Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys books have a way of creating fiction that is both accessible and informative. In this book we hear the story of refugees from different walks of life trying to get to safety in wartorn Prussia.

Joana is a nurse that just wants to help people and find her family. She takes charge of the group and helps to save the pregnant teen and the others in her group.

Emilia is a teenager that is pregnant and running. She is also Polish, which is a crime almost as bad as being Jewish in Germany.

Florian is a thief running to what he hopes is safety with something he hopes to save from everyone.

The shoe poet and the little boy are people that happened upon the group. The shoe poet tells the story of others through the type of shoes they have, the wear on them, and the way they carry themselves. The little boy is looking for his family. He knows where they're supposed to be, but his grandma didn't wake up one day and now he's got nobody.

Alfred is a German soldier. He is trying to prove himself, but there is something off about him. He loves Hitler and hates almost everyone else. He's not a smart man, but thinks he is.

All of these people come together to try and survive. They try to find and create families.

Content Warnings

rebeccaisabelle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

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

3.5

The reading pace was quite fast for this book. I got to learn about periods of history I didn't know before such as

the sinking of the Willem Gustoff. I also loved the relationship between Florian and Joana. However, overall, I found that the book was sad. Characters I didn't expect to pass away, passed away, those such as Ingrid, the shoe poet, Alfred, and Emilia. Emilia's death was the saddest of them all because I really thought she'd make it but I guess that just points to the fact that many people died in that catastrophe. I'm glad that Joana, Florian and Klaus got a happy ending though. I would have liked to hear more about where Eva ended up or if Florian and Joana ever found their respective families.

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themichellegray's review against another edition

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challenging sad 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

3.0

A beautifully written yet heartbreaking historical fiction that captured a part of WW2 I'd never learned about before. While I appreciate this book, I simultaneously struggled with the pacing and sadly never became fully invested in any of the MC's due to the storytelling format. Despite my personal reading struggles, this story is so important and the author's note perfectly sums up why:

History divided us, but through reading we can be united in story, study, and remembrance. Books join us together as a global reading community, but more important, a global human community striving to learn from the past.

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k_spence92's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.0

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fluture's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

A heart wrenching book taken from a true tragedy during World War II. I admire how Ruta can depict the situation and horror during the war with her words. Most parts gave me the shivers and goosebumps. It's a really good book to be read for those who like history fiction.

The point of view were taken from four different people with different characteristics yet it wouldn't confuse you to read it. Every chapter flows just like a river and very enjoyable to read. A page-turner book, beautiful yet tragic.

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