Scan barcode
charlx_otte's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This was absolutely incredible. No words can describe how awful the Romanian people suffered through Ceausescu's reign of terror. May this story (and many similar ones) be shared for many years to come 💓
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Torture
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Death of parent
A lot of blood and body horror happen towards the end, mirroring the suffering the Romanians have have gone throughbefrazzledenby's review against another edition
read the trigger warnings first y'all whew
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Cancer, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, War, Child death, Genocide, Medical content, Body horror, Sexual violence, Death, and Confinement
greylandreviews's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“How could we expect others to feel our pain or hear our cries for help when all we could do was whisper?”
A really informative and interesting book. I really like when Sepetys only writes from one point of view. When she does multiple, it just becomes jumbly and pacing is kind of thrown off. The narrator for this one was good also.
I never knew this about Romania and I'm really glad I learned about it. Giving a voice to a silent past is what Sepetys is a master at.
A really informative and interesting book. I really like when Sepetys only writes from one point of view. When she does multiple, it just becomes jumbly and pacing is kind of thrown off. The narrator for this one was good also.
I never knew this about Romania and I'm really glad I learned about it. Giving a voice to a silent past is what Sepetys is a master at.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Excrement, Body horror, Violence, Medical trauma, Genocide, Gore, War, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Cancer, and Sexual assault
martywelchh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Body horror
skyejay95's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As someone who didn’t know much about the topic, I like how informative and fast it was to know what was going on. I didn’t get that emotionally attached to any of the characters because of how fast it was but I also don’t like books that make me cry, so the emotional distance combined with the short chapters was really nice for me. It kept me engaged, focussed, and I kept drawing comparisons to today’s world. You felt the tension and seriousness of everything that was going on the entire time even if you didn’t deeply connect to any of the characters. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: War, Violence, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Murder
shesreadthat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, Genocide, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Antisemitism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Torture, Violence, War, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gun violence
jebowman123's review against another edition
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
“When justice cannot shape memory, remembering the past can be a form of justice.” —Ana Blandiana
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
celebrationofbooks's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m starting to think that I’m getting to the point with Ruta that I did with Elizabeth Wein. I still love her books, but I may be outgrowing them. While both authors were ones I always wholeheartedly recommended to adult readers as well, I’ve felt that their latest books will be most loved by high schoolers, even middle grade readers. So please know, this is a good book, it’s just not hitting the same notes with me now that I’m on the other side of 30. If Ruta ever wants to retool this as an adult book, I’d love to get it from Cristian’s sister’s perspective.
I Must Betray You is most akin to Salt to the Sea in its style of short chapters, each ending with a cliffhanger. It is, in and of itself, a compelling story. My best friend studied abroad in Romania in 2005-6 and from what she told me of the Romanian people, you would never have imagined that they had gone through such hell only 16 years before. While reading, the only comparison I could think to make was to what I had read about North Korea in My Holiday in North Korea, as well as the cult of personality created by the orange buffoon who was in office before Biden.
It’s a dangerous thing, to have people so wrapped up in what their neighbors are doing, what their family members are doing, ratting each other out to gain favor with the party. To live in terror, it must have been beyond exhausting, it’d be a shock if you didn’t go paranoid. You could do everything correctly, and people would frame you, make things up, lie about you. Our protagonist, Cristian, is a compelling character and it is interesting to see how his life unfolds in the lead up to the revolution of 1989.
His relationships with his friends, a girl he likes, and his family, all shed light on how fearful the people were about being disappeared. His grandfather remembers the time before Ceaușescu and is outspoken about the changes that he despises. Cristian’s parents have all but shut themselves out of the world, not wanting to engage or give anyone any ammunition against them.
When Cristian joins his mother at her job cleaning for the American ambassador, things really get interesting and Cristian becomes even more suspicious of who may have given his name to the secret police and ultimately, it was a surprise to find out who the traitor in his circle really is.
Ultimately, it’s a great book, perfect for high school students, but not so perfect for me. I found the overall reading less disengaging, though I do understand why Ruta wrote it as she did. I will wholeheartedly recommend it to schools, students, and teachers, but will probably hold off on encouraging adult readers to purchase it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
More...