I requested this book from NetGalley not realizing that it was the third in a series. However, I do not feel like I missed anything by not reading the first two books.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. You can tell the author really did her research in regards to Dr. Mengele and the experiments he did at Auschwitz, especially in regards to twins. The chapters were also short, which made the story seem to move quickly.

But, there was a lot more that I didn't like about this book. I did not like that there were a lot of phrases basically repeated throughout the book. At one point, I was thinking I just read the same paragraph a few chapters ago. I also did not enjoy that it flipped back and forth between so many perspectives. I did not get to read as much about the twins as I wanted to, as we spent a lot of time on Ernst, Gisele, and their marriage and personal problems.

Also, I did not enjoy the development of a friendship between Ernst (a German doctor who works with Mengele), and Shoshana, a Jewish prisoner. It just screamed inappropriate and I didn't care how much remorse and how bad Ernst felt. He was literally a doctor in Auschwitz, so for me, this didn't make him redeemable at all.

I have read other books by this author that I enjoyed. This one just was not for me.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for sending this.book to me I have read all the other z Roberta Kagan books and this one was very emotional and sad to read, but also about bravery in the midst of all that horror.
Naomi and her children were separated going on a train going from Warsaw in Poland to auschwitz.
Her children were sent immediately to Auschwitz and as they were a set of twins they were sent with their older sister to be experimented on.
There was one doctor who was horrified about what was going on with the experiments and tried to save the children fro having extra pain.
He then showed extreme courage in attempting to save the twins and their sister and to get them away from the camp.
The story is of bravery In the midst of terrible horror in the camp.

This book was just ok….it was try g to be serious and shocking but seemed over simplified, dialogue was basic, characters not really believable.

This is the third book of the Auschwitz series and the final book of the series

PS, it would be better if you read the second book of the series so you could be familiar with the background before reading this third book.

The story continues with Ernst bringing his new wife Gisele to the house where Ernst is working as a doctor at Auschwitz under Dr. Mengele known as the "Angel of Death". Gisele meanwhile is trying to find a way to talk to Dr. Mengele who she believed is her biological father. Eli helped Naomi to escape and while running, she meets a deserted soldier Friedrich with whom she developed a friendship. Shoshana and her sisters are at the Auschwitz camp and Shoshana and Ernst become friends.

The story is beautifully written and is emotional. To me the most interesting part was reading about Ernst's slow developing friendship with Shoshana and about Gisele how she used Ernst and at the same time have mixed feelings towards him. Overall, the medical experiments that were carried out on the twins, Dr. Mengele's cold hearted nature and indifference to death was too shocking and disturbing to read, and the fact that it happened in real life...too emotional to read.

Overall, this book will make you cry and emotional, and will keep you on the edge--worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

A wonderful follow up to the previous books in the series. Horrifying and compelling. Any books by Roberta Kagan always a good read. I know it’s fiction but those horrible things I would think happened in one way or another. The author brings out some of the awful atrocities that did happen. So looking forward to the next book in the series that I hope is in the works.

This was a huge disappointment. I feel like I ordered a chocolate dessert, and I was given a sour patch kids covered in hot sauce.

When I requested this on NetGalley I was super excited by the synopsis, and I didn’t even mind that it was the third book in a series. I hadn’t read the first two, but the reviews were very positive, so I went for it.

WHAT I LIKED:
~The author did a good job making sure all the important events from the previous books were mentioned, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on too much info.

~I was impressed with the research that went into the historical accounts of Dr. Mengele and his twisted obsession with experimenting on twin Jews. It was horrifying and was so sad. It was just another part of the holocaust that breaks my heart.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
Literally everything else.

I’m not normally this salty with a book but this one pushed me beyond my limits and it’s a dang miracle I finished it.

~I started this book for the twins. Obviously, Its in the dang title. Where are they in this book? Out of 80 freaking chapters… maybe 15. EVERYTHING ELSE revolved around these ridiculous characters…

~Ernst is OBSESSED with his snobby, shallow wife and will NOT stop talking about how he is ugly, and she is “so beautiful.”

~Otto is proud of his looks and mentions it often. “I am smarter than he is and far more handsome.” He’s also a man slut…. “I must conquer and bed her.”

~Gisele is…. Here’s some quotes to sum her up…. “If….. wasn’t my father, I could fall for him.” (disgusting)
“Its going to be even more difficult to make love to Ernst after spending time with such attractive men.”
“I can’t help being attracted to… He’s so handsome, and his body is so strong.”
“Even if I’m planning on staying faithful to my husband, I still want….”
“Once she finished, she studied her reflection in the mirror and said, “I am gorgeous.”

