4.5 stars

Front Lines is a fascinating, poignant examination of a past that could have happened but never did. The diversity in this book is amazing, ranging from women to race to religion. The characters are all fully fleshed out, and this is definitely a book about women: the males are, refreshingly, all backseat characters.The story is not an easy read, though, because it doesn't hesitate to shy away from the atrocities of war, sexism, or racism. My two complaints are that the ending felt kind of abrupt--I nearly screamed before I realized that there would be a trilogy--and that we never got insight into something that I thought would be pivotal for female soldiers: periods.