Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

10 reviews

creolelitbelle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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? No

5.0

Parts of history are not taught or discussed as often as others, and those are the times and events I enjoy most reading about. Sepetys's books are always eye-opening and emotional, but I appreciate the peek inside fictional accounts of what real people experienced. Between Shades of Gray (or Ashes in the Snow, depending on the edition) is no different. Multiple scenes brought tears to my eyes. What Lina, her family, and others with her suffer is heartbreaking, but she manages to never lose hope or love. Flashbacks of her memories connect to her current events very well and give a solid contrast between the warm, safe life Lina used to know and the bitter, cold life she suffered at the hands of Soviets. I love how her art and writings are incorporated into the narrative and tie into how deportees really chronicalized their trauma. 

The strangest deja vu feeling crept over me while reading the book, making me feel like I'd read it before. I hadn't, and I can only explain that feeling by thinking back to an adult historical fiction book by Heather Morris that was set in a Soviet labor camp or gulag. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Genocide, Deportation, Death, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Confinement, Murder, Chronic illness, and War

Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide

pastorscratchy1reads's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Self harm, Racial slurs, War, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Genocide, Death of parent, Death, Violence, Deportation, Torture, Physical abuse, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Antisemitism, Cursing, Blood, Child abuse, and Alcohol

I just wish the ending was a little more clear. Like did Lina's father actually survive? What happens to Jonas? How does Lina find Andrius again?

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

megs_baer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Torture, Gore, Grief, Police brutality, Trafficking, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Slavery, Classism, Colonisation, Hate crime, Racial slurs, War, and Child death

_mya_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Confinement, Excrement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Hate crime, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Vomit

sammymilfort's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual harassment, War, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Genocide

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

sofmar917's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

Amazing book and incredibly sad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Vomit, Violence, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Blood, Antisemitism, and Ableism

solaris_zip's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

The first book I have ever read from Sepetys was “salt to the sea” and I immediately fall in love with the writing style, the character, the flow of the words. Today I had the pleasure of finishing “between shades of grey “ and it did not disappoint. From the writing, to the character development Sepetys always knows what she is doing. The story is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time, you can feel Lina’s emotions on your own skin. The desire of freedom, that little spark of hope that never fully dies in her. The book shows, in a way or another, just a small portion of what 1000, it not more, people had to go through during WW2. And how those events scarred them and the generations to come. The book itself brings awareness to something that should be spoken more about, not just the moral of the book per se, but also about the tragic situation that those people where put in. What they went trough, what they had to see, what they had to leave behind and what they have lost in between. Rita Sepetys never fails to amaze me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, and Sexism

Minor: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Slavery

acupofmouie's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

"My husband, Andrius, says that evil will rule until good men or women choose to act. I believe him. This testimony was written to create an absolute record, to speak in a world where our voices have been extinguished."

This book is a testament to what the Baltic countries silently endured during Stalin's regime. It may not be the loudest part of history that most of us have heard of but I hope this book finds its way to more readers and remind that it happened, they exist, and they are now free.

This is a story of hope and of families who lived and loved amidst the horror of a ruthless ruler.


Full review: ✨ https://acupofmouie.blogspot.com/2021/01/ook-review-ashes-in-snow-by-ruta-sepetys.html?m=1

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

awells96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia