreate a Hitler in the United States so they can take over the world again.”

What I got was woefully short of the goal to which the description aspired. The narrative was, to borrow the perfect word from another reviewer, disjointed. The transition between the events of the plot were nonsensical, and the content of the novel as a whole was incredibly mature, if not vulgar and obscene, for young adult readers. The characters use the worst profanity and most hideous racial slurs regularly, even when thinking (the North Prep students are all non-white and called “lowlies”-and that’s the best word used). The plot teeters on the edge of Young Adult as far as the age of the characters; but the novel just brims with graphic sexual content, very graphic language, and violence that I think would garner an “R” rating at best in a movie.

This was just one big ball of crazy. A clone of hitler that befriends a "lowly" and learns of being a clone, and the ending was just a big dose of wow. I had a hard time getting into it but once I got used to the flow of it, I couldn't really put it down, that being said, I wasn't really thrilled with it, I thought the potential was there but it didn't quite grasp it. I didnt get the sense that he really changed much, only superficially, he never felt remorse or anything that I could see. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and he'd be like, just kidding, kill them all! I was impressed though with the parallels and the thoughts that went into this, the names and situations that matched up with the real hitler, I could google Ava and hitler to see if there was a Ava in his life, and I learned about Eva and hitler in real life, I knew about her but not enough. Same for Blondi.

This was pretty entertaining, a quick easy read, a little out there, not my favorite book, but still a good one.