I thought the cover was just kind of intriguing, plus it's one on my state's reading list. believe it or not I though it was about the Titanic or something but OH MY GOODNESS IT WAS MUCH MORE TRAGIC.



It was actually way cleaner than I can expect from young adult books anymore. There wasn't really any swearing, except for a couple of instances. There was no explicit content (thank goodness) other than the occasional kiss. There was smoking though, if that's a concern to any of you.

The last thing is that this was a rough book because of the maturity level. So if you're not comfortable watching WWII movies rated PG-13, then this probably isn't the book for you. There is a reasonable amount of violence and some implied tragedies towards the characters, particularly Emilia.

Other than that, I'd give this four stars on cleanliness.




The main characters of this story are Joana, Emilia, Florian, and another character that nobody likes named Alfred. Joana and Florian had similar personalities, except that Joana seemed weighed down with regrets and duties. Florian was more of a fighting type of character. He doesn't want to get people hurt and chooses to leave them behind, but at the same time he's kicking himself for not taking them with him. So he has feelings which is beginning to be less prominent in books in this and other similar genres. While I liked them well enough, I wasn't dying over their personalities like WOAH and GAHHH and BEAUTIFUL.

Emilia. Oh my gosh from the beginning of the story I loved her character! She's super sweet, kind, and she has this really whimsical way of thinking that's sad and poetic at the same time, but doesn't bore you and keeps you thinking. Also, she's quite feminine and understands people!! Like, I don't think there are any other characters like her that make my heart just melt because she' such a sweet little smol person and IT'S SO FREAKING SAD WHY.

My first impression of Alfred went something like this:

Me: Oh, he's kind of quirky.
30 pages later
Me: He's so sheltered and a little penguin let's just pity the poor thing.
20 pages later
Me: He's SO RUDE to his mother. And really obsessed with this girl who apparently friend zoned him? Wee lamb.
2 pages later
Me: UGH GET A LIFE. I have no pity for you anymore you scheming, conniving, conceited sailor who isn't as smart as you think you are.
End of book
Me: *shakes head*

While I liked him less and less through the course of the story, and he just got more and more annoying, he was kind of the comic relief even though I'm pretty sure he didn't know it. Although he's not stupid, he's kind of blinded by Stalin's regime. Alfred was definitely unique though. I've never read a book that has that kind of POV before.

I feel kind of bad because I devoted a whole paragraph to Emilia and just a few sentences to Joana and Florian. But oh well. I'd say that overall the character development was pretty well-thought out, and I liked the contrast of thoughts on how the different characters considered the Nazi regime, but personalities could have been a little more diversified. I'd say three and a half stars.


Because this was a historical novel based on a very specific event in history, the main plot was pretty strict to history. Already it was a tragic story but Sepetys made it more heartfelt. The structure was excellent—timing was neither too fast nor too slow, all of the clues fit together without hiccups, and the execution was flawless. There were a few instances where I was kind of confused due to Florian and Joana being so vague, but I figured it out in the end. I would definitely suggest this book as a possible role model if you write historical fiction.


I found it kind of hard to slip into Sepetys's writing style at first, because she writes primarily using shorter sentences and quick descriptions. But after a couple of chapters I enjoyed it immensely. It brought a sense of urgency and seriousness to the story. Her descriptions, though usually just a couple of sentences, were effective at helping me imagine vivid scenes. Her writing flows beautifully! Definitely worth the read. And I cried!! A lot!! That book still haunts my soul and sometimes I spontaneously want to burst into tears when I see it on the library shelves.


The great thing about this book in terms of romance was that it was very clearly stated as a side plot. Yes, it was obviously carried out, but it was not the main thing. It did not distract from the main plot because it was just between Joana and Florian so basically there was none of the crazy shipping and Battle of the Love Triangles going on. It was mellow, and bittersweet, and the best part? IT ACTUALLY WENT SOMEWHERE. LIKE, THAT NEVER HAPPENS. *dies*

I was not disappointed by some dramatic breakup that seems to be the YA trope. It reminded me a bit of Puck and Sean's relationship in The Scorpio Races, but definitely faster.