This book was such a fun read! It was propulsive and so entertaining, it also doesn’t hurt that it’s so grounded in real history and people. It dragged a bit, and the end was so full of wild twists and turns it seemed a bit too unhistorical. But I was still on the edge of my seat so I guess I can’t complain too much. I loved the Rose Code and this is close behind, both unforgettable stories of women turning the tide of war.

Kate Quinn books are pretty much automatic five stars for me...I just can't get enough.

What I love about her books is that, while yes she's writing about WWII—and you may think, do we really need another WWII book?—she always comes at it from a unique angle, a different facet of the war that is not well known. And this story is no different, focusing on a female sniper nicknamed Lady Death. Mila, with her love of books and history and her son, had my heart from the beginning, and I liked how her story was told. Her character arc was beautiful, and there's also great secondary characters here, particularly Kostia.

The author's note at the end of this book is a must-read. You can tell from the story how much research she put into this book, and her note explains which characters are real and what creative licenses she took with the story. Also, she brings up an excellent discussion topic about snipers—how they are usually seen as the more "evil" way to fight and why this is unfair. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I'm glad I have two groups I'm discussing this book with haha.

Anyways, I listened to this on audio and loved the narration! The Rose Code is still my favorite KQ book, but this was another excellent addition to her collection. Compelling characters, moving story, teaching me parts of history I didn't know. This book just further cemented Kate Quinn as an auto-buy author for me.