Red Shadow is set in Russia in World War Two, at some point after the Nazi–Soviet Pact, just before Germany invades Russia. It follows the story of Misha, a teenage boy who's father works for the government and is one of Stalin's inner circle. Misha has to face the struggles of living in a country and a time where one wrong word can lead to someone never being seen again. Misha watches friends and enemies disappear after speaking out of turn, from people as young as him at school to people on the street. At school he is bullied for living in the Kremlin, the exclusive area of the city for those who work for Stalin. Whilst Misha is living in the lap of luxury, most of his friends are struggling with poverty. The story shows the effects of WWII on Russia through the eyes of one boy.

I found the history aspect of this book interesting, especially as I am studying WWII at school. Russia is never a country you learn much about so it was interesting to learn more about it, from a Russian's point of view. Though the plot line of the story was good, I couldn't help feeling sometimes as if I were reading a textbook because it just wasn't incredibly exciting. I found my attention often wandering from the story, which is an unusual thing for me when reading.

Overall I would rate it a 6/10 and would say Red Shadow may be targeted more towards boys than girls. I would recommend it to teenagers who are interested in historical fiction.

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