unsponsoredbookreviews 's review for:

City of Thieves by David Benioff

5.0

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City of Thieves by David Benioff is no work of art or masterpiece of literature, but it is just a completely enthralling historical fiction novel. There are some mildly fantastical elements to the journey that Lev and Kolya go through to rid themselves of a death sentence by trying to find a dozen eggs for a Colonel in the middle of the siege of Stalingrad. Even with these fictional bits, the setting feels very grounded with a good sense of place. The prose has a familiarity to it that makes the streets of Stalingrad really pop in the imagination.

The relationship between the main three characters, Lev, Kolya, and Vika really brings together the whole novel. Kolya provides most of the entertainment as he is controlled by his hormones about 80% of the time and has a quick wit and tongue in an endearing way.

I'd recommend it for anyone looking for an entertaining read.