Book Review: The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Title: The Huntress

Author: Kate Quinn

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Pages: 560

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Year Published: 2019

Format: Audiobook

"In the aftermath of war, the hunter becomes the hunted...

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 home with a new fiancee, 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."

My Rating: 4/5

This was such a great historical fiction read. Th different perspectives really added to the overall plot, and watching how each piece tied together fed the intrigue. I would highly recommend it, especially as an audiobook. The end itself was a bit predictable, but I have found that when it's historical fiction (if you know the history) most of the time that is the case. I look forward to reading more from the author soon.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game

Author: Sally Thorne

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Pages: 387

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"Debut author Sally Thorne bursts on the scene with a hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.

2) A person's undoing

3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She's charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone excepts for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they've become entranced in an addictive, ridiculous never0ending game of one-upmanship. There's the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can't let Joshua beat her at anything- especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

If Lucy wins this game, she'll be Joshua's boss. If she loses, she'll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she's got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she's got Joshua Templeman all wrong.

Maybe Lucy doesn't hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn't hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game."

My Rating:  3/5

This wasn't what I thought it would be based on the ravings I heard from other people. This one might have been more compelling to me if I had ever worked in the corporate world. I never have entered that realm of existence. I will say that the banter was amazing and I do love the hate-to-love tropes. This book overall was fun, but it wasn't the most memorable. I am watching the movie currently and I think that I like it more than I liked the book. Easier to visualize. Maybe just not into office romances.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Author: Neil Gaiman

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Magical Realism, Young Adult,

Pages: 181

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Year Published: 2013

Format: Paperback Copy

First Line: "I wore a black suit and a white shirt, a black tie and black shoes, all polished and shiny; clothes that normally would make me feel uncomfortable, as if I were in a stolen uniform, or pretending to be an adult."

"Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. he hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie- magical, comforting, wise beyond her years- promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a string, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark."

My Rating: 1/5

I want to start this review by saying that I get why people like this book. I do understand that it is well-loved, and I understand why people loved it. It just 100% was not for me. And here is why. First, I really like to be connected to our characters and get an idea of who they are, they are what helps carry me through stories. Second, I needed more information throughout the story it was both too long and not long enough for my enjoyment. And finally, I don't think I like magical realism. Looking back I can't think of a story in that genre that I just adored. I either want fantasy or not, not some in-between trying to figure out what is real. It's just not for me. And that's ok. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Title: When No One is Watching

Author: Alyssa Cole

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Pages: 352

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Year Published: 2020

Format: Audiobook

"The gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning...

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block- her neighbor Theo.

But Sydney and Theo's deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.

When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other- or themselves- long enough to find out before they too disappear?

My Rating: 4.5/5

This book was an amazing thriller, maybe because it's so close to the way things happen. It really made me think about gentrification in our neighbourhood and city. It also got me thinking about how people are forced out of neighborhoods or how systemic racism started in the first place. I think this book did an excellent job with the characters along with a fast-moving plot. While there were still some questions I had by the end of the book, that also felt natural due to the subject matter. I was impressed where the author took this thriller and look forward to reading more thriller/mysteries by her in the future (it seems that she mainly writes romance which isn't my cup of tea). 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny