Although I Must Betray You is a Young Adult book by Ruta Sepetys I did not feel it was too immature to enjoy as an adult. Like Salt to the Sea ( my review) and The Fountains of Silence ( my review) which I have read previously, I found this book to be informative. It provides some depth into a historical event I was aware of but not in much detail. I appreciate that Sepetys builds suspense and action into historical fiction. I hope her works inspire younger readers to enjoy history and learn more about the past of not only our country but the global world around us.
While this book provides a bleak look at the effects of communism in Romania it is inspiring to read about how Cristian and the others find a way to have their voices heard and to bring about change in their country. It is hard to fault the bad guys for doing what they have done to survive. Sepetys creates a narrative that fully captures the inability to trust anyone that is created by the regime. There is quite a build-up to figuring out who is the guilty betrayer and it is a bit of a shock.
Be sure to read the author's notes at the end as they provide a foundation of the realities of communism and a lack of freedom of speech. I highly recommend this book, especially in light of what is going on in Ukraine currently. It is easy for those of us in stable Democratic countries to forget just how tough like can be elsewhere in the world. Our struggles, though real are all relative when compared to other nations.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an intense story. I am old enough to remember when this revolution happened in Romania and the wall came down. This story, although fiction is an amazingly well written story that combines romance, intrigue and suspicion. The story is well written and is engaging for readers of all ages. Lovers of historical fiction will enjoy this book
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Challenge Prompts
The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
- Library Love #LibraryLoveChallenge Book #53
- Literary Escapes #LiteraryEscapes Romania
- AtoZ #2022AtoZReadingChallenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge I
- 2022TBR #2022ReadingChallenge # 5 YA Book
- Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022 Book #64
- Cloak & Dagger #CloakDaggerChal Book #64
- Historic Fiction #histficreadingchallenge Book #8
- Bookworm #35 Read a Psychological Thriller
- BooklistQueen #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022 #17. Set in the 1980s
- Beat the Backlist #BTB2022 #32 superheroes/villains OR character in disguise
- Nerdy Bookworm #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #18 Highly anticipated read
- PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #13. A book set in the 1980s
- Pick your Poison #60 a new release you feel guilty reading because your TBR list is so long
- Monthly Keyword #MonthlyKeyWordGXO "You"
- Beyond the Bookends YA Romance
- Diversify your reading #DYRC22 Thriller
- 52 books in 52 weeks #8 hall pass
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