The Huntress

By: Kate Quinn

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the best-selling author of The Alice Network

On the icy edge of Soviet Russia, bold and reckless Nina Markova joins the infamous Night Witches - an all-female bomber regiment - wreaking havoc on Hitler’s Eastern Front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive.

British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremburg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with reckless, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive.

In post-war Boston, 17-year-old Jordan McBride is delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancée. But Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Delving into her new stepmother’s past, Jordan slowly realizes that a Nazi killer may be hiding in plain sight.

Shining a light on a shadowy corner of history, The Huntress is an epic, sweeping Second World War novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Alice Network.

©2019 Kate Quinn (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic Reviews

"If you enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, read The Huntress by Kate Quinn." (The Washington Post)

"A riveting tale that combines both the gripping saga of war with the suspense of a thrilling chase...An utter triumph!" (Pam Jenoff, New York Times best-selling author of The Orphan’s Tale)

"Immersive and suspenseful...packs a real historical punch. Through her research into the infamous Night Witches and the work of the Nazi hunters, and with unconventional, smart and courageous female characters, Kate Quinn brings a fascinating side of WW2 brilliantly to life." (Hazel Gaynor, best-selling author of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter)

Absolutley loved it.

Story line was great. Chaaracters were interesting and narration was excellent. I highly recommend this book.

Another excellent Kate Quinn novel

It took me some time to get into this novel but it had a strong story and finish. I still think The Alice Network is Quinn's best novel but this is a good read none the less.

Loved this book

18 hours of blissful listening. I don’t generally review books unless I love them or really dislike them. Parts were a bit silly but not enough to destroy my enjoyment. The female characters were wonderful. The ending was predictable, love an epilogue when the novel is a standalone.

Not what I expect from Ms Quinn

Screams of pressure from the publisher - Kate Quinn is capable of so much more.

So tedious

Struggled to even skim it. an absolute snooze fest with meh characters . very disappointed

Not for me

Got put off by the lesbian side story- why does every book have to try and fit this agenda in, it didn’t feel natural or authentic, just uncomfortable and like it would sell books.

Excellent.

I have just finished this book, what better way to spend a wet Sunday morning. Having discovered Kate Quinn with The Alice Network I had no hesitation in downloading The Huntress. A fabulous listen combining history with fiction. Kate’s books are brilliantly researched and expertly fictionalised (if there is such a word). I’m not going into the story but maybe listen to The Alice Network first as one of the characters makes a very brief appearance though it isn’t necessary by any means. I intend to to listen my way through all her books learning and enjoying at the same time.

Great story

Enjoyable, well structured story with lots of poignant moments, some funny lines and interesting characters.
The story is deliberately predictable, but not in a bad way...it just adds to the anticipation, and you find yourself willing the inevitable outcome along and when it gets there, it does not disappoint.
I had read in previous reviews that a couple of people had been put off by the "lesbian storyline", but I have to say that if that is what you take from this book...You are definitely doing something wrong.

Hard, Fierce, Raw ..... Thrilling!

Before I get into my thoughts on the book, I must mention the narrator Saskia Maaleveld’s utterly brilliant character depictions. The way she changes between accents, characters and countries is a real joy to listen to which is a very good thing given the book is over 18 hours in audio listening.

Nina, one of the Russian main characters, what a warrior she is. Just the right level of crazy, enormous fighting spirit, she’s everything you’d dream of from a red flying soldier. I love how throughput the story the multiple layers of her personality are revealed subtly and how towards the final chapter she softens not entirely but it’s there. I love Nina, she is live in the raw throughout and a real diamond in the rough.

Ian, funny stuffed shirt of an Englishman with just the right amount of humour thrown in. Very easy to ‘see’ whilst listening to his voice. Love the way the crazy Russian completely turns his life into chaos. Really well portrayed.

Jordan, America’s sweetheart with ambition, but who possesses gumption, just enough to question. I thought as with a lot of books she’d turn into one of those preppy dutiful teenage college girls growing into subservient housewife, but that’s not her at all. She transformed through the book into a woman with real ambition, drive and self respect.

Tony, cheeky chap, hero of the hour in lots of ways although all four of them are heroes in their own ways. I like how this guy is shown to be skilled, talented, a charmer and steadfast throughout.

The Huntress herself, perhaps the complex of characters second only to Nina’s multilayered personality. I was a little numb and undecided over whether she’s the type of killer nazi who would become gripped with fear when presented with a real life in the flesh nightmare but it does fit with the narrative as a whole.

Overall I’ve loved the book, will definitely be looking for more both from the author and narrator.

Five stars from me, I enjoyed it all and didn’t want to miss any.

Satisfying & intense!

It took a little while for me to get past the Boston accents but a couple of hours in I didn’t notice it so much. Excellently narrated.

Loved the story, it was predictable but very satisfying how it played out - I really got into all the characters but Nina in particular was the most gripping for me, there’s always a lot of excitement and danger around her and I just loved her whole character.

On the whole I’m sad the book is over, will definitely listen to it again at some point.

Captivating

The characters are well crafted, you find yourself rooting for them throughout the book.. Historically learning about the Night Witches was inspirational..

A great novel well read, hard to put down..

Good story, ending enivitable.

Engaging characters, ending tho was enivitable
Tad too long, but a good book to listen to nonetheless

Poor WW2 drama

I do like a war book, both fiction and non fiction. I had this book on my wishlist but only managed to listen to a few hours before I gave up.

The plot is explained in the summary and that’s it, nothing more. It was like opening a puzzle with 500 pieces and finding out that was an error and it was just a 50 piece puzzle.

I found the narrator a bit breathy when she read which was a little off putting, so the experience left me not connecting to the characters and subsequently rather disappointed.

Brilliant ...

...sharp, insightful writing to keep you on tenterhooks throughout. I'll be looking for mor by this author - and the narrator.

Could have been shorter *spoilers*

Reading the book description I thought this was a book I could really sink my teeth into and get immersed in. And in the first several chapters I was waiting for the story to build itself and begin to unfold. Before I was halfway through I was already getting fidgety for it to end though. The huntress goes back and forth between several characters pov and there's a long chunk in the middle that keeps going back and forth without the story actually moving. Nina is still flying, Jordan is still taking pictures and feeling like it's not a career option, Ian is still going on about the huntress but nothing is actually happening. Then the long drawn out sentimental epilogue pushed me over the edge. I will not revisit it, a book with a lot of potential that sort of wilted on the vine for me. At the end I didn't care what happened. Definitely could have been improved with some severe editing. The narrator was good, she did Nina particularly well! Unlike other reviewers the occasional cursing and sex references didn't bother me, apart from the latter prolonging the book. Good, but long winded.