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mtnest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, War, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Vomit
mrspelladvm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Emotional abuse and War
bandysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of my favorite things in the historical fiction genre is when an author takes an obscure piece of history and explores it in great detail. This is exactly what this book does. The book centers on Mila, who at the beginning is a young, single mother, dealing with a gaslighting ex, dreaming of getting an education, and trying to figure out how to be the best role-model for her eight year old son. She's still trying to find herself, but decides to become an expert marksmen after her ex accuses her of being incapable of being tough enough to raise a son. When WW2 comes to the Russian front, she finds herself at war and eventually becomes the most deadly female sniper in history. PERIOD. You would think this would make her hard to relate to, but I found her to be so realistic and easy to understand. Her motivations are always clear and her responses to things felt correct.
Minor Spoiler - Will not ruin the ending or entire story, but is a part of the plot progression.
Eventually, Mila is removed from the war front and sent to the USA on a tour of Russian war heroes to drum up support for America to join the European front to the war. I had no idea that this ever happened, but after a quick google search found it to be true...even the part about Mila's friendship with the First Lady. It was infuriating seeing how the American media treated Mila, but also completely realistic. I imagine that even in this day and age, they would be just as intrusive and condescending.
All in all, I think this book was remarkably good. The character is so rich and real. The plot and settings come to life. And best of all, I learned about a piece of history that I was unaware of. I'll be continuing my research into it further because it was so fascinating. I will definitely be reading more of Kate Quinn's writing in the future.
Graphic: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, and Emotional abuse
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Vomit, War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What I love about her books is that, while yes she's writing about WWII—and you may think, do we really need another WWII book?—she always comes at it from a unique angle, a different facet of the war that is not well known. And this story is no different, focusing on a female sniper nicknamed Lady Death. Mila, with her love of books and history and her son, had my heart from the beginning, and I liked how her story was told. Her character arc was beautiful, and there's also great secondary characters here, particularly Kostia.
The author's note at the end of this book is a must-read. You can tell from the story how much research she put into this book, and her note explains which characters are real and what creative licenses she took with the story. Also, she brings up an excellent discussion topic about snipers—how they are usually seen as the more "evil" way to fight and why this is unfair. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I'm glad I have two groups I'm discussing this book with haha.
Anyways, I listened to this on audio and loved the narration! The Rose Code is still my favorite KQ book, but this was another excellent addition to her collection. Compelling characters, moving story, teaching me parts of history I didn't know. This book just further cemented Kate Quinn as an auto-buy author for me.
Graphic: War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism
sirissacgluten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The Diamond Eye is almost a pseudo-autobiography, an engrossing re-imagining the official (state-sponsored) memoir of Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko. When German troops reach the borders of the USSR, Mila abandons her quiet life as a library research assistant and history student to enlist in the Red Army. The book moves between her time acclimating to the horrors of war as she hones her deadly sharpshooting skills and her subsequent goodwill tour across America.
4/5: I really enjoyed this one; it wasn’t my favorite of Quinn’s (The Rose Code and Mistress of Rome hold that honor), but it was impeccably researched and full of interesting characters. Fans of The Huntress in particular should love The Diamond Eye’s deeper dive into Soviet resistance during the war.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Graphic: War, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death, Violence, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gore, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Antisemitism