The Huntress

Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 560
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: William Morrow Books
First Published: February 26, 2019
Opening Line: "She was not used to being hunted."

Book Description from GoodReads: 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 homes with a new fiancée, 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.

In this immersive, heart-wrenching story, Kate Quinn illuminates the consequences of war on individual lives, and the price we pay to seek justice and truth. 

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: The Huntress is the talk of the town for Historical Fiction lovers. Fans will remember Kate Quinn's previous book, The Alice Network which also garnered much praise from readers and with The Huntress, Quinn once again, centres her story around strong women surviving in dangerous times. 

The story about the post-war hunt for a WWII murderess is told using three story lines so there is a lot of switching back and forth between characters and time lines. These transitions weren't always smoothly done but the biggest issue I had with this book was its length. I loved the premise, but this is an excessively long read that often gets bogged down with too many details. 

While I enjoyed learning about The Night Witches, there were a few times when it felt like historical details were dumped into the plot and I felt too much page time was devoted to the minutiae of Nina and Jordan's daily lives when I just wanted to get back to the manhunt for die Jagerin (the Huntress). But this hunt doesn't happen until the last 10% which I found frustrating. And the fact that the reader already knows The Huntress' identity takes away from the tension and results in a predictable read.

While it is evident that Quinn researched the era well and had an interesting premise, I found the execution and the weaving of the three story lines weaker than expected and with its lack of tension and excessive length, I found it detracting enough that I liked, but didn't love this story.