Yours Is The Night by Amanda Dykes

 

I know whenever I pick up an Amanda Dykes novel I'm in for an adventure that will engage my mind and pull at my heart, Yours Is The Night is no exception.

Now, before I go on, I will admit, thanks to life being exceptionally busing at the moment, I had a hard time following the story for the first few chapters. This was, in part, due to Dykes need to establish her foundation and introduce the core group of characters the readers would follow.

I am a bit of a sucker for the unlikely group of travelers storyline and Dykes gives us a solid group to love. While Matthew and Mira were clearly the stars of their small group, I was impressed to find myself just as invested in the wellbeing of both Henry and, eventually, George. 

I'm fairly certain I say this every time I finish a Dykes novel but honestly I would love to see this on screen one day. Her skill in bringing moments together would pair so well with a visual medium because her words so easily bring her narrative to life.

Matthew and Mira are wonderful leads both united in a shared history of painful losses and simple faith. Their romance does feel a little fast paced at times but forgivably so given the pressures of their circumstances. Honestly, the pace feels fast more due to Mira's history than the actual speed of the romance given there were more than a few speedy weddings during that era outside of fiction.

Henry's story of finding his voice was  a lovely compliment to the main storyline and I actually found myself wishing for more  of his perspective and story since he had to share his time in the spotlight with Hank. 

George's story was one of those little twists Dykes adds in that I really didn't see coming. His journey of faith, culminating in the scene around the "campfire" was certainly not the one I thought would stay with me and yet . . . I think it may be one of my favourites of the book.

Dykes doesn't hide the horrors of what the soldiers experienced during the war, in fact, she even touches upon the propaganda present with Hank's character, the reality of trench warfare and the final battles through Matthew's experiences, and the reality of loss and impending loss through the journey of the 17th band.

That said, there were definitely moments where the story felt stretched to accommodate a fairy tale ending and yet, the characters on the journey become so endearing it's hard not to want the fairy tale for them. I certainly found it that way.

For sensitive readers, it should be noted as a WWI novel, there are some descriptions of battle within the story, character death, and a story element of sexual assualt (though no details are given of the actual assualt just the aftermath). 

4 out of 5 stars.

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