Nora Bendzkos Galgenmärchen / Kindsräuber

The world that is established in this story is dark and fascinating. I didn’t even want to put the book down at times, because something interesting was happening and I wanted to know what was behind it. Some narrative elements (such as the pregnancy, which has completely different reasons than originally assumed) only made this all the more consistent. I like Alene. She does what she thinks is right, faces gruesome spirits and yet does not lose her goodness and above all herself, even if she is sometimes on the brink. She is a character who has to go through a lot and also reacts humanly to these events. Through Alene‘ s character alone, the incorporation of the historical material and the implementation of the fairy tale elements, Kindsräuber deserved to be placed on the Shortlist of the Indie Seraph. I have sat here several times with a broad grin when one of the above elements was different than one would expect and it was simply fun to follow this dark thriller in Prague during the 30-year war. Read the full Review: Kindsräuber