April Book: The Huntress by Kate Quinn
If you read and liked The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See, Lilac Girls, or are a fan of historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this book!
Jet Set Darlings Book Review:
I bought this book the day before I went into labor with Palmer and JUST finished it, ten months later. While it did take me a bit of time to become invested in the narrative, that is absolutely no reflection of my sentiment towards the book.
The story takes place during and after WWII and is told from multiple points of view, both past and present, so there are quite a number of narratives to set up. While it’s written as a bit of a thriller, since you’re taken along on this journey of justice to find The Huntress, I found it fairly predictable. It feels almost like the story is too wide (i.e. a lot of puzzle pieces to consider) and not deep enough (i.e. fairly simple to put together). One aspect of the book that I really enjoyed though, is Quinn’s decision to heroize the women characters on the warfront and in the workforce during a time when it wasn’t considered their place in society.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t the type I just couldn’t put down. It was well written with strongly developed characters, most of whom I came to love. The narrative was compelling enough to keep me reading but I would have loved a few more twists and a stronger ending.
Book Synopsis (from Amazon):
Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.
Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.
Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.
In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth.
KARA VALLARI 
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