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    Daughters of the Night Sky
    Daughters of the Night Sky
    Daughters of the Night Sky
    Audiobook10 hours

    Daughters of the Night Sky

    Written by Aimie K. Runyan

    Narrated by Kathleen Gati

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A novel—inspired by the most celebrated regiment in the Red Army—about a woman’s sacrifice, courage, and love in a time of war.

    Russia, 1941. Katya Ivanova is a young pilot in a far-flung military academy in the Ural Mountains. From childhood, she’s dreamed of taking to the skies to escape her bleak mountain life. With the Nazis on the march across Europe, she is called on to use her wings to serve her country in its darkest hour. Not even the entreaties of her new husband—a sensitive artist who fears for her safety—can dissuade her from doing her part as a proud daughter of Russia.

    After years of arduous training, Katya is assigned to the 588th Night Bomber Regiment—one of the only Soviet air units composed entirely of women. The Germans quickly learn to fear nocturnal raids by the daring fliers they call “Night Witches.” But the brutal campaign will exact a bitter toll on Katya and her sisters-in-arms. When the smoke of war clears, nothing will ever be the same—and one of Russia’s most decorated military heroines will face the most agonizing choice of all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 1, 2018
    ISBN9781543613858
    Daughters of the Night Sky
    Author

    Aimie K. Runyan

    Aimie K. Runyan is a multi-published and bestselling author of historical and contemporary fiction. She has been nominated for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Writer of the Year Award, a Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice selection, and a four-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. She is an adjunct instructor for the Drexel University MFA in Creative Writing program and endeavors to be active in the literary community in Colorado and beyond. She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her wonderful husband, two (usually) adorable children, two (always) adorable cats, and a dragon.

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    Reviews for Daughters of the Night Sky

