We Rule the Night

<a href="http://readasaurus.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1459070464i/18565492.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><a href="https://www.instagram.com/alwaysbeebooked/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/NeniaCampbell" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> || <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias/" rel="nofollow noopener">Facebook</a> || <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell/e/B00AWVRKMS" rel="nofollow noopener">Amazon</a> || <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/mightbeamisprin/" rel="nofollow noopener">Pinterest</a><br><br><br>I know I have a reputation for being a "Meanie McMeanerson" when it comes to book reviews, but honestly that's because my most popular reviews are all my negative ones! I wish my positive reviews were more popular because I'd really like to showcase the ones that wowed or surprised me-- case in point, this book. I almost didn't apply for WE RULE THE NIGHT because that breathless summary sound so much like many of the other Basic Girl YA™ books that have been coming out in droves. But I kept coming back to it, again and again, drawn by the cover and the idea of a bunch of girl fighter pilots in a world of forbidden magic. Girl, you know I'm a sucker for some fantasy, and if it's about female friendships and magic, I really can't say no.<br><br><br><br>THIS BOOK WAS SO FREAKING GOOD THO. Seriously, why doesn't this have more of a buzz? Most of my friends either haven't read this or didn't like it, so I want to know who to address my complaints to for not hyping this up like it's Bottomless Mimosa day at the local brunch joint, avocado toast 50% off. I don't think I've felt this exhilarated about a book since reading THE HUNGER GAMES. The world building, the characters, the stakes were all done so right. It's modeled off a fantasy version of the Soviet Union and the persecution and suppression are REAL.<br><br><br><br>Rather than going on and on about my squee in paragraph form (although I could totally do that), I'm just going to lay out everything I adored about WE RULE THE NIGHT in handy bullet point format.<br><br><br><br>✔️ That cover. It's gorgeous. Obviously a cover has no bearing on what's inside the book, but that's what made me pick it up in the first place, so good job, cover artist. You earned that paycheck.<br><br><br><br>✔️ The world building. As I said, it's set in a Soviet Russia-like fantasy counterpart called the Union of the North, which is at war with another country called Elda. The politics is pretty well done and even though we don't really get much about what the world-at-large is like, the landscapes and culture and intrigue were all really well done (the author apparently lives in Europe and serves as a tour guide, so this actually makes sense). Magic is forbidden, although there are exceptions, as the two female leads find out when they're forcibly enlisted in an experimental all-girls' squadron.<br><br><br><br>✔️ The girl power theme. Holy Glass Ceiling, Batman! The girls are not respected at all, and people try to undercut and sabotage them at every turn. They have to work 150% harder with 50% less than the men, and even when they succeed, nobody cares. It's soooo frustrating and I was right there with the characters the whole time. It's so relatable and I hate that, but love how it was represented here.<br><br><br><br>✔️ Female friendships. There's basically no romance, only friendship. The two leads, Revna and Linne, hate each other at first, but the book gradually develops their relationship so they come to an understanding of one another. Linne is a military brat who sneaked into a male academy, Mulan-style, to learn how to fight. When she was caught out, she was sent to the girls' squadron and she feels like this is a punishment. Revna is disabled and has prosthetic legs. She is constantly having to prove herself and have people either doubt her or baby her (and she hates both). When she's caught doing forbidden magic, it's either the squadron or treason, and at least the squadron will feed their family. We also get to meet other girls, and they're all so delightfully, well, girly. Their problems and personalities are done with such care, and with such realism, that they felt fully dimensional. Even the cat fights had reasons behind them, and it was never just hate for the sake of hate.<br><br><br><br>✔️ Disability rep. This could have been done so badly, but Revna was a great character. She wasn't just her disability although it features prominently because of the physical demands of training and how she constantly has to push against her limits to succeed. I loved that she was the most daring flier and the best magician, and how much that validated her. Her bond with her family and how it affects a tough decision she has to make at the end was also well done. She also isn't the one who breaks first, although there are several trying moments that test her psychologically.<br><br><br><br>✔️ Dangerous hot shape-shifter spies. The Skarov, man. I'm Team Tannov all the way. He reminds me of Dmitri from VAMPIRE ACADEMY-- smoldering and broody, but also charming. LOVE.<br><br><br><br>✔️ The ending. LOL JK, I HATE IT. THANKS. Please tell me there's more, because there's no way the book can end like that without a sequel. It was sequel-baiting like crazy. All I see in the author's bibliography right now is something called THE WINTER DUKE, which does not appear to be related to this series at all. Girl, I'm so down but also, and again, seriously, WHERE IS BOOK TWO.<br><br><br><br>All in all, I really loved this book. I'm actually going to keep it because I think it will be really fun to reread the next time I'm craving a high stakes adventure. The battles, the navigation, the training, the friendship-- IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD. Trust in me, and read this book. You'll thank me!<br><br><br><br><i>Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! </i><br><br><br><br>4.5 to 5 stars<br><br>

<i>4 stars</i><br><br>We Rule the Night completely caught me off guard with its immersive world and narrative of fierce women. <br><br>I wasn’t sure how I’d react to the wartime fantasy setting, but I love how Bartlett used it to point out the flaws both in this world and our real world. This is a very understated book though, despite the action and adventure occurring. I honestly don’t think a lot of people will like it (the most common complaint will probably be “too slow”), but I really really enjoyed. <br><br>This is one of those fantasies that are a bit more of a slowburn—like Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road. And I love that, although it’s not for everyone. However, it’s . . . <br><br><b>Fantastic for fans of military/wartime fantasies—but centering around women!</b><br><br>I think people who liked the concept of Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West will definitely like this (plane-like things! military! wartime!). Or if you thought Dark of the West was cool but didn’t feature enough women and female friendships (aka me) and want more of female interaction. Either of these would be indicative that you should definitely pick up We Rule the Night.<br><br>Because not only is it a wartime fantasy with alliances and hierarchies and people fighting on live-metal machines (more on that later), but it also has that sort of more measured tone that a lot of fantasies take on. <br><br>It’s severe, and I think people who like older-feeling fantasies will like this. It’s still got action elements to it, but it’s also got training and a lot of struggling to work together. It’s messy, in a good way.<br><br><b>Huge bonus points for female friendships and the complexity of that!</b><br><br>One of my favorite parts of We Rule the Night would probably be how the story examined Linné and Revna‘s hatred/friendship. <br><br>Linné is prickly and hard to get along with and she definitely does not want to be in this female-only group of women fighting in the war, especially given her history of dressing up as a boy and serving in the military. However, this is the only way she can fight in the war, and she’ll have to stick with it if she wants to contribute. <br><br>Revna, on the other hand, is just there to help her family and do what’s best for them. <br><br>Both girls are part of the squadron, and both have to stay. But despite being paired to fly a living-metal plane together—one girl to fuel it with her spark, and the other to navigate the Weave—they struggle working together. <br><br>I thought it was really nice to see this gradual friendship as the focus of the novel. There’s no romance (I mean, I wasn’t going to oppose a queer romance but it’s not a romance book) and it’s all about Linné and Revna’s relationship, which I really enjoyed. <br><br>I do want to note that Linné is one of the sources of where some of the disability-associated harassment comes from initially (Revna has living metal prosthetics below the knee on one leg, and ankle and below on the other), but she definitely isn’t doing that in the end of the book and learns better. However,if you think this might be triggering/not good to read for you, it’s probably a good idea to skip out on We Rule the Night. <br><br>I personally can’t speak on how Bartlett portrayed Revna’s disability, and I would love to see an #OwnVoices review from an amputee using prosthetics, if someone has a review! There wasn’t anything glaringly harmful to me and the message did not seem problematic, but I also know that I have a lot of blind spots, and I can’t definitively say whether or not this was good rep. <br><br><b>Interesting, metal magic and an industrial world with its own set of stigmas.</b><br><br>The living-metal magic that I referenced a few times was really really cool! People have a sort of magic in them and there’s different types of magic, like using a spark (hot or cold) and the Weave. In their country, the Weave is banned for the way it can get tangled, however the military has allowed the girls’ squadron to use it for the purpose of flying their living-metal planes. <br><br>The planes aren’t normal planes, they’ve got also living metal animal-shaped machinery and other mechanical stuff. Very industrial feeling.<br><br>It’s very interesting, and Bartlett introduces it in a way that’s not info-dumpy, and more integrated, which I enjoyed. Plus, reading about this specific country’s issues with the Weave versus the country their fighting (who embrace it) added another interesting element to the story. <br><br><b>The purpose of the war was a bit foggy to me.</b><br><br>This is one of my biggest complaints, although I’m not sure how relevant it actually is. <br><br>I don’t know what they’re fighting for. I know Linné and Revna’s country is at war with another, but I either missed when reading or it didn’t really say clearly what the war was caused by and why they were still fighting and if they were trying to negotiate peace. Some of the larger politics were a little bit blurry.<br><br>The ending was kind of abrupt, and I felt like parts were unresolved. <br><br>Also, it wraps up a bit quickly, and it feels like We Rule the Night has sequel potential, although it doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger. <br><br>I just felt like a lot of the storyline besides the friendship (the war, certain side characters and families) was generally unresolved? I’m not sure if I’d recommend it to people who want every last detail resolved, because you don’t really get that. <br><br>I would totally love if this book had a sequel, though *cough COUGH*. <br><br><b>However—</b><br><br>I can’t really say if either of the last two points are really necessary. Because ultimately, this is a book about female friendship and how it defies the patriarchy, and it’s not really focusing on a giant fantasy world’s politics. I think We Rule the Night is more of a friendship story among a fantasy backdrop, which a lot of people might not get based off of first glance. <br><br>It’s about Linné and Revna. Not about the world or the war, it’s about them against the backdrop of the war. <br><br><b>Overall, We Rule the Night is a book I really enjoyed, even though I don’t think it’s for everyone. </b><br><br>I would definitely recommend people who like <br>- Female-friendship oriented stories, even in fantasy settings<br>- People who like slower fantasies, à la Tess of the Road<br>- People who like military/wartime fantasies, à la Dark of the West<br>- People who want a feminist story about characters who persevere<br><br><i>Thank you so much to The NOVL for sending me an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!</i><br><br><a href="https://vickywhoreads.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vickywhoreads" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/VickyCBooks" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a><br><a href="https://vickywhoreads.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1503169545i/23635490._SX540_.png" alt="Vicky Who Reads" width="400" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

<b>4.5 stars</b>. A cool alt-world story that takes the amazing Russian, female pilots of WWII, known by the Germans as Night Witches, as its inspiration.<br />Claire Eliza Bartlett gives us a story about young women who join the war effort and are trained as pilots. Except these planes are made of "living" metal, and are empathic, so each team of women (pilot and navigator) assigned to a plane must actually work in harmony, instead of just being colleagues.<br /> Revna and Linné are assigned together, and absolutely do not exemplify harmony. Linné had joined the army, dressing as a boy, her gender undetected for some years. She's given the option of returning home in ignominy, or joining this newly created squadron. Revna is a factory girl, and after slipping up one day during an attack by their enemies, comes under the scrutiny of the country's essentially secret police for her illegal use of magic to save herself and a policeman from death. Revna has artifical legs, crafted for her by her father from scraps of living metal, for which he was captured by the police and sent to the mines (essentially a death sentence.) <br />Everyone around Revna underestimates her, including Linné, who, in addition to being the daughter of the General of the war effort, comes from a rich family, and has no social graces, which was only exacerbated by her time with the male troops.<br />The two young women clash repeatedly, and seem like they'll never learn to work together.<br />I loved the variety of women in this story, and the evolving dynamics between Revna and Linné. I also loved seeing Revna's frustration and fury at her treatment, even the well-meaning, when people see nothing but her prosthetics. And Linné's fury at being demoted in the brass' and soldiers' perceptions from tough and competent soldier to just a young woman is totally understandable, too. Though Linné and Revna grate on each other constantly, they and their fellow pilots demonstrate dedication and skill when they're sent out on missions to bomb their assigned targets, evoking fear and resentment in the male pilots are the training base, which is not at all a surprise.<br />Much of the story is spent on the women's training and there are good descriptions of the conditions the women are experiencing when on missions, which were tense and claustrophobic. The story wraps up well, though I could easily imagine plenty of other stories in this world.<br />

<b>DNF @ p.67</b> until a later date when I can focus better on this book that needs more brain cells than I'm willing to give it now.

I like the story but it can get really boring at times.

We Rule the Night was a bit interesting but I expected more.

I read this book in an afternoon, and when I finished, I was so conflicted with how I felt about the book. I wasn’t sure if just liked it or loved it. This was one of those books that I needed to digest what I read before I could even give it a rating. <br /><br />From start to finish, this story is chock full of non-stop action. The story opens with Revna and the other factory workers desperately trying to escape to the underground shelters as Tammin is under siege from enemy planes. The problem is that Revna is in a wheelchair, and she must make a further trek than her coworkers since her family’s status as second-class citizens forbids them from entering the closer bomb shelters (the reason why is addressed). As time is running out, Revna decides to call on The Weave, magic that has been banned by the union, in order to save her own life and find her family. Unfortunately for her, a run in with a Union officer mid Weave jump betrays her secret magic use. Revna assumes that she will be thrown in prison alongside her father and labeled as traitor, but she is given a different opportunity instead. <br /><br />At this point, we switch gears and meet Linné who has been called in front of her superiors for impersonating a male in order to join the frontlines of war (Mulan anyone?). Linné comes from a well-known and respected military father who is under the impression that his daughter is doing well at her boarding school instead of fighting alongside her battalion on the frontlines. She is faced with the decision to either be sent back home to her father or to join a newly formed reigmen of women who will be trained to use The Weave to pilot war planes. Linné is one of the citizens who is adamantly against The Weave but signing up for this squad is the only way she will be able to fight for her country once again.<br /><br />Once Revna and Linné meet the other girls of their regimen, which is led by the famous Tamara Zima, they quickly learn what the military men really think of their team and mission. The men believe that Tamara is only leading this team and mission because her lover is a high ranking official, which is consistently brought up. To be fair, even the girls believe it at first as well. <br /><br />Immediately, Linné feels like she’s made a mistake and these girls are making mockery of what the military stands for. The girls want to alter their uniforms, wear their own fashionable shoes instead of the military grade boots issued to them, and refuse to be modest (Linné had to bind her breasts, shower when everyone was asleep, and hide her menstruation rags). This builds a HUGE rift between Linné and everyone else…especially Revna, who is the most gifted at controlling The Weave. This team had a long way to go if they were going to come together to help fight in the war, especially when all the men kept reminding them that they were not capable. <br /><br />I have to hand it to the author for creating a fantasy story, that aside from the actual magic, did not feel like fantasy. The blatant sexism that the girls face in this book pissed me off to absolutely no end. To make matters worse, Tamara has no sympathy on the girls because she herself is treated as an absolute joke by all of the commanding officers. The girls were purposefully given equipment that was expected to fail and never given the opportunity to succeed.<br /><br />I loved watching the girls’ band together against all odds; especially the extremely slow burn friendship that built between Revna and Linné. These girls would do whatever it takes to win the war, and they refuse to leave their own behind. <br /><br />I realized that I hadn’t even commented on much of the fantasy in the plot because I was so engrossed with the characters in this story. The magic is everything that I wanted in this remarkable debut. There are fire-breathing dragons that can decimate cities in seconds. The planes that the girls fly are comprised of living metal that adapts to the Weave user’s emotions. The fight scenes are incredibly descriptive and get your heart racing. <br /><br />Thank you to The NOVL for an advanced copy of this book. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own. <br />

DNF'ed at page 154<br />One of those books I thought I would love after reading the first pages but that turned out into a dragging book where nothing happens. I mean, I can like slow books if there is something, anything, going on, but if in 154 pages all I have been shown is some info about the Weave and living metals, how annoying and Rude one of the main characters is, and some vague points about the war and how much the male soldiers don't want the female ones around... it's not me, it's the book.

The Union of the North is at war with the Elda, in a brutal conflict that's roughly analogous to WWII. Revna works in a factory as a second-class citizen because her father is serving a life sentence as a traitor. When she's caught using a type of magic forbidden in he Union she fears that she'll join him, but instead she's recruited into a fledgling squadron of female air-crews. Linné is the daughter of a Union general, and for the last three years she's been enlisted as an infantryman in the Union army while pretending to be a man. When her true gender is discovered, she feats being forced back into a life of boring gentility by her father, but instead she gets recruited as well.<br /><br />The squadron comes together to fight the Elda, but has to overcome their own side's entrenched sexism first. Even though Revna is an amazing pilot her prosthetic legs keep her from being a preferred member of an aircrew, and she ends up with Linné as a navigator, and the two do not get along. But they do need each other and they're successful together, but both may go down because of the attention of the Union's elite police.<br /><br />This was great. There's so much going on here, female friendships in adverse situations for sure, but also treatment of handicapped people, sexism and the pointlessness and hypocrisy of war. Also obligations and expectations of family, country and duty. It's a great read that sets up well for a continuing series and thankfully without a cliffhanger.<br /><br />

Really redeemed itself in the second half. I had a surprisingly fun time with this, gradually coming to love these girls. This book is the opposite of girl hate. Also, the writing is excellent. Highly recommend, can’t wait for the sequel.<br /><br />4/5 stars.<br /><br />12/10/19: So I discovered that there might not be a sequel coming out and I'm scared. I loved this - I want more of these amazing girl soldiers! I guess with Five Feet Apart, Wilder Girls, The Kingdom, and now this, open endings are just coming back into fashion after Champion, Requiem, and Eleanor and Park. Agh. I don't like it.