I liked the story of this book. It reminded me a little of City of Thieves with the two characters on a mission in a World War Two novel. However, I did get lost several times and wish there was a bit more explanation in the book. This is an area of history that I am not as familiar with and found myself getting confused quite frequently about who was on whose side and the different names. While I enjoyed the story, it was hard to grasp the background and politics behind it to make the story really come together. While I learned a lot, I wish there was a bit more explanation. I also liked the character development and complexity of the characters but didn't feel like the relationship between Maria and Kostya was built up quite enough. I found their extreme changes in feelings somewhat unrealistic. Again had this been built up a bit more I think it would have been better. Still an interesting read and glad I was able to read it.