flowerrunner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Classism, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death of parent, Self harm, Violence, War, Confinement, Deportation, Drug use, Gun violence, Trafficking, Child death, Medical content, Abandonment, Cursing, and Kidnapping
navayiota's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This is my favourite of her novels so far. What a story! I don't usually pick up such long audiobooks but this was 100% worth it, I'm so glad my friend recommended it. I couldn't stop listening.. it's crazy to think about all the research that went into this novel. I loved the way the characters interact, how interconnected they are, and the sense of dread employed by Quinn to keep the readers on the edge of our seats. Truly, it was masterfully done. I will be reading more of her stuff!! Amazing work!
Graphic: Gun violence, Abandonment, Death, Violence, War, Grief, Animal death, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Confinement, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content and Medical content
sarahflanders's review
- 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
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Gore, Murder, Grief, War, Antisemitism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Violence
kelseak96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: War, Domestic abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Drug use, Grief, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism
ka_ke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Drug use, Child death, Alcoholism, Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Racism, Xenophobia, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Medical content, Trafficking, Addiction, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and Mass/school shootings
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexism, and War
katrinaburch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and War
madsmcw_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The cast of characters she brought together was amazing. They each were such strong characters and had incredible development. I love how Quinn starts with a group of people who are so different and don't make sense and by the end of it all they've made their own family together.
As far as historical fiction goes, WWII has been covered about a million times. I liked that this one explored sides of it that I'd never really read about before: the night witches and tracking down war criminals after the fact. These plots were so intriguing and made you want to keep reading to find out what was going on.
This is only my second Kate Quinn book, but I'm thoroughly convinced she can do no wrong. If you love historical fiction you've got to pick up one of her books!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt
sarah984's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The history of the war and what comes after it feels well-researched and alive, but the story of Nina growing up in Siberia is stereotypical and ridiculous. Way too much.
Most of the characters were great, interesting and internally coherent - they felt like they could be real people. Jordan's parts of the story dragged for me though since they followed the same cycle for so long: Jordan sees something suspicious, freaks out about it, then convinces herself it's nothing for more than half the book. It's realistic but it could definitely have been toned down without losing anything important.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism