Daughters of the Night Sky
Ratings7
Average rating3.4
A novel--inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army--about a woman's sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war. Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she's dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life. With the Nazis on the march across Europe, she is called on to use her wings to serve her country in its darkest hour. Not even the entreaties of her new husband--a sensitive artist who fears for her safety--can dissuade her from doing her part as a proud daughter of Russia. After years of arduous training, Katya is assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment--one of the only Soviet air units composed entirely of women. The Germans quickly learn to fear nocturnal raids by the daring fliers they call "Night Witches." But the brutal campaign will exact a bitter toll on Katya and her sisters-in-arms. When the smoke of war clears, nothing will ever be the same--and one of Russia's most decorated military heroines will face the most agonizing choice of all.
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I've realized over the past year that I'm inexplicably drawn to books about aviation (bonus points if it's set in WWII). I've read Aimie K. Runyan's book Across The Winding River and enjoyed it, so I was happy to see she wrote this one as well (something I only realized after I started reading). Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy Daughters of the Night Sky nearly as much. Things happened way too fast, especially Katya becoming an aviator and then her relationship with Vanya in nearly the same breath. Most of the book kept this pace and I couldn't connect with the characters or situations at all. On top of this, some lines and attitudes were unrealistic being set in the Soviet Union (and in the service in general). By the end, I was skimming it. I just couldn't take it seriously.
All of that said, I'm not deterred from reading more from this author in the future. I think this would have been better with a slower pace and more research. And the cover is gorgeous!
Honestly, I would give it a 3.5, but you know how GoodReads is about half stars.
This book is a well-crafted novel in terms of characters and story; even knowing how things went in WWII, you still felt the suspense of the sorties and the life-and-death stakes that these characters dealt with. However, the author allowed these characters - Katya particularly - a little too much freedom to say and do things that would definitely have gotten them booted from the army or shot for insubordination. Once, MAYBE twice, might have worked in the right context, but this protagonist's sharp tongue became a little unbelievable over the course of the novel.
I also felt that the story would have been just as powerful entirely without the romantic subplot with Vanya. While he was an interesting character, their pairing felt very rushed and unnecessary, and it would have been fine enough for Katya to spend all of her worries about her loved ones on her mother, who was a far more powerful character connection for her from the beginning.
Overall, I did enjoy this novel, and I really am glad to see someone has taken the time to write about the Night Witches, because they are a fascinating part of WWII history.
