This is shelved as a YA book, but it’s for any mature reader, and let the reader be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart. In some ways, I’m glad Ruta Septys decided to tell the story from the perspective of four teens. It gave some hope to what we know will be a potentially bleak ending for our heroes. But though I read with a sense of foreboding, I also read because it’s important to read through our discomfort: to remember the tragedies of war and honor the many, many innocent lives lost. A haunting but very important read.