The Huntress

This book scored an overall 9 out of 10 from our book club - the highest score we have ever had.

Yvonne
I found the book long and at times it became increasingly difficult to keep motivated.
From the historical point of view I learnt of the role of the Russian female pilots during WW2, a fact of which I was unaware previously. This aspect I found interesting and intriguing at times.
The main characters were authentic along with their life stories - Nina, Ian and Jordan.
As I say, the book was too long and tedious for me.
I give it a 7.

Margaret M
Loved the Huntress
Engaged with all the characters (in some books I’m disappointed when story swaps from one character to another- not in this case)
Only slight sadness was that it was so very clear from the start who the huntress was
Might have liked it if she was totally lovely until the end
All books now seem to have parallel plots
Must be the fashion
Score 9/10. A record I think

Arleen
I loved this book. The story was so interesting  and I liked all the characters. I was a bit concerned when I realised a lot of the names were Russian and I thought I would get them mixed up. Also the time difference, but the book flowed easily. The story was strong thanks to all the research the author put into the book. I loved the name the Germans gave to Stalin's girl flyers, The night witches. Very apt.
I thought it a shame that Jordan loved Anna and would have found it hard to hear all the wicked things she had done. Like killing those little children. I also thought how brave, or silly Jordan was at the end, taking photos of Anna and stopping to reload the camera while the gun was pointing at her.
I would have liked to have found out what happened to kolb. Was he printing in the back room and was he brought to justice?  9/10

Eve
Reading the blurb on this book, I came to the conclusion that it was not my style of book  -  However, from the first few pages I was totally fascinated.  Every time I had as little as 2 minutes to spare, I had my head in this book.  
I liked the way it was written, even though it went backwards and forwards through time and different characters, it was easy to follow. (I was reading it in Kindle form, but still enjoyed the flow)  I liked the characters, which all seemed real to me.  There were times in the book when I wondered if Anna was the Huntress, as she seemed to alternate between being a sweet step-mother and someone with a secret.  I was pleased that Jordan stayed with Tony and did not go along with the ‘All American boy’ routine that she was being sucked into; he would have been a boring husband for her. 
I found the section of the book that told the story of the female aviators (Night Witches) very interesting and not a subject that I knew about at all. The lake was well described as a very frightening place.  
I do want to read more by this author, and would give it score of 10.  I know this is a high score, but I can see no reason not to. 

Carolyn
I enjoyed The Huntress. It was easy to read and I got into it right away. I especially liked the parts about the Night Witches as I didn't know anything about them before.
I give it 7.

I think that the excellent research that was done to write this novel made it an interesting and enjoyable read. I knew nothing of the exploits of these Russian women pilots the “ Night Wirches” what bravery even if it was fuelled by cocaine!

The three time lines and perspectives were very easy to follow , I have at times found this challenging in previous books.

A cracking read and I give it 9.

Helen
I really enjoyed The Huntress. I found the characters and plot engaging, and the pace and structure of the writing kept me turning the pages. Although there weren’t any real plot twists I didn’t mind given that this was based at least to some extent on history.  I was fascinated by the stories of the Russian female pilots, and found the detail added at the end of the book for information about them useful - I didn’t know anything about them beforehand. I’d have liked to know more about Nazi hunters, perhaps that will be another novel!
8/10

Chris
Really enjoyed this book. The story kept me engaged throughout,  it could almost have been based on a true story. Thought it was well written and the characters were believable and well described.
! liked the short chapters from the 3 main characters and the dates at the beginning stopped it from becoming confusing.
I give the book an 8.

Michelle
After a slow start, I really enjoyed this book. I liked Jordan’s character and Nina’s story. I struggled initially with Tony and Ian’s characters and their relationship but this grew on me. I liked that it was based on real events (I am intrigued by WW2 stories) and, all in all, found it easy to read.

8/10 from me.

Steph
I liked the approach of this book, it’s slightly different to the other books I’ve read of that time. I definitely learnt a few things during the course of this book. I would  even go as far as give this book a 9.

Sonia
I really enjoyed this book.  It was well written, the characters were fully fleshed out and the plot was very interesting.  Details of the Night Witches and the Nazi hunters were well researched and I learnt a lot.  Although the time periods and voices constantly changed it was written well enough to be followed easily.  The lives of the characters intertwined believably and there was no suspension of disbelief required. The only thing missing for me was any kind of twist at the end - I was sort of hoping, but without much real expectation, that the female protagonists would turn out to be switched, but the lack did not spoil it for me.
A very well written, interesting, informative and enjoyable book.  

I would score it 8 out of 10. A record for me.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
Reviewed by KathyL of BiblioBelles
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (group set provided by publisher)

What a cracking good story! Mystery, intrigue, historical detail, love and loss. This novel has everything though any moments of laughter are more quietly restrained chuckles and quite rightly so. Essentially, this deals with the very basic moral dilemma of right and wrong. Another daunting 500+ pages of densely printed text but I’ve flown through it, reluctant to put it down. Enjoy and ponder. My edition has reading group questions at the back.

Review by Jill Hasler of BiblioBellex
4.5 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this novel despite the dark events it recounts. It’s well written and the main characters, apart from the huntress, are engaging in very different ways. Perhaps the most interesting one is Nina, “born of lake water and madness” in Siberia. She escapes her violent and abusive father to become a USSR war heroine, one of the women pilots nicknamed The Night Witches by the German troops they pursued. It was fascinating to learn about them and their hunting down of their prey. Her relationship with the other Nazi hunters has some interesting twists, they too are complex, well drawn characters. Nina is the nightmare of the huntress, who is portrayed as cold and calculating throughout most of the book. There are occasional glimpses of another side of the huntress in her relationship with Jordan her stepdaughter and Ruth, the little girl she brings with her to America. In the closing stages of the book Jordan struggles with her feelings towards her stepmother, despite being the first to have fears and doubts about her from the time her father introduced her into their family.
The characters, story line, descriptive writing and suspense make for a very good read.

Well written novel about nazi war criminals being pursued by a team with their own personal issues and grief to deal with. The story had a different take in that it showed how the pursued had integrated successfully into a new life but still had to keep looking over their shoulder. Very satisfactory outcome.

Would highly recommend this book - a true story detailing multiple angles of ww2 through several compelling narrators. The book is written extremely well and is a complete page turner to the very end

The book is based on a true story which was easy to follow and read. The author jumps back and forth detailing the individual events of the main characters. A lot of research has been done to give a realistic and true description of the events that took place. The book flowed really well and drew you in. An extremely good read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very long, and when I first started it I thought it would take forever to read. But it was a fascinating story with a lot of interesting characters, and the fact that it was based on true stories made it all the more compelling. A great story of hardship and bravery, especially the Night Witches.

Well worth reading.

Thoroughly deserving of this five star rating.

The second world war has ended but many of the perpetrators of atrocities have scattered across the world to escape justice. Some are hiding in plain sight. But they are being hunted down and brought to trail for their war crimes.

The best book I have read in a long time.