Scan barcode
catbrigand's review
3.0
Like the other books in the series, this is a really quick read despite the length because it’s engaging and fast-paced. I would actually argue that it’s too fast-paced...while the first book was basically training and Africa and the second was Italy, the third book is a whirlwind, a “how much of the European theater can we cram in one book” sort of thing: D-Day, Oradour, Hürtgen Forest, the Bulge, the liberation of Buchenwald, AND what happened to some of the characters afterward, all in the same length as the others. On one hand I can understand—all of those things were so abjectly horrifying, and they happened in quick succession, that to dwell on any one would have been too much.
On the other hand, I would have willingly taken fewer big events to spend more time with the characters. I wanted to know about Rainy. I would have liked to see the Pacific, and her brother. I would have liked to know about Strand (in several ways). And Frankie’s brother. The idea of including a short epilogue and character obituaries is brilliant, but I still had some questions. I disliked also the giving of narrative chapters to replacement GIs who were killed in the same chapter. I understand what I think Grant was trying to do, but it initially put me off that in an already crowded series the first chapter of this book was narrated by someone who promptly got killed.
This was a satisfactory conclusion and I loved seeing the character transformations but I do think it was the weakest of the trilogy.
On the other hand, I would have willingly taken fewer big events to spend more time with the characters. I wanted to know about Rainy. I would have liked to see the Pacific, and her brother. I would have liked to know about Strand (in several ways). And Frankie’s brother. The idea of including a short epilogue and character obituaries is brilliant, but I still had some questions. I disliked also the giving of narrative chapters to replacement GIs who were killed in the same chapter. I understand what I think Grant was trying to do, but it initially put me off that in an already crowded series the first chapter of this book was narrated by someone who promptly got killed.
This was a satisfactory conclusion and I loved seeing the character transformations but I do think it was the weakest of the trilogy.
chriscat12's review
4.0
Wow. So I guess I'll just take the chance to review the whole series while I'm here. I've read a lot of World War Two books over the last few years, and a lot of them deal with heavy topics, not shying away from tragedy in wartime. But many of them were books dealing with women in intelligence work or the French Resistance, and so this had a very different feel to it. Of course, women in the Resistance was historically accurate, whereas Front Lines is an alternative history.
And yet, it was so well-researched, and the brutality of war was just there, glaring at you through the whole trilogy. I hadn't read a book where the characters are, well, on the front lines--the gritty, disturbing battle scenes, the realization that, yes, women were not in the front lines and drafted like men back in the 1940s but that the detail in terms of the battlefields such as D-Day and Sicily, they were real. Bullets could kill someone next to you, and you'd have to watch, and massacres and death camps were all so frighteningly real, as were the Gestapo. Grant does so well in bringing to life a very real, in-your-face story of the war, of three different divisions, or areas, of it: medical, a front lines combat soldier, and intelligence. Thus, the novels could be hard to read in some senses--the gore, the blood, the un-sugar-coated descriptions of wounds and injuries. Of what life was like on the front. I'm honestly glad for all this, though, because it helped me have a deeper understanding of what the war was actually like from a soldier's perspective.
It was amazing how he was able to go into so much detail about all of these, and how often Frangie, Rio, and Rainy met up and their stories entwined. I loved all three characters and watching them all grow (most noticeably Rio), was impressive. I loved reading about Rio, Jenou, Cat, Jack, and their squad, and began to feel very protective over them as the stories went on. Strand, though, Strand pissed me off, the misogynistic little jerk. I also really liked Rainy and Frangie, and how all three women had different, distinct enough personalities that showcased their humanity and their strengths--and, good gosh, their bravery. All three women were put into horrific situations in all three books, and yet, they kept going, kept fighting, and seeing their journeys and knowing what happened to them at the end was very satisfying.
All this being said, I didn't like the romance. Maybe, again, it's because I'm not a romantic, but I felt like, in the second book, too much of Rio's story focused on Strand vs Jack, especially Strand, and less as Rio as a soldier and a person.
Anyway, overall this was well-done and I do recommend this series!
And yet, it was so well-researched, and the brutality of war was just there, glaring at you through the whole trilogy. I hadn't read a book where the characters are, well, on the front lines--the gritty, disturbing battle scenes, the realization that, yes, women were not in the front lines and drafted like men back in the 1940s but that the detail in terms of the battlefields such as D-Day and Sicily, they were real. Bullets could kill someone next to you, and you'd have to watch, and massacres and death camps were all so frighteningly real, as were the Gestapo. Grant does so well in bringing to life a very real, in-your-face story of the war, of three different divisions, or areas, of it: medical, a front lines combat soldier, and intelligence. Thus, the novels could be hard to read in some senses--the gore, the blood, the un-sugar-coated descriptions of wounds and injuries. Of what life was like on the front. I'm honestly glad for all this, though, because it helped me have a deeper understanding of what the war was actually like from a soldier's perspective.
It was amazing how he was able to go into so much detail about all of these, and how often Frangie, Rio, and Rainy met up and their stories entwined. I loved all three characters and watching them all grow (most noticeably Rio), was impressive. I loved reading about Rio, Jenou, Cat, Jack, and their squad, and began to feel very protective over them as the stories went on. Strand, though, Strand pissed me off, the misogynistic little jerk. I also really liked Rainy and Frangie, and how all three women had different, distinct enough personalities that showcased their humanity and their strengths--and, good gosh, their bravery. All three women were put into horrific situations in all three books, and yet, they kept going, kept fighting, and seeing their journeys and knowing what happened to them at the end was very satisfying.
