With the romance of Twilight, the suspense of The Dresden Files, and the delicious thrills of True Blood, the enthralling sag...
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reviews
Feb 09, 2012
Reed
rated it: 
While I enjoy the urban fantasy genre, most readers will admit that it has become a tired field. A writer who can manage to add something to the genre is certainly welcome in my view.
Michele Lang is one of those writers. She has taken the urban fantasy and transported it to pre-WWII Europe. The reader's knowledge of what's to come in the near future helps add a great deal of tension to Magda's story. Her sister is a seer who can seen dire things in the future--a future that Magda More...
Michele Lang is one of those writers. She has taken the urban fantasy and transported it to pre-WWII Europe. The reader's knowledge of what's to come in the near future helps add a great deal of tension to Magda's story. Her sister is a seer who can seen dire things in the future--a future that Magda More...
May 21, 2011
Rea
rated it:
Set in 1939 - Europe is once again on the verge of war. Hitler has already started his crusade against the Jews and is on the verge of invading Poland. But Hitler is not on his own, he has a werewolf pack on his side (the SS), an evil wizard working for him and a demon sharing his body. And Magda Lazarus, a Hungarian Jew and a witch descended from the Lazarus lineage, sets out to do what she can to prevent The Final Solution.
This book is good, I enjoyed it, but it also has its problems More...
This book is good, I enjoyed it, but it also has its problems More...
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Feb 21, 2011
Caressa
rated it:
I passed this novel over twice before finally checking it out. It proposes to combine my two loves: historical fiction and urban fantasy. Lang brings pre-War Europe vividly and intricately to life. Unfortunately the characters felt a little flat.
Nazi werewolves? Awesome. Hitler possessed by an ancient demon? Total cop-out. As far as Magda, Gisele, and Eva...they felt like empty-headed Jane Austen wannabes. We are told that these young women are orphans living in abject poverty (Eva More...
Nazi werewolves? Awesome. Hitler possessed by an ancient demon? Total cop-out. As far as Magda, Gisele, and Eva...they felt like empty-headed Jane Austen wannabes. We are told that these young women are orphans living in abject poverty (Eva More...
Jan 08, 2011
K.
rated it: 
Lady Lazarus is not your typical historical fantasy. What Michelle Lang has woven here is a rich tapestry of Hungarian-Jewish folklore, European pre-World War II history, and a guardian angel-mortal romance that is more of a metaphor for goodness and sacrifice than it is an ode to love.
Magdalena is a Lazarus, meaning she is a witch whose lineage is given the power to come back from the dead. In a pre-World War II Budapest inhabited by magical beings as well as mortals, Magdalena's si More...
Magdalena is a Lazarus, meaning she is a witch whose lineage is given the power to come back from the dead. In a pre-World War II Budapest inhabited by magical beings as well as mortals, Magdalena's si More...
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Jan 24, 2012
Kelly
rated it:
Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang is a historical fantasy set just before the beginning of World War II, in a slightly skewed version of our world. What makes it skewed is that in this alternate history, magic exists and plays a major role in world events. For example, Hitler’s werewolves are literal here.
Perhaps Lang’s most controversial decision is that Hitler is in league with, and sometimes possessed by, a demon. Some readers may see this as a cop-out. In my opinion, though, Lang wrot More...
Perhaps Lang’s most controversial decision is that Hitler is in league with, and sometimes possessed by, a demon. Some readers may see this as a cop-out. In my opinion, though, Lang wrot More...
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Jan 03, 2012
Couldn't finish this, although all signs pointed to it being "my" kind of book: historical setting (WWII Europe), paranormal heroine (witch) off on a quest to save the world, paranormal hero (angel), etc. Very elegantly written, too, which only adds to the puzzle.
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Jul 20, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I originally met the author at a con about a year and a half ago. She's a lovely woman, charming, earnest, and kind to newbies. She's done a bunch of self-published e-book romances, I believe, but this was her first book with a publisher.
I wanted to like it, and I think I did. It's a daring little book, trying to use urban fantasy to avert the Holocaust. Anyone who has the climatic scene be a battle against a demon-possessed Hitler has chutzpah to spare. Given how many edges of taste More...
