Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

35 reviews

lexluth0r's review against another edition

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

5.0

Yet another masterful work by Ruta Sepetys. I think this one was the hardest one for me to read, solely because of the amount of child death that takes place. It is a powerful book about the largest maritime disaster in history, the attack upon and sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. This story is told from four points of view; three refugees and one German sailor. The different points of view were very interesting in order to understand the history of the characters, as well as their struggles. I loved this book, and it left me thinking about it for hours after I finished it. 
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sandy_dunes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Awesome book! The main characters were well-developed, the historical setting is really immersive, and I'm in love with the way that the themes are explored through the combination of both. Admittedly it was a bit hard keeping track of backstories at times, because all four main characters had pretty complex ones, but the gradual reveals were so satisfying! Oh, and of course I can't forget the amazing character dynamics <3
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taracloudclark's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An excellent story told from four perspectives of one of the most horrific events in history. 
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grammar_police's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense 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

4.75

Beautifully written, deep, and emotional. A spectacular story about the most devastating shipwreck in history.
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aphrochilds's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? No

4.75

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froukjemelenhorst's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Just… deeply okay

Het is oprecht knap om een oorlogsboek te schrijven waarbij ik bijna niets voel voor elk personage 😭
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alisonfaith426's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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amberinbookland's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

3.75

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mformato's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Definitely one of the better YA books I've read in a while, which gives me hope that I haven't been completely turned off from the medium. Though it still had parts I wasn't a huge fan of.

I enjoyed that each character had their own distinct voice but I hated that they all withheld information from the reader. I understand that building up to a big reveal helps create tension but it felt unnecessary for all of them except Emilia. She was definitely the one with the most intriguing arc and I wish we had more depth with her.

I found myself skipping over most of Alfred's imaginary letters cause I just couldn't stand him and it really added nothing to the story. Even his big secret was muddied by his disillusion and not that monumental.

I adored the relationship between Klaus and the Shoe Poet; such a wholesome and tragic bond of two people in a time of war and I almost wish there was a novella from the Shoe Poet's perspective starting from right before he joined the group to how events played out in the novel.

Joana and Florian felt like generic YA characters to me. Not the worst, not the best. Just okay.

Overall I would recommend this book to others who enjoy YA and/or historical fiction. I am impressed with the amount of research Septeys does for her books; she truly cares about creating a historically accurate story with her own voice and I am definitely interested in more of her work.
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bituinthepages's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Made me cry my eyes out 5 stars 
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