Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Трябва да те предам by Ruta Sepetys

100 reviews

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Medical content, Blood, Death, Torture, War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

audreylee's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.5

In 1980s Romania, you shouldn't fall in love or expect loyalty from friends or family. In Ceausescu's Romania, it is foolhardy to trust anyone. Still, there are those foolish people who believe in freedom. The characters are wonderful. The atmosphere intense. The beginning was a bit sluggish but the rest was intense. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture

yuna's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I wish New Adult was more accepted in tradpub because I think this might have benefited from being told from the POV of a university student rather than high school. Wasn't a fan of the super short chapters--didn't think they heightened tension or kept it feeling "fast" since a lot of the time it caused a hard reset. Drama felt more manufactured than natural and horrifying.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Confinement, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Torture

lyzz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-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

5.0

This is my second Ruta Sepetys' book after reading Salt to the Sea several years ago. I loved this one just as much as Salt to the Sea.  

This book is set on the cusp of the Romanian Revolution in 1989.  Starting this book, I knew next to nothing about Romania aside from them having great gymnasts.  The book focuses on a teenager named Cristian who is recruited to be part of the spy network run by the Romanian government.  

This is a fantastic book.  It was informative, fast-paced and thoughtful. I learned so much about the country of Romania in this book. It makes me want to learn more about their history and their culture. This was a different type of historical fiction for me - historical thriller. I *loved* the pacing of this book. There are short chapters and the book clips along. Sometimes books that focus on pacing are short on character development - but I thought the author did a thoughtful amount of development of the main character and his family members.  

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. This would be a perfect book for someone trying out historical fiction or a seasoned reader.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Physical abuse, Blood, Violence, Confinement, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Gun violence, and War

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

This focuses on state sponsored blackmail by recruiting a teenager to report on his family and friends. This leads to a state of paranoia throughout the book. There is state sponsored violence by depriving the citizen's of food, heat and medical care. Cristian's grandfather is tortured to death and found in their apartment. Towards the end of the book, there is a revolution and there is graphic scenes of death, torture, murder, police brutality. There are also references to Cristian's sister being involved in state sponsored prostitution/sexual assault.

barbarella85's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Blood and Death

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, Police brutality, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

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

Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Misogyny

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

Moderate: Excrement, Mass/school shootings, and Blood

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

jdiedrichs628's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture

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