Scan barcode
kylajaynebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Hate crime, Genocide, Gore, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Terminal illness, Vomit, and War
mformato's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed that each character had their own distinct voice but I hated that they all withheld information from the reader. I understand that building up to a big reveal helps create tension but it felt unnecessary for all of them except Emilia. She was definitely the one with the most intriguing arc and I wish we had more depth with her.
I found myself skipping over most of Alfred's imaginary letters cause I just couldn't stand him and it really added nothing to the story. Even his big secret was muddied by his disillusion and not that monumental.
I adored the relationship between Klaus and the Shoe Poet; such a wholesome and tragic bond of two people in a time of war and I almost wish there was a novella from the Shoe Poet's perspective starting from right before he joined the group to how events played out in the novel.
Joana and Florian felt like generic YA characters to me. Not the worst, not the best. Just okay.
Overall I would recommend this book to others who enjoy YA and/or historical fiction. I am impressed with the amount of research Septeys does for her books; she truly cares about creating a historically accurate story with her own voice and I am definitely interested in more of her work.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, War, Grief, Racism, Genocide, Medical content, and Sexual assault
itshrewsbury's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
13+
TW/CW: war, death, racism/anti-semitism, rape
Graphic: War, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape and Death
smartens's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Death, Racism, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, and War
emmaopaline'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Rape
julieclair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
cammiem8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Religious bigotry, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Death, Child death, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Grief, and Antisemitism
Minor: Homophobia, Torture, and Vomit
Depicts WW2 and Nazism realistically, so expect all the violence and bigotry that goes along with that.misssophiawilliams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Murder, Gore, Medical content, Racism, Rape, Violence, Ableism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, and War
shybookstagramer's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was beautifully written and brought this tragic tale to my attention. I like how the story was told from 4 completely different perspectives so that readers can see how this tragedy affected so many different types of people. I felt for the characters. I thought they were all unique and well-written. I grew very attached to them and became so invested.
There were some moments where I didn't necessarily want some of the descriptions that I got, but they did show the horrible things that occurred.
This is a very heavy read but I think it's important that people read it because we need to learn about events like this that are never talked about.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Pregnancy, Racism, Ableism, Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Rape, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault
scarletleaf's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: War, Racism, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape