Tag: ya-fiction

Following on from the first book of the series, Front Lines, this alternate history story continues the adventures of Rio Richlin, a small-town girl from California; Frangi Marr, a black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Rainy Schulterman, a Jewish girl from New York City as they fight in World War II for the American army.

Whilst the first book follows how each joined and trained in the army along with going into battle for the first time, Silver Stars follows these girls as experienced soldiers as they take on the war’s next challenges.

Grant ups the stakes in this book as each character takes on missions which would be fairly branded as suicidal. Rainy, in particular, has a hard time of it, though this doesn’t mean the other characters have things easy. While this book is very much fictional, Grant clearly illustrates the horrifying nature of war and its effects through his characters – both the physical and psychological.

Grant uses his extensive research into World War II to create a world that is vivid and feels real. I loved the characters and their arcs throughout the two books make for an engaging read.

This book is as exciting and enjoyable as its previous, and I highly recommend for those who like stories with an epic historical backdrop.

See my review for the first book in the series, Front Lines by Michael Grant.

I don’t normally read alternate history books, but given how much I enjoyed the Gone series along with Messenger of Fear, I thought I’d give Front Lines a chance, and I am really glad I did.

Out of all the Michael Grant books I have read; this is possibly the best in terms of writing and storytelling. I really think Michael Grant has stepped it up a notch when I didn’t think there were any more notches for this guy to climb.

I believe this book has the potential to capture new audiences as it is a genre which Grant is not known for; however, I think fans of Grant’s other works will enjoy this book just as much. What makes this book such a good alternate history novel is its faithfulness to actual history.

The book follows the lives of three girls as they join the American army during World War II. Where this book alternates from history is a fictional court case decision which rules that women could be conscripted into the army, or could volunteer, along with men. This has opened-up the possibility of interesting plots and storytelling.

The three main characters of this book is Rio Richlin, a small town 16-year-old from California; Frangi Marr, a black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Rainy Schulterman, a Jewish girl from New York City. They all lead captivating lives as their stories follow how they each end up serving in the American army.

What I loved about these books is that each character felt very real. You would swear they were actual people from the past. They were all extremely likable, and it was very easy to root for them to succeed.

The amount of detail in this book is commendable. Grant certainly did his research, and while some may feel he got too detailed in places; I really enjoyed it. For me, learning things the characters learned, such as Enfilade and Defilade, made it feel like you were right there with them as they completed basic training.

One aspect where this book mirrors Grant’s other works is that Grant doesn’t shy away from gory details, so be warned. (It is a book about war, to be fair) I found the imagery to be clear and concise, which makes remembering this story all the easier.

This book is admittedly longer than Grant’s others, and longer than the average YA book with around 460ish pages, but it honestly didn’t feel like it. Despite the book being about war, Grant’s writing style means you can glide through the book with ease.

Read my original review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18743370-front-lines