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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Traitor is a World War II book. The story starts with Tolya, where we follow him on the night when he comes across a man harassing a woman,bthe man is a important soldier/leader (some happens) and he sneaks back onto the base. When he does he realizes that he's going to have to escape and make a run for it and we follow his journey of what it's like being on the run from a part of his past and another part of his past. There's a lot going on in this book there's a few times I did find myself confused but I did enjoy the characters and learning more about this part of the war of World War II and how it does affect you not just by family and friends dying but mentally, how that leads to other problems; like trusting people, ect. Also what Tolya has to go through being from one country when you're at war and another country that hates his country, and not knowing where he belongs. The main character is from both sides of the war and he battles with identity crisis and what it's like when you can't say that you're from one can't you're not because you're from both side of the war. I enjoy the pacing, there was no part that I was bored at or wasn't slow; every single thing that happened in this book lead or connected to something else somewhere in this book and I really enjoyed how everything was connected. Stories set in War in the past is usually ones I do enjoy I was feeling like I’m leaning and growing. Every time I do read a World War II book I feel like I learn another piece of a puzzle of what it was like back then; the trauma, the sadness and the hardship that people went through, that my ancestors went through and it's just really important of a story to tell. Overall, if you are a fan of historian or war base books, you will enjoy this and you will see another side of the story told.
"We’ve all got our own little wars."
In 1944 Poland WWII may be nearing its end, but the troubles are just beginning for some of the country's long suffering residents. In the wake of Lwów's liberation from Germany, the city--like the rest of Poland--is torn between loyalists to either Poland or Ukraine as their years long power struggle continues and threatens to tear the country apart.
Seventeen-year-old Tolya Korolenko is half-Ukrainian, half-Polish and wanted by neither side. Hungry and alone, he has become a sniper in the Soviet Red Army to try to survive. It's a good plan until he shoots his unit's political officer in a dark alley. Tolya knows what happens to traitors. He knows what to expect.
What surprises him is his unlikely rescue by Ukrainian freedom fighters. In Poland everyone is fighting their own little wars and soon Tolya finds himself dragged into Solovey's. Helping the man who rescued him probably won't save Tolya's life. But it might buy him some time.
In a city where self-preservation and loyalty can't always mean the same thing, Tolya and Solovey are both rocked by betrayals that will change everything in Traitor (2020) by Amanda McCrina.
Find it on Bookshop.
The story follows two storylines: Tolya's as it unfolds in 1944 and Aleksey's years earlier in 1941. How you feel about the story may depend on how quickly you begin piecing together the connections between these two timelines.
Contrasting the beginning and end of World War II, Traitor explores the things that remain the same as characters are driven to desperate choices both for survival and revenge. Tense prose and cliffhanging chapter endings make this novel a fast read although alternating parts between Tolya and Aleksey often cuts much the tension and--given the fact that Aleksey's story is essentially a flashback--lends a certain inevitability to what should be suspenseful plot points.
Traitor effectively uses restricted perspective in both narratives to limit what the characters and readers know leading to reveals that sometimes expected and sometimes not. Unfortunately, it also keeps both of the novel's main characters at a remove from readers making it hard to feel entirely invested in either narrative.
Traitor is a well-researched and suspenseful look at a rarely examined piece of history. Readers who enjoy their history with a large dose of suspense and an unflinching look at the violence of war will find the most to appreciate here.
Possible Pairings: Tamar by Mal Peet, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
In 1944 Poland WWII may be nearing its end, but the troubles are just beginning for some of the country's long suffering residents. In the wake of Lwów's liberation from Germany, the city--like the rest of Poland--is torn between loyalists to either Poland or Ukraine as their years long power struggle continues and threatens to tear the country apart.
Seventeen-year-old Tolya Korolenko is half-Ukrainian, half-Polish and wanted by neither side. Hungry and alone, he has become a sniper in the Soviet Red Army to try to survive. It's a good plan until he shoots his unit's political officer in a dark alley. Tolya knows what happens to traitors. He knows what to expect.
What surprises him is his unlikely rescue by Ukrainian freedom fighters. In Poland everyone is fighting their own little wars and soon Tolya finds himself dragged into Solovey's. Helping the man who rescued him probably won't save Tolya's life. But it might buy him some time.
In a city where self-preservation and loyalty can't always mean the same thing, Tolya and Solovey are both rocked by betrayals that will change everything in Traitor (2020) by Amanda McCrina.
Find it on Bookshop.
The story follows two storylines: Tolya's as it unfolds in 1944 and Aleksey's years earlier in 1941. How you feel about the story may depend on how quickly you begin piecing together the connections between these two timelines.
