Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Ashes in the Snow by Ruta Sepetys

33 reviews

mayakay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book, I read it in one weekend :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Child death, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death, Slavery, Police brutality, and Deportation

Moderate: Sexual assault, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

Minor: Blood, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Cursing

Lina's mother did not have to die(!!!!), does she find her father(???), and does Andrius find her??

I need a sequel but this book cannot have a sequel.

puzzling_reader's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Deportation, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: War, Violence, and Suicide

w3nda1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Violence, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

yanskeedoodle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Deportation, Slavery, Murder, Racism, and War

heidi_may91's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Genocide, Suicide, and Deportation

jaxene's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Fascinating to learn more about WW1 in the Baltic states. It is a topic that I was not at all familiar with before. This book was a quick read. The short chapters kept the pace moving forward. I wish that there has been a little bit more included in the epilogue about how their final story came to be. All around, a well-written story that inspires me to go read more about Stalin's roundup of Lithuanians and other Baltic folk to the Siberian arctic. Also interested in how people survive the polar night, brr 🥶.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War and Genocide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

jennswan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Deportation, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, War, Hate crime, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Excrement, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

lizziaha's review against another edition

3.0

I found it hard to connect with the characters, and the end felt unsatisfying. I almost wish that we had seen at least a little of the twelve years after the end of the book. And while this book is definitely not about romance, since romance was part of the epilogue, I wish we’d seen a little more of it throughout the book. I think that Sepetys always includes characters that don’t exist within comfortable lines of morality, but in this book it felt rushed and not fleshed out enough. I do kind of want to reread Joana’s story in the other book though. I didn’t remember enough from my read several years ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, War, Suicide, Torture, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Deportation, Rape, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Child death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Antisemitism

Minor: Animal death

oceanwriter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I don’t think I will ever find a book Ruta Sepetys has written that I don't adore. Her books have set my expectations for all historical fiction astronomically high that I’m at the point where I’m okay if she’s the only historical fiction author I ever read again. 

 

Lina and her family are forcibly removed from their home in Lithuania by the Soviets in the midst of World War II. They are deported to Siberia along with several other families. Lina holds out hope that her father will come to rescue them and even attempts to get coded messages to him. With her drawing talents, she also creates secret documentation of the cruelties she and her fellow deportees are forced to endure. 

 

I think I say this every time I read one of Ruta Sepetys’ books, but I absolutely love that the story follows a part of World War II history that is not as well known as others. I consider myself fairly well-studied in this time period and I knew nothing of the atrocities discussed in the book. On top of that, the characters are so marvelously fleshed out, flaws and strengths and all. They felt as authentic as their situations, which can be difficult to find, especially in this genre. 

 

It’s safe to say I am head over heels in love with these plots and the writing. I’m curious to see the movie (retitled Ashes in the Snow) but I know it will shatter my heart. I can bear a lot more of this kind of content in books than I can on screen. Honestly though, it might be worth it if it remains true to the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Child death, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, and Suicide

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Deportation, Murder, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, War, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Confinement, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Genocide, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Excrement