You get the idea. There are other characters that were just okay and so much more but I’m sick of this book so let’s move on…

~The writing felt simple and dumbed down. It's like everything had to be spelled out for the reader. You are told what the characters are thinking, feeling and all the possible consequences to the actions and motivations of all the characters etc. It felt like the author didn't believe that the reader could come to these conclusions on their own.? There were NO surprises because it was all just laid out. The subject matter is for adults, but it feels like it's written for Elementary/Junior high school.

~I feel like there was a HISTORICAL MISTAKE here… There’s a German character the say’s “crap.” That’s an American thing. German’s say "shit."

~Everyone bad is called a “sadist” or “sadistic.” I can give you at least 10 other words that have the SAME meaning, but no. Sadist is apparently the ONLY word appropriate for 70is chapters worth of misery.

~Sentiments and nearly exact sentences were repeated constantly.

~A character I ACTUALLY LIKED died without ceremony. “She died.” WTF!?!

~The “romance” was bland, at times toxic, flat, and just awful. “I want to marry you… I was wondering how you feel about that?” (This was one of the better parts)

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Normally for me, this would be a 1-star book. I’m only giving it 2 stars because of the historical accounts in it and the few POV moments with the twin girls in Auschwitz.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Characters - 3
Atmosphere/Setting - 5
Writing Style - 1
Plot - 4
Intrigue - 2
Logic/Relationships - 3
Enjoyment - 2
Total: 20
Divided by 7 = 2.8 (2 stars)
1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****

The Auschwitz Twins series, book #3

A Dark and Gut-wrenching WW11 Tale

Closely following its predecessor where we were left flat wondering the outcome, of course, we all know by now it was definitely not good. Robert Kagan excelled in penning one top notch historical fiction to wrap up her trilogy. Although the novel can be read on its own merits I highly suggest reading the 2 previous books to enjoy the story at its maximum and to understand where the characters came from.

What to expect:

Set within the grim walls of the dreaded Nazi killing floor “The Auschwitz Twins” gives us a bloodcurdling drama that unravels in the shadow of Mengele’s twisted obsession. The doctor is Ernst’s boss and nemesis (we came to know him in book #2) is tormented by what he sees and very much conflicted. He must stand his ground in order to save Shoshaha, Bluma and Perle.( book #1&2 introduced them to us).Being prisoners they only faced torture and death. Then shows up Dr. Marcel Petoit (book#2) a sadist and murderers who fooled a young woman, Gisele, to help him round up Jewish family in the pretext to help them escape but killed them instead, Gisele was scared and had to disappear. She found her way into Ernst’s heart and married him. Book #3 tells us what happened next till Petoit found her....Then we continue with the story of Herschel and Naomie (reading book #1&2 gives us previous details).

My thoughts:

The story of all the players unravel in alternate chapter and at time cross paths. We follow several characters throughout; the focus is on them rather than on the horrors of concentration camps. Although the story highlight the fascination of experimenting medical procedures on prisoners by sadistic doctors just because they could it does not do so with too many gruesome details...Of course WW11 stories are sad this one is no exception.

This novel read well, it is smooth sailing from the opening pages till you reach the conclusion. Even in the darkness of times, love can be explored and enemy can be a friend...The novel is engaging, the plot is fast-paced and the characters are charismatic.

Well-done, well-said

I love reading books on this subject and this book did not disappoint. Having visited Auschwitz for the first time, it put things into perspective for me....

This is one outstanding book I was so excited to read each and every page of this book.It is so hard to believe all the heartbreak that young people endured in a life time.

I really enjoyed this book. Such a great story line! I did feel the end of the book became rushed and many things happened quickly even though that was not the pace set for most of the book. The writing wasn't as well done and things just got a little "cheesy". I loved the book until the final few chapters. Then I was wondering how on earth so much happened so fast and why were these characters saying such silly things? But it was a good book and one I am glad I read.

Really enjoyed reading this book. I do love historical books. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. But I wasn’t disappointed. The book was very well written and flowed well. Chilling to read but enjoyable all the same. If you can say that about these type of books

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook. Who can resist a WW2 story? I know I can’t. Loved the characters and the story. Highly recommended!

A Jewish family is promised a life that's better than what they have in the ghetto if they work hard. They are not afraid of hard work and accept the offer. They arrive at the train station ready to go. The eldest daughter, estranged from the family, comes as boarding begins. The parents are loaded into a train but the eldest daughter and twin daughters are not in the same railroad car. The people are packed so tightly into the car that no one can sit down. No restroom, no food. As the train ride goes on, people begin dying. The parents, Naomi and Herschel, are worried about their daughters. They hope that the girls are in the next car and that they will reunite at the end of the journey. At a stop, Herschel hears the German guards discussing the fate of those on the train. Where are they headed? Was the promise of a new life just a ploy?

Roberta Kagan's WWII book examines the Nazis' lies to deceive the Jewish people and the incredible cruelty of Dr. Mengle. His horrific behavior in the name of medicine is truly sad. While we now know of the awful conditions, we will never fully understand how such things could occur. Kagan shows the survival of atrocities such as these depended on the strength of the human spirit.

Book three in this series and wow what a book.

I was drawn in for the beginning and having read the other two books and this one doesn't disappoint. It is a book that will grab you, grab your heartstrings, grab your mind and emotions and I just couldn't put it down.

The atrocities that happened to these families and especially the children will make you want to cry. The strength that the families had through such horrendous times will make you marvel.

This is a well written book about past events in history that none of us today could possibly imagine. The characters are great and really do come to life in this story and the story itself is so real and so frightening.

A great read and highly recommend it to all who love a good historical fiction novel.

Captivating story about the cruelty of Germans during the Holocaust. The torture that children went through was very difficult to read. It really made me despise the German doctor for his cruelty and made me satisfied with how it ended. It was also heartwarming to see that some Germans risked their lives to help Jews survive.

I had such high hopes for this particular book, and while they were not fully met, it was still a fascinating story that fully held my attention until the very end. The main storyline centered on the villainous Dr. Mengele and the horrible medical experiments he inflicted upon Jewish twins at Auschwitz.

A wide variety of characters, some who clearly suffer from emophilia, made the read more interesting, and the character development of Ernst really made the story for me, a classic underdog turned hero. I thought the various minor storylines were unnecessary, until suddenly, towards the end of the book, it all came together so perfectly.

The writing style threw me off a bit; it seemed a good portion of the book read as being aimed at middle schoolers, with very simple verbiage. It wasn't until I read passages that were clearly adult themed was I reminded what genre the book was. All in all, I would recommend this for historical fiction fans who like a hint of romance sprinkled in.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and The Book Whisperer for early access to this book for an honest review!

I'll post reviews on social media on August 21, 2022.

This is book 3 in a series, which I have not yet read. However, I was still able to follow the book with no problems.

I've already started reading another book for review. However, this one keeps hanging on to me. So many emotions. I wanted to reach through my Kindle and slap some, hug others and cry for so many.

Naomi and Herschel are separated from their children as they are loaded onto the train from the Warsaw Ghetto. They are told they are being sent to a work camp. While Naomi is sleeping, Herschel overhears the true plans for them. He thinks quickly of a plan to save Naomi.

After escaping the horror of the train, still not knowing it's fate, she runs until she finds shelter. There she makes an unlikely friend to wait out the cold weather. Her desire to find her children keeping her going through the more tragic events to come.

The children are all at Auschwitz where the horrible Dr Mengele uses them for his experiments, showing no heart or compassion.

Dr Neider took holiday from working for Dr Mengele, returning with a beautiful bride that all feel is out of his reach. Why did such a beautiful woman marry a man she wasn't attracted to or love?

Will Naomi ever find her children? Will the children escape Dr Mengele horrible experiments?

This remarkable piece of Historical Fiction from Roberta Kagan is as compelling as it is devastating. She brings to life the horrors of concentration camps and the twisted evil of Dr. Mengele and his obsession with twins.

Kagan writes characters in such an authentic and heartbreaking way. I only learned this was the finale to a series when I started, and found it just as readable on its own, though enjoyed it to the point that I’ll certainly be starting from the beginning now.

The weaving of characters throughout the story was done in such a delicate way, and truly built the tension and drove the plot forward perfectly. I couldn’t put this book down. Now, to read the rest!

The book is a very dark fiction novel that is totally based on facts. It is a very difficult read, but it is a important story that needs telling. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.

I haven't read the first two books from this series, but I felt that this book can quite easily be a stand-alone. This story didn't disappoint with making you feel a connection towards these fictional characters that are set in a backdrop that is based on real events. We get to follow a mix of characters, some Jewish and others German, as we get to see how these characters stories twine together. My one critique would be some character interactions and inner-thoughts were a little stiff at times.

What I took from this story is that there is good to be found, even during terrible events like when experimentation was being conducted during WW2 in concentration camps. This book was both riveting yet at times hard to read because it made you feel strong emotions.