(This review will be on my blog All the Ups and Downs soon.)

When I was offered the chance to review Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz, I jumped at the chance. After reading the great reviews, I knew it was going to be a great book. Luckily, I was not disappointed.

I thought the plot and world building were excellent! The story for Among the Red Stars is mostly told through letters written by Valka, the main character, and her childhood friend, Pasha. Set in Russia during World War II, Pasha was drafted and had no choice but to join, and Valka voluntarily joined because she had been wanting to be a pilot since she was young. The all female bomber regiment isn't taken seriously at first since they are all young and female, but soon enough, it because apparent that these female pilots are the real deal and just as good as their male counterparts. Among the Red Stars is also based in some fact too which made the book that much more interesting. My emotions were all over the place reading this book. I kept on hoping the outcome of the story would be a good one. Among the Red Stars answered all the questions I had, and I would suggest reading the Author's Note at the end of the book because it will give you more insight into the all female Russian bomber regiment. I found it very interesting. The only thing that bothered me was that Valka's parents weren't really mentioned throughout the book. I would have thought that Valka's parents would have written to their daughter during the war. If they didn't want to, it would have been nice to have an explanation as to why they didn't want to write to their daughter. I just found it a bit strange that Valka's parents weren't mentioned at all during the book except for briefly towards the end.

The characters were written very well in Among the Red Stars. It was interesting to learn that many of the characters mentioned in Among the Red Stars were based on actual people who served in World War II. As I've said before, a lot of the story is based on fact which made this book that much more enjoyable. I loved seeing Pasha and Valka grow throughout their letters. I was always hoping they'd be reunited soon because it was obvious how much they really cared about each other. I also loved the relationship between Valka and her cousin Iskra. It was refreshing to read about the love between them. I admired Galya's and Lilya's spirit throughout the war, and I loved how awesome Vera and Tanya were. All the females in Among the Red Stars were amazing, and I admired each and every one of them. I loved the camaraderie between all the girls. I will admit that sometimes it was hard to keep up with who was who during the book due to the Russian names, but I still thoroughly enjoyed every character. If you read the Author's Note at the end of the book, you can learn more about each character that was actually a real person. I loved that Gwen C. Katz added all that information.

The pacing for Among the Red Stars grabs you by the hand and never lets go! Never once did I grow bored of the story. The story never got too fast paced for me where I was confused with what was happening. The pacing was fantastic!

Trigger warnings for Among the Red Stars include violence, death, injuries, war, and sexism.

All in all, Among the Red Stars was a fantastic, thrilling read. I never wanted to put it down. This book had everything from a great group of characters to a fantastic plot. I would definitely recommend Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz to everyone aged 14 . It's such an interesting book as well as an interesting way to learn about a piece of important history.
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(A special thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of Among the Red Stars in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.) ( )

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Historical fiction isn't usually my thing, but I really enjoyed Among the Red Stars. The story is told from Valka's perspective, but we get most of our information from the letters she and Pasha write to one another. He shares his experiences on the front lines, and she shares what it's like fighting from the sky.

There were a lot of differences simply because Pasha was male and Valka was female. Pasha was drafted for being an able-bodied male, and Valka was refused because her body could have other uses, like popping out the next generation. She wanted to fight, and he didn't. Also, his training was short and rushed, while hers lasted longer than it should have (once she finally found a way to join the VVS). They didn't think women were as capable, and I love that they proved themselves to be just as efficient and effective in their duties (oftentimes better).

Like I said before, I really enjoyed that most of this book was told through their correspondences. We get to see how the war changes them, their feelings for each other (not the main focus, but a nice addition to the story), and the impact death and destruction have on people during wartime. There are so many innocent lives lost during a war, friends and strangers alike, and it's something that can never be undone or forgotten.

Speaking of friends, I really liked the friendships portrayed throughout the book. Valka and the rest of her group lived and died together, so it made sense that they would form strong bonds with each other. I also liked how Pasha made friends with people he would never meet in person. They communicated messages to one another on their radios, and it was always sad when someone new starting sending them. It meant that Pasha had lost someone, even if they'd only spoken through metal boxes.

After reading the author's note, and realizing that this book was based on real people and occurrences, it made me see the story in a different light. The women mentioned in this book fought to be seen as equals, and often had to do twice as much work. They saw their friends die in the air and on the ground, and some were seen as deserters simply because they went missing in action. They could have crashed behind enemy lies, died horribly, and still been viewed as traitors to their county. It was really eye-opening for me. These women risked their lives, their very names, to protect the country they loved. It was sad to see that sometimes the country didn't love them back.

Among the Red Stars is an inspirational book for women, and shows what we can accomplish when we work together. Change is slow and arduous at times, but it can happen if we keep trying. The women in this book were heroic and made a huge difference in the war. Without their efforts, there may have had a different outcome.

My one complaint would be Valka's lack of correspondence with her parents. She's always writing to Pasha, but it would have been nice if she'd received or written letters to her family as well. I'm not saying they should have been something visible to the reader, but at least mentioned somewhere in the story.

Overall, Among the Red Stars captured my attention and offered an honest and realistic portrayal of the women in Aviation Group 122 (from what I've been reading about them anyways). Katz piqued my interest, and I've been doing some of my own research into their lives and what they were able to accomplish. A very interesting read!

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on April 29, 2019. ( )