Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - Timanttisilmä

It took me about a hundred pages to get into this book, but once I was in I was hooked! I've loved most of the other things Kate Quinn has written, so this was an auto-buy for me as soon as I saw it. I can always count on Quinn to bring me a heroic war story, and I love her focus on women and how they contributed to the War. I loved the character development Quinn put into Mila throughout the novel. It was really rewarding to watch her grow into her own and stand up to her asshole "husband" Alexei. Some of the plot was a bit unbelievable, which knocked off a few stars. Specifically, the whole "marksman" thing, especially because we all know the FDR wasn't assassinated and we know Mila makes it back to Russia, so like I knew how it would turn out? Idk, I feel like the story could have been just as good without that whole weird little plot, but I see why Quinn added it to explain Mila's creepy stalker dude on the tour. Overall, a good novel that did well tieing together historical fact and creative license/fiction.

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saliwali's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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smagzisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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chelseylb1988's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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sirissacgluten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Besties, Kate Quinn has done it again. I’m not a fan of WWII fiction, but I will never hesitate to read a WWII novel if Kate Quinn is at the helm.

The Diamond Eye is almost a pseudo-autobiography, an engrossing re-imagining the official (state-sponsored) memoir of Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko. When German troops reach the borders of the USSR, Mila abandons her quiet life as a library research assistant and history student to enlist in the Red Army. The book moves between her time acclimating to the horrors of war as she hones her deadly sharpshooting skills and her subsequent goodwill tour across America.

4/5: I really enjoyed this one; it wasn’t my favorite of Quinn’s (The Rose Code and Mistress of Rome hold that honor), but it was impeccably researched and full of interesting characters. Fans of The Huntress in particular should love The Diamond Eye’s deeper dive into Soviet resistance during the war.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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