This was my first Ruta Sepetys book and it did not disappoint! I was immediately drawn in by the setting of Madrid, Spain. I had visited Madrid for a couple days while studying abroad in Valencia, so it was really neat to be able to revisit in a different time period. The fact that I had been to a lot of the places mentioned in the book was a cool experience.
The characters in this book are super likeable and relatable. I love how Sepetys portrayed Ana's longing to act out and go against the pressures that Franco's Spain puts on her. All she wants is to be able to express herself and live freely, but she must contain and hide that side of herself due to fear. Then there's Daniel, who doesn't fully understand everything that's going on - the control, the corruptness, the political powers at play - and yet he still does his best to help Ana and others. He may not know the whole story, but he is determined to figure it out.
The characters in this book are super likeable and relatable. I love how Sepetys portrayed Ana's longing to act out and go against the pressures that Franco's Spain puts on her. All she wants is to be able to express herself and live freely, but she must contain and hide that side of herself due to fear. Then there's Daniel, who doesn't fully understand everything that's going on - the control, the corruptness, the political powers at play - and yet he still does his best to help Ana and others. He may not know the whole story, but he is determined to figure it out.