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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-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
What I love about Kate Quinn is that she makes learning history a lot more exciting than just reading a history book, which I have never enjoyed beyond 5th grade social studies when I was learning about world explorers. Her books don’t have the lighter mood to them that I enjoy from Sarah Sundin, but that’s because Kate Quinn is using a lot of facts and just using fiction to fill in the blanks for a complete story. It makes them a little harder to get into, but once I’m there, I’m hooked.
I’ve read a few reviews that said the reader didn’t like this story as well as The Rose Code. For me, it was the opposite. I loved The Rose Code and all of the code-breaking storyline, but the main character’s life was quite depressing. In The Diamond Eye, Mila was too strong to ever allow you to feel sorry for her. She went through so much, but she never let it stop her. Her story was incredible, even if it was a little slow to start. Finding out that most of it was based on facts and her memoir made it even better for me. Lyudmila Pavlichenko is very inspiring.
In the author segment that follows, Kate Quinn says that most people have never heard of Lyudmila Pavlichenko. The amazing thing is that few people in this time period would ever read her memoir or even have heard of her to know to look for it, but Kate Quinn has brought her story to so many people now. That makes me smile because amazing people like this need to have their stories told to those of us who lived years after her and would never know of them otherwise. It makes me have a greater appreciation for Kate Quinn, knowing (or at least guessing) how much time and research she put into bringing this story to life for us.
While I will read a bunch of lighter stories before I take on the next Kate Quinn novel (I still have The Alice Network and The Huntress on my list for this year), I will be excited to read them when the time comes.
I’ve read a few reviews that said the reader didn’t like this story as well as The Rose Code. For me, it was the opposite. I loved The Rose Code and all of the code-breaking storyline, but the main character’s life was quite depressing. In The Diamond Eye, Mila was too strong to ever allow you to feel sorry for her. She went through so much, but she never let it stop her. Her story was incredible, even if it was a little slow to start. Finding out that most of it was based on facts and her memoir made it even better for me. Lyudmila Pavlichenko is very inspiring.
In the author segment that follows, Kate Quinn says that most people have never heard of Lyudmila Pavlichenko. The amazing thing is that few people in this time period would ever read her memoir or even have heard of her to know to look for it, but Kate Quinn has brought her story to so many people now. That makes me smile because amazing people like this need to have their stories told to those of us who lived years after her and would never know of them otherwise. It makes me have a greater appreciation for Kate Quinn, knowing (or at least guessing) how much time and research she put into bringing this story to life for us.
While I will read a bunch of lighter stories before I take on the next Kate Quinn novel (I still have The Alice Network and The Huntress on my list for this year), I will be excited to read them when the time comes.
slow-paced
The Diamond Eye centers around the life of a real-life female Russian sniper in WWII. I had never heard of this woman and it was actually very impressive that so many Russian women were involved on the front lines nearly a century ago. I also really enjoyed the author’s notes to know what was true and what situations she took liberties with.
The premise of the book was overall good and unique. I just found myself bored at times and I really struggled to get through the first third of the book. It did speed up about halfway through and I liked how everything came together. I just wasn’t as engaged as I often am- for whatever reason.
It’s a timely read with the current war between Russia and Ukraine, and I’m sure historical fiction fans will enjoy. It just wasn’t my favorite.
The premise of the book was overall good and unique. I just found myself bored at times and I really struggled to get through the first third of the book. It did speed up about halfway through and I liked how everything came together. I just wasn’t as engaged as I often am- for whatever reason.
It’s a timely read with the current war between Russia and Ukraine, and I’m sure historical fiction fans will enjoy. It just wasn’t my favorite.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kate Quinn made me a fan of historical fiction. The details, then enthralling stories, the emotional complexity of the characters…this was no exception.
Her author’s note at the end, when she’s describing her creative process and what was real, fiction, or fictionalized, is the best!
This book focuses on one main character, and her path to becoming the famous “Lady Death”. She describes how hard women have to work to show they are valuable and even then, we still get passed off as “emotional” and “useless”.
Her author’s note at the end, when she’s describing her creative process and what was real, fiction, or fictionalized, is the best!
This book focuses on one main character, and her path to becoming the famous “Lady Death”. She describes how hard women have to work to show they are valuable and even then, we still get passed off as “emotional” and “useless”.
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was a 4/4.5 for me but the authors note put it over the edge. The explanation of the historical accuracy and context of this novel was so interesting to read and made this book a 5 star read for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No