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A review by jennifermreads
We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett
5.0
On page two, I knew I was going to either love this book or groan at its inaccuracies. A main character with a disability? This could be awesome…AND IT WAS!
No, I do not have a physical disability. My experience comes in working with people with disabilities helping them to gain the things they needed to remain independent, thriving members of the community. I was educated daily on living with disabilities and the insensitivity those with disabilities encounter all of the time, constantly, like to the point of exhaustion in dealing with it. Seeing Revna pop off the page with her prosthesis (living metal?! So incredibly cool!) and her frustrations over her treatment because of the prosthesis was breathtaking. And the fact that those frustrations continued to surface in the story all the way to the very end of the novel? That is the life of people with disabilities, folks. If the “repetitive” nature of Revna’s anger over her treatment and assumptions of her abilities (or lack of ability) feels over-done, you are W.R.O.N.G. and need to take a step back and think “Holy cow. Is this how it really is?” Because, yes, it is.
Putting aside the MAJOR kudos on having a MC with a disability, these women pilots will just make your jaw drop. Know that this is historically based. The ARC has a page reserved for an author’s note but the publisher’s introduction in the ARC states that the story is based on the Soviet Union’s 588th Night Bombers during WWII. The struggles these women endured just to fight for their country is overwhelming. Every step forward was met with discrimination and taunting, all of which oozes off the page of this book. At times, I wanted to reach in and throttle the male pilots giving them so much grief!
And I haven’t even talked about the fantasy aspects yet! The Weave? WOW! I love this idea of connecting to threads to move through the sky/air. Sparks? You mean you can power a plane with a spark from your own body? How totally cool! And the Skarov? They are?! I wanted MORE of that bit!
We Rule the Night is so full of history, adventure, action, and education about the lives of people with disabilities, and, then, it is enhanced with the magical fantasy elements. I am so excited about this book! I cannot wait to share it with my teen library patrons.
Received advance reader’s copy from publisher through Goodreads giveaway
No, I do not have a physical disability. My experience comes in working with people with disabilities helping them to gain the things they needed to remain independent, thriving members of the community. I was educated daily on living with disabilities and the insensitivity those with disabilities encounter all of the time, constantly, like to the point of exhaustion in dealing with it. Seeing Revna pop off the page with her prosthesis (living metal?! So incredibly cool!) and her frustrations over her treatment because of the prosthesis was breathtaking. And the fact that those frustrations continued to surface in the story all the way to the very end of the novel? That is the life of people with disabilities, folks. If the “repetitive” nature of Revna’s anger over her treatment and assumptions of her abilities (or lack of ability) feels over-done, you are W.R.O.N.G. and need to take a step back and think “Holy cow. Is this how it really is?” Because, yes, it is.
Putting aside the MAJOR kudos on having a MC with a disability, these women pilots will just make your jaw drop. Know that this is historically based. The ARC has a page reserved for an author’s note but the publisher’s introduction in the ARC states that the story is based on the Soviet Union’s 588th Night Bombers during WWII. The struggles these women endured just to fight for their country is overwhelming. Every step forward was met with discrimination and taunting, all of which oozes off the page of this book. At times, I wanted to reach in and throttle the male pilots giving them so much grief!
And I haven’t even talked about the fantasy aspects yet! The Weave? WOW! I love this idea of connecting to threads to move through the sky/air. Sparks? You mean you can power a plane with a spark from your own body? How totally cool! And the Skarov? They are
Spoiler
shape-shiftersWe Rule the Night is so full of history, adventure, action, and education about the lives of people with disabilities, and, then, it is enhanced with the magical fantasy elements. I am so excited about this book! I cannot wait to share it with my teen library patrons.
Received advance reader’s copy from publisher through Goodreads giveaway