Reviews

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

abbyl819's review against another edition

5.0

This book was so amazing and powerful that I am actually having difficulties wrapping my mind around it. I had heard great things about this book, and it did not disappoint. I was completely unable to put it down and finished it in around half a day. The characters in this book are so well written and emotionally developed. The switches in perspective really help to display the reasoning and motives behind their actions, words, and thoughts. I was in love with this book and it's characters, and felt every twist and turn emotionally as I went through it with them. I love them all so much it is difficult to pick a favorite. Their bravery and positivity through hardship really are to be admired, as is that of many in history who don't get the recognition and memory that they deserve. This has definitely got to be one of the best historical fiction books that I have ever read, and I would definitely recommend it. Fans of Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire will love this as much as I loved both that series and this book.

erinricks's review against another edition

5.0

Oh. My. Gosh. This book was SOOOOOO good! I read it in a little under two hours, I just couldn't put it down! Great job Ruta Sepetys! I was crying at the end, which was nasty because I was sick, but STILL IT WAS SO GOOD. READ IT NOW.

melodicpiano's review against another edition

5.0

I cannot express how much I loved this book.
My English teacher last year recommended it to me and I absolutely loved it, the characters, the plot ,THE ENDING :( omg dude the ending was so sad it's one of my favourite reads of all time.

dreamingreader's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This was such an enlightening, thrilling, and attention-grabbing read!! I got to learn about an untold part of history that I have never encountered in the dozens of historical fiction books I’ve read about WWII. The book also sucked me in from the beginning and you constantly wanted to find out more about the characters and see their growth, almost acting as a mystery. The tragic and descriptive stories of children and young teens were harder to read, but it helped to expose a part of history that is often left unspoken. I love the tremendous amount of research that went into this, too, I just wish that Alfred’s character got into more depth (how did he become the way he was or turn?) and that there was more pushback in Joana and Florian’s relationship.

soph_naughton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

maireadgrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

marybeth_reads's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

bribliography's review against another edition

4.0

I definately will be rereading this book in the future. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did becuase normally I am not a fan of war stories. Though I didn't care much for Alfred's chapters, Joana and Florian's chapters were really whaat got me hooked into the story. Florian and his character development is easily one of my favorite parts of the book overall and is really wonderfully written.

gwardyy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

Not my favorite Sepetys but glad it exists 

jennasbooks's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0