Book Review: Yours Is The Night, by Amanda Dykes

 I literally turned the final page, 

looked at my husband, and said, 

"I want to turn back to page one 

and start this book all over again..."

So, yes, you're about to read a ga-ga lovesick review for

Yours Is The Night. 

I was so excited when I found out Amanda Dykes was about to release a new historical fiction! Her 2020 release, Set The Stars Alight, was one of my favourite books of last year. I also loved her 2019 seaside tale, Whose Waves These Are. I'm so thankful to the folks at Nuts About Books for sending me an advance copy of Yours Is The Night!

We open with an unusual ceremony - choosing the casket for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A fascinating, brief moment in history, that quickly spins us back in time to the trenches of WWI. 

We're introduced to five vibrant and diverse characters who meet in the final year of the war. Matthew - the "horse whisperer" who has never really had a home. Jasper - the professional soldier with a heartbreaking past. Henry - the reporter tasked with sharing the war with the world back home. George - the unspiritual chaplain who would do anything to avoid the front. And Mireilles - the "Angel" who brings hope to the hopeless, while struggling to find a path for herself. 

When Mireilles is found hidden in the depths of the woods, the soldiers are tasked with delivering her to safety. Our friends embark on a journey that will challenge their notions of duty, love, self, God, and friendship. 

Yours Is The Night has everything I love about a great novel! Every aspect, from story to characters to dialogue, is fantastic. The history feels authentically researched and executed. Our characters take turns narrating different chapters in first person. Each voice is unique and distinct. It's a wonderful narrative device, giving us a fully-rounded perspective of the story and relationships.  

Amanda is somehow able to weave together the genres of romance, historical fiction, spiritual journey, road trip, and buddy movie to create a novel that rings true on every emotional level.

And her writing is just breathtaking! I turned down pages and underlined countless sentences simply because I love the way they are written. I read most of the book on my front porch, and I kept having to lift my head to remind myself that I was safe in the sunshine of my neighbourhood and not smothered in the chilly darkness of the trenches. 

I wasn't kidding, either - 

I did finish this book and debated just turning back to page one 

and starting over again. It's that good! 

Yours Is The Night honours the sacrifice of the men and women 

who fought in The Great War by telling a fictional story that captures 

the essence of their very real experience. 

It's somehow both escapism and realism, and it's truly wonderful. 

In addition to her site, Amanda has a great social media presence. Her Facebook page is filled with all kinds of images and behind the scenes info from her WWI research. You can check it all out here:

https://www.facebook.com/authoramandadykes

Amanda showing some "trench art" - a feature in Yours Is The Night.
Taken from her Facebook page.

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