My take on: Salt to the Sea

I know I've been missing in action lately, but know I'm always reading. I've started and stopped several books lately, including The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth and Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking. I'm a lover of either fast pacing or a good storyline, and some of the books I stopped reading lately fell a little short in those departments.

However, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys had both fast pacing and a good storyline. Inspired by real-life events, four teenagers, each with a secret, seek freedom from the chaos of World War II. All four come from different backgrounds but fate will bring them together.

Joana has fled war-torn Lithuania for East Prussia. She's the nurse and defacto leader of a tired, injured, and war-weary group of people -- both young and old. People look up to her and seek her advice. But who can Joana turn to? Who can she lean on? She's clearly harboring some secret -- a secret that's causing her deep emotional pain.

Emilia is deeply guarded and shy. She's afraid to reveal her Polish heritage, as it could land her in a concentration camp. But she has a deep attachment to Joana and Florian, whom she sees as a knight in shining armor. Florian saved Emilia from death at the hands of soldiers. Emilia hangs on Florian's every word and follows him everywhere. At first, Florian is annoyed by Emilia's behavior but he grows to love her like a sister. Florian is a hard nut to crack. He's running from something and gets very cryptic when anyone, especially Joana, tries to question him.

Joana, Emilia, Florian, and the rest of this rag-tag group make their way through the woods. It's a trip full of highs and lows. They make their way to a port lined with ships bound for greener pastures. Aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff is a very eager to please young man. Alfred is deeply loyal to Hitler, and aspires to rise the ranks of the Third Reich. Like Joana, Emilia, and Florian, Alfred is seeking freedom from his past. But the reality is that Alfred will never be anything more than a low-level dockhand.

I confess I bought this book last year, and it's been sitting on my TBR ever since. But I'm making an effort to read more of my own books. At the start of this year, I vowed to read Salt to the Sea. I'm glad I did because I realize I need to read her other books. Each chapter is short and engaging. With each chapter, I found myself routing for these characters (with the exception of Alfred). A character like Alfred is just not a likeable character, and I'm sure that was intentional on the author's part. Told from four points of view, Salt to the Sea is a thrilling and well-written take on an important period of history.


Rating: Superb