The book Salt to the Sea is an emotional roller coaster that takes you through the horrors and hopes of the shocking events of World War II. It’s an exciting yet heart wrenching historical fiction novel that had me craving more with every page. 

The author, Ruta Sepetys, has written a few other historical fiction novels, and is a #1 New York Times and international bestseller. For Salt to the Sea alone, she’s won four different awards.

The story is about four completely different people caught in a struggle to survive: a polish girl, a nurse from Lithuania, a man from Prussia, and a boy who works for the Nazis. They all have secrets from the past, but a ship named the Wilhelm Gustoff brings them together. 

The different situations that each character faces forces the reader to view the war from a variety of perspectives, which draws the reader in and creates empathy. I especially liked the way the individual stories of each character entwined throughout the book as it was subtle but powerful. Each character was narrated in first person, and it switched off every chapter. It was a bit confusing at first, but it gave a much larger insight of the story when the pieces came together. 

The book's message starts to unfold later, with a lot of hidden messages and drama—love interests, dark secrets, and lies—to keep it interesting. The book was very well written, and Sepetys’ use of language devices, like foreshadowing and flashbacks, kept the book descriptive and easy to read. 

I would definitely recommend this book to mature readers as there are some graphic scenes of the war, but overall it was very touching and one of the most beautiful books I’ve read.