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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Dogfight (Special Operations, #1) in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Quite often novels concerning the Second World War are assumed to be about Great Britain, Germany or life in concentration camps. However, first in series <i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> by Craig Simpson is set in Norway in 1940 where Nazi’s have invaded.
The story is about fifteen-year-old Finn Gunnersen and his best friend Loki whose families are deeply involved with the resistance. Although they are still young boys, Finn and Loki end up playing an enormous role. Finn survives imprisonment and goes on to help a British Agent who has parachuted into Norway. As well as being a brilliant piece of historical fiction, this novel turns out to be an exciting thriller for teenagers.
Although suitable for both male and female readers, boys of ages ten and up would particularly like this book especially if they have a fascination for aircraft. There is a lot of detail about different types of planes and the author has even included a few diagrams and details at the beginning of the book.
Finn is a great hero with admirable strength and bravery. Simpson does not undermine women however and includes a couple of amazing female characters with just as much courage as the men.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a work of fiction but it was inspired by real events. It’s Norwegian setting makes it educational in that it teaches the reader about the effect of the war on innocent people in countries less spoken about in history textbooks. Despite some of the areas being made up to suit the story, Simpson has done a magnificent job at keeping it historically accurate and must have spent a great deal of time on research.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a brilliant book for young readers. For some the historical setting may be off putting but the characters feel as modern as teenagers today. The story is exciting and has a fantastic ending, including a few plot twists you do not see coming!
Quite often novels concerning the Second World War are assumed to be about Great Britain, Germany or life in concentration camps. However, first in series <i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> by Craig Simpson is set in Norway in 1940 where Nazi’s have invaded.
The story is about fifteen-year-old Finn Gunnersen and his best friend Loki whose families are deeply involved with the resistance. Although they are still young boys, Finn and Loki end up playing an enormous role. Finn survives imprisonment and goes on to help a British Agent who has parachuted into Norway. As well as being a brilliant piece of historical fiction, this novel turns out to be an exciting thriller for teenagers.
Although suitable for both male and female readers, boys of ages ten and up would particularly like this book especially if they have a fascination for aircraft. There is a lot of detail about different types of planes and the author has even included a few diagrams and details at the beginning of the book.
Finn is a great hero with admirable strength and bravery. Simpson does not undermine women however and includes a couple of amazing female characters with just as much courage as the men.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a work of fiction but it was inspired by real events. It’s Norwegian setting makes it educational in that it teaches the reader about the effect of the war on innocent people in countries less spoken about in history textbooks. Despite some of the areas being made up to suit the story, Simpson has done a magnificent job at keeping it historically accurate and must have spent a great deal of time on research.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a brilliant book for young readers. For some the historical setting may be off putting but the characters feel as modern as teenagers today. The story is exciting and has a fantastic ending, including a few plot twists you do not see coming!
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Cunning Women in Books
May 15, 2021
Cunning Women is everything I love about historical fiction.
I’m on a bit of a 17th century bender at the moment, and witches seem to crop up frequently. Basically, if you were female, didn’t have a man about the place (preferably one you were married to) and knew things other than washing, cleaning and popping out babies, you risked being accused of witchcraft. Add to that a birthmark, and/ or an opinion or two, AND not going to church regularly, then you might as well start picking your own stake out.
Sarah and her mother, brother and little sister, all live in a hamlet abandoned after all the inhabitants died of plague, known as the Plague Village. They have no money and little income after the death of Sarah’s father, and what money they do have comes from selling potions, small spells and begging. They’re outcasts, and there’s an atmosphere of dank, dark poverty in where they live and what they wear. They are avoided by pretty much everyone in the village - it seems to be a really lonely existence.
Then comes a spark of hope when Sarah meets the local farmer’s son, Daniel. He lives a very different life: one of open spaces, plenty of food, light and comfort. He’s treated poorly by his father and a farm hand, but he’s never hungry, and his living conditions are so much better than those of the Haworth family.
This is a story that feels so raw and real. You just know that it’s not going to be a happy ending. How can it? DOn’t get me wrong - I rather like endings that are unresolved or just plain unpleasant (weird, I know), but the youth of these protagonists had me hoping throughout for a better life for them.
Ahh, the 17th century - great to read about, but I’ve never been so glad to have been born in the 1970’s!
This is a really enjoyable, heartfelt historical fiction novel, and I’m so pleased that I got the chance to read it. Many thanks to Windmill Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.
I’m on a bit of a 17th century bender at the moment, and witches seem to crop up frequently. Basically, if you were female, didn’t have a man about the place (preferably one you were married to) and knew things other than washing, cleaning and popping out babies, you risked being accused of witchcraft. Add to that a birthmark, and/ or an opinion or two, AND not going to church regularly, then you might as well start picking your own stake out.
Sarah and her mother, brother and little sister, all live in a hamlet abandoned after all the inhabitants died of plague, known as the Plague Village. They have no money and little income after the death of Sarah’s father, and what money they do have comes from selling potions, small spells and begging. They’re outcasts, and there’s an atmosphere of dank, dark poverty in where they live and what they wear. They are avoided by pretty much everyone in the village - it seems to be a really lonely existence.
Then comes a spark of hope when Sarah meets the local farmer’s son, Daniel. He lives a very different life: one of open spaces, plenty of food, light and comfort. He’s treated poorly by his father and a farm hand, but he’s never hungry, and his living conditions are so much better than those of the Haworth family.
This is a story that feels so raw and real. You just know that it’s not going to be a happy ending. How can it? DOn’t get me wrong - I rather like endings that are unresolved or just plain unpleasant (weird, I know), but the youth of these protagonists had me hoping throughout for a better life for them.
Ahh, the 17th century - great to read about, but I’ve never been so glad to have been born in the 1970’s!
This is a really enjoyable, heartfelt historical fiction novel, and I’m so pleased that I got the chance to read it. Many thanks to Windmill Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.
Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
10.0
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THE RETURN OF BONNIE AND CLYDE Saving democracy, one bank robbery at a time. In the provocative...
series adult fiction Bonnie & Clyde Bonnie and Clyde
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The House of One Thousand Eyes in Books
Nov 28, 2018
Realistic, historical fiction YA about living in East Berlin in the early 1980s
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Lena Altmann is a 17 year old girl who lives in East Berlin. After her parents were killed in an explosion, Lena was forced to move in with her aunt. Lena's only respite comes when she spends her Sundays with her uncle, her aunt's brother. One day he is erased. He along with all of his possessions,and his birth records are gone. His published books have disappeared from bookstore shelves. He is just gone, disappearing without a trace.
Lena frantically searches for him but knows government spies are everywhere and she feels alone. Her aunt is a hardcore member of the Communist party. Can she trust her? Can she trust her friends? Can she trust anyone?
Through her story, Michelle Barker shows what it was like to live in the "Better Berlin" in the 1980s. She shows the rigidness, fearfulness, suspicion, and oppression of life in East Berlin.
The House of One Thousand Eyes did not feel like fiction. You could feel and hear Berlin. You could believe Lena, her uncle, and her aunt were real people and this book just captured a portion of their lives.
Although the story wraps up nicely at the end, it ends abruptly.
Lena Altmann is a 17 year old girl who lives in East Berlin. After her parents were killed in an explosion, Lena was forced to move in with her aunt. Lena's only respite comes when she spends her Sundays with her uncle, her aunt's brother. One day he is erased. He along with all of his possessions,and his birth records are gone. His published books have disappeared from bookstore shelves. He is just gone, disappearing without a trace.
Lena frantically searches for him but knows government spies are everywhere and she feels alone. Her aunt is a hardcore member of the Communist party. Can she trust her? Can she trust her friends? Can she trust anyone?
Through her story, Michelle Barker shows what it was like to live in the "Better Berlin" in the 1980s. She shows the rigidness, fearfulness, suspicion, and oppression of life in East Berlin.
The House of One Thousand Eyes did not feel like fiction. You could feel and hear Berlin. You could believe Lena, her uncle, and her aunt were real people and this book just captured a portion of their lives.
Although the story wraps up nicely at the end, it ends abruptly.
The Prophets
10.0
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A singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a...
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
Hidden Among the Stars
9.0
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From the award-winning author of Catching the Wind, which Publishers Weekly called...
Historical fiction Christian fiction
The Ophelia Girls
9.0
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A mother's secret past collides with her daughter's present in this intoxicating novel from Jane...
Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
The Old Dragon’s Head
9.0
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The Great Wall of China may be constructed of stone and packed earth, but it is home to a...
Historical Fiction Fantasy Supernatural Thriller Speculative Fiction
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Grounded Hearts in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Ms. Dickson is a new to me author. I really enjoyed getting to know her work through this wonderful historical fiction novel! From start to finish, I was pulled into the center of the story and kept there until the very last page was reached.
This book was a double bonus for me! I have always loved Ireland(even if I haven’t ever visited there!) and I have always loved the World War II era. This book is the best of both those worlds. Filled with wonderful details of historic happenings, and characters like Nan and Dutch that quickly steal your heart, I felt like I was transported back into the world of Hitler, and emotions so strong that they become the reader’s emotions.
Ms. Dickson is definitely an author I recommend. She created this 4 star novel with passionate detail to another place in time, and left me feeling all the feels with this book. I loved the story line of redemption and hope. I can’t wait to read another book by this talented author!
This book was a double bonus for me! I have always loved Ireland(even if I haven’t ever visited there!) and I have always loved the World War II era. This book is the best of both those worlds. Filled with wonderful details of historic happenings, and characters like Nan and Dutch that quickly steal your heart, I felt like I was transported back into the world of Hitler, and emotions so strong that they become the reader’s emotions.
Ms. Dickson is definitely an author I recommend. She created this 4 star novel with passionate detail to another place in time, and left me feeling all the feels with this book. I loved the story line of redemption and hope. I can’t wait to read another book by this talented author!
Dana (24 KP) rated The Witches: Salem, 1692 in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Okay, so I am not usually one to read non-fiction books for fun. Honestly, I think this may be one of the first in a long time. But this one was really interesting.
If you know me, you will know I love history of witches. I just find it heartbreaking and interesting and I want to know all I can about it. This book is right up my alley. It explores not only the Salem witch trials of 1692, but also what led to those false accusations. It was fascinating.
I loved getting an in depth historical look at the New England coast and their various trials, not just in Salem. I would consider myself a fan of the witch trials. This book, I believe, is pushing me on the road to becoming a scholar. I want to find more and more about them. (Possibly even putting together my own research? Who knows.)
If you want a very well written and accessible history of the Salem Witch Trials, look no further than Stacy Schiff's book. Honestly, take a look.
If you know me, you will know I love history of witches. I just find it heartbreaking and interesting and I want to know all I can about it. This book is right up my alley. It explores not only the Salem witch trials of 1692, but also what led to those false accusations. It was fascinating.
I loved getting an in depth historical look at the New England coast and their various trials, not just in Salem. I would consider myself a fan of the witch trials. This book, I believe, is pushing me on the road to becoming a scholar. I want to find more and more about them. (Possibly even putting together my own research? Who knows.)
If you want a very well written and accessible history of the Salem Witch Trials, look no further than Stacy Schiff's book. Honestly, take a look.