BookOwl

  “Knowledge, to light the path for humankind,” I said at last. “And this”—patting my rifle — “ to protect humankind when we lose that path.”   I emerge from my writing hiatus with a review for an awesome historical fiction title by Kate Quinn. Diamond Eye is a fictionalized account of a Soviet librarian turned sniper in World War II, Mila Pavlichenko . This fictionalized view of Pavlichenko’s life hews very close to the historical record, with a few twists to suit the narrative style of a novel. I can’t remember the last time I tore through a book so quickly!   Ukrainian-born, Mila had a son when she was barely fifteen years old. The father, Alexei, abandoned them early on. (Spoilers, Alexei really sucks.) So, Mila dedicates herself to her library studies in the hopes of securing steady employment for her and her son to live on. Early in the story, we see her earnestly trying to secure a divorce from her absentee husband.   She figures that it wouldn’t hurt to ...

  4/5 stars   *Spoiler a lert!*     “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.”     While Iron Flame took a bit of time to really get going, once it did, it absolutely went ! Took off like a dragon in the heat of battle. I feared that this book would be the last in the series until an announcement from Rebecca Yarros that it will be a five-book series, which is good, because this second book left me shaking and absolutely dreading the wait for book three, which looks to be released in January 2025.     “Violence, remember it's only the body that's fragile. You are unbreakable.”   Anyways, now back to the second book, Iron Flame .      In the second entry of the “Empyrean” series, Cadet Violet Sorrengail has joined the rebellion, whether she wants to or not, along with her bonded dragons, Tairn and Andarna . Andarna spends significant portions of the book ...