Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Musím tě zradit by Ruta Sepetys

78 reviews

haley49's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

This was a good account of a teenager’s view of Soviet-era Romania. I didn’t know much about the time period and it was surreal learning what they went through. I like how the author clearly aims for authenticity and has a really thoughtful note at the end. It reminded me of why I love historical fiction and of it’s capacity to bring future change. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Gun violence, Torture, Murder, Gaslighting, and War

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

pkane01's review against another edition

informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, and War

kennyscoffee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective 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? No

4.0

Not my favorite book by this author but still stunning, sad, and raw just like her other novels. It pulls back the curtain of a country that the West continues to pass over during a horrible time in its past. 

The book becomes violent at 75% of the way through but the tense, stiflingly environment the characters live in is clear from the start. I thought the main character was good and gave a good POV to follow through the confusion and struggle of 1980's Romania. The plot twists/information reveals had me gasping several times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Blood, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This is a fascinating story of Romania in the late 1980s under the dictatorship of Ceausescu.  Under Ceausescu's system, many people became informers.  It was a country where no one could be trusted, including your friends and family.  We've heard about the orphanages, but this young adult story tells more about what happened to the rest of the people living there.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mattythebookworm22's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Police brutality

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

katrinaburch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

More like 4.9 But while I did give it that, I understand why the author did it. I really enjoyed this so much. I was young when the revolution happened and part of my family is from Romania. So getting a historical fiction work about the revolution was great. I enjoyed Fountains of Silence more but this is an excellent book.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

maidmarianlib's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Engaging and rich with the historical setting.  Heartbreaking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

Ruta Sepetys does it again with an amazingly crafted historical fiction, uncovering the hidden history of Romania. I wanted to cry, laugh, fight, and escape while reading. 

I reread this book for a work book discussion I host with one of our high schools, and it was even better the second time around. I Must Betray You is haunting, heartbreaking, and powerful. The characters all have such important parts to the plot and are each uniquely their own with their own secrets.

As a book discussion group, we were able to talk with a teacher who had been living in Romania under the communist regime as a teenager, and she said that this book is 100% accurate to the events that occurred. It was horrifying to hear that, but I am also always so impressed with the research, detail, emotion, and perspective that Sepetys puts into her novels. She easily remains one of my favorite authors of all time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

dark informative tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and War

Minor: Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Deportation

kbucheit's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail