Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

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?

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death, Deportation, Murder, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, War, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Confinement, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, Genocide, Deadnaming, Death of parent, and Excrement

arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, War, Gun violence, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol, Excrement, Antisemitism, Blood, Grief, Suicide, and Sexual harassment

jojo_'s review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Trafficking, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Excrement, and War

Minor: Animal death and Suicide

_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

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Police brutality, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, War, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Murder, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence

Minor: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Cursing

maple_dove's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Blood, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Drug use, Sexual assault, Death, Gun violence, War, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, Rape, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Starvation (graphic)

serena_hien's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, and Grief

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Excrement, and Alcohol