Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Huntress

Extremely cool book. I loved the intertwining narratives and all the rusalka references. The folklore really enhanced the narrative. The chapters with Nina and her dad reminded me a lot of Where the Crawdad Sings.
My favorite was definitely the ex-Soviet pilot Nina Markova. I was really rooting for her relationship with Yelena Vetsina. Jordan McBride’s narrative was pretty good too, but I was most invested in Nina. Her and Ruth were adorable. Ruth is mainly a prop and I can see how that might be annoying since there aren’t any Jewish characters in this book about Nazi hunters post-Holocaust.
Like, maybe Jordan or Nina could’ve been Jewish. It would’ve been nice.
Ian Graham was a good character

Spoiler

and his brother Sebastian who died at the hands of a villain was so tragic. But also kind of annoying to have the only homosexual character die. Assuming Nina’s lover is also bisexual

. But I wasn’t very invested in Ian’s Moby Dick. Tony was more fun, but Ian’s motivations were just sort of lacking. But I get it since he drives the plot forward.
I also wish the lesbian relationship was a bit more developed.
The Huntress was a great villain. Lorelai Vogt/Annalise was really compelling and viewing her through Jordan’s eyes humanizes Die Jägerin and creates an interesting juxtaposition on how Ian describes her.

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sarahflanders's review against another edition

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dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

3.0

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pauluszanna's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I think I love and will love everything that Kate Quinn, the queen of WWII historical fiction, writes.
The story revolves around lakes and the women connected to these lakes - whether they might be called monsters or heroes.
The are three storylines. The first one follows investigators going after war criminals who disappeared after the end of the war. The investigators are especially focused on Die Jägerin, the Huntress.
The second one is telling the story of female bombing pilots in Russia, called the night witches. The third is about a girl whose father remarries an Austrian woman, who is eager to start a new life in Boston. I'm sure you make the connection between who this Austrian woman might be and how the storylines will intertwine.

During the middle of the book, it started to get a little slow, I had to remind myself to keep reading. But the last 150 pages flew by in a second.
I also really appreciate the fact that the author provides insight into her research and differentiates facts from fiction.

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