This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

"And which am I?" Asked August, pulling away. "Your weakness, or your strength?" 

Emily's warm brown eyes went wide and flat as the truth spilled out. "Both."

MONSTERS.

Amiright?

Monsters.

There's some books that stride into your life and then beat the crap out of you. This is that book. And if
 you stay tuned, I can show you just how this book found all my weakness and left me in a little puddle of nothingness.

This book releases on July 5th, 2016

Genre:  Post apocalyptic paranormal horror

Feelings: Did I mention this book slapped me in the face repeatedly? 

Cuteness: -clear throat- This ship. I will go down with it. [Insert that captain jack sparrow gif. you know the one]

Fast pacing: Yes. Things keep happening, even if this is a plot-light book

Series: Two book series

Read if you like: Supernatural. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Tuchlocke. Shallow Graves. The setting of Legend.

Content: Violence, mainly. There blood. The killings of monsters and humans. Blooood. That's all I remember.

Trigger warning? Family members loss. Touches of abusive relationships. 

In summary... He's a monster. She hunts them. They both are monstrous, they both live in a monstrous world. And it's crumbling. 

Thoughts: The pluck of violin strings. Hard stone and flickering lights.

Messages: Differences between two humans, identity not defining identity.

Rating: 4.75/5 Very close five stars. PRACTICALLY five stars

-The Characters-

I'm calm. I'm calm. I will calmly express my love fore these characters. Oh who am I kidding. I will screech it from the rooftops. 

AUGUST! KATE! 

First punch to the face: Identity. I love characters who struggle with their very identity. I love characters who want something even if they're aware that something is probably not good for them. I love characters with good hearts but bad experiences that have turned them cold.

August and Kate were those characters who were so similar even though they were so different. They each struggled with the same things more or less, but from their different lifestyles and personalities they went about it so differently. But worked so well together. 

Reactions to the first meeting of Kate: Yes. Yes yes, go burn down that church lil' anger bean

Reactions to the first meeting of August: Little rapunzel music-bean. 

Kate. How she tries so hard to be tough, cruel, and pulls it off but at a cost. And August. August is a little violin playing doughnut. 'Nuff said.

Swift kick in the shin: THEY WERE SO SAD. They hated and loved and wanted to be so much better.

Oooh my. And side characters. No one seemed underdeveloped to me. There were some we didn't see enough of to see their souls, but everyone was clearly depicted. I'm so excited to see where this story goes.

-Plot and Writing-

Aggressive pummeling to the nose: AESTHETICS.

Can we just talk about the aesthetics of the story? The violin strings, the metal nails, the darkness, street lights, stone steps, charcoal eyes and shadows. Everything fit together, everything melded into it's own song. 

I do wish there had been a bit more explanation early on. It was confusing, seeing as Chapter one made it seem like modern day, kinda supernatural-like, but then chapter two was clearly a different world. The world is clearly well-developed, but I didn't get it explained soon enough. And while sometimes that's done on purpose, in this case I was left confused. I had to go back to the blurb a few times, check the genres on goodreads, to kinda place myself a bit more so I didn't get too out of it. 

I don't have much to say about the plot. Partly because there wasn't much? Like, there was plot. But all the "OH THIS IS A PROBLEM" type things came much later in the book. In this case, this is a duology and I think it works, but if it hadn't been for my love for the characters right at page one, there wouldn't have been much for me to keep reading for.

Elbow straight to the stomach: Writing. Victoria can write. Her words fit this setting so well, painting this picture of blood and stone and claws. Writing was on point. Setting was on point, I just wanted to see more of it. Visuals were so clearly depicted I wanted to paint them on my walls.

-Messages and Others-

This book took a lot of tropes that I adore, smooshed them into a book with the types of aesthetics and moods I adore and baked it on high for a couple hours to make this beautiful song that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 It also got in a couple punches, left a few bruises, but I forgive it.

Good books that beat you up are easy to forgive. 


Overall, this is another solid book, another to go on the list of favorites, another to anticipate the release of, another to fling at all my horror-lovers. 

Wow look at this handy dandy link to it's amazon page. Only 10 dollars to preorder the hardback? Wow! You see that add-to-cart button?

Click it. Do the thing. 

Did you do it? Good. 

Outrun The Moon by Stacey Lee

I don't believe in fate or destiny, but somehow, I will change ours for the better, even my inauspicious Ma's. I simply must catch the phoenix feather

I'll scream it from the rooftops. READ THIS BOOK. 

Sometimes you just find that book, that you feel like you should find something wrong with. You know it's probably not perfect, and you don't feel the need to curl up in a ball in a bout of reading slump depression, but somehow THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BOOK.

And so then you just stare at that last page for way too long, then flip back to the first because "Noooo it's not over it's not it's too good to have an ending." 

That's this book. 

This book releases on May 24th, 2016

Genre:  Historical Fiction 

Feelings: .......I have a lot of rage

Cuteness: YES. There's barely any romance, but when there is, it's adorable, and also siblings.

Fast pacing: Slower style of pacing but it worked

Series: Nope

Read if you like: History, bro. San Francisco? 1900's. Fancy prep schools. Racial issues, Chinese culture in america. Friendships. It's got some vague A Little Princess vibes somehow, even though the stories couldn't be more different. 

Content: Nothing I really remember. Some b a r e l y suggestive things, but this book would be completely safe to hand to younger readers.

Trigger warning? Loss of family members for various characters 

In summary...Through much bargaining and some slight bribery, Mercy has gotten herself in one of the best most prestigious schools in San Francisco. Except, the school is for rich white girls, and she is a poor chinatown girl. It's gonna take a lot of sneaking to survive....but the earthquake could potentially get in the way.

Thoughts: Creaking floors, and crumbled bricks
Messages: Forgiveness, dedication, resilience.

Rating: 5/5 

-The Characters-

Once more I will reference that little fact about Me: I have a Insane amount of trouble relating to first person characters. It's a struggle.

Well, here comes Mercy. Mercy made me care. Why? I think it's because Mercy was a real person. And that stands out to me among the Females of Fantasy Badassary that I have become accustomed to. 

She kicked butt, but in her own way. She said things that she then regretted, she acted on impulse, but the entire time she tried. She was relate-able. Now, she's a Chinese born in america, treated cruelly by everyone. I'm biracial, so I can begin to relate, but unless you've been in a similar situation, it's challenging to get someone to connect to a character in such a different situation. 

Stacey Lee nailed it.

And the side characters. I could write long paragraphs on the side characters. They made me care even more. This whole cast, no matter how few pages some characters got, they came to life on the page. All the threads and characters just came together, weaving into something magnificent. 

ALSO A QUICK NOTE. Can I just say how pleased I am that Stacey had the cutest romance ever but she didn't even have a romance. They were a vague thing from page one, they skipped all the dumb angst, he wasn't even there for half the book, but somehow you still loved them.

-Plot and Writing-

I started Stacey's other book, Under a Painted Sky, but I never was able to finish it due to chaotic life things. That being said, I got far enough into it to be able to see the contrast of voices in these two books. This style of writing worked so well, but what I'm most impressed with was how unique Mercy's voice is. Everything fit together, like you were getting to know the way someone thought. And I loved it.

I'm a description lover, so I do wish there had been some more descriptions of certain places, but that being said there were so many good sensory details in everything that each scene I could place so well in my brain. I could feel everything that was happening to these characters and I loved it. 

This isn't a book with a Huge Overwhelming Villain of Death. This book starts out with the big Question of "Will Mercy make it in this school?" And then once the earthquake happens, it's more of a string of events. That style still worked really well for me though. That's because, that first chunk of the book where there wasn't and earthquake, and you were reading to find out if Mercy could survive a school, that was necessary. Because then in the latter half, you're already attached.

A+ plotting. Can I write like Stacey Lee please and thank? Can I MEET Stacey Lee please and thank?

-Messages and Other-

Alright. So. Stacey wrote this amazing authors note that I want to discuss further here, especially for those who tend not to read authors notes. This is something I think is important. 

In this note, Stacey points out some of the unrealistic things in her book, some of the things I was noticing. Things like the fact that a Chinese girl could probably not actually get into an american school, or that Chinese girl most likely would not have a boyfriend in a hot air balloon and so forth. But then she says this:

"However, history is a general overview, and overlooks the story, the possibility of the individual. If we are confined by the strict margins of what is "known" to be true, we would never explore the possibility of what could be true. We would deny our ability to create our own stories, to make our own magic."

This is a solid point in regards to historical fiction. I've had this discussion with my mom countless times. When it comes to historical non-fiction, or pieces like Downton Abbey which are made to accurately show lifestyles in a certain era, I think historical accuracy and realism are vital. But, I also do like that books like Outrun The Moon can exist, books where stories you wouldn't hear about in history books can happen. 

I think there should be some stretching of what is truly known in historical fiction. As long as those things are written with accuracy, then why not have a boy come save you in a hot air balloon. Stacey takes some unlikely events, but she makes the realistic enough that you're siting there thinking.. "Why Not?" 

And that, I think is the most important thing for writers and readers. Why not write the story you want to write?

Overall, this was a delightful book, and an author I will return to. And, at the end of it, I was left a bit starry-eyed, not quaking in my boots in the style of some books, but somehow...enchanted.

The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

"Tell me, my queen, are you ready to play with fate?"

Do you know how hard it was to pick a quote to start this out?

So many quotes. 

So many things.

I swear I'll be eloquent about this book in this review, even though my current emotion is OHMYGODMYHEARTICANNOTBYEILOVETHISBOOK. 

You know how it goes.

This review will be possibly long but. I have a lot to say about this book. SO I AM GOING TO SAY IT.

This book is released on April 26th, 2016

Genre:  Fantasy

Feelings: Not as many WOW I'M SAD feelings but there are some.

Cuteness: Yes with a capital Y.

Fast pacing: Nawww but after I got into it and got to the Things I didn't care.

Series: ?????????????????

Read if you like: Indian folklore. The sort of setting that books like "The Forbidden Wish" That like sandy feel. And the sari and silk and !!!! 

Content: Kissy kissy. Some potential aggressive cuddling but it never goes that far.

Trigger warning? Some verbal abuse type situations. Family and parents are distant and unloving. Loss of family members.

In summary...She has been cursed with a horoscope that promised death and destruction everywhere she goes. There's no escape, or so it seems. A mysterious stranger, a lot of magical power, horses, and intrigue ensue. 

Thoughts: Blood on sand. Parchment, and thread

Rating: 5/5 stars

This Review is Spoiler Free

How does one begin with this novel. I don’t even know where to begin. I started it with much excitement, which then started to fade. I’ll admit, I wasn’t as wowed as it continued. The beginning was gorgeous, the setting flawless, the story intriguing. But then, the romance started, and the excitement died down. I loved the romance. But where was the big kabams I wanted? The big bang pow? 

I’ve never been so glad that I stuck with a novel. It blew me away.

-The Characters-

Maya.  Maya is the main character I have been itching for. Strong. Bitter. Determined. Not so unrealistically strong that she turns aside the temptation of power. She makes so many mistakes but never lets those stop her. Her voice was steady, struggling. I never once got bored of her narrating. Except those times I wanted the horse to narrate.

Amar. Oh, Amar. His good and bad. And more bad and a lot of good. The little grumpy brood bean. With the hair. And the poeticness that makes me laugh. And the darkness that settles in. He was such a fascinating character. Subconsciously I kept trying to “trope” him. Label him as “Evil Bad Guy Love Interest.” Or “Brooding Bad Boy” or “Looks like Could Kill You But Is Cinnamon Roll”. But he never fit any. Because there was none.

He was Amar.

He was him.

Him was Amar.

I like Amar.

Moving on. Other character. The other’s weren’t quite as intriguing, although many of the characters we meet are quite lovable. There just wasn’t enough of them to explode off the page.

Except Kamala. Kamala guys. The horse. Who may or may not plan on eating you but you love anyway. I want one.

-Plot And Writing-

I need about 4000 of Roshani’s books asap. Like. Roshani. YOUR WORDS. THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY. I’m not a huge writer of fantasy, given the disaster my fantasy novel was. But after reading this it’s all I want to write.

Roshani has this way of words.  They fit this aesthetic of the story so wonderfully. They feel like sand, soft and flowing from a distance, until you pick up a handful and the grit gets everywhere and sticks to you. But then you bury yourself into it and it’s quite comfortable.

Prose goals.

(Also like we’ve totally talked back and forth on twitter so we’re PRACTICALLY besties. Coolest author ever. Go follow her)

Plotwise, this one is a slowburn. It could be that I was in a slump when I picked it up, but as soon as the initial inciting incident was over, I wasn’t as excited. I even told Linnea that. “Nothing Big is happening??”

But then.

It did.

Things started getting creepy and weird and making me put down the book and whisper “what the crap” to myself.

Then The Thing happened which I won’t talk about. But The Thing happened. Then the Other Thing happened. And One More Things.

So many Things happened in the latter half of this book, that I realized just how important and good that slowburn start was.  Granted, some of the Things didn’t get discussed as much as I thought? Who knows, perhaps there is plan for a sequel. The ending was so sudden and fast there could be. (I hope there is.) But that’s my one complaint. I will obsess over these Things till the day I die.

-Messages and Other-

My favorite types of books are books that don’t take so much time to tell you Lots of Important Things and Messages and yet still just say things.

This is one of those books.

There’s never any EMBRACE YOURSELF !!!!! or UR BEUATIFUL themes flung at you. And yet this story is what it is. A story of two people who will do everything for each other even though it takes them a while to see it. A story of a girl who has been cast aside and told she was the cause of every problem her entire life who finally got up and said “No. I am my own queen. My own person. And you cannot define me like that.”

It’s a story about not being controlled or defined by labels or mistakes, but it never needs to rub it in your face and say it outright for you to see it.

And I love books like that.

Overall…

I don’t even know what to say overall.

OVERALL JUST GO PREORDER IT.

Go.

Open amazon.

Have you done it yet?

….

Did you preorder?

Yes?

Good.

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I never believed Noah and I shared a soul, that mine was half a tree with its leaves on fire, like he said. I never felt like my soul was something that could be seen. it felt like motion, like taking off, like swimming toward the horizon or diving off a cliff or making flying women out of sad, out of anything.

It's me again!! 

Hi!

As promised, here I am finally with another review. Life has punched me in the face with a sign that reads "HERE I AM! LOVE ME!". It has teamed up with Stress and Confusion to wreck havoc in my life.

But I will prevail and continue to Read Books and Do the Blog Thing! And also capitalize Words unnecessarily.

A while ago, I was google chatting with Linnea and Marissa. Linnea and I were reading Reign of Shadows (Review to come very soon!) while Marissa, the little rebel, was reading I'll Give You The Sun and weeping. 

Well that inspired me to go find my copy tucked away on my shelves and read it. Which resulted in my staring in shock at my ceiling at two in the morning (it's always 2am)

Genre:  Contemporary

Feelings: YES

Cuteness: YES

Fast pacing: The way this book is formatted makes it difficult to justify putting it down.

Series: Nope

Read if you like: Siblings, art, colors and forgiveness

Content: Gay character. Lots of kissing. Some discussion of various body parts. Affair stuff.

Trigger warning? Suicide, bullying, loss of a parent

In summary...His chapters are when they’re fourteen, her chapters are years later. They both have two sides of a story, and back and forth, it will be revealed what happened in those years between to ruin their relationship.

Thoughts: Dried up pain, stone dust, ocean waves crashing on a cliff. Capital Letters.

Messages: A lot. Forgiveness, regret, dealing with grief. This book has A Lot.

Rating: 5/5 stars

I cannot. I do not. Where to begin?

This book has a Soul. A soul that has proved to not be for everyone, but it’s one that snuck it’s way into my heart. Something about the relationships. Something about the colors. The way the story wove itself, the way it clung to you long after the last page.

-The Characters-

I Have So Much Trouble Liking Characters. How many times can I say this? I write in first person but for some reason as soon as a story is written in first person it feels very hard for me to like them. This story has TWO first person perspectives and I adored both characters.

I fell for them. I felt for them. I loved the spirit, the struggle, the strength. The snark and wit. The way they reacted to those around them. Also I adore siblings. And this story had such a conflicting, difficult, wonderful siblingship that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon.

-The Writing and Plot-

OH.

Oh.

Can we just talk about the narrative? I have never been so entertained while reading a story ever. Nelson has this way with words that transports you right into these characters brains, even if those places are scary sometimes.

Can we just talk about the Plot? The twists and turns? The angst? The ending?

