Reviews

Sisters of War by Lana Kortchik

lyssunger's review

3.0

This book was alright, more a romance novel than anything which I wasn't expecting. Dealt with some heavy subjects (obviously) but was written with little depth. Slow start and at times was hard to trudge through.

the_herbal_carnivore's review

I'm not sure why I read these books (not that I read many of them), the romance in them often makes sick to my stomach (completely unrighteous), want to gag, or roll my eyes at best. And then the story itself, the horror & trauma the people go through, I just feel it all and it's heavy. And the end, of course it's a fairytale, I mean, a fairytale ending for tragic stories where so many actually do live but you're not told how...

I ended up borrowing this book because we're doing a study on/about Ukraine and I was searching for books to read; this one came up so I thought I'd read another fiction book for myself because it's been a short bit. What I did enjoy about this book in particular was that it wasn't about the Jewish people, but rather, the Ukrainian people who weren't Jewish and what they also endured. While I know it's a work of fiction and the family in the story isn't real, I do wonder how much research the author did before/during the writing to maybe get some facts correct about that time (Ukraine during that time is not something I've researched yet, so I'm just curious is all).

sophiemay27's review

3.0

3.5
This was one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read

purplejazz97's review

adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

5.0

constantreader471's review

4.0

4 stars for a story of a family in occupied Ukraine during WWII. This is a book about hardship, loss and a rift between family members caused by decisions that result in death. Natasha and Lisa are sisters living in Kiev, Ukraine. A German soldier shoots their Grandmother while she is protecting Natasha from the soldier about to rape Natasha. He is about to shoot Natasha when a Hungarian soldier shoots the German soldier.
Mark, the Hungarian soldier and Natasha fall in love. But Natasha does not tell anyone in her family, because the Germans will kill Mark if they find out. German reprisals cause the rift between Lisa and Natasha. If you enjoyed [b:The Nightingale|21853621|The Nightingale|Kristin Hannah|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598993363l/21853621._SY75_.jpg|41125521] by [a:Kristin Hannah|54493|Kristin Hannah|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517255843p2/54493.jpg] , you will enjoy this book also.
Two quotes: Initial occupation of Kiev, Sept., 1941: "But even with her back turned, she could still see a dark cloud hanging over Kiev. A dark cloud seemed to swallow the entire city whole. There was nothing left, not even a glimmer of hope."
Jews going to their death at Babi Yar: "Rumour or not, the condemned kept walking. The doomed procession was a terrifying sight. Poor lost souls ambled past Natasha's window, heads bent, eyes dull, feet dragging, with N**i guns pointed at them. As she watched the horrific river trickle towards Babi Yar-- the human river that, far from diminishing, had grown to almost twice its original size-- her every bone, her every vein was chilled."
#SistersofWar #NetGalley
Thanks to HarperCollins for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

sarah_reading_party's review

3.0

In my opinion, Sisters of War was just okay. The setting--Ukraine during WWII--was interesting and unique, a change up from most WWII novels. However, I didn't connect with the characters. I didn't truly care what happened to them, and felt like parts were not well explained while other parts were overdone. I know Lisa was more of a secondary character, so we should have sympathized more with Natasha, but we barely knew her... so why is this book called Sisters of War? It just doesn't make sense to me. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary e-copy. All thoughts are my own.

jbaronn's review

emotional medium-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

4.5

disconightwing's review

3.0

This is the third title this novel has been published under, in various incarnations, since 2016. It was all right, but I don’t feel like it’s entirely fair to give it the same attention as other arcs when it’s not the first or second time it’s been released. It’s already gotten a large number of reviews.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

tianafac's review

dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

molly_s_reads's review

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75