Thursday, October 3, 2019

My Thoughts: The Huntress by Kate Quinn

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38376046-the-huntress
The Huntress
by Kate Quinn
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Publication Date: February 26th 2019
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 530
ISBN: 9780062740373
Genre: Adult Fiction | Historical Fiction | WWII
Source: Edelweiss Review Copy / Own

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From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel, The Alice Network, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.

In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted…

Bold, reckless Nina Markova grows up on the icy edge of Soviet Russia, dreaming of flight and fearing nothing. When the tide of war sweeps over her homeland, she gambles everything to join the infamous Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on Hitler’s eastern front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive.

British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with brazen, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. But a shared secret could derail their mission, unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride grows up in post WWII Boston, determined despite family opposition to become a photographer. At first delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancĂ©e, Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Armed only with her camera and her wits, Jordan delves into her new stepmother’s past and slowly realizes there are mysteries buried deep in her family. But Jordan’s search for the truth may threaten all she holds dear. (Goodreads)


I was super excited to pick up The Huntress by Kate Quinn, as I have had her book The Alice Network on my TBR since I first discovered it, and I was determined to finally read something by her. The Huntress sounded super intriguing, so I decided to go with it first. Now that I have read one of Kate’s books, I am HOOKED!

The Huntress is a fictional novel, but it’s based on real events that happened during WWII. Some of the things in the story actually happened, (a few names and events, etc), and the character of the actual huntress was loosely based off two real people as well. I especially enjoyed learning about the female Russian fighter pilots, called the Night Witches, and of course I had to do as much reading up on them as I possibly could while reading the book. It was absolutely fascinating!

The story is told from three different narrator's viewpoints, and I found each of the characters to be super interesting in their own ways. I do think Nina’s story was my favorite, because, WOW, what a life she had. Her stories of being a pilot had me hooked as I turned the pages, and she quickly became a favorite character in the book.

I can’t compare this book to many other historical fiction books set during the time period, because I haven’t read that many, yet, but reading this book definitely makes me want to read more like it. I’m fascinated, (and often times horrified), at the things that happened during the war. I feel like there is SO much information out there that I don’t know about, and these books are definitely enlightening.

Overall; I did not know what to expect when I started reading The Huntress, but I definitely found this book to be fascinating, and it makes me want to read more, especially more from Kate Quinn! I have a copy of The Alice Network sitting on my shelf, and I am very much looking forward to starting it soon. I will also be keeping my eye out for more books by Kate in the future!

2 comments:

  1. Great review! I've been reading a bit of historical fiction this year, going to put this on my TBR list!

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  2. I *loved* this book. It's responsible for one of the bigger book hangovers I've had. I kept thinking of the characters and story for weeks and tell people to read it. I've read quite a bit of WWII women's fic and this, in my opinion, is one of the better ones. I also highly recommend The Nightingale if you haven't read that yet.

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