I wanted to like it, and I think I did. It's a daring little book, trying to use urban fantasy to avert the Holocaust. Anyone who has the climatic scene be a battle against a demon-possessed Hitler has chutzpah to spare. Given how many edges of taste More...
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Jan 03, 2012
You would think any book that has Nazi werewolves would worth finishing. Unfortunately, this one has sat on my bedside table since April last year, unfinished. I made it to page 85, before putting it aside in boredom. Even the promise of a couple of young Jewish women, kicking scumbutt arse, and changing the course of history would be tantalizing. But the girls didn't capture me and even having the Angel Raziel come in on their side hasn't encouraged me to pick it up again. We'd been hoping
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Sep 09, 2011
Heather
rated it:
This book was an enjoyable and easy read. It is easy to conceptualize the presence of so much evil and demons in the backdrop of 1939 and the Nazi party. The main character Magda was also very easy to root for, but that is not hard when you put the protagonist up against the likes of Hitler. I wish the author gave more background on the magic and paranormal that existed within the story. The story did not really establish the rules governing the magic present in the story and when ever the main
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Dec 08, 2010
William
rated it:
"Twilight" meets "Diary of Anne Frank" meets "Inglourious Basterds". I've never seen anyone merge Kabbalah with urban fantasy elements before. Extra credit to Michele Lang for setting it in Europe at the brink of World War Two, as opposed not only to present day but also to the actual war. This being fantasy, there's the hope that the war and all that went with it could be avoided in Lang's universe. I appreciate all the research that went into crafting this univers
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Jun 22, 2011
Book Chick City
rated it:
Reviewed by Jo for Book Chick City.
Set in Europe at the start of World War Two, Lady Lazarus is a good historical fantasy.
In a world inhabited by the supernatural as well as us mortals, Magdalena is a Lazarus, meaning she is descended from a witch and has the power to come back from the dead. After being told a prophecy by her sister regarding Hitler and his intentions, Magda is tasked with finding a magical book which could prevent war.
Lady Lazarus is slow to More...
Set in Europe at the start of World War Two, Lady Lazarus is a good historical fantasy.
In a world inhabited by the supernatural as well as us mortals, Magdalena is a Lazarus, meaning she is descended from a witch and has the power to come back from the dead. After being told a prophecy by her sister regarding Hitler and his intentions, Magda is tasked with finding a magical book which could prevent war.
Lady Lazarus is slow to More...
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Oct 11, 2010
Beth
rated it: 
As much as I loved Michele Lang's previous books, this one book blew them out of the water. When it comes to historical fiction of any kind I tend to be really particular. What this means is that if you write historical fiction, I want the story to make sense and follow history properly (unless of course, you are in another universe). For example, if you write about a woman during the Revolutionary War, she isn't going to be running around in a leather mini-skirt. In regard to historical accurac
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Dec 19, 2010
Inara
rated it: 
When I first read the blurb of this book I was instantly intrigued by its premise. Set at the begin of WW II and taking place in Middle Europe - an area where I live – I just had to read it.
Well, I was a bit disappointed and it took me ages to finish it. I couldn´t warm up to the female main character Magda and the male hero archangel Raziel wasn´t very interesting either. I really like a good romance in the books I read but this romance here was just boring in my opinion. I never got it More...
Well, I was a bit disappointed and it took me ages to finish it. I couldn´t warm up to the female main character Magda and the male hero archangel Raziel wasn´t very interesting either. I really like a good romance in the books I read but this romance here was just boring in my opinion. I never got it More...
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Aug 31, 2010
Meljean
rated it:
I was able to read an early copy of this book, which is out now. If you're looking for something different, a slow-building historical fantasy with lyrical prose, a fascinating heroine, and a darkly powerful, emotional narrative -- this is it. LADY LAZARUS is simply magic.
The title also comes from one of my favorite poems -- Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath. Here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMI... The title truly fits this book.
The title also comes from one of my favorite poems -- Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath. Here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMI... The title truly fits this book.
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Sep 30, 2011
Annie
rated it:
This rather strange book has stayed with me in the several months since I read it. A witches' brew in which a Hungarian girl descended from an ancient line of witches sets out across Nazi infested Europe to try to save her beloved sister is beset by werewolves, hunted by the demon that possessed Hitler, aided by an archangel, and ravaged by the consequences of her quest. I am eager for the next installment. Definitely weird and wonderful!
Jan 25, 2012
Sarah
rated it:
When you've made it 30% of the way into a book, and you can't bring yourself to pick it up again, that's a very, very bad sign. The world-building was shoddy, the characters were nonsensical, the plot lines made utterly no sense to me, and there was nothing that could hold my attention.
2 stars instead of 1 because the prose was competent, and I might pick up the next book in the series to see if the plotting has improved at all.
2 stars instead of 1 because the prose was competent, and I might pick up the next book in the series to see if the plotting has improved at all.
Dec 30, 2010
Kristen
rated it: 
I'm so conflicted - by Goodreads standards this is 1 star (didn't like it). By mine it is 2 (didn't like it but there were some things I liked about it so I wouldn't say I hated it and can't see anything positive about it). Since this is Goodreads, I'll go with 1 to fit with their rating system with the caveat that it's a 2 star book by my own ratings system.
Basically, I really liked the foundation for this story - the Jewish history and lore and the feminist leanings - but found I d More...
Basically, I really liked the foundation for this story - the Jewish history and lore and the feminist leanings - but found I d More...
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Dec 05, 2010
Darshan Elena
rated it:
The narrative architecture of this novel is brilliant, but the characters seemed too simplistic and underdeveloped. In addition, the points of action such as magical battles were too swift to be realized to their fullest potential. I wanted more flesh in this novel - more details, more emotions, more descriptive, more motivation. All this said, I loved the novel's premise.
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Jan 28, 2012
Sarah
rated it:
An interesting take on pre-WWII Europe with some awesome fantasy/horror elements. Some great plot devices, not the least of which are Nazi werewolves and Eva Braun. There aren't many stories which feature a lineage of literally death-defying Jewish witches as protagonists and I kind of loved the theory of the story. Some of the characterization felt a bit lacking but overall it was a solid read with decent action.
May 14, 2011
Brittney
rated it:
Story-line is excellent. The plot is really strong. I could kinda predict the end but that was okay with me. There was many twists and turns, which kept me on my toes. Overall, this book was an excellent read. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others. I would even recommend buying this book. I enjoyed the book so much I didn't want to put it down.
Jun 27, 2011
Leah
rated it:
This book was about what I expected. I have this terrible problem with liking historical fiction even though it tends to be sucky. I liked it well enough, although I found the love part if you want to call it that, to be underdeveloped and kind of useless. Not a whole lot in the way of plot either, but enough to keep you interested. Let's call it a beach read.
Nov 08, 2010
Recommended to me by David, a co-worker, and with a stunning recommendation from Jim Butcher on the front cover, I'll give this a try, even though it sounds pretty depressing. I do like the fantasy twist, so we'll see!
Meh, I couldn't get into this. Alisa, if you read it, let me know if you like it, and if you do I'll give it another try.
Meh, I couldn't get into this. Alisa, if you read it, let me know if you like it, and if you do I'll give it another try.
Oct 05, 2011
Colleen
rated it:
Loved this - witches trying to prevent the foretold Holocaust. Great companion book to Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, story about granddaughters discovering their grandmother's history entwined with grandma's oft-told unusual version of Sleeping Beauty. Fabulous.
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Feb 16, 2012
Diana
rated it:
Not my cup of tea - inconsistencies and too melodramatic. I wanted to like it and the premise seemed interesting, but I didn't like the execution.
Dec 11, 2010
Marianna
rated it:
I carried this book around with me for days...and when I finally did try to read it. Well, let's just say I died by way of metaphors.
Jul 18, 2011
Cassiel
rated it:
Well, I loved the idea of it and by the end of the book, I enjoyed it more. Some parts were very slow. Beautiful prose but a lot of narrative when I wanted more action. I wanted her to do more too and I certainly wanted more of her angel. I'll pick up second book because I liked it enough to read more.
May 17, 2011
February
rated it:
There's something strange about the voice I just can't put my finger on, but I'm afraid I didn't like it. Dropped.
May 13, 2011
Nora
rated it:
Interesting concept and a nontraditional setting. Also, NAZI WEREWOLVES.
