I had no idea that this book was the second in the series of the Auschwitz Twins. This is divided and tells the tales in three parts - Ernst Neider, a shy Aryan German who wants to become a doctor, the Aizenberg family, a Jewish family who is taken to the ghetto of Warsaw and made to live with a Secular family causing strife with their Orthodox life as their daughter decides this is a better life for her, and Gisele Lenoir, who lives in Marseille France and was orphaned at 14yrs old, ends up working as a maid in a brothel then finds herself in Berlin where she meets Ernst. The stories all come together in the end at Auschwitz. I think it might have been helpful to read the first book before this one to have some background, however, read as a standalone, the story does come together and holds your attention. Thanks so much to Roberta Kagan, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

I really enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend Mengele's Apprentice to anyone who likes to read historical fiction.

Fascinating, heartbreaking, and rich in historical detail.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Second book in a historical fiction series. Split into 3 sections, following different storylines which come together by the end of the book. Whilst this book can be read as a stand-alone I would recommend reading the first book. Both harrowing and heart wrenching, if you love WW2 books, this is a must read.

I love Roberta Kagan's books! I just wasn't ready for the ending of this book, however. So looking forward to the next book in this series. Highly recommended.

I couldn't finish this one. Largely because I was started it not knowing that is was the second in a series. I felt like I was missing something through most of the story that I got through. I intend to try to return to this once I read the first in the series.

One bright spot, I thought he author had a decent head start in the development of the doctor who becomes Mengele's Apprentice. There is a lot of conflict goin on within that character and that was interesting. Unfortunately the story lost me when it steered away from him. The other part of the story and characters clearly start in the first book.

I think it would be helpful to tell readers that while the author may have intended this to be a stand alone book within a series, its not completely. There is a lot of character development I assume happens in the first of the series, that is just lost if you don't read that one first.

I will also hold off giving feedback on the Auschwitz Twins until I have the chance to read the first in the series.

After saving the life of Dr. Mengele on the battlefield, Ernst is transferred to Auschwitz to work under the doctor. Naive and a bit innocent, Ernst is horrified and shocked at the medical care and experiments. The Aizenberg family is ripped from their homes and forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto with a secular family. Soshana becomes friendly with Ruth, who leads her to a cafe to sing. After running away to Paris, beautiful Gisele finds herself working as a cleaner in a brothel.

I had a hard time with this book. The characters were stereotypical and one-dimensional. As soon as I became interested in one character, the author switched to another point of view. The book was extremely slow moving and predictable. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

Mengele’s Apprentice by Roberta Kagan was another beautifully written book and I really enjoyed it. This book is second book in the excellent Auschwitz Twins series. You will need tissues whilst reading this and I am so glad I read it. and i cant' recommend both books enough.

Big Thanks to Roberta Kagan, Netgalley .and The Book Whisperer for allowing me to read an early copy of the book for an honest review

Mengele’s Apprentice is three stories meshed in together in this book. I truly wish I had read Book 1 in the Auschwitz Twins series. Book 2 is a truly disturbing, make you angry as you read book. What the Nazi’s exposed and did to the Jews is atrocious and with each book I read even though I know the story for the most part, these works of fiction brings he reality of all more vivid each time. I am looking forward to reading the Auschwitz Twins which will be Book #3. Roberta Kagan is a talented storyteller.

Thank you to #netgalley and #thebookwhisperer for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Such a bone chilling work of art! As the reader gets involved with the story, things change... you find yourself asking "why do I care about this character"... then all is revealed. There are multiple story lines going on through this book, and all are worthwhile and great! This is not a typical novel for this time period, but one that needed told and told well!

I love reading historical fiction books set during WWII. This one was a little different. There were three separate story lines that meshed together. The view into Mengele’s depravity and his reasons for conducting the experiments he did on twins, the gypsies, those with abnormalities (one blue eye and one brown eye, etc.) will make you shudder. It was difficult to read the details of what life was like for individuals who endured life in Europe during the war. While not a warm fuzzy read, the realities of the horrendous acts that occurred during Hitler’s reign of terror are important to know so that history is not repeated.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This novel divides into three different books/stories.

You start with Ernst Neider, a nervous and shy Aryan German and college/university student, who wants to become a doctor. He finds it easier to socialize with his new roommate, Ancel, who is a Jewish medical student and becomes friends with him and his Jewish friends.
He's talked into joining the military and goes to war after college/university. As a doctor, he saves many lives, and one of them is Josef Mengele who offers him a wonderful job, so he believes, it's at Auschwitz. He's not happy with his job, and after a time Ernst is suggested to take a holiday/vacation.

Now the ending of The Dream Daughters novel pretty much ends and the Aizenberg's are taken are taken to the ghetto of Warsaw. They are an Orthodox family now living with a Secular family. Their daughter, Shoshana, is seeing their ways of life and wants a taste of it. As she proceeds with this lifestyle she is disowned and abandoned by her family. She now has nobody but Ruth, the Secular, and has to live this way. She's wondering if she's made a mistake.

This story has Gisele Lenoir, who lives in Marseilles France, is orphaned at 14. Her mother had told her about her father when she was young, only to learn it was a lie and she never gets an answer. Her mom had a reputation and nobody seems to care that Gisele was alone, except for a long time friend André. André discussed Pierre and they are going take in Gisele and raise her from here. She asks André questions and learns her father was from a wealthy family and learned his name. After the burial of her mother she wants to go back to her home one last time. They allow her to and she assures them she'll be back before dark. She had changed her mind though and since her mom could live on her own at this age, then so could she! She sneaks away and heads towards Paris France. There she finds a job to be a maid at a brothel. She needs a doctor and visits Dr Marcel Petoit, but cannot pay her medical bill. She's offered a job and she accepts to do it It was easy and went well so she agreed to do it again. The next job she learns there's more to the job and decides to run as far away as she can from him. She winds up in Berlin. There she meets Ernst and learns who he works for. As he's not wanting to tell her who he is, she's wanting to get to Poland with him and trying to figure out how.

These three stories all come together at the end in Auschwitz...

I want to thank The Book Whisper and NetGalley for allowing me to read it for an honest review.

Difficult book for me to comment on as I have not read the first book in the series. The horror of Dr mengele’s experiments at the expense of the Jews is heart wrenching. well written and very descriptive but one of the most disturbing Holocaust books I’ve read
Thanks to the author and to NetGalley for an advanced copy

I have read all of Roberta Kagan’s Holocaust novels and her latest is Mengele’s Apprentice. This is the second book in her trilogy and is written in three parts.

The first concerns Ernst Neider, a German boy who is ridiculed and bullied as a schoolboy, who becomes a doctor who becomes an apprentice to Josef Mengele at Auschwitz.
The second is about Gisele Lenoir, a 14 year old French girl left on her own when her mother passes away. She discovers from a family friend who her father is and sets out to find him.
The third is about Shoshana Aizenberg, a teen aged Jewish Hasid girl who grows up in Poland and is sent to the Warsaw Ghetto and, ultimately, to Auschwitz.

The story details atrocities of the Holocaust while humanizing the major and minor characters. It is well written and evokes sympathetic as well as other feelings for the characters. We know that their paths will intersect at Auschwitz. However, the story stops abruptly and left this readers somewhat surprised and annoyed. Now we must wait for book three in this trilogy.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.

This is another page turner from Roberta Kagan- every single time i read one of her books I CANNOT put it down- even if I start at night - I will stay up all night to finish. Roberta Kagan is a skillful writer and a diligent researcher- her novels are extremely detailed and riveting. I really felt like i was in the ghetto of Warsaw with Shoshana Aizenberg, and that I was experiencing the horrors of Auschwitz and the ghetto with her and her twin siblings. Kagan skillfully weaves multiple storylines at once, as in this novel, the Aizenberg's saga is intertwined with that of newly trained doctor Ernst, who unwittingly and unwillingly becomes an apprentice to the evil Dr. Mengele. Often when writers have multiple storylines, it is hard to follow but Kagan does this so deftly. i am already eagerly and anxiously awaiting the third book in the series. I was given the privilege to read and review this by Netgalley and Book Whisperer- thank you.


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This book is the second book of the Auschwitz Twins series, and continues the story introduced and presented on book one. On Book One we get to know the story of Naomi and gives us the basis for this book, where it focuses primarily on the story of Shoshana, the elder daughter of Naomi and her quest to fit in in her world.
The book is divided into three parts: Part One tells the story of Ernst Neider, a German boy who becomes a doctor and by fate ends up in Auschwitz working as Mengele's Apprentice.
Part Two continues the story of the Aisenbergs, from their forced relocation into the Warsaw Ghetto until their transport to Treblinka and Auschwitz, but focusing mostly on Shoshana and her journey to find a place for herself in the secular world.
And finally part Three introduces a new character in the story, a french teenage girl named Giselle, who we learn has a connection to Mengele.
This is a hard book to read, as most of the books that have this period as their theme, but it is so well researched as it is so well written that you don't feel you need to stop reading until you reach the end of the book and then you just wait eagerly for the next and final book of the trilogy.
With characters that have to make impossible choices and the connections between each other this is a not to miss series for WWII historical fiction lovers.

Another good book by this author about evil men in WWII, families dealing with war, Auschwitz and so much more. This book is full of heart-wrenching, emotional problems and people, the characters are well thought out and real and the story is horrifying, sometimes hard to read (but not in a bad way) but also has love and friendship and the kindness of people.

A great read and a great story about this period in world history.

This book offers a lot of interesting and different perspectives of what life in Europe must have been like in WWII. I enjoyed reading about Hasidic practices and how these must have been challenged by the terrible circumstances of persecution under Nazism, I also liked considering the position of German people who were confronted by cruelty and must have had to consider their options. The dialogue was, for me, not a high point as it did not read naturally and this detracted from the realism of the character relationships but that is really my only criticism,

This is a very difficult book to review. I have read almost everything Roberta Kagan has ever written; and I have enjoyed everyone immensely. I cannot say I enjoyed this book. Yes it was fast-moving and a page turner. But it was sick. I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of books on the holocaust but this book was debauchery. It is hard to believe that people could sink so low, ; common people who walk the streets. It was just unimaginable. I’m not even sure that I want to read book 3 in the series. I enjoyed book one and was looking forward to reading book 2.

This is an interesting historical fiction novel. This book tells the story of Ernst Neider, who goes on to become a doctor in Nazi Germany. It tells the tale of how he grew up, went to University, and the trail of his journey into working with Mengele's apprentice. It is a unique take on the story and I highly enjoyed it!