4.42k reviews for:

The Diamond Eye

Kate Quinn

4.25 AVERAGE

carolinetew's review

5.0

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4.5/5
Kate Quinn's novels are my guilty pleasure. Now that I've read a few, I can see the formula...but honestly I kind of don't care? I always fall in love with the female protagonist and I love how they are real female historical figures that we clearly haven't learned enough about in history class. They're plucky and wonderful and fun to read about. Always the right amount of heartbreak and history. Idk, this are well done.

emoul's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

heyshey's review against another edition

4.0

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A fictional account inspired by the true story of a Russian sniper in WWII, following the life of Mila (Lyudmila Pavlichenko), who aspired to be a historian but instead became the greatest female sniper and one of the heroes of the Soviet Union. Although this is the fourth book I've read by Kate Quinn, I can't say that Mila is my favorite character she's ever written. While the character progression was great, there were a few moments of her in the book that I found less interesting, causing me to partly turn away from the story, particularly in the first half. However, it improved for me as I reached the second half. Overall, I still think it's a great story, and I mostly enjoyed reading it. It also provided me with another perspective on the heroism of a female character in WWII. This is what I appreciate about Quinn's work—she writes her female characters with finesse, conducting extensive research to ensure faithfulness in her story. Additionally, I always love reading her 5 to 10 pages of author's notes. It's like reading another compelling story.

mama_odie5's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous 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: Complicated

dawn529's review

3.0

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Fascinating historical storyline I wasn't aware of. The book could have been about 100 pages shorter, and I didn't love the fabricated assassination attempt. The book was interesting enough without that strange detour.

rachjtx's review

1.0

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One part interesting historical detail and nine parts drippy, predictable, fabricated soap opera.

panda_dynamo's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional mysterious 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: Complicated

asha_oshun's review against another edition

4.0

challenging informative tense fast-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: Complicated

annareadsitall's review

5.0

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Based on the memoirs of a real female Russian sniper, this is a riveting tale that is beautifully told. I was fascinated. Propulsive with characters that truly came alive. So interesting to hear the portrayal of a sniper who is also a mother battling on the front and one who is forced to be a propaganda puppet for the Soviets and ends up friends with the Roosevelts. Wow!

I listened to this on audible and highly recommend that format as the narration is excellent. The narrator does a perfect Russian accent when appropriate. Loved that unique touch!

sarafara's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No