Reviews with content warning for Blood - Ashes in the Snow

Wow, what an incredibly powerful and important book! I am so grateful Ruta wrote this, it is so important we do not forget what happened to these amazing people.

The book begins immediately with Lina and her brother and her mother getting taken to start working in a camp.

The story is told rather methodically, “I said this, she did this, this happened then that happened” which I did not think I would like. However, I enjoyed the simplicity and that there weren’t a lot of purple prose or anything, nothing to distract you from the direct words you were reading.

This is Ruta’s first published book and it definitley sounds/reads different than her others that I’ve read. But I still enjoyed it, as much as one can enjoy such a heart breaking book.

I am not a crier but I did cry at the end, it moved and touched me so very deeply.

As Ruta is Lithuanian, this felt like an homage to those who endured in silence for so long. I’m so glad light is being shed on the truth of what so many that suffered in silence went through for so many years...

Quotes:
“Have you ever wondered how much a person’s life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”

“We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean. I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we’d get a little closer.”

Content Warnings

adister's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative sad

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

4.5

Content Warnings

sammymilfort's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

maple_dove's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book nearly broke me, but filled in the cracks at the end.

I . . . really don't know what else to say.

I did find one thing wrong with this, and that was the one brief appearance of arophobia.

Content Warnings

karla_w_a_k's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Difficult book to read as it recounts a dark time in history, but it is history worth learning about. I would not recommend if traumatic storylines, realistic depictions of trauma are difficult to handle in reading, generational trauma/ genocide are things too difficult. Think very similar to Anne Frank and other survivor stories of POW’s from WWII era. I found it a story that I appreciated as it’s about a genocide often overlooked/ forgotten that reverberates to today still. Incredibly accurate description of what many endured but never had the chance to share. If stories like that inspire you to reflect or empathize, change the world, or simply understand history of other cultures- this is a story that would be beneficial to read. But, it is a difficult one. Take breaks!!

Content Warnings