‘Daughters of War’ spoiler-free review!

Hello lovely people! Today is my stop on the blog tour for Daughters of War, the newest novel from Dinah Jefferies! Huge thanks to Harper Collins and Random Things Tours for sending me an ARC to review 🙂

France, 1944.
Deep in the river valley of the Dordogne, in an old stone cottage on the edge of a beautiful village, three sisters long for the end of the war.
Hélène, the eldest, is trying her hardest to steer her family to safety, even as the Nazi occupation becomes more threatening.
Elise, the rebel, is determined to help the Resistance, whatever the cost.
And Florence, the dreamer, just yearns for a world where France is free.
Then, one dark night, the Allies come knocking for help. And Helene knows that she cannot sit on the sidelines any longer. But bravery comes at a cost, and soon the sisters’ lives become even more perilous as they fight for what is right. And secrets from their own mysterious past threaten to unravel everything they hold most dear…
The first in an epic new series from the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller, Daughters of War is a stunning tale of sisters, secrets and bravery in the darkness of war-torn France…

Dinah Jefferies is one of my favourite historical fiction authors so I was absolutely delighted at the opportunity to read her latest novel! And what most excited me about this one is that it’s the first in a series. I’ve only read standalones from Jefferies so far, so I was intrigued to see how she would handle a series-opener – and I can say that I’ll definitely be picking up the second instalment!

One of the things I love most about Jefferies’ novels is her ability to evoke settings and time periods so well. Her books never fail to make me feel transported. This one felt particularly evocative as it is set during World War Two and I’m always drawn to books set in that era anyway. However, normally we read about the war from the perspective of Britain or Germany, so it felt different to be reading a WWII novel set in France.

Another thing I loved about this book was that we were treated to multiple perspectives, with each sister being given a voice. The other Dinah Jefferies books I’ve read have only ever had one or two perspectives at the most, but she juggled the three voices effortlessly in this case and Helene, Elise and Florence all felt distinct. I felt empathy for all three sisters, though perhaps most strongly for sweet Florence for whom Jefferies had me in tears.

Daughters of War took me on a real emotional journey and I definitely recommend it (or any of Jefferies’ books) to historical fiction fans. I’m so pleased to say that this is another winner from Dinah Jefferies and I can’t wait to see where she takes the series next!