Scan barcode
charlx_otte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Torture
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Death of parent
A lot of blood and body horror happen towards the end, mirroring the suffering the Romanians have have gone throughsarahflanders's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Police brutality, Violence, Gore, Medical content, War, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
readingwithkaitlyn's review
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Sexism, Death, Torture, Murder, War, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Violence, Police brutality, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Excrement
Minor: Death of parent, Child death, Classism, and Alcohol
abby_reads_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Police brutality, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Antisemitism, War, and Terminal illness
charliethebooklover's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ruta Sepetys never disappoints! This is the third book of hers I have read, and it's just as full of emotion, twists, and good characters. She gives a voice to people that didn't have one, and tells stories for those who can't. While I don't think that any of her books could top Salt to The Sea, one of my all-time favorites, they're still so great to read, yet heart wrenching at the same time. I must betray is a boom where I never knew who I could trust, and every reveal was just as heart-pounding as the previous. Truly the queen of historical fiction. If you're interested, try it out! As always, check the content warnings, because mental health comes first!
Graphic: Death, War, Police brutality, Murder, Gun violence, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Genocide
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Suicide
maddiet425's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol and Cancer
foreverinastory's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Damn Sepetys did it again. Her writing and books are phenomenal.
I Must Betray You takes us to post WWII Romania where Ceaușescu's reign is still going strong. But the people are overworked, being starved and harassed by Ceaușescu's secret police agents. The country is governed by isolation and fear. When Cristian Florescu is blackmailed to become an informant, he feels even more lost. His choices seem impossible, but when the opportunity to expose what is happening in Romania to the world, he jumps into the revolution.
All of Sepetys's books have taught me something. I love that most of her books have focused on Eastern Europe because US public schools hardly talk about these subjects. Even though I took AP European history in high school, I knew nothing about this. This book takes place in 1989 and focuses on the Romanian revolution of December 1989.
Cristian was an easy character to empathize with. We see the horrible things happening in Romania through his eyes and with his sense of compassion. He is such a cinnamon roll. I loved how much he loved his family, especially his Bunu (grandfather). Their relationship was one of my favorite things in this book. Among all the fear and paranoia, these two were bright stars. The love they had for each other was always palpable.
This is a heavy book, but wow I sped through it. Sepetys is a masterful writer, never shying away from the hard truths, but also doing so in such a way that the characters' humanity is always preserved. My heart hurts so much for 1989 Romania and the people who went through these real life events. Sepetys also weaves in reports throughout Cristian's narrative. So not only do we get his POV, but we see how the Securitate see him. And wow, it was menacing. The environment created in this was so tense and fearful.
There's not a ton of action in the beginning of this. Don't get me wrong, things happen and we get to know all the characters. But the first half of the story really sets in tension and depicting just how awful conditions were for the average Romanian citizen. The juxtaposition is made clear whenever Cristian interacts with Dan Van Dorn, the son of the American embassy delegate. The way the Van Dorns are treated and the access they have compared to Cristian is wild. It really slams home the point of how privileged the American delegates are treated.
I highly recommend reading the historical and author note at the end, it is amazing to see a glimpse of the research process and the real people whose lives have been touched.
Rep: All Romanian cast, male side character who loses an arm, chronically ill elderly male side character, Roma male side character.
CWs: Blood, confinement, death, death of parent, emotional and physical abuse (government to its people), genocide, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, police brutality, stalking, violence. Moderate: torture, gun violence, chronic illness, war. Minor: cancer.
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Torture, and War
Minor: Cancer