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madsmcw_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Kate Quinn is an absolutely masterful storyteller. They way she weaves together multiple POVs and storylines and has them all come together in the end is just so we'll done and everything comes together seamlessly at the end.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide attempt
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- 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
I wound up liking this book a lot more by the end than I had expected at the beginning.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Antisemitism, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism