I was excited to start this book, as most of the historical fiction I've come across/read is centered more on Western history, and while I've read some books based on Russian folklore, I've read very little actually focused on historical events. However, something about this book didn't quite overall hook me or connect with me, though there are still quite a few things I enjoyed about this story.

My favorite thing about this book has to be that it centers the friendship between Anna and Evgenia, and how it follows the ups and downs of their relationship as they struggle with the big topics they fundamentally disagree on. It means that throughout this entire book, Anna and Evgenia are forced to struggle with and think about both each other's beliefs and their own, and how in the end they both do want the same thing, but believe in different sides of the country getting them there. I also just really enjoyed in general that this remains the focus of the story throughout, and no romance suddenly appears to distract from this main aspect. It's refreshing to see and also works really well in this book, as it gives readers a way to see both sides of the war and also how the two might be able to reconcile with each other, if only they took a moment to see the humanity on the other side.

This book also heavily focuses on the civil war, of course, and the tragedies that occur during it, and there are many moments where we see various characters drowning in grief. It's extremely tough to read (or listen to, in my case) at points, but the author does a superb job at writing this grief in a way that makes you truly feel it as well, even if you can't exactly relate to these levels of loss and pain. Additionally, there are many moments where the pair is being hunted down, and I honestly felt so terrified in those moments for them, my heart racing as they looked behind them as they ran. It was all very emotionally written, in a way that steals your attention and keeps it.

I think maybe my main issue is that this book overall felt quite long without much happening physically in terms of their journey. The main journey does happen mentally, for both Evgenia and Anna, as they both learn from each other and the suffering they go through, but sometimes the story seemed to almost slow or pause as these developments were occurring. There wasn't enough happening in their physical journey to match their character growth, and it almost felt like they were moving in circles while growing as people. There's something to be said about that, being stuck in a physical space while you wait for your mind to catch up, but it didn't feel intentional in that sense. It just didn't fully work for me in the end, largely due to how stagnant parts of the book felt because of it.

Overall, I did end up enjoying this, but not quite as much as I thought I would. I'm still interested in what this author writes next, and hope that the next one will work a bit better for me!