It's too hot to go outside! READ A BOOK!

More importantly, read these books.

The Hangman's Daughter

The Dark Monk

Two books, "The Hangman's Daughter" and its sequel "The Dark Monk", by Oliver Pötzsch. Translated from German, these are two fictional novels about Jakob Kuisl and his daughter, Magdalena. The cool thing is, Jakob is actually one of Pötzsch's ancestors. Apparently, back in the day, there were entire clans of executioners, or local hangmen, to do the dirty works of the court. They were considered "dishonorable", but that didn't stop people from coming to them for medicines and such, since to know how to kill, you should also learn how to heal.

The Hangman's Daughter starts out with the murder of a child. Accusations of witchcraft fly, and Jakob Kuisl has to use all his smarts to save a woman from a town's wrath, while finding the true murderer. He's helped by his daughter, Magdalena, who is an amazing, smart strong girl. They're also assisted by the son of the town doctor, Simon, and the relationship between Simon and Magdalena is really well-written. It's subtle, this is not a romance book, but the emotion is still conveyed really well.

Then, Pötzsch follows up with The Dark Monk, and we're returned to 17th-century Bavaria. A priest discovers a secret and is killed for it. Jakob is drawn into a conspiracy involving the Church, and it's a really good sort of portrait of what faith can do to someone, and how it can affect everything.

What I love about these books is how detailed they are. They're smart, and funny, and everything is woven together really well. The subplots are clever, and I like how Pötzsch makes sure everything is connected, like any good mystery. Little details turn out to be incredibly important, and it's quite fun to see the connections forming.

Magdalena is definitely my favourite character. She's so intelligent, and smart, and I love that she has faults. She's incredibly well-written, she's not a Mary Sue. She's brash, has an awful temper, and her strengths play into those faults, making her someone that leaps off the page, almost. She's very three-dimensional, and I think she could almost be a role model, someone for teenagers reading this book to want to emulate (because, please, don't get me started on Twilight). I love everything about her. I realise I've talked a lot, but that's because these books are really, really good. They're suspenseful, detailed, and lots of fun, but you never get bogged down. Everything is so well-written, it was like I actually was in Bavaria, just watching this happen. And I hear the third one is coming out in 2013. I can't wait until it comes out, I want to go back!


 

 *Disclaimer*: I got these books for free through a program called BzzAgent in exchange for reviewing them.