A review by hollycluff
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Top three (see also: The Penderwicks and Man's Search for Meaning). This is the one and only book I have loved enough to read through once, then immediately read again in one sitting. For me, it was the perfect blend of suspense, tragedy, hope, and romance. It explored a historic tragedy I can't believe I'd never heard of, from four different perspectives. It's one of the rare books where I found myself equally invested in each POV---almost. I didn't enjoy Alfred's chapters as much as the others the first time I read it through, but learning the truth about his past and character made him SUCH an interesting character to read about the second time. I loved the relationships that developed between Johanna, Florian, and Emilia. They gave me happy butterflies more than once.

The prose was beautiful and vivid without distracting from the story, which was a huge win for me. It did become quite graphic in some scenes, which totally made sense given the content matter, but reader beware. 

It was fascinating to me that this was based on a massive real-life tragedy that I had never heard of, and the story explored WWII from perspectives I hadn't seen before. 

I appreciate a good, emotional ending that still provides closure, and this story absolutely delivered. Props to the author for ending this story with the perfect balance of sadness, hope and justice, and a very cleverly written epilogue. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings