A review by lachateau
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

"Whether love of friend, love of country, love of god, or even love of enemy—love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.  I planted a seed of love in my heart; swore it would grow to be a massive tree whose roots would strangle them all."

Have been in my shelf since last week I wrote this review, but I just got a chance to finish reading it all today! And writing this review by now too :3 Okay, first of all.. I love Ruta Sepetys. I really am in love with all of her masterpieces. I ever read Salt To The Sea and I Must Betray You, until it lead me to have a copy of this book now, hihi. So, yeah, my expectation was quite high... As all of her books never failed the readers among everything that comes upon it. 

This book opened my eyes more about Uni Soviet and its ideology that impacted human being on the second world war, and how it still works as the super power country that reflected to our politics we have today. The background set (Lithuania and Trains Siberia) were quite strange in my ears before my brother explained it to me that was his route when he done hiking to Nepal (Everest Mountain) for his solo trip! Haha. This book will offer you many related tragedies that happened on the second world war, like for example, The Pearl Harbor attack at 1941 that almost ended up the war, how Uni Soviet didn't acknowledge for what their people are doing in the scattered countries (that is how Lina separated with her entire family), and how The NKVD (People's Commissariat in Internal Affairs) effected their country as well. 

One of the most favorite thing I love about this book is their contemplation regarding the arts period themselves and the exact events in history timeline. Like, in the part when they described Munch is primarily a lyric poet in color. He sees sorrow, crying, and withering. a handful of snow from outside the door and carefully mixed in ashes from the barrel of gray... That is how they came up with the shades of grey; the snow they had to argue in the middle of the chaotic world to escape from that what-so-called hell. Please have one in your pocket too! <3