I’m generally not a fan of historical fiction, but Ruta Sepetys has become one of my must-read authors. I’d say that her most recent novel has a lot of crossover appeal— I can see myself recommending this to adults just as much as teens.
I’m almost embarrassed to say it, but I learned a lot through reading this book. I, quite frankly, had no idea what 1950s Spain was like. Sepetys manages to transport her readers there— you feel the weight of the air, the sounds of the street, and can see everything so vividly. If other authors tried to fit in as many elements of this era as she did— from orphans and torture to bull-fighting and photography— it could have felt forced, but here it just feels natural.
Though the history is fascinating, this is a character driven story, and I love how new layers of each character unfold as the story progresses. The conversations between the two leads— Daniel and Ana— sizzle, but there is plenty of room for other characters to shine. I was pleasantly surprised by Nick in particular.
In Salt to the Sea, Sepetys’s short chapters and frequent narrator switches gave me a bit of whiplash, but that was less of an issue here. Everything flows naturally and the added perspectives give the story room to breathe. As usual, Sepetys writes elegantly without being extraneous.
And that twist! I didn’t see it coming!
I personally loved how the chapters were divided by excerpts from historical documents and interviews— otherwise some parts of this story may have felt too crazy to be true.
This is a long book, but I never tired of it. I kept flipping the pages late into the night and thinking about it during the day.
I’m almost embarrassed to say it, but I learned a lot through reading this book. I, quite frankly, had no idea what 1950s Spain was like. Sepetys manages to transport her readers there— you feel the weight of the air, the sounds of the street, and can see everything so vividly. If other authors tried to fit in as many elements of this era as she did— from orphans and torture to bull-fighting and photography— it could have felt forced, but here it just feels natural.
Though the history is fascinating, this is a character driven story, and I love how new layers of each character unfold as the story progresses. The conversations between the two leads— Daniel and Ana— sizzle, but there is plenty of room for other characters to shine. I was pleasantly surprised by Nick in particular.
In Salt to the Sea, Sepetys’s short chapters and frequent narrator switches gave me a bit of whiplash, but that was less of an issue here. Everything flows naturally and the added perspectives give the story room to breathe. As usual, Sepetys writes elegantly without being extraneous.
And that twist! I didn’t see it coming!
I personally loved how the chapters were divided by excerpts from historical documents and interviews— otherwise some parts of this story may have felt too crazy to be true.
This is a long book, but I never tired of it. I kept flipping the pages late into the night and thinking about it during the day.