Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Diamond Eye

This was the first book by Kate Quinn I have read, and it was beautiful. This historical fiction brought to life the true story of Lyudmila ‘Mila’ Pavlichenko, a Soviet Russian sniper from World War II. Mila experienced the challenges of becoming a young mother at 15 and living through a world war. Yet, her fierce and loyal nature became a force to be reckoned with as she developed into one of Russia’s deadliest snipers.

Quinn provides detailed recounts of her early life and the events that turned this quiet, studious librarian into a survivor of war with a lasting reputation that encouraged women to join the frontline and be celebrated for their contributions. Quinn embellishes Mila’s relationships with friends, family and lovers to balance the novel. It becomes more character-driven, which is what gave it five stars to me.

I highly recommend it if you want a book filled with action, suspense and a heartwarming ending.

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kailiyahknight's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

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saliwali's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

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just_jess02's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Mila’s story is fierce, bold, heartbreaking, infuriating, encouraging, fascinating, and freeing. It is so much packed into a thrilling page-turner. I imagine it would be even more poignant if I were reading it myself rather than listening.

The narration was crisp and stiff- something I didn’t like at first but once I saw how well it fit the story, it was one of the many aspects that gripped me. The dualities of each character created depth and complexity that had me wondering where many moments would lead. Each relationship and interaction was important and necessary. Is it odd to appreciate the efficiency of a novel?

I enjoyed the exploration of what happens behind the facade of strong, courageous, women who cannot show weakness or softness to the public eye. It is so nice to read a book about a female protagonist that is truly through the female experience and challenges the expectations of the ‘male gaze’ while still incorporating the struggles it causes. Mila is unapologetically brash because she has to be and understanding the inside of her mind during those moments made my heart ache and my conscious confused.

This is so well written, well narrated, and just very engaging overall. It is one you want to sit with and think about but also don’t want to put it down to do so.

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theseasoul's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||

I wasn’t really in the mood for historical fiction when I started reading this, but it turned out to be such a stellar novel that I couldn’t put down!

The Diamond Eye conveys a slice of real history that is unknown to many of us… it has me freshly fascinated by the fact that so many amazing humans have lived out their entire lives and we have yet to even hear their names. Even the instances of artistic licence taken in this book, in terms of events and certain characters, were tied into the account so well. It’s clear that a ton of research was done by the author in order to achieve this level of flow and continuity in the story, especially when it comes to narrating the story from Mila’s point of view. That displays a lot of skill.

I loved getting to know Mila and the chance to peek into what she may have been thinking and feeling throughout the various events she lived through. A must-read for sure.

|| Content warnings ||

A bedroom scene or two (skip end of chapter 16) and some sexual references throughout (as Mila had a rather chaotic love life, and simply the fact that she was a female soldier).

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cameronmh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Really beautiful book— easier to digest than her autobiography, but very faithful. Highly recommend the author’s note to anyone who might normally skip it!

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ka_ke's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

My thoughts and feelings regarding the Diamond Eye are difficult to explain.

On the one hand, I chose one hell of a time to pick it up seeing as Russia has cruelly invaded Ukraine and they have been at war for 1.5 years at this point. Therefore, I find myself unable to sympathize with Lady Death and the Russian people as they struggled through Nazi invasion.

On the other hand, the Diamond Eye is an excellent lesson in the theory of intersectionality and my understanding/belief in it.

Lyudmila is a Russian woman, a student majoring in history, a single mother whose husband abandoned their family. She is then forced to become an infamous sniper for the Russian army.

So while I can support a woman doing what she feels is right and proper to protect herself and her country, I am torn by my disgust at the present day uncalled-for actions of Russia against the citizens of Ukraine.

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