We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett (review)

In this Russian-inspired fantasy, the war-torn Union employs a new all-female Night Raiders regiment, based loosely on the Night Witches that flew for the Soviet Army during World War II. Forced into this regiment are seventeen-year-olds Revna, who is caught illegally using Weave magic that draws on the fabric of the world to displace people and objects, and Linné, who disguised herself as a boy to join the military and was eventually discovered. Linné admires discipline and abhors the unprofessional behaviors of the other girls ("laughing, teasing, supporting one another"), while Revna embraces the benefits of female companionship. The two clash as they're forced to fly together on missions, with Revna manipulating the Weave ("decriminalized only for the duration of the war") to navigate the plane, and Linné using magic to power it. Revna and Linné's friendship develops gradually and authentically as they overcome their differences to prove themselves to society. The excuses men use in the novel to justify barring women from war resonate brutally familiar; additionally, Revna who has living metal prosthetics on her legs, has to constantly demonstrate that she can do what everyone else can as people undermine her worth because of her disability. What emerges from these conflicts is an empowering story about the power of female friendships that questions the blind loyalty associated with patriotism and provides insight into the role that women have actively played in battle. The bound book will include an author's note, and readers may want to move on to Wein's nonfiction book about the Night Witches, A Thousand Sisters (BCCB 12/18). NB