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A review by neverenoughhhh
The Jewel of St Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
4.0
This book was good. This was really good, it way better than I expected it to be.
Firstly ,the characters.
Oh my goodness I have to admit I wasn't really liking Valentina at first but she really grew on me. I admired her want to become a nurse and I was proud of her when she did and when she got the head nurses' approval. Her relationship with Jens was... weird to me at first because of the age gap but I semi got over it and I started to appreciate their romance more.
Valentina was so headstrong and determined and also very sacrificial.
She was also flawed and I liked that about her. She didn't understand the Bolsheviks, nor did she really make an attempt to. Of course, after Katya it is understandable but other than with Varenka she had a very close minded view of them.
Ok, Jens was intriguing and I felt for his struggles. I feel like he wasn't as fleshed out as Valentina though but I still liked and grew to love his interactions with Valentina. He's just so romantic.
Arkin was a character that I hated but it was a good hate because he was really well written (in my opinion) he was very set in his ideals and when he found himself contradicting them it was interesting to read.
I loved the relationships that the character shad with one another and I feel as though this the main why I loved this book.
We had Valentina and Jens
Valentina and Katya
Valentina and her father, her mother
Valentina and Varenka, which grew on me if I'm being honest, I liked that she kept coming back.
And how can I forget Liev Popkov. My goodness he was so funny to me (not in a bad way) but he had a sort of brutish charm that just had me laughing when I was reading his interactions with other characters. Especially with Valentina and Jens.
Another thing I liked was the contrast, Valentina and Arkin were on very different sides and in some ways they showed the extremes of both of them. It was interesting to compare and contrast to see where each side was coming from. I think the author did that very well.
All in all this is just another reason why I think that Kate Furnivall is an amazing author. And I can't wait to read more of her books.
Firstly ,the characters.
Oh my goodness I have to admit I wasn't really liking Valentina at first but she really grew on me. I admired her want to become a nurse and I was proud of her when she did and when she got the head nurses' approval. Her relationship with Jens was... weird to me at first because of the age gap but I semi got over it and I started to appreciate their romance more.
Valentina was so headstrong and determined and also very sacrificial.
Spoiler
She let Arkin sleep with her to guarantee her and Katya's safety. She endured Chernov so that she could appease her father. She let Arkin believe that Lydia was his child so that they could free Jens... yeah safe to say I love her.She was also flawed and I liked that about her. She didn't understand the Bolsheviks, nor did she really make an attempt to. Of course, after Katya it is understandable but other than with Varenka she had a very close minded view of them.
Ok, Jens was intriguing and I felt for his struggles. I feel like he wasn't as fleshed out as Valentina though but I still liked and grew to love his interactions with Valentina. He's just so romantic.
Arkin was a character that I hated but it was a good hate because he was really well written (in my opinion) he was very set in his ideals and when he found himself contradicting them it was interesting to read.
I loved the relationships that the character shad with one another and I feel as though this the main why I loved this book.
We had Valentina and Jens
Valentina and Katya
Spoiler
I was so sad when Katya diedValentina and her father, her mother
Spoiler
Ah, the things she would do to make her father forgive her when it was also his fault. But I did love her relationship with her mother, it felt very real.Valentina and Varenka, which grew on me if I'm being honest, I liked that she kept coming back.
Spoiler
And most unexpectedly, Arkin and Eliziveta ... I saw it coming but I also didn't see it coming if that makes sense.And how can I forget Liev Popkov. My goodness he was so funny to me (not in a bad way) but he had a sort of brutish charm that just had me laughing when I was reading his interactions with other characters. Especially with Valentina and Jens.
Another thing I liked was the contrast, Valentina and Arkin were on very different sides and in some ways they showed the extremes of both of them. It was interesting to compare and contrast to see where each side was coming from. I think the author did that very well.
All in all this is just another reason why I think that Kate Furnivall is an amazing author. And I can't wait to read more of her books.