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kiahgardner's review
4.0
Wow, I’m blown away by how much I enjoyed this. I loved the complex relationship between Linné and Revna, and there was a lot of intense, white-knuckle reading, especially at the end! I’m quite sad that it’s over.
ethrone's review against another edition
4.0
ok so this book was really different from a lot of normal fantasy YA books that i see people talking about or that i personally read. based on other people's reviews, it seems to be kind of a polarizing book where people either really love it or really didn't like it. i can see why b/c this book definitely is not for everyone. i would preface this review by saying that if you prefer your YA books with romance and don't typically read YA without it, you probably should stay away from this one. this book has ZERO romance in it, which i really liked (i'll talk about that later), but if readers had expectations for that going into this, then they may have felt let down and that could have affected their reactions to this novel. this book IS about female friendships and war and expectations for women. this is a book about women and was my largest takeaway from this novel.
originally i gave this 3 stars (for goodreads) but the more i thought about it, the more i needed to give it 4 just based on how much i enjoyed this novel. i wasn't expecting it to be something that i related to so much, but it was honestly a breath of fresh air. the setting and the imagery accompanied by the subtle hints of folklore scattered throughout were incredible. i loved that the folklore was intertwined with the weapons/airplanes. that made me so happy. the magic system lost me at some points, but i think i was just expecting the system to be a lot more complicated than it was, but it's pretty basic as far as fantasy magic systems go. truly, i believe the setting and the world-building were the best parts of the novel and what really had me enjoying it from the beginning.
the characters were great. there basically was only one male character that had any kind of significance throughout the novel and ugh i loved that. it's hard to come across truly female driven YA novels these days and i want more and more of them. the friendships that are made in this book were relatable and i felt every moment of them. revna was definitely my fave and i loved her growth throughout the novel. i have my issues with linné, however, and i just *clenches fist* wish she wasn't the other POV we got in this novel. she just isn't someone i like very much and it was frustrating.
the ending is where this book lost more points for me. it was why my initial rating was 3 when i had just finished it. it was an emotional rating lmao. but ya the ending was so abrupt and didn't seem resolved to me at all.
anyway i hope that this book gets more attention than it has. i think it deserves it. like i said earlier, it definitely isn't for everyone. it has it's moments where it feels long, but i don't mind books like that, so if that might bother you, maybe stay away from this one. personally, i felt like the plot really does evolve well and you get to truly immerse yourself in this unique universe for a couple hundred pages.
originally i gave this 3 stars (for goodreads) but the more i thought about it, the more i needed to give it 4 just based on how much i enjoyed this novel. i wasn't expecting it to be something that i related to so much, but it was honestly a breath of fresh air. the setting and the imagery accompanied by the subtle hints of folklore scattered throughout were incredible. i loved that the folklore was intertwined with the weapons/airplanes. that made me so happy. the magic system lost me at some points, but i think i was just expecting the system to be a lot more complicated than it was, but it's pretty basic as far as fantasy magic systems go. truly, i believe the setting and the world-building were the best parts of the novel and what really had me enjoying it from the beginning.
the characters were great. there basically was only one male character that had any kind of significance throughout the novel and ugh i loved that. it's hard to come across truly female driven YA novels these days and i want more and more of them. the friendships that are made in this book were relatable and i felt every moment of them. revna was definitely my fave and i loved her growth throughout the novel. i have my issues with linné, however, and i just *clenches fist* wish she wasn't the other POV we got in this novel.
Spoiler
for the majority of the book (arguably the entire book actually), she is incredibly ableist. it is actually a huge problem for me and obviously revna and the other girls in this book. linné herself doesn't think that she's doing anything wrong by saying these things and thinks she's just being a good soldier, but that's a bunch of shit. i really don't see her redeemed at all in this book either, not even at the end. she doesn't get bonus points for comforting revna or helping her survive at the end of this novel. they both saved each other's lives and that's that. i truly didn't see a lot of growth from linné other than when it came down to where her life was threatened.the ending is where this book lost more points for me. it was why my initial rating was 3 when i had just finished it. it was an emotional rating lmao. but ya the ending was so abrupt and didn't seem resolved to me at all.