Contrasting the beginning and end of World War II, Traitor explores the things that remain the same as characters are driven to desperate choices both for survival and revenge. Tense prose and cliffhanging chapter endings make this novel a fast read although alternating parts between Tolya and Aleksey often cuts much the tension and--given the fact that Aleksey's story is essentially a flashback--lends a certain inevitability to what should be suspenseful plot points.
Traitor effectively uses restricted perspective in both narratives to limit what the characters and readers know leading to reveals that sometimes expected and sometimes not. Unfortunately, it also keeps both of the novel's main characters at a remove from readers making it hard to feel entirely invested in either narrative.
Traitor is a well-researched and suspenseful look at a rarely examined piece of history. Readers who enjoy their history with a large dose of suspense and an unflinching look at the violence of war will find the most to appreciate here.
Possible Pairings: Tamar by Mal Peet, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Interesting era and setting of history, execution was dry and characters didn't have enough substance to keep me invested. A real shame, the research was on point but there just wasn't a story to hold all the facts together.
Well researched & fast-paced with great writing that feels immersive. Really loved the sibling relationship between Aleksey & Mykola. Toyla’s relationship with Solovey was great as well and so was his narrative in general.
It always takes me a minute to really get into a book, especially when it is a historical fiction book that is of unknown territory for me. I have read many WWII novels but none that come from the Ukrainian/Polish/Soviet perspective. It was quite kind boggling all the flipping and double crossing that happened towards the tail end of the book. Overall I really enjoyed this tale. Though it did make me wonder and question Solovey’s true intent at the end as well.
2.5 stars.
This was an interesting topic and it is nice to see an author take up something that is really complex. I don’t think she entirely pulled it off though. There were twists and secrets, but a few of the plot lines were hard to follow (possibly bc part of it i read while feverish with Covid, but I don’t think that was the only explanation), which made the resolution less … resolved. I also don’t think the author used the alternating viewpoints/timelines as effectively as she could have.
Still, I hope kids and other folks who read YA books give this one a read and that it sparks questions and their own search for answers.
This was an interesting topic and it is nice to see an author take up something that is really complex. I don’t think she entirely pulled it off though. There were twists and secrets, but a few of the plot lines were hard to follow (possibly bc part of it i read while feverish with Covid, but I don’t think that was the only explanation), which made the resolution less … resolved. I also don’t think the author used the alternating viewpoints/timelines as effectively as she could have.
Still, I hope kids and other folks who read YA books give this one a read and that it sparks questions and their own search for answers.
I received an ARC of this novel that is set to publish in August 2020. Rating is 3 stars. This novel follows two men who are in Poland during World War II fighting between resistance fighters and insurgent armies. When a betrayal happens, both of their lives change and they go on the run. I appreciated this book since I have not read much about the Soviet involvement in Poland during WWII. However, I found the timeline hard to follow and characters were hard to differentiate from each other. I found the first part of the book very entertaining but after that I found most of it fell flat. It was interesting, however, to read from a different viewpoint of WWII in Europe.
3.5 stars - Part thriller and part historical fiction, this was really well-written and the pacing was fantastic. I love learning about events in history (specifically WWII) and this was no exception. It’s a thrilling story with so many twists and turns! Personally, my biggest issue was keeping track of all the characters and their different sides (German? Soviet? Polish? Ukrainian?) I wish that things were a little more fleshed out and explained!
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Trigger warnings: war, death, gun violence, blood, death of a parent, execution, death of a sibling
I honestly found this a somewhat disjointed reading experience. It jumps back and forth in time between 1941 and 1944, and there's a connection between the two times but not a huge amount of overlap. So while I was trying to keep track of the places and the people and what was Poland and what was Ukraine in the two times and who the various characters were fighting for and against, I sort of lost track of the story.
Don't get me wrong, it's FANTASTIC having a YA book that deals with the Eastern Front and with a fight that I knew absolutely nothing about. And in some ways, it was quite fitting to read about the animosity between Poland and Ukraine in a year where Poland has been so accepting of Ukrainian refugees.
But I really did struggle to keep all the characters and the story straight in my head...
I honestly found this a somewhat disjointed reading experience. It jumps back and forth in time between 1941 and 1944, and there's a connection between the two times but not a huge amount of overlap. So while I was trying to keep track of the places and the people and what was Poland and what was Ukraine in the two times and who the various characters were fighting for and against, I sort of lost track of the story.
Don't get me wrong, it's FANTASTIC having a YA book that deals with the Eastern Front and with a fight that I knew absolutely nothing about. And in some ways, it was quite fitting to read about the animosity between Poland and Ukraine in a year where Poland has been so accepting of Ukrainian refugees.
But I really did struggle to keep all the characters and the story straight in my head...
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Grief, War