foreverinastory's review

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challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Penguin Teen & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Books like Between Shades of Gray are incredibly important. This book was the first time I learned about the deportation of the Baltic States by the USSR. Sepetys masterfully depicts the horrific events in a way that makes the trauma these people faced real, while also never losing hope. This book is hard to read because it completely humanizes these experiences. There is no way to look at the events in this book and think they're justified.

I loved the way this was adapted for graphic novels! This will bring Lina's story to so many more people. I think this will only impact more people to be more empathetic. I really loved Lina. She was such a strong character and she always sticks to her convictions. Her story is one that won't ever leave me.

CWs: Antisemitism, blood, child abuse, child death, confinement, death, death of parent, genocide, grief, gun violence, kidnapping, injury/injury detail, murder, violence, war, xenophobia.

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