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Hey so I recently read Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz. I wanted to write a super thoughtful review post, buuut hey, I have a lot going on, so instead I made a little list of things I liked about it:I mean, yeah, you may notice that has a lot in common with other interests of mine.
- the compelling female protagonist
- the mostly female cast (that totally passes the Bechdel test) (or whatever the novel equivalent is)
- stories of love: familial, platonic, and (of course) romantic
- romance told in epistolary format
- ...also interspersed with action-packed narrative
- historical fiction!
- WWII fiction!
- women in the military
- badass pilots
I’ve been waiting to read a book like this for a long time. Among the Red Stars is a YA novel that follows the adventures of Valka, a Russian pilot during WWII. Her story is based on the real adventures of the “Night Witches,” an all-female night bomber group, and some of the characters are real people.
Valka’s story starts when she’s separated from her childhood best friend, Pasha, who is drafted before her. But Valka’s always dreamed of flying and jumps at the first recruitment opportunity for women pilots. While she worries about Pasha, she’s improving her flying, working towards her dream... and reconciling the cost of that dream.
Yes, some may roll their eyes at a romance, but I loved this one. Valka never told her best friend she loved him before he left to fight (she never even got to kiss him!), but their letters sustain each other through the war. The format is a mix of epistolary and first-person narrative. And through their letters, we also get to see the toll the war has on them, Pasha in particular, who feels he's not as strong as Valka.
The story is not just a romance; it is a story about all kinds of love: familial, platonic. Valka signs up for the war effort with her cousin Iskra; they grew up together since Iskra’s parents were arrested for treason, and read more like sisters than cousins. But by joining the war, Iskra puts herself at risk, and Valka’s distress over this is palpable and compelling.
The story is well-written, and a good mix of action, intensity, and history. Highly recommended!
