mjminkowich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
skiracechick's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up at the library at random because I'd heard of it, and have Child 44 on my bookshelf to read, without knowing it was a sequel to that. After reading some of the reviews, I had some petulance about listening to it, but I thought it was a decent novel. The main character nearly lost his family before restoring it, barely surviving extreme circumstances in order to restore this family. Lots of death and destruction, but I suppose that goes along with the situation at hand (aka the Soviet Union in the 1950's).
timeywimeybooks's review
3.0
The whole story with Lasar seemed to be pretty pointless, but overall I still enjoyed the book.
jksmusic's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
thelaurasaurus's review
4.0
Someone fetch me a beach! This would be the perfect tense/gloomy Soviet thriller to read on it.
jolka97's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
arminkhojir's review
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
cjeanne99's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Lots of violence in this installment of Leo D’s story. Soviet Union in 1956 - Leo is still head of Homicide - but his “daughter” Zoya is kidnapped by a “gang” of criminals - he has to break into a prison to get the husband of the gang leader out of prison and reunited with his wife. Zoya likes the criminal life - is very angry with Leo. Leo has a long travel to the Gulag with lots of violence among the prisoners - violence surrounds Zoya and her activités.
In the meantime - Khrushchev has made a speech denouncing many of Stalin’s activities. Khrushchev is asking for a tolerant - more lenient Soviet Union. People are moved to confess their previous actions - and some are angry. Khrushchev’s initial speech is replaced with a new one - the first one becoming the “secret speech” - - at least I think that’s what happened. Frankly - all the violence caused me to read very quickly - so I may have missed some key points.
In the meantime - Khrushchev has made a speech denouncing many of Stalin’s activities. Khrushchev is asking for a tolerant - more lenient Soviet Union. People are moved to confess their previous actions - and some are angry. Khrushchev’s initial speech is replaced with a new one - the first one becoming the “secret speech” - - at least I think that’s what happened. Frankly - all the violence caused me to read very quickly - so I may have missed some key points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
duskk_novels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5/5 ♡ How far lost in evil must you be to never find redemption again ?
Ex Soviet agent, Leo Demidov tries to hold the pieces of his family together. Haunted by his dark legacy, he struggles to earn the forgiveness of his adopted daughters. Orphaned by a man once under Leo's command, and brutally murdered by his hand.
His resolve is tested when old enemies resurface from the gulags he's condemned them to. Anisya, the wife of a priest whom he'd betrayed, has raised an army to avenge the loss of her family. But what will hurt Leo most ? Losing the family he fought hell to have, or finding out that one of Anisya's soldiers is his own daughter ?
This thrilling, action packed story takes you from the streets of Moscow, to prison ships and Siberian gulags to the centre of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest.
It focuses on the depth of evil and redemption, forgiveness and revenge and the value of a man's life compared to his family. It explores the vulnerability and fragility of a child's mind and the tragic ends they meet as a result of human mistakes.
An enjoyable, exhilarating story with a fantastic writing style and neck-snapping plot twists. I'll never stop recommending. Perfect for action fiction fans ♡
Ex Soviet agent, Leo Demidov tries to hold the pieces of his family together. Haunted by his dark legacy, he struggles to earn the forgiveness of his adopted daughters. Orphaned by a man once under Leo's command, and brutally murdered by his hand.
His resolve is tested when old enemies resurface from the gulags he's condemned them to. Anisya, the wife of a priest whom he'd betrayed, has raised an army to avenge the loss of her family. But what will hurt Leo most ? Losing the family he fought hell to have, or finding out that one of Anisya's soldiers is his own daughter ?
This thrilling, action packed story takes you from the streets of Moscow, to prison ships and Siberian gulags to the centre of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest.
It focuses on the depth of evil and redemption, forgiveness and revenge and the value of a man's life compared to his family. It explores the vulnerability and fragility of a child's mind and the tragic ends they meet as a result of human mistakes.
An enjoyable, exhilarating story with a fantastic writing style and neck-snapping plot twists. I'll never stop recommending. Perfect for action fiction fans ♡