Can we just talk about the Book?? This story is structured so wonderfully. The book consists of two pov’s as mentioned, but there’s not a lot of switches because each chapter is quite long. Some being as long as 60 pages. Which means after the first two, you think, “WAIT GOTTA READ ONE MORE CHAPTER.” But then it leaves you hanging so you read one more.

Then you’re over halfway through.

This is why I read it in one night/morning.

The idea of a story being told through past/present, the back and forth, is one that’s been used before but this book took such a different approach to it, one that worked so well for the story. I cannot even. Bye.

-Messages and Other-

I cannot sum up simply what this book means, what this book is saying. I just know it’s saying a lot. It’s got so much that will speak to so many people. But not everyone.

It’s one of those books that is going to find the right hands to be in.

Some hands will enjoy it, setting it on their shelf to look at fondly.

Some hands will dislike it. Shrug, say “eh” and put it back.

Some hands will clutch it once it’s over. They will soak up every word.

It’s a book that has a Soul, and the only way to know if that Soul is for you, is to go and read it.

Find a copy.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys plus a Guest Blogger!

“Yet amidst all that, life has spit in the eye of death.” 

Dear neighbors,

Sorry for randomly crying at our most recent dinner party. This book is to blame.

Dear friend group,

Sorry for randomly hand flailing when mentioning this book.

Dear Barnes and Nobles,

Sorry for squeaking vaguely loudly when seeing this book at the shelf and considering running at everyone in the store and shoving it into their faces. 

I just really like this book.

(Also: Yay! First co-written review! With my favoritest and bestest friend-person, Emma, over at Bookishly Minded and also: Of Starry Knights and Lullabies)

Stats:

Genre:  Historical Fiction feat. pain

Feelings: Hahahahahahahahaa. Ow.

Cuteness: I went into this not wanting romance and came out with an otp don't judge me

Fast pacing:Oh yes

Series: HA. HA. HA.

Read if you like: Tragedy stories, ww2 books, or her previous book, Between Shades of Grey. THERE. ARE. CAMEOS.

Content: VIolence. Some very bleak things, and a few images that are very haunting. Some disturbing things regarding what humans do under that much panic and chaos. Some things that cast vague suggestions towards sex, but none actually happening.

Trigger warning? Violence. Loss of babies, siblings, children, pretty much every type of person. Suggestions at rape though it's never said outright.

In summary... Four teenagers. Four different lives. Millions of people on the coast during a soviet advance, trying to get aboard a ship that will take them to safety. One of those, is the Willhelm Gustloff. These characters paths will cross and their lives will never be the same.

Thoughts: Snow, rot, rough cloth and a hand tightly wrapped around yours

Messages: Forgiveness, prejudice, the powers of relationships, no matter the type. At it's heart, this book is about love and courage, but not always in the sense you would expect.

Rating: 5/5 stars

This is a spoiler free review, HOWEVER, if you know nothing about the Willhelm Gustloff, I suggest reading this book first, because I'll spoil that part. But it's history, so.....

I read Between Shades of Grey when I was like twelve, and it wrecked my life. Out of the Easy still remains unread, but when I found out that her new book was coming out....I freaked. Especially after hearing what it was about.

I don't really know what I was expecting. I wanted friendships, prose, fear and sadness. I definitely got it, and still somehow this book blew me away even though everything happened exactly as I expected it to.

This review will be broken up into the usual chunks, but will variate from me and Emma’s thoughts.

-The Characters-

My thoughts:

Books like these rely on you loving the characters. I mean, *SPOILER*, but the Willhelm Gustloff sinks. That event was the worst maritime disaster in history, even worse than the Titantic. So, characters are important.

I never thought I could fall in love with characters on page one. But I did. Each character's voice and personality was so vibrant. The contrast between them was so beautiful to see.

Joana, and her bravery and goodness....but so much grief. Her smile. Her bravery. . And Emelia, that child who persevered even when she looked weak. Her vibrant personality. The struggle.. Trying and trying. Florian, his bitterness and anger, but the tenderness that is shown, the care, and the forgiveness he needs and deserves. And Alfred. His determination, bravado, confusion.....madness. All of them were so brave in their own way. They fit in with the setting, and the wind and sea and I loved them.

Also: The side characters. Oh my goodness. Poet. And every single person you meet. Ruta has mastered the knack of making each character stand out, seem real and different and new.

And I cared.

