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8675309mp's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, and War
megatza's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
Genre: historical fiction
Bucharest, Romania 1989
Cristian Florescu is a normal teenager , a dreamer who wants to go to university. Except a normal teenage boy in Romania in 1989 isn’t just mooning over teenage girls: he’s also watching over his shoulder, wondering who may be listening and reporting him to the government. He and his family live in a tiny apartment, and his parents wait in long lines for food and household goods after long shifts at work. When a government agent accuses him of treason for having an American dollar, Cristian makes a bargain to spy on the son of the American diplomat in exchange for medication for his ailing grandfather. No one outside of Romania knows how truly terrible the living conditions are. But there is unrest in the streets, and the country stands on the cusp of a revolution.
This book is a brutal gut punch - graphic and heart wrenching, and important to read. The fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe happened within my own lifetime, and I have very vague memories of events in the early 90s. Having just spent two weeks in Poland and Hungary, this also hit a bittersweet chord for me. I spent several hours (and wished for more) at the Solidarity Museum and Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk. In 1970, people lost their lives in a strike, and in 1980, the Solidarity Union began the decade long bloodless revolution to bring democracy to Poland. This is mentioned in half a sentence in I Must Betray You. In Hungary, dictatorship looked a little different, but the devastation of the Uprising in Budapest in the 60s had echoes around Eastern Europe as well. We think of those things as a distant past in a faraway land, but they really aren't.
Ruta Sepetys has a gift of bringing out the human side of terrible tragedies. This book is YA, because it centers around 17-year-olds, and she presents the story of the revolution in Romania through the eyes of a teenager. But it's dark and difficult because life was dark and difficult. There are sparks of hope, of course. Don't assume that because this is YA that it's dumbed down. Sepetys is meticulous in her research and depiction. Don't sleep on this, or any of her other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Police brutality, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jroy13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
mbm7pink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This book was very good. It was a hard story, but very gripping and kept me wanting to read more. I appreciated the short chapters. Such an incredible story of the will to survive and fight for your country and who you are (Romanian). The end was a bit rough and hard to read, but at the same time I wanted to keep reading it to find out how it ended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Blood, and War
dev921's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kassidyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, and Grief
jazzsonnet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Stalking
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
alexklinect's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I read this in two days! I felt that the author did an excellent job at capturing the voice of a teenage boy, the pacing was perfect for this kind of story, and I could tell that she had done a multitude of in-depth historical research.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, and War
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
arthomas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I purchased a copy of this book from the library bookstore.
"I Must Betray You" follows 17-year-old Cristian in 1989 Romania. Cristian aspires to be a writer, but in Romania, there are other plans for people. Nicolae Ceaușescu is the dictator over Romania, and he rules his people by instilling fear and isolating them from the rest of the world. Cristian does not want to live this way anymore, and as he begins to learn more about what is happening in the world, he grows the urge to fight back and do something for the country he loves.
This was a difficult story to read because Cristian's life is made so difficult by a cruel and unjust leader. what is even more devastating, is that this book is historical fiction, and events like these occurred so recently. There were moments I was appalled and wanted to put the book down, but at the same time I was entranced by what was happening. I needed to know how Cristian's story ended.
I really enjoyed that this was written for the young adult sphere. I think it is important for young adults to be exposed to history, and historical fiction books are a great, entertaining way to do so. There were moments of violence and gore that were challenging to read, but again, I think it is important to learn that the world is not all sunshine all the time.
Ruta Sepetys is an immensely talented author, and I really enjoyed my first taste of her writing. Her eloquent prose is both beautiful and does not shy away from the truth. She writes raw stories about real hardship, but she does so in a way that makes it impossible to put the book down.
I could feel Cristian's stress radiating from the page, and I wanted to scream at him the truth that was just beyond his grasp. He is a strong protagonist, and I enjoyed his point of view. He was brave in the face of adversity, and he always sought the truth, even when that seemed impossible to do.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I cannot wait to pick up more from Ruta Sepetys in the near future.
"I Must Betray You" follows 17-year-old Cristian in 1989 Romania. Cristian aspires to be a writer, but in Romania, there are other plans for people. Nicolae Ceaușescu is the dictator over Romania, and he rules his people by instilling fear and isolating them from the rest of the world. Cristian does not want to live this way anymore, and as he begins to learn more about what is happening in the world, he grows the urge to fight back and do something for the country he loves.
This was a difficult story to read because Cristian's life is made so difficult by a cruel and unjust leader. what is even more devastating, is that this book is historical fiction, and events like these occurred so recently. There were moments I was appalled and wanted to put the book down, but at the same time I was entranced by what was happening. I needed to know how Cristian's story ended.
I really enjoyed that this was written for the young adult sphere. I think it is important for young adults to be exposed to history, and historical fiction books are a great, entertaining way to do so. There were moments of violence and gore that were challenging to read, but again, I think it is important to learn that the world is not all sunshine all the time.
Ruta Sepetys is an immensely talented author, and I really enjoyed my first taste of her writing. Her eloquent prose is both beautiful and does not shy away from the truth. She writes raw stories about real hardship, but she does so in a way that makes it impossible to put the book down.
I could feel Cristian's stress radiating from the page, and I wanted to scream at him the truth that was just beyond his grasp. He is a strong protagonist, and I enjoyed his point of view. He was brave in the face of adversity, and he always sought the truth, even when that seemed impossible to do.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, and I cannot wait to pick up more from Ruta Sepetys in the near future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail