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gge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
linneaandspybat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
lottie1803's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
2.75
zelle_ash's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
viktoria03's review
2.0
Great concept, mediocre execution
The book was overcrowded - too many things were happening at once and yet everything aligned perfectly, making the story unbelievable.
The story itself was all over the place. Dramatic action filled scenes were interrupted with romance, giving the impression that moments of lust matter more than potential dangers of being a spy.
On top of that the characters are flat. There's no character development whatsoever.
The book was overcrowded - too many things were happening at once and yet everything aligned perfectly, making the story unbelievable.
The story itself was all over the place. Dramatic action filled scenes were interrupted with romance, giving the impression that moments of lust matter more than potential dangers of being a spy.
On top of that the characters are flat. There's no character development whatsoever.
elisabethshelby's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Try as I might, this book just wasn't a smash hit for me.
The premise of it sounded great. WWII, Brazil, spies, Nazis, it's the stuff that can really throw you into the deep end of all-night readathons. But this book struggled with its plot a lot, and struggled with its character development.
The plot had issues with believability. The entire crux of the mission was for the FBI to catch Hattie's father a would-be possible spy. But I can't get past the extortion they used and the risk they put her through in hopes of catching her father. It felt way too unbelievable.
The characters, too, were often flat and one dimensional. I know nothing about David, even though he continued to huff and puff throughout many of the pages in the story. It seems his only role is to just be grumpy and mad at every decision Hattie makes. Hattie's sister Olivia and her extended family seem to be a major lynchpin in the first third of the story's plot and then completely fades away, never to be heard from again. And Eva, a star so dazzling and brilliant to have resurrected her career not once, but twice barely leaves a lasting impression on these pages. It's a disappointment because I wanted to like a lot of these characters more.
What really sealed the deal for me on this book, though, were lots of small inaccuracies that build to a bigger issue of the author not doing enough research. Modern day slang terms were used as dialogue between the characters. Karl puts his money in a hole behind the drywall of his home, even though drywall did not become a common building material for another 15ish years after this story takes place. David drives them to a house where they park in front of a two-car garage, a home feature that - again - was not popular during this time period. One of these inconsistencies on their own I would have chalked up to a missed editor's mark but they continued to happen page after page and took me out of the story. I know I'm nit-picking here a bit, but it became so bad that at points I was putting the book down to fact check on google if a detail was historically accurate. And many times it seems it wasn't.
If you like historical fiction and don't mind a lack of character development, this book might be good for you. Some people can look past poorly formed characters, and you might enjoy this story a lot if that's you. For me, though, I couldn't move past some of the bigger issues with the characters, plot, and research to enjoy this read.
The premise of it sounded great. WWII, Brazil, spies, Nazis, it's the stuff that can really throw you into the deep end of all-night readathons. But this book struggled with its plot a lot, and struggled with its character development.
The plot had issues with believability. The entire crux of the mission was for the FBI to catch Hattie's father a would-be possible spy. But I can't get past the extortion they used and the risk they put her through in hopes of catching her father. It felt way too unbelievable.
The characters, too, were often flat and one dimensional. I know nothing about David, even though he continued to huff and puff throughout many of the pages in the story. It seems his only role is to just be grumpy and mad at every decision Hattie makes. Hattie's sister Olivia and her extended family seem to be a major lynchpin in the first third of the story's plot and then completely fades away, never to be heard from again. And Eva, a star so dazzling and brilliant to have resurrected her career not once, but twice barely leaves a lasting impression on these pages. It's a disappointment because I wanted to like a lot of these characters more.
What really sealed the deal for me on this book, though, were lots of small inaccuracies that build to a bigger issue of the author not doing enough research. Modern day slang terms were used as dialogue between the characters. Karl puts his money in a hole behind the drywall of his home, even though drywall did not become a common building material for another 15ish years after this story takes place. David drives them to a house where they park in front of a two-car garage, a home feature that - again - was not popular during this time period. One of these inconsistencies on their own I would have chalked up to a missed editor's mark but they continued to happen page after page and took me out of the story. I know I'm nit-picking here a bit, but it became so bad that at points I was putting the book down to fact check on google if a detail was historically accurate. And many times it seems it wasn't.
If you like historical fiction and don't mind a lack of character development, this book might be good for you. Some people can look past poorly formed characters, and you might enjoy this story a lot if that's you. For me, though, I couldn't move past some of the bigger issues with the characters, plot, and research to enjoy this read.