Book Review: The Hangman's Master by Elyse Hoffman

In a world torn by hatred, sixteen-year-old Stefan Harkel is cast out of his home and drawn to the Nazi Party's Brownshirt Unit. But when the Führer turns against his own during the Night of Long Knives, Stefan vows vengeance for those he lost.

Stefan joins the anti-Nazi resistance, and his thirst for revenge takes him down an unexpected path: he is chosen as a warden in Hell, tasked with overseeing Zone N-1 and the soul of Reinhard Heydrich, a key architect of the Holocaust. However, he is not alone in this dark role; a ruthless Nazi seeks to seize control of the power within Hell for himself.

As Europe’s fate teeters on the edge, Stefan must protect his charge from falling into the wrong hands, facing a battle that will determine the balance between good and evil.

GENRE: Historical Paranormal Fantasy

PURCHASE LINK: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elyse Hoffman is a best-selling author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. Having studied WWII since the age of thirteen and with interests in fantasy and Jewish folklore, she loves to combine them in her writing. Elyse started writing novels at fourteen and finished her first historical fiction work at fifteen. She studied English, History, and Law at George Mason University. In her spare time, she loves to read, work on pretty keyboards, and hang out with her co-authors - her Goldendoodle Ari and her ex-feral cat, Echo.

Review

This book is part of Project 613, which is a series of novels set during WW2 about the Black Foxes, a resistance group attempting to save Jews from the Nazis. They can be read as standalones but are best enjoyed together, especially once you get this far and the supernatural elements come into play. So far, I absolutely loved the installments I've read: Black Fox One, which has a romance flavor, and Adiel and the Führer, which has a touch of time travel and alternate history. (And right after finishing this book I went to grab a copy of The Vengeance of Samuel Val — IYKYK 😉)

Anyway, The Hangman's Master is very gay and very anti-Nazi without being preachy. It's especially fitting for these times... which is sad for me to say, but alas. The historical notes at the end are super helpful if, like me, you've forgotten the details from your history lessons (or you just need a refresher) about WW2 and the Holocaust.

I found Stefan to be an incredible protagonist because he's such a hot mess. While he does have a change of heart, he doesn't simply become all good and holy. That makes him a very human character. The supporting cast are compelling as well, particularly Axel and Black Fox One-Twenty.

The paranormal aspects are also fascinating, though it might just be because I'm not Jewish. If you're coming into this book before all the others in the series, however, you might be a little jarred if you've missed that there's some fantasy element to this tale. I recommend checking out the sample on Amazon in that case!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hi! I'm Marie, a Filipino SFFH author and book reviewer currently based in the UK. I’m the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse myth new adult urban fantasy trilogy, and I also have several short stories published in anthologies and literary journals.

You can find more info about me and my books, and also subscribe to my newsletter for more content, here. And if you like what I do, please also consider supporting me on Ko-fi! 🩷 https://ko-fi.com/mariesinadjan

If you fancy a short read, I have a cozy reimagining of the Norse myths about Hel, but it's just under 70 pages and can be read in one sitting. ✨

All things end, and all must die.

But death is not always the end.

When Geiravor Lokisdottir was stripped of her name and cast out of Asgard, torn from her family and the life she had known, she thought she’d lost it all. But in the shadows of Niflheim she discovers the path to her destiny, and what it truly means to be queen.

This is a prequel short story to THE PROPHECIES OF RAGNAROK trilogy by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, and a retelling of the myths involving Hel, the Norse goddess of death and the queen of the underworld.