While I enjoyed parts of this book & certain interactions between Marina & Edward (& Pavel for that matter), it was a bit of a groaner for me to get through--and then the ending happened and destroyed any semblance of enjoyment I had for the story.
Marina's story was rich in history that confused me much of the time (I'm not all that familiar with Russia & Poland's part in WW2), and the writing often felt dry and annoyingly contemporary at times. I greatly dislike it when (in historical fiction--and yes, I realize WW2 is not that far in the past, but it still qualifies as historical fiction in my mind) characters use contemporary phrases or words like "Seriously" "Okay" "Whatever" "Yeah"--it just jolts me right out of the past and right into the present, into a sassy teenager's body. And I'm not one of those history purists where everything has to be 100% accurate--I'm not, honestly--but there are certain things that just mess with my perception of the time period when certain words or phrases get thrown around.
--Some spoilers ahead--
Also, I had some serious confusion surrounding the traitors in the book. So Raina was a Nazi, but then when she said she was married to a Colonel, did she also say that he was working undercover as a Partizan? Maybe I drew that conclusion myself, maybe she said it, I'm not sure, but I totally thought that Colonel What's-His-Name--the guy who was Edward's CO, was an undercover Nazi spy. And then when nothing happened with him at the end of the book, I was kinda just wondering what was going on.
And then comes--THE ENDING--(Major SPOILERS, obvs)
Okay--so what was that about? I get cliffhangers and all that, but was the ending even considered a cliffhanger? Or did Marina just die with Pavel in a barn and Edward took her child to America and that was it? Done deal? No reunion? The way Edward's scene ended off didn't feel like a conclusion to the story, but a "here's to new beginnings, of which I am part! And Marina will be joining me, hopefully sometime soon." happily ever after type of thing, but then Marina was totally...dead. The next book isn't about Marina or Edward, but I assume that's it as far as their story goes--unless it is told by a future generation, later on?
All in all, I enjoyed myself in bits and pieces, but not overall. I found the ending so dang unsatisfying, and after pushing my way through the book, I was one disappointed reader.
But if you don't mind it being a bit more of a historical account with a slower moving plot and some contemporary feeling moments with tragedy left, right and centre, you might enjoy Marina wholeheartedly!