    4/5

    94 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      An absolutely stunning glimpse (although fictional) into the life of women in the Russian Army during WWII.
    • 5/5
      Being historical fiction buff I have always enjoyed reading about the unknown roles that women played during the world wars. The focus has always been on the men. This story was well told, I was connected with characters quickly.
      Very much enjoyed the story.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved this book! The characters were well done and I couldn't stop listening to find out what happened next. These were truly unsung heroines.
    • 5/5
      This is a must-read, a wel written storyline with believable characters, and it portrays women and the rolls they assumed during the war. The brave women pilots and how hard they worked for freedom. This book will stir your emotions, and it will tear at you, "I cried. I am personally grateful for the author writing this book. Throughout my life, you have heard of the strife of women, yet it's like the government doesn't want to give women the credit they need and deserve.
    • 4/5
      During WWII, a few regiments of women piloted bombers and fighters in the Soviet Air Forces. The Germans called them Night Witches, because they bombed German bases during the night. This novel tells the fictionalized story of these women through the eyes of Katya. From an early age, Katya decides she wants to be a pilot. She studies hard in school and gets her military training. As women, Katya and her peers have to prove themselves better than the men to be taken seriously at all, and they accomplish this marvelously, with far more sorties than any of the male regiments, and better records in general. As a wartime story, there is of course hardship and misery, yet this book tempers that with hope and triumph. This book is great for anyone who wishes to know more about a little-known piece of WWII history. Sofia Orlov, Katya’s commanding officer, was based on real-life heroine Marina Raskova. I would very much like to read her story.
    • 4/5
      Novel based on the exploits of "The Night Witches" -- Russian women pilots whose night raids harassed the German army with their nighttime bombing runs in small, underpowered, and generally unarmed planes. It's a bit slow to start -- the heroine doesn't actually get into the air until midway through the book -- but after that point, it moves along with memorable characters and scenes.
    • 4/5
      This was a free Kindle book and I was really surprised by how much I liked it. I enjoy historical fiction, and this was WWII from a side I had not even known about. It is a group of women pilots, mostly from Poland and Russia, fighting against the Germans, but also against the stereotypes for women of the day. They learned how to fly better, accomplish more runs than the men, and yet were rarely given credit for what they did. It was a story of friendships, and perseverance and hardship. If you enjoy books about history and women, you won't want to miss this story!
    • 5/5
      Really good book! It was interesting to read and learn about the female pilots who flew for Russia during WWII. Their bravery and dedication were amazing. The fact that they outperformed the male flight crews is not surprising. They had to work much harder to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.I appreciated the author's note at the end in confirming where she deviated from fact. Her effort to provide a true picture of the "Night Witches" and their experiences was worthwhile.I could have done without the sex scenes...they didn't really add value to the story. But other than those few episodes, the book is one I would highly recommend.Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! I had heard a little about The Night Witches but this story brought them to life. You get pulled into the story of Katya to celebrate and ache with her through all of her ups and downs. I totally recommend this book to anybody.
    • 4/5
      I read a lot of WWII fiction but this was a totally new look at the war for me. This historical fiction was about Russian women pilots who bombed German areas during the war. The author did extensive research for this book and her research made this book even more interesting and intriguing.Katya wanted to be a pilot from a young age and her mother encouraged her to be whatever she wanted to be. Of course, there were very few women pilots at the time so Katya was met with resistance and scorn from men during every step. Her teacher in school felt that women should become mothers and stay at home and refused to teach her mathematics in school until her mother intervened. When she got accepted to flight school, the male pilots treated the women terribly and even the male instructors were unfair to the females. After all of the people trying to keep her from reaching her goal, the war started and she was accepted into an all female regiment. Though she wants to help her country win the war, she also wants to be with her new husband and keep herself safe as he requested. She is torn between helping her country and being a brave example for the other women in her group and being the person that her husband wants her to be until she realizes that the only way she'll be happy in her life is to follow her dreams.This is a wonderful, well written novel about female pilots during the war who not only had to fight the enemy but they also had to fight the prevailing belief of the day that women should stay at home. It's a book about bravery and loyalty and following your dreams no matter where they lead.I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.
    • 5/5
      MY REVIEW OF ‘DAUGHTERS OF THE NIGHT SKY’ by Aimie K. RunyanKudos to Aimie K. Runyan, author of “Daughters of the Night Sky” (Lake Union Publishing, Publication date January, 2018) for writing such an enticing and intriguing novel combining Historical Fiction and Fiction, which are the genres for this story. The story takes places during World War Two, mostly in Russia.I can appreciate Aimie K. Runyan’s hours of historical research for this novel. The author writes about the daring women in the Night Bomber Regiment of Russian fliers, known as the “Night Witches”. The “Night Witches” were known to do major damage to the German companies in the area.The characters of the story are described as brave and courageous, in these complex and complicated times. Katya Ivanova has always dreamed of being a pilot, flying in the skies. It is a tough battle, because women were often discriminated in the education they got, and the jobs that they could do. Katya works extremely hard in her studies to be able to accomplish her dreams. She is encouraged and supported by another Pilot, who becomes her husband. Can there be time for War and Love?As the war with the Germans intensifies, Katya is called upon to fly the combat planes for Mother Russia. Her husband has gone to the front to fight there, and really wants Katya to think about this. Katya is determined that she will fight for Mother Russia the best way that she can, in the air. Katya meets other women, and they work together on the ground and sky to fight for their Mother Russia. The women are proving they can be a force to be reckoned with. At time, there are doing better than their male counterparts.Nothing is fair in love and war. War can be devastating, and there are casualties and dangers. I love that the author has written about a courageous and brave group of women who were able to not only live their dreams, but fight bravely together for their country. They had to fight discrimination in everything from education, to the supplies they were given for combat. Men were given better supplies to fight with during the war. The women did not have radios in the planes that they were used to flying, making their jobs more dangerous and complicated. The women had to sew the uniforms they were given so they would fit.The author discusses the importance of pursuing your dreams, the importance of family and friends, loyalty, trust, love, hope and faith. The author also mentions how devastating war can be, and the importance of the choices that we make. I received an ARC of this book from The Ninjas-Great Thought Great Readers for my honest review.