The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a historical fiction novel that jumps between three narratives that span pre/post WWII.
Brusque and bold Nina Markova grew up in the middle of nowhere in the Soviet Union. As soon as she can, she escapes her hometown and flees to Moscow, where she learns to fly. When war approaches, she joins the infamous Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment, where she thrives. When her plane goes down behind enemy lines, Nina must fight to survive, a fight that gets even harder when she comes across a Nazi murderess known as The Huntress.
British war correspondent Ian Graham, has seen it all and now that that war is over, he has given up writing to track and capture Nazi war criminals. But one target has eluded him, The Huntress, and for him, this hunt is personal.
Seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride grows up in post WWII Boston, and is expected to marry her high school sweetheart and keep house but all she wants to do is to become a photographer. When her dad brings home a fiancé, a German widow with secrets, Jordan is suspicious. Armed only with her camera and her head, Jordan investigates her step-mother-to-be at the risk of her father’s happiness.
In a story that spans over ten years and multiple continents, The Huntress is a story full of twists and turns.
When I first started this one, I had just finished a few other historical fiction novels and was sort of over the past/present narrative. But after a few eyerolls because of that, I got over it and really got into the story.
Overall, the story was fine. It was entertaining and I liked how everything intertwined. But I LOVED the Night Witches and Nina’s story. This was a part of history, I wasn’t aware of and getting a glimpse at this all female bomber group was fantastic. I could have read a whole book just on Nina.
I also liked Jordan’s story and the way she grows throughout, but mostly the way she thinks. I was not as impressed with Ian’s narrative. It just didn’t catch my interested as much and I found myself just wanting to get through it to get back to the women.
The Huntress is probably not my favorite historical fiction, but it did keep my interest. This one gets 3.5 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-
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