Spoiler
maybe that was a choice by the author but ughhhh it didn't seem like a good one. i wish it had been developed instead of whatever the hell we got instead. we don't even know what happens with the war or with linné and revna and the rest of the squad. like??? hi what the hell??? the book doesn't end with the two main characters hugging and crying.anyway i hope that this book gets more attention than it has. i think it deserves it. like i said earlier, it definitely isn't for everyone. it has it's moments where it feels long, but i don't mind books like that, so if that might bother you, maybe stay away from this one. personally, i felt like the plot really does evolve well and you get to truly immerse yourself in this unique universe for a couple hundred pages.
eli_b0204's review
5.0
I was gonna rate it 4 stars
But. The ending definetely changed my mind and the author's note was simply phenomenal
So 5 stars it is
But. The ending definetely changed my mind and the author's note was simply phenomenal
So 5 stars it is
alexperc_92's review
4.0
I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review and blog tour can be found *Milky Way of Books*
I loved the setting of the book! A world in industrial revolution with dragons, a s light hint of magic and the MC was on a wheelchair along with prosthetic legs. Revna and Linne are the exact opposites at first but as the book moves on, and the plot becomes grimmer and grimmer the focus goes on the women who are told that they are not 'enough' yet they manage to overcome their prjudices and turn into heroes.
I loved the setting of the book! A world in industrial revolution with dragons, a s light hint of magic and the MC was on a wheelchair along with prosthetic legs. Revna and Linne are the exact opposites at first but as the book moves on, and the plot becomes grimmer and grimmer the focus goes on the women who are told that they are not 'enough' yet they manage to overcome their prjudices and turn into heroes.
jessica_8675's review
2.0
This was not the book that I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a hate to love story with two girls and them coming together to be badasses. What I got was a whole bunch of girls going through military training and being catty towards each other. All they did was argue and talk about each other behind their backs. But don't worry the men were just as bad. I don't think that there was a single guy in this book that did say something horrible about women or just straight up hate them.
I didn't completely hate this book, I actually greatly enjoyed some parts. The writing was fun and the flying scenes were interesting, but not enough to hold up the whole book. I quit about three fourths the way through because I was tired of reading about them training. Thats about all the characters did for this book train and gossip about each other.
I didn't completely hate this book, I actually greatly enjoyed some parts. The writing was fun and the flying scenes were interesting, but not enough to hold up the whole book. I quit about three fourths the way through because I was tired of reading about them training. Thats about all the characters did for this book train and gossip about each other.
extracrispi's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
hijinx_abound's review
3.0
This book is based on a unit of female fighter pilots known as the night witches.
It is a girl power novel. These girls go to the front to fly planes and fight in the war. Women have not been able to fight before as they are "distractions." Linnae has been impersonating a male soldier for 3 years before she is caught and sent away. She fears that she'll end up being some type of administrator and that is not what she wants. Revna has been working in a factory but one night during as air raid, she uses illegal magic and brings unwanted attention to her family.
They both find themselves on a base with a chance to fly planes and help the cause. Their exclusively female unit is sabotaged by the men on the base at every turn.
The magic system is interesting. Metal that "feels." It was similar to the sentient ships in Honor Bound. The female friendships were great and the fact that there was no romance or competition related to male attention was refreshing.
I liked the story but it did drag in places. There was a lot of detail that was unnecessary.
It is a girl power novel. These girls go to the front to fly planes and fight in the war. Women have not been able to fight before as they are "distractions." Linnae has been impersonating a male soldier for 3 years before she is caught and sent away. She fears that she'll end up being some type of administrator and that is not what she wants. Revna has been working in a factory but one night during as air raid, she uses illegal magic and brings unwanted attention to her family.
They both find themselves on a base with a chance to fly planes and help the cause. Their exclusively female unit is sabotaged by the men on the base at every turn.
The magic system is interesting. Metal that "feels." It was similar to the sentient ships in Honor Bound. The female friendships were great and the fact that there was no romance or competition related to male attention was refreshing.
I liked the story but it did drag in places. There was a lot of detail that was unnecessary.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh man, this was such a great read, loved the world and the characters and their story! Such a great book!
slate_gray's review
4.0
This book was a real gem! I thoroughly enjoyed it from cover to cover! The magic system was very inventive as well! I loved how feminist this book was, and how strong both Revna and Linnè were. It had a very strong World War II vibe, and as that is not explored very often in YA fantasy, it made this book really stand out! I would recommend it to anyone!!