I enjoy reading historical fiction books … especially those set during WWII. This one was a different focus in that it is set in the Soviet Union. A plus was that this also focused on the women pilots and how they were instrumental in helping end Hitler’s reign of terror. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed getting to know Nina and admired her courage and bravery. Her dedication was nothing short of admirable. Though the story centers on Nina, there are supporting characters who were involved in the war efforts. My one negative comment is that the book is presented through third person. I think it would have been more interesting if we received the viewpoint of some of the other characters as much as Nina.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Historical Fiction
Russia
WWII

When I found Sisters of the Sky by Lana Kortchik I HAD to read it! Everything I have ever read by her is always an instant 5 stars and this book was no different! This story is about female friends who become Soviet pilots in WWII. Captivating from the start, these determined women with all the feelings of daughters, friends, wives and mothers. As a huge historical fiction reader this book took me on a journey I had not come across yet before. This read was captivating, well researched and very hard to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in return for an honest review!

Such an interesting book on a topic that isn't mentioned or talked about very often. I heard about WW2 in school like many other students but we're never taught about women's roles outside of resistance and working in factories so this was very educational for me as well as many other readers. I enjoyed the narration as it well rather well written. Now the thing is, it's not a history book but a fiction (-ish) and as such we didn't really get to know our characters in my opinion or at least not in depth as I would've liked to. Despite the emotional aspect to the story, it didn't provoke anything in me and I felt quite detached from those characters and their stories at times. Overall a good book although I found it a bit lacking in some aspects. 3.5 stars

Wow! This story had so many twists and turns. I had such a hard time putting it down and getting my other chores done. Something new of WWII that you'll want to read!

Lana Kortchik brings World War II to life in her latest book following the Soviet Union’s female pilots. Told from Nina and Katya’s perspectives, Kortchik brings her reader from 1941 to the later years of the war from the viewpoint of one of the Soviet Union’s few female bomber units. As they struggle with the sexism of their male comrades, Nina and Katya, along with the rest of their unit, must navigate the costs of war and of service to their country. Kortchik’s characters live and breathe throughout the pages of the novel, and their emotions are palpable from cover to cover, from their friendships with their co-pilots and their romantic relationships to their adrenaline from combat and love of flying. Nina and Katya’s friendship is heartwarming and genuine, while their relationships with other characters add to their dynamic characters. While the settings come and go, the characters remain and experience a great deal of emotions, all of which add to the heart and warmth of this novel. Kortchik, a master of her craft, brings the challenges of a wartime existence and the forgotten stories of female Soviet pilots to the forefront of her narrative, emphasizing an important yet overlooked narrative.

This was a great historical fiction featuring an era that while I feel like I know a lot about it, I hadn't read anything from this perspective. I didn't know about the Russian female flying units of WW2 and I learned so much. As the best historical fiction does, it sparked a curiosity and I found myself googling the characters that were based on real people to learn more about their stories.

On top of the history part, the story was so well done. I love the relationships between the characters and even though I felt like I saw what was coming at one point, the emotionality and the way it was written was so well done that I didn't feel like it was predictable even though I predicted it. I was just wrapped up in their story.

The one thing that made this a 4.5 instead of 5 stars was the use of third person. With the 3rd person perspective, I felt like we would have benefitted from the perspective of others even here or there throughout the book.

A heart-wrenching novel of love, friendship, betrayal, and sacrifice.
October 1941: As war rages in the Soviet Union, Nina is devastated as she watches her younger brother being sent off to the front. She has witnessed so many soldiers go to war and never return, and with her father already on the battlefield, her brother is her only family left.
Sick of feeling helpless and determined to fight for her motherland, Nina and her best friend Katya decide to volunteer for the first female-only aviation regiment, led by the legendary pilot Marina Raskova.
But fighting a war is nothing like they expected, and soon the battle lines are no longer restricted to the front – a forbidden love begins to blossom, and Nina is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Will Nina and her loved ones make it out alive?
Marina Mikhaylovna Raskova (28 March 1912–4 January 1943) was the first woman to become a navigator in the Soviet Air Force in 1933.A year later, she started teaching at the Zhukovsky Air Academy, also a first for a woman. She taught male and later, female students military navigation. She was referred to as the "Russian Amelia Earhart" for her achievements.When WWII broke out, there were numerous women who had training as pilots, and many immediately volunteered. While there were no formal restrictions on women serving in combat roles, their applications tended to be blocked, run into red tape, etc. for as long as possible in order to discourage the applicants from entering any training program.Raskova is credited with having used her personal connections with Joseph Stalin to convince the military to form 3 female combat regiments,the 586th(Fighter), and bombers 587th and 588th.Following a speech by Raskova on 8 September 1941 calling for women pilots to be allowed to fight, Stalin on 8 October 1941 ordered the formation of the all-female 122nd Aviation Corps.Not only would the women be pilots, but also support staff and engineers.
Raskova died on 4 January 1943, when her aircraft crashed, attempting to make a forced landing on the Volga bank, while leading two other Pe-2s to the first operative airfield near Stalingrad. The entire crew perished.

4.5/5 stars. I CANNOT.
Spoilers ahead:

I LOVE VLAD. I LOVE ANTON. I LOVE NINA. That’s it. These characters now hold a special place in my heart and I grieved every loss in the story. Gut wrenching and beautiful. Def a must read if you enjoy historical fictions!

Sisters of the Sky
Kortchik, Lana *
A fictional tale based on the courage women of Major Marina Raskova's regiments during world War two.
The author shows the entire struggle of women who volunteered to protect Russia during the war. From the denied recruitment, the personnel sacrifice of family, and the rough treatment of these women. The massive death toll of pilots and troops as Russia was swarmed by German forces. The injustice of order 270 when Stalin ordered that escaped soldiers have committed treason for surviving capture.
The fictional charters personally see so much of these events. From college students to pilots for women was a difficult struggle personally for the women of the regiment. The personal toll of loss of friends and family are key to the growth of the characters.
This is a great book to show the struggle and injustice of the world War. It gives students a personal look at the events without excessive violence which allows younger readers to understand the events in a comprehensive way.

A very entertaining novel which also taught me a lot about women pilots in the Soviet Union during WWII. I really enjoyed it, wondering sometimes about the leniency of the Russians particularly when one of their own got shot down. Did they really look for the pilot? However, a great, instructive and extremely intense novel with characters real enough to feel fear for them!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

Sisters in the sky was amazing. I had know idea there was an all female airforce team in ww2. If you are a fan of The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah this book will be right in your wheelhouse

This my second book by Lana and again, I really enjoyed it. Whilst I love #historicalfiction I’ve not read much set in the Russia and I really lacked knowledge as to the involvement of Russia within the war. At the time, Russia was the only country to allow female pilots but even so, they were almost scoffed at when they arrived at the front. The bravery of these women is incredible and the harsh conditions they had to endure is something to behold. Nina’s life until the war seemed somewhat hopeful, but once the war hits, tragedy seems to follow her - and at times, it became a difficult read. I found this book to be education, emotional and thought provoking. All in all, another historical fiction book to add to my collection! Thank you to @hqstories for letting me be a part of this #blogtour 📚

"Sisters of the Sky" is a novel about best friends Nina and Katya who volunteer for Marina Raskova's female air regiments. The story has some factual basis as Raskova was a real life, decorated Soviet flying ace who pushed to set up her female regiments, with little help from the authorities. The women are given mens clothing and train for many months before being allowed anywhere near the front line.

Conditions are horrific, without permanent air bases as the front line constantly moves, and no nourishing food. The women are constantly tired but carry on as they are proud of their contribution to the war effort. As with the British RAF there are many casualties but there is camaraderie and mutual support.

This is a story of the horrors of war but predominantly of friendship, love and battling adversity.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Another great historical novel about war and the women who helped out and showed their courage and bravery. This one is about two young women who volunteer for the first female-only aviation regiment and tells the story of the love, friendship and sacrifices they make and how they fare during this awful war.

This is a story that will go to the heart, it is strong and emotional and the strength of these women shines through. These are strong and well written characters and women I think we would all like to live up to. The story flowed effortlessly and made it easy to read but there was such strength and emotion in the writing you could feel it coming through on the page.

A wonderful read and I highly enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ, HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

My thanks to Net Galley, H Q Digital, and the personal invitation I received to review.

What a read!!! Nina and Katya say good bye to their brother and husband respectively going to war. Do they sit back and wallow? No! They join a female fighter pilot unit started by Stalin and fight! Such a great narrative of love, sisterhood, and female empowerment! Highly recommend!

What a read! This is an intense, well researched novel about female pilots in wartime ussr. It was the only nation who allowed women onto the frontline. We all know ww2 was barbaric, as warfare tends to be, but the depth of loss, privation and brutality seems unmatched on this eastern front. And these women were in the thick of it. Within its storyline is a love story between two people rather thrown together through loss. There are a few historical figures to add authenticity to the narrative, making this a story that needs to be read widely, not least because of current world affairs.

Outstanding, I couldn't put it down! I have enjoyed reading fiction books before about the involvement of women fighting for the Soviets in WW2 and this one was just the same.

The characters were all likeable and easy to relate too. Their names too were easy to remember through the book. The descriptions of the fighting and the scenes they saw were written in such a way that you could imagine the scene. I found myself looking up place names, aeroplanes and the names of some of the people (who were based on real life characters). I found the knowledge of Order no. 270 unbelievable even though I knew that the Stalin regime had been strict. I love historical fiction books like this as the reader learns as well as reading such a strong storyline.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this pre-release and thank you to Lana for writing such an incredible book (I'll be looking up more of your books!)

An adventure filled novel interwoven with friendships set against the war in Russia versus Germany in WW2. The book is a good read with plenty of action, and intrigue. A very enjoyable read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well written with captivating characters and a plot that kept me interested. Historical fictions can be hard to write, as they can sometimes feel like the same story retold, but this was interesting and fresh. I'll be keeping an eye out for future books by this author, really enjoyed it.

Sisters of the Sky by Lana Kortchik is a captivating historical fiction novel set in the Soviet Union during World War Two. The story follows Nina, a brave young woman devastated by the war and determined to fight for her motherland. She and her best friend Katya volunteer for the first female-only aviation regiment, led by the legendary pilot Marina Raskova. The novel beautifully portrays Nina's journey through sacrifice, love, and betrayal, and offers a poignant exploration of the friendships formed amidst the horrors of war. Lana Kortchik's superb storytelling, well-developed characters, and meticulously researched historical backdrop create an emotional and personal reading experience that leaves a lasting impact on the heart.

Through the eyes of Nina, Sisters of the Sky sheds light on the remarkable courage and dedication of the Russian female pilots, known as the Night Witches, who defied societal norms to become the first women combat pilots in the world. The novel skillfully captures the hardships faced by these exceptional women, from brutal weather conditions to inadequate resources, and their unwavering commitment to their motherland. It is a powerful and unforgettable tale that celebrates the enduring strength of the human spirit, the power of forgiveness, and the unbreakable bond of friendship amidst the chaos of war.