I will note, that this book is told in very short alternating chapters, which means that for some it might be hard to fully connect. But I still do think these are some of the most well crafted characters, seeing as she had to spend so much time on history and keeping everyone straight but shaped....all in a barely 400 page book.

Emma on characters:

There are four points of view in Salt To The Sea: Joana, Florian, Emilia, and Alfred. It was really interesting to watch the story unfold from the different viewpoints and while in the beginning it was a little confusing to follow, I thought it worked really well.

Salt to the Sea opens up with Joana’s point of view. She’s the same Joana as in Between Shades of Gray, which was really cool. I loved getting to see her story and her point of view. Joana’s also a nurse, which I loved so so so much. Nurses in any capacity during World War II is one of my all-time favorite things to study, ever, and getting to follow Joana and see her struggle through war-torn countries with people who needed were was amazing. Joana is pushing past what you are afraid of to do what you know is right; she is fiercely protecting the ones who need it and holding out your hand to people who can’t stand on their own.

       

Florian is bitterness and sharp edges and somewhere past all that really caring. I love Florian so much. I will probably say that about everyone, but that’s because it’s true. Florian, though, he has a special place in my heart. He is such an interesting character, and his relationships with everyone else are beautiful. I love how his voice sounded. I love the dynamic between Emilia and him, and I a d o r e Joana and his relationship. In Florian’s POV we also get to see Doctor Lange, and the art that was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. I’ve always found that part of history super interesting so like, reading that made me internally freak out just a little.

        Emilia, okay? Can we talk about Emilia? She’s so much younger than everyone else, which really got me, and she is so strong and she’s been through so much. The first thing we see of her is when she is hiding, in the ice and the snow, in her pink woolen cap and it felt so vivid and real. Emilia is so brave. There are so many things about her that I can’t talk about because of spoilers which is sad but. Her story is so heartbreaking and beautiful and g a h. I loved her so so much. Emilia is hope that winter will end, and memories of home, and seeing the worst and the cruelest and the awfullest and then somehow seeing something more.

The last POV in Salt to the Sea is Alfred’s. I…spent most of the book kind of blinking at his POV and trying to figure out what was going on. However. He is a very interesting character. And watching his role in everything coming together at the end was definitely interesting. His point of view was also a complete change of pace; Alfred’s a sailor on the German ship Wilhem Gustloff, a marked difference from every other point of view in this novel. Above everything Alfred wants to be honored and celebrated and be a hero, at least I felt like. Alfred is fear and he’s confusion and wanting to be and belong.

There were also a lot of side characters , all of whom were intricate and interesting. Ruta Sepetys never disappoints with characters. I loved Poet, an old man who was once a shoe maker and whom they now call the Shoe Poet, and Sorry Eva, who has a tendency to say somewhat appalling things but prefaces it with an apology before she does so. There were a lot people who only played a small role and who weren’t even named , and somehow they still felt real. Ruta Sepetys excels at writing these sort of characters; the ones who you can almost believe were real, who are so firmly rooted in their settings and so complexly written their stories don’t feel like stories anymore. There are so many scenes where the crowds of people and families are described in passing and it’s these small little moments and phrases and pictures that bring this story to life.

Overall: amazing, complex characters that each show really unique and interesting parts of history. Although the four different first person points of view are a little confusing, I felt like it was done well and once I got into the book and got to know each character and their voice, that confusion faded.

-Plot and Writing-

My thoughts:

This book is thrilling. It's not a thriller, and they don't even get onto the boat till well to the end, but this book kept me turning pages rapidly. If I hadn't been doing a readalong with Emma I probably would've just finished it in one sitting.

Ruta. Sepetys. Can. Freaking. Write. Her prose is like wading through water. You stub your toe on a rock that stings for a good while, brush into seaweed that snakes around your ankle and you keep going until everything feels numb.

Yes. Wading through water. But ocean water. Because it's salty. FROM YOUR TEARS.

Anyway. I enjoy Ruta's writing a lot. Her pacing and plotting is wonderful, with the flashbacks tastefully thrown in. There are a few nitpickiy scenes that you might have to suspend belief for if you even notice that kind of thing, but who even cares. This was a good book, one that I have tabbed and marked and ready to look back at as a reference for a well paced historical.

