Would have been an easy 4 had it not been so lengthy, which I felt wasn’t needed. With the caveat that a major plot was dedicated, obviously, to war fiction, which I simply don’t get along with. The highest I’ve rated any war fiction or military fiction is 3 stars. It is incessantly monotonous, uninteresting, and highly derivative.

That said, if you like that kind of fiction, this is for you. I didn’t put this this down because the writing and craft was excellent. It has the dreaded multi timeline, also somewhat derivative, nowadays; but in this case structurally warranted. It goes into the “normal” hardships, which I’m sorry to minimize but at this point it is some of the most predictable characterizations and arcs in fiction today, as they suffer and are broken in immediate and long-term ways, directly correlating to future events in the book.

And, I might add, to arguably the central tension in the friendship slash courtship of two characters, in particular. War is suffering, home and abroad, etc.. as I said: it is a testament to the voice crafted here and the specificity and diction used that I stayed on. If you are at all interested in the premise of the book and the contemporary war fiction/historical romance drama aspects, I suggest you pick it up. It will almost certainly be a highlight of the year for you.