Thursday, October 7, 2021

"Yours is the Night," by Amanda Dykes

 "Yours is the Night," by Amanda Dykes


"The trenches of the Great War are a shadowed place. Though Platoon Sergeant Matthew Petticrew arrived there with a past long marked by shadow, the realities of battle bring new wounds--carving within him a longing for light, and a resolve to fight for it.

One night, Matthew and his comrades are enraptured by a sound so pure, a voice so ethereal, it offers reprieve--even if only for a moment. Soon, rumors sweep the trenches from others who have heard the lullaby too. "The Angel of Argonne," they call the voice: a mysterious presence who leaves behind wreaths on unmarked graves.
 
Raised in the wild depths of the Forest of Argonne, Mireilles finds her reclusive world rocked when war crashes into her idyllic home, taking much from her. When Matthew and his two unlikely companions discover Mireilles, they must embark on a journey that will change each of them forever . . . and perhaps, at long last, spark light into the dark.

On the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier comes an emotive tale inspired by the courageous soldiers of World War I."

I always feel so bad when I don't enjoy a book; unfortunately this was the case with this book.  It tells the tale of a group of soldier's that discover a woman in a forest and they take her to safety and how that journey changes all their lives.  There of course is much more to the story, but that's what it is in a nutshell!

Each chapter was written by a different character's point of view.  As there were five leading character's you had five different view points.  That was way too much for me, especially at the beginning, as it was hard to keep up with.  It took me until around chapter 12 or so; a quarter of the way through the book, to figure out who was who and what was what.  That again was way too long for me.

After that though I got into the story a bit more and I did want to continue reading the book to see what happened next.  I will say the descriptions of the conditions on the front and how those poor people had to live both soldiers and civilians was well written.

Stars out of 5 : 3 I like a book that sucks me in right away, this book didn't.  If you enjoy stories from the Great War/World War I this book is for you.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

"The Hidden Palace," by Dinah Jefferies

 "The Hidden Palace," by Dinah Jefferies 1925.  Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip...