I haven't read all of Sepetys's books, but this one has me running to pick them all up. It was so much better than I was expecting.
My favorite thing about this was definitely the setting it explored. I had no idea Romania ever was a Communist country. I had no idea it was ever under a dictatorship. High school history covered the Iron Curtain, but Romania wasn't spotlighted. And that's what this book remedied. It spotlighted the struggles of Romanian citizens. Not the well-off Romanians, just the everyday, ordinary citizens. It was beautiful for that. After finishing it, I felt like I both learned something and entertained myself, it was the perfect balance of both.
Another thing I really loved was Sepetys's writing style. She doesn't try and do anything fancy with her writing. Not that it's unrefined, just that it's simplistic. Her books are easy to absorb, which makes the messages hit even harder. The most powerful quotes are delivered with elementary language, and they're heartbreakingly simple.
The one thing I did find this to be lacking was an emotional connection. I enjoyed it, and I'll definitely be rereading/recommending it, but I just wanted a bit more from it. Still an amazing book though
Thanks to BookishFirst for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
My favorite thing about this was definitely the setting it explored. I had no idea Romania ever was a Communist country. I had no idea it was ever under a dictatorship. High school history covered the Iron Curtain, but Romania wasn't spotlighted. And that's what this book remedied. It spotlighted the struggles of Romanian citizens. Not the well-off Romanians, just the everyday, ordinary citizens. It was beautiful for that. After finishing it, I felt like I both learned something and entertained myself, it was the perfect balance of both.
Another thing I really loved was Sepetys's writing style. She doesn't try and do anything fancy with her writing. Not that it's unrefined, just that it's simplistic. Her books are easy to absorb, which makes the messages hit even harder. The most powerful quotes are delivered with elementary language, and they're heartbreakingly simple.
The one thing I did find this to be lacking was an emotional connection. I enjoyed it, and I'll definitely be rereading/recommending it, but I just wanted a bit more from it. Still an amazing book though
Thanks to BookishFirst for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!