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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3/5 stars!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an E-ARC for an honest review!
I was really interested in this book from the moment I heard about it. I have always loved reading Historical Fiction, and I love finding new books that shed light on an area of history that some people might not know that much about.
For me, this story was super fast paced, super action packed, and very full of information. I do feel like the plot was a bit too fast at times, but I was never bored during this book and each chapter made me want to continue reading. I think why I am giving this book three stars instead of four is because of how confused I was with the characters. There is a list in the book that explains everything, but since I had an E-ARC, the list was in the back of the book and not at the beginning. Unfortunately, throughout the story, I did get confused by connections between characters and the roles that certain characters had in the world and in the story.
Other than that, I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it to people who love historical fiction.
Thanks for reading!
Caden
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an E-ARC for an honest review!
I was really interested in this book from the moment I heard about it. I have always loved reading Historical Fiction, and I love finding new books that shed light on an area of history that some people might not know that much about.
For me, this story was super fast paced, super action packed, and very full of information. I do feel like the plot was a bit too fast at times, but I was never bored during this book and each chapter made me want to continue reading. I think why I am giving this book three stars instead of four is because of how confused I was with the characters. There is a list in the book that explains everything, but since I had an E-ARC, the list was in the back of the book and not at the beginning. Unfortunately, throughout the story, I did get confused by connections between characters and the roles that certain characters had in the world and in the story.
Other than that, I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it to people who love historical fiction.
Thanks for reading!
Caden
this story is told from two POV - Tolya (1944) and Aleksey (1941). There were many things I really enjoyed about this book. It was fast paced, I never knew who to trust, and the characters were complex. The brotherly banter between Aleksey and Mykola felt so genuine. There was so much going on, and so many different characters/organizations that I struggled a bit in the beginning to understand what was happening and how everything related to each other, but once I had that all sorted, it was smooth sailing. If you love historical fiction, then I would definitely recommend checking this one out!
My biggest takeaway from Traitor: A Novel of World War II was that it felt more like narrative non-fiction than fiction. The plot is more about what happens rather than the people who experiencing the conflict. I wasn't very attached to either Tolya or Aleksey as characters and would've loved more development about who they were as people.
The historical note at the end definitely should've been included at the beginning of the novel. I've studied Eastern European history a bit and still found it hard to keep track of what was happening in the book. At one point I ended up putting the book down to read the history of the city of Lwów on Wikipedia, which to me is a sign that the key players in the book weren't well explained. There's also no pronunciation guide for any of the Polish or Ukrainian words, which I really would've liked.
I will say that I found the book interesting and really appreciated reading a WWII book that wasn't set in the United Kingdom or Nazi Germany. Eastern Europe is often overlooked so it was nice to see historical fiction highlighting the atrocities that went on in that region during the war. The book was a pretty quick read as well since it's action-packed. I think if I went in expecting more of a focus no the history rather than the story, I would've enjoyed Traitor a lot more.
C/W:violence, torture (on-page but not covered in detail), mentions of rape (not on-page), anti-Semitism, death of parents and loved ones
The historical note at the end definitely should've been included at the beginning of the novel. I've studied Eastern European history a bit and still found it hard to keep track of what was happening in the book. At one point I ended up putting the book down to read the history of the city of Lwów on Wikipedia, which to me is a sign that the key players in the book weren't well explained. There's also no pronunciation guide for any of the Polish or Ukrainian words, which I really would've liked.
I will say that I found the book interesting and really appreciated reading a WWII book that wasn't set in the United Kingdom or Nazi Germany. Eastern Europe is often overlooked so it was nice to see historical fiction highlighting the atrocities that went on in that region during the war. The book was a pretty quick read as well since it's action-packed. I think if I went in expecting more of a focus no the history rather than the story, I would've enjoyed Traitor a lot more.
C/W:
This book is told through two perspectives at different times in World War II. We have the perspectives of Aleksey and Tolya in Poland and how a betrayal puts both of them in danger and sends them running. I enjoyed that this book was written about a part of WW2 that isn't as well known, or written about. There was obviously a lot of research done, which I appreciate as a history nerd. But, this book fell a bit flat for me. It was a quick read (I finished it in 2 days), but I feel like I just wanted a little more. Maybe an epilogue would have helped? And the alternate perspectives and timelines could get muddled at times. Overall, I liked the book. I just felt like it needed a little more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!
I received this as an ARC and enjoyed the book. I did find it hard to follow at times as it jumps back and forth between time periods.
The characters and events seems authentic. Ive read several books based around the war and this is one I would recommend.
The characters and events seems authentic. Ive read several books based around the war and this is one I would recommend.
My favorite kind of historical fiction books are the ones that take a small piece of largely unknown (to me) history and blow them up in a way that makes them unforgettable. I am sorely lacking in my knowledge of eastern European pre-WW2 leading into WW2 history, and this book made me feel like I was right there, fighting alongside these two young soldiers.
One thing I loved about this novel was the way the narrative was told. Tolya, a half-Polish/half-Ukranian 17-year-old is fighting for his life while keeping his Polish heritage a secret upon pain of death. His story is told in the third person, and is set in 1944, while juxtaposed against Aleksey’s in 1941, told in the first person. After Tolya shoots an important officer, he is rescued by Aleksey’s insurgent forces and their stories intertwine.
I loved the twisty plot, the complex and realistic characters, and the straightforward storytelling. This will be an excellent addition to any historical fiction collection, and will be especially great for those interested in reading male YA historical fiction. There is action, some torture, and gore, but all of it felt realistic within the realm of this novel. I will definitely be endorsing this book to teens in my community.
One thing I loved about this novel was the way the narrative was told. Tolya, a half-Polish/half-Ukranian 17-year-old is fighting for his life while keeping his Polish heritage a secret upon pain of death. His story is told in the third person, and is set in 1944, while juxtaposed against Aleksey’s in 1941, told in the first person. After Tolya shoots an important officer, he is rescued by Aleksey’s insurgent forces and their stories intertwine.
I loved the twisty plot, the complex and realistic characters, and the straightforward storytelling. This will be an excellent addition to any historical fiction collection, and will be especially great for those interested in reading male YA historical fiction. There is action, some torture, and gore, but all of it felt realistic within the realm of this novel. I will definitely be endorsing this book to teens in my community.
Oooh, I really liked this one! It reminded me a lot of [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788] in that the story is a bit of a puzzle that you need to put together and you might find yourself flipping back pages every once in a while, muttering, "oh wait, is that?? And did he just??" under your breath. It's a pretty intense mystery once you figure it all out and dear goodness, I don't know how anyone ever survives any war, anywhere. This book focuses on Lviv, Poland/Ukraine during WW2 and does a good job highlighting how alliances between sides formed and shifted and disappeared. I did still have to refer to Wikipedia a couple of times to straighten things out, but I didn't mind. The twists and turns and reveals of the plot were really enjoyable, even if there were too many scenes like that Mexican standoff GIF from The Office (if it's even possible to have "too many" of such a thing).
I was more interested in the author's note than in the story. I think I would have done better to read this rather than listen to it--it took me too long to figure out who and when everyone was, since processing all the names and abbreviations is harder for me in audio--but also it was just...not very exciting. I did like that it was a WWII novel in an unusual setting, but I couldn't really tell the two boys apart and I didn't really care about what they were doing, so...