My reading experience of Prague Counterpoint (Zion Covenant book 2); authors: Bodie and Brock Thoene

Now, let’s have a complicated start. I write primarily about Prague Counterpoint here, because this one was available for my Kindle. Vienna Prelude, the first book of the Zion Covenant series is available for Kindle in the US and the UK, but the German amazon only had the paperback edition and not the ebook. So, while I was waiting for the first of the series, I peeked into Prague Counterpoint and later found myself on the bed, reading and reading until I finished book 2. By now, I have read halfway through the first book of the series, too, and I also have read the first pages of book 3 (Munich Signature). I am not paid for this, nevertheless, something positive is to follow. :-)

Originally I got the suggestion for the books of the Zion Covenant series from Anastasia Vitsky. Since I enjoy reading her reviews and know she has an eye for the important bits, I thought I’d give the Zion Covenant books a try. I did not regret that I did, and I say that even though the historic topic covered in Prague Counterpoint is not exactly mine.

The plot of the series starts in 1936, in the early years of the Third Reich, and you can follow the development in Germany and her neighbours primarily through the eyes of two jewish women, musicians, and an American journalist. You see with a lot of detail, how the jewish people are degraded and humiliated systematically and continuously, how racial hatred takes over and only the basest instincts and immoral behavior rules and how jewish people suffer because of this.

The historic background must have been researched in great detail and it sounded convincing and accurate to me. I remembered some of German history under the Nazi regime from school and found all that in the books, too. Some of the historic descriptions went into greater detail than I would have cared for, but leaving them out would not always have been easy either, because the historic events are intermingled with the plot. I think this is a matter of personal preference and it did not reduce the positive reading experience for me.

What I found absolutely well done, is how in many scenes the main characters are tossed around, often victim-like helpless, unable to change much, unable to influence major parts of their own or their loved ones’ fates. There were some cruel scenes, though they were by far not as cruel and horrid as they could have been. But for me, they were more than enough. I could virtually feel how helpless and humiliated the characters must have felt. Their suffering is described in a convincing way, at least for me. And even against all odds, these characters go on. While reading I felt several times how they drew me with them and I felt as lost as they must have. They do not give up, nor do they find ways easily to solve the problems they have to face. Their sorrows are heartbreaking and touching and in a way, how they cope is one of the reasons why you want to read on. 

If you are looking for a fully fledged love-story, you will be disappointed. This is a family and friends drama with a little bit of a clean love-story included. The characters often enough act out of love and out of a selfless sense of responsibility and there are romantic moments, thought they are few. The lovers in the book have problems, too and don’t find to each other easily, but the interpersonal problems of them appear actually rather small, compared to those they have to face just because they are in the wrong city in the wrong moment. Sometimes it reminded me of a ship that is lost in a severe storm and can only move to and fro helplessly, as the wind dictates. Still, this is not a negative point, because it fits well into the plot. The historical development is interwoven with it and all in all, this combination with characters who have to face enormous problems, a believable plot and the historic background of a cruel time, definitely made it a good read for me.

Who is meant to read the Zion Covenant series? I assume that the Zion Covenant series is meant to be read by youths and young adults, starting around the age of not younger than 15. The assumption is based on the level of understanding you need to see the immoral and cruel behavior of people in the book, to understand the systematic reduction of rights for jewish people and to understand the implications of it all. The book has a section with questions which help to understand what was read before. This is pretty helpful for younger readers and readers without any background knowledge. The language that The Thoenes use in all three books I know about, is very clear, as are the descriptions. The language is also very easy to understand, which I think I am allowed to say as a non-native English-speaker. But that does not mean that you can only enjoy this book at that age.

All in all I found this a very captivating read and not at all boring. Prague Counterpoint surely is not a difficult book, and in the past I have stopped reading books by other authors because the plot was too obvious, combined with a too basic language, even for me. But Prague Counterpoint is different. The characters move through the historical events in a way that you want to know what is going to happen next. And for me, it was not clear if they’d survive all this or not. Therefore, even though the appropriate age of when to start reading the Zion Covenant might be 15 and up, I could not see that it would be boring for adults. I am 35 and enjoyed reading it. … I might even smuggle my kindle into the labour ward, if the latter books of the series are as good as the first three. :D (=clear recommendation)

 This entry is scheduled for 18th July, 2.00 AM Pacific Daylight Time. I hope it works

I hope you all have a nice and wonderful weekend !