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haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was such a journey. There were so many characters and pieces that were well-done. The ending made me emotional…
But otherwise I had a lot of issues. The pace was extremely slow and the writing style was 3rd person in a way that made the mc’s emotionally distant with the reader. The author spent more time with the Nazi side character’s perspectives than the mc’s and would abruptly cut off a scene at the emotional pinnacle. I almost dnfed so many times. Plus, along with not writing in the mc’s perspectives in depth, she also made so much fall into their lap. Everything was easy for them even when the author was trying to communicate that it wasn’t. Even when their identities are found out, the Nazis are somehow on their side??? </>spoiler<>
It didn’t make sense how much went according to their will to the point that it felt like the mc’s didn’t earn anything. The author said they did but we as readers saw nothing. Maybe Bridgette and maybe Chris are the only members who earned their honors. A lot of the Nazi side characters are even sympathetic, sometimes more than the mc’s. And the concentration camps are only ever mentioned as bad but there is no real efforts to explain why the good German characters are held separate from the rest of Germany’s actions???
But otherwise I had a lot of issues. The pace was extremely slow and the writing style was 3rd person in a way that made the mc’s emotionally distant with the reader. The author spent more time with the Nazi side character’s perspectives than the mc’s and would abruptly cut off a scene at the emotional pinnacle. I almost dnfed so many times. Plus, along with not writing in the mc’s perspectives in depth, she also made so much fall into their lap. Everything was easy for them even when the author was trying to communicate that it wasn’t.
It didn’t make sense how much went according to their will to the point that it felt like the mc’s didn’t earn anything. The author said they did but we as readers saw nothing. Maybe Bridgette and maybe Chris are the only members who earned their honors. A lot of the Nazi side characters are even sympathetic, sometimes more than the mc’s. And the concentration camps are only ever mentioned as bad but there is no real efforts to explain why the good German characters are held separate from the rest of Germany’s actions???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Genocide, Grief, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual violence, Drug use, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Police brutality and Antisemitism
its_van_vulpen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, War, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed Dragonfly. There was a lot of depth to it; the characters and the stories. I was not expecting the idea of chosen family to arise, but it did and I really enjoyed that aspect. The group is very dynamic and different. Each character having their strengths, weaknesses, and roles to play. The number of characters did make it hard to follow at times, but I was still deeply engrossed in this book.
The story was both beautiful and heartbreaking. The details were present, though sometimes a lot at once, it still drew you into the story. The writing was well developed as well as easy to read, which made the pages fly by.
Shoutout to my friend who loves HF s much as I do for Recommending this one to me. It was a good one.
The story was both beautiful and heartbreaking. The details were present, though sometimes a lot at once, it still drew you into the story. The writing was well developed as well as easy to read, which made the pages fly by.
Shoutout to my friend who loves HF s much as I do for Recommending this one to me. It was a good one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, and Rape
rachaelbeau's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wanted to start the review by saying "I think this book wasn't for me" but after thinking about that for a while, I'm not sure that's even true.
Things I Love in a Historical Fiction Novel:
WW2 stories - Check
German occupied Paris, France - Check
Strong female leads - Check
Beautiful, descriptive, lush writing - Check, again.
I just never felt like I connected with this book. I found it difficult to follow who was who, as we basically had to remember 3 names for each character and their full backstory at any given time. Different characters referred to other characters as different names, and it just got to be too confusing. I also thought it had way too many characters, too many moving parts, to easily follow it. I love a book that is engaging, but that I don't have to think too hard. Reading is my wind down, it's my cozy place. This book, at least the first half, was so confusing I had to stay alert. I also never quite could follow who was who of the boys, as they all seemed to be the same person to me. The code with the mural also didn't quite work for me, I didn't fully understand it and the parts around it were quite boring.
I did like the story, it was engaging, the 2 female characters were great. The whole thing felt really meh to me, though. The ending was a let down as well. It really just fell very flat for me. If you are new to historical fiction and want something fairly easy to stomach, this could be the one for you. I don't mind the horrors that historical fiction, specifically WW2 historical fiction, tend to be about. Maybe that's where it's really just me, not the book.
Things I Love in a Historical Fiction Novel:
WW2 stories - Check
German occupied Paris, France - Check
Strong female leads - Check
Beautiful, descriptive, lush writing - Check, again.
I just never felt like I connected with this book. I found it difficult to follow who was who, as we basically had to remember 3 names for each character and their full backstory at any given time. Different characters referred to other characters as different names, and it just got to be too confusing. I also thought it had way too many characters, too many moving parts, to easily follow it. I love a book that is engaging, but that I don't have to think too hard. Reading is my wind down, it's my cozy place. This book, at least the first half, was so confusing I had to stay alert. I also never quite could follow who was who of the boys, as they all seemed to be the same person to me. The code with the mural also didn't quite work for me, I didn't fully understand it and the parts around it were quite boring.
I did like the story, it was engaging, the 2 female characters were great. The whole thing felt really meh to me, though. The ending was a let down as well. It really just fell very flat for me. If you are new to historical fiction and want something fairly easy to stomach, this could be the one for you. I don't mind the horrors that historical fiction, specifically WW2 historical fiction, tend to be about. Maybe that's where it's really just me, not the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
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