Emma on Plot and Writing:

Ruta Sepetys writes and phrases words a certain way, or she describes a certain feeling or picture, and I look at it and it is absolutely beautiful. She somehow combines stunning prose with historical details and creates one massive story that leaves you breathless.

Reading this is intense. Like I said, it’s incredibly immersive, and even though she never goes into gorey details, Ruta Sepetys doesn’t shy away from the darker side of things, and the reality of war. Everything feels very real and very present. If I wasn’t doing a readalong with Mariesa and I also didn’t have to keep stopping said readathon to go do life things, this would have been one of the books that kept me up way too late reading. It would have been one that once I stopped there was no stopping. The way that Salt to the Sea is written keeps you needing to read the next page, needing to know what happens, even though for most of the book, we are just watching a group of people travel to the ship.

(I suppose this next part coulddd be considered a little spoilery, but guys. It’s history. This is like asking people not to spoil Titanic.)

(that was not a good example) (I’m going to stop talking in parentheses now)

Speaking of ships…

Before reading this book, I had never heard of the Wilhem Gustloff. Ever. I didn’t know it existed or what a tragedy it was. I didn’t know it sank.

ANYWAY. Salt To The Sea brings forth the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, and of the thousands of refugees who sought passage on it to escape the Red army. Because I am me, I went and googled the ship after finishing STTS. I thought that this website was really interesting.

-Messages and other-

My thoughts:

I love history. My mind is forever stuck in the past rather than the present. I love learning about people who lived and breathed just like I do but somehow were so much that they have books about them.

But my favorite part, is wondering about those people who didn't get books written about them. Those people who know one even knows, who get on boats with dreams and hopes, who could've done something so big that they had books and movies centered around them but instead.... they sunk.

That's why I love historical fiction, because it takes these situations, and gives you fictional characters to love but also gets you thinking. Because Joana, Florian, Emelia and Alfred may have all be fictional....but there were people just like them on that boat and they're gone now, and we're left to wonder and dig up their stories.

This is an important book. It's about the things that haunt us, that follow us even in times of danger. I can really appreciate a book that doesn't spend so much describing the brutality of history that it forgets that these characters are still human. They still love and dream and struggle, even in the middle of disaster.

Ruta takes a lighter approach to these tragedies. While they're brutal to read, she doesn't go into so much description of the horror of war that leaves you drained. While there are times for those books, I love hers because they leave more for you to think, to see the times of glory that humans have even surrounded by harsh circumstances.

Emma on messages and other:

Salt to the Sea left me breathless. I read the last page and I didn’t actually do anything; I just sat there and looked at. It was so amazing, and even though I don’t really remember what I was expecting going into it, it was so much more. I adore history and I always have, and historical fiction – stories that take the past and the people who lived in it and bring them to us today, stories who are rooted in our history and teach us about who we are today – are my favorite. Salt To The Sea was all of these things.

Buy this book. Read this book. Read all of Ruta Sepetys’s books, while we’re at it, because Ruta Sepetys, okay. But read this one specifically. This is a story about a lot of ordinary people who saw and experienced things that I can only ever imagine, and it’s a story about their hope. This book is so raw and it hurts but it is hopeful. Everything about it screams that. Hope isn’t always pretty; it doesn’t always look nice. Sometimes hope is a sacrifice; sometimes it hurts. Sometimes hope seems a lot like being naïve or feels a lot like helplessness. Salt To The Sea is light in darkness; life from death; hope from some place that feels absolutely hopeless. There is hope in Joana and hope for Emilia and Florian and Alfred and in the unnamed thousands who died on the Wilhelm Gustloff, because their story is being told, and they are remembered.

What I Took from It.

It's been quite a while since I've read this satisfying of a book. While I can't depict what exactly it is that resonates so well with me, i'm pretty sure that it's the people. The mistakes and love and perseverance that these teenagers show. I have cried for them and laughed for them, and I've loved watching them grow on these pages. This book at it's heart is just the perfect example of what I love about history, and so it will forever be on my favorite shelf, the shelf of books that whispered to my soul in some way.

Humans, no matter how nasty and awful and prejudiced and blind....are capable of doing wonderful things, and books like this one show that in little snippets.

This book is hope and fear and sadness and relationships. With a good dose of realism.

Read it.

To see what Emma took from it, go see her review! Her blog is Here .