5/5
Wow, this author has grown in her writing. When I first read her other older books, I thought they were ok but were not the best in the Historical fiction genre. I did not give up on her as I thought the other books were not the worst I have read. Then, I read The Rose Code and enjoyed it very much, and worthy of the hype. Now I have read The Diamond Eye and enjoyed this one just as much.
What I like most about these books, is the fact they are based on real stories, real life, and not always the happy ending. Tho happy endings are great, most often during the war, they were not the norm. I love that I was able to look up Mila and learn even more about her and her life. Sadly, I understand both sides of the war had good people but more often then not Stalin was just as bad as Hitler, he maybe even worse. Knowing this, I still rooted for her. I wanted her to be happy and do well despite being a female in a prominently male army. I have some respect for her and her accomplishments.
I researched her and her background and proud to say the author did her research. The afterword was well done as well. I knew there were certain times or things that had to be different because it added to the story or fictionalized for the reader.
I was interested in this book since the first page, and did my research on several things thinking it was fake only to realize it was true. I did enjoy the moments the author added. I felt all the feels with this book. Happy, sad, mad, all of them. What also made me think, was the effect the war had everyone including this sniper. Grief, depression, and so many more emotions, PTSD was not a thing back then but neither was the mental help needed for so many during that time. Including soldiers, survivors, and prisoners of war. What would it have been like if the help was available ??
Before all this, she was an awesome single mom. Her husband was like many we see today, don't want her but don't want anyone else to have her. He was the ultimate, not likable guy to me in this book. Mila, however, was amazing, incredibly awesome single mom and a very young age. She also had an incredibly sense of county and serving her country. She gave up so much to enlist, voluntary to do what most soldiers do. Only to be shown little to no respect because she was a women. She did not give up. She did not moan and groan about it, she instead, kept at it and was finally given the chance to prove herself and skill. She of course went above and beyond. Most of this of course was true. Incredible.
This was a great read, based on a true story, that captures your attention right away. Well worth the read. I am looking forward to the next one by this author.