All this being said, I didn't like the romance. Maybe, again, it's because I'm not a romantic, but I felt like, in the second book, too much of Rio's story focused on Strand vs Jack, especially Strand, and less as Rio as a soldier and a person.
Spoiler
I also didn't really appreciate how all three women ended up with someone. I mean, yes, most people are romantically-inclined, and it wasn't too heavy a focus for Rainy and Frangie, thankfully, so this is probably just a personality thing on my end, but there is romance. Though, I wish Cat had found a girlfriend, that would have been fun to see! Or that one of the main three were into women, but that was not the case.Anyway, overall this was well-done and I do recommend this series!
librarydosebykristy's review
3.0
This series imagines World War II if women were allowed in combat roles.
Great series for the right reader.... not sure if that right reader is me. But anyone who loves war stories and action-packed battle scenes, etc.
Great series for the right reader.... not sure if that right reader is me. But anyone who loves war stories and action-packed battle scenes, etc.
albon's review against another edition
5.0
2018 review:
Absolutely perfect ending to the Front Linestrilogy. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
READING PROGRESS
Absolutely perfect ending to the Front Linestrilogy. Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
READING PROGRESS
December 31, 2017 – Shelved
December 31, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read
February 19, 2018 – Started Reading
February 21, 2018 –
page 180 31.25%
page 180 31.25%
February 22, 2018 –
page 232 40.28% "An entire village just got massacred. Can we go back to Frangie and Walter Green flirting please?"
page 232 40.28% "An entire village just got massacred. Can we go back to Frangie and Walter Green flirting please?"
February 23, 2018 –
page 323 56.08%
page 323 56.08%
February 24, 2018 –
page 499 86.63% "Smitten boys accidentally proposing to their badass girlfriends in the middle of a war. I'm soft."
page 499 86.63% "Smitten boys accidentally proposing to their badass girlfriends in the middle of a war. I'm soft."
February 24, 2018 –
page 499 86.63% "Smitten boys accidentally proposing to the badass girls they love in the middle of a war. I'm soft"
page 499 86.63% "Smitten boys accidentally proposing to the badass girls they love in the middle of a war. I'm soft"
February 24, 2018 – Finished Reading
readingrenbo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
endaira91's review against another edition
Eh, wish that they did more with the fiction part of the story.
powisamy's review
5.0
A really great ending to the series!
This review has been a long time coming since I love the other two book in the series it was no surprise that I devoured this one. Purple Hearts is a wonderful end to this series. I laughed. I cried. It was just great.
I think that why I am so attached to this series is because I adore all of the characters. They are just so great. I wanted them to be OK throughout the whole thing which is probably why I was close to tears by the end. Scratch that I think I did let out a couple at the end. The finale of this was just so heartbreaking and if it would have ended like that I would have been very annoyed but we are given obituaries for all of the characters after which I loved. I felt like their journeys were complete and we had gone full circle and their character development was so great.
The story was also told with an unknown narrator from the first book which was finally revealed in this book and I was happy to say that I got it right. I was actually happy that I got it right as they were one of my favourite characters and deserved all of the hype. They were still all important but I really like that they were given their time.
I also enjoyed the plot in this book especially Rainey's arc because at the end it was so raw and emotional, I can't get over how good it was. All of their arcs were really strong and I do love Jenou and Rio's arc especially as it touched on cowardice which is something that is not explored in WWII stories so I loved this. Of course, there was a lot of action and violence which is Michael Grant's trademark. This is obviously done well and I loved it especially as my faves were in danger and I wanted them to survive. Basically, I love the Soldier Girl series and Purple Heart is no except. It is one of my favourite books of the year and I loved it.
The Verdict:
Purple Hearts is a perfect finale to the series. I just wish there were more books so I can live with all the characters forever.
This review has been a long time coming since I love the other two book in the series it was no surprise that I devoured this one. Purple Hearts is a wonderful end to this series. I laughed. I cried. It was just great.
I think that why I am so attached to this series is because I adore all of the characters. They are just so great. I wanted them to be OK throughout the whole thing which is probably why I was close to tears by the end. Scratch that I think I did let out a couple at the end. The finale of this was just so heartbreaking and if it would have ended like that I would have been very annoyed but we are given obituaries for all of the characters after which I loved. I felt like their journeys were complete and we had gone full circle and their character development was so great.
The story was also told with an unknown narrator from the first book which was finally revealed in this book and I was happy to say that I got it right. I was actually happy that I got it right as they were one of my favourite characters and deserved all of the hype. They were still all important but I really like that they were given their time.
I also enjoyed the plot in this book especially Rainey's arc because at the end it was so raw and emotional, I can't get over how good it was. All of their arcs were really strong and I do love Jenou and Rio's arc especially as it touched on cowardice which is something that is not explored in WWII stories so I loved this. Of course, there was a lot of action and violence which is Michael Grant's trademark. This is obviously done well and I loved it especially as my faves were in danger and I wanted them to survive. Basically, I love the Soldier Girl series and Purple Heart is no except. It is one of my favourite books of the year and I loved it.
The Verdict:
Purple Hearts is a perfect finale to the series. I just wish there were more books so I can live with all the characters forever.
spuriousdiphthongs's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book series. It was well-executed, believable and didn't hold back in describing war, racism, sexism and prejudice on all levels. The only reason it doesn't get another star is because I wasn't super fond of the author's tendency to have a SUPER DRAMATIC chapter end on a SUPER DRAMATIC cliffhanger only for the next step of the plot to be totally fine with zero explanation of how a character went from Point B to Point E.