4.5 stars. This book was tragic, yet beautiful. The fact that the basis for Sepetys' novels comes from real historical events makes it all the more tragic. The way she paints such an unflinchingly blunt picture of the atrocities suffered by so many is just amazing.

The characters are interesting, complex, and very flawed. Some of the character reveals truly surprised me, although when the true nature of their character is revealed, all of those little twists are completely authentic to who they are. I am speaking specifically of Alfred, but all four of our main characters have their secrets.

The only critique I have is that there are some pacing issues for me. The story is told through four different character's perspectives in first-person narration. Also, one the whole, the chapters are very brief. Some as small as one sentence. This creates a little choppiness in terms of the flow of the narrative. I wonder if this novel would've benefitted from being told in 3rd-person. We still could've had all the characters perspectives without jumping back and forth so much.

I can't necessarily say I 'enjoyed' his book. It is a shocking, often brutal account of a horrific event. It would be more accurate to say that I appreciate this story, and that it emotionally impacted me to a great extent. After Between Shades of Grey and Salt to the Sea, I will read any book Rita Sepetys produces.