Reviews with content warning for War - Between Shades of Gray

I recently read Ashes in the Snow for the third time as it is one of my favorite historical fiction novels. Ashes in the Snow focuses on the experience of people in the Baltic states, who were torn between Hitler and Stalin's aggression. Because of continued Soviet occupation in the Baltics following WWII, many survivors accounts were silenced.

Ashes in the Snow follows the story of fifteen-year-old Lina who is deported from Lithuania to Siberia, along with her brother Jonas and mother Elena. Despite the suffering, the innocent prisoners attempt to help one another and establish normalcy for the children. Throughout the novel Sepetys demonstrates how the line between good and evil is blurred, especially in the young officer Kretzsky who struggles with the immorality of the orders he is given.

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eesti23'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? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch."

"We were thousands of kilometers away from our home, and they were forcing us to march in a direction that was taking us farther and farther from everything we knew."

I received Between Shades of Gray as part of a gift box. Having lived in Estonia just after they re-gained independence from the Soviet Union, the topic immediately interested me. I had heard about the deportations to Siberia, but hadn't realised how similar they were to those happening in other parts of Europe at that time nor exactly how harsh the conditions were. I appreciated the balance of themes in the book, contrasting the horrible with moments of hope and love. I also really liked the ending, however, I wish there had been a bit more explanation from the last main chapter to it.

This book stayed with me quite some time. I thought about it regularly and ended up doing a bit of history research after it because of it.

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beckfest's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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julesmq's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

A horrifying story but fast-paced and compelling. This is yet another period of history that needs to become well-known, if only to prevent repeating. Ruta Sepetys always tells these stories well.

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creolelitbelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Parts of history are not taught or discussed as often as others, and those are the times and events I enjoy most reading about. Sepetys's books are always eye-opening and emotional, but I appreciate the peek inside fictional accounts of what real people experienced. Between Shades of Gray (or Ashes in the Snow, depending on the edition) is no different. Multiple scenes brought tears to my eyes. What Lina, her family, and others with her suffer is heartbreaking, but she manages to never lose hope or love. Flashbacks of her memories connect to her current events very well and give a solid contrast between the warm, safe life Lina used to know and the bitter, cold life she suffered at the hands of Soviets. I love how her art and writings are incorporated into the narrative and tie into how deportees really chronicalized their trauma.

The strangest deja vu feeling crept over me while reading the book, making me feel like I'd read it before. I hadn't, and I can only explain that feeling by thinking back to an adult historical fiction book by Heather Morris that was set in a Soviet labor camp or gulag.

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