“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch.”

I have read a couple of World War Two books, in different perspectives but Between Shades of Gray was from a different perspectives as I didn't know about the Soviets deporting the Europeans and the hardship that they had to go through. So it did really open my eyes to another side of WWII. Between Shades of Gray was beautifully written, simple, but still beautiful and made you care and love the characters on the pages. The Mother (Elena) was a very strong, brave and a kind character, and definitely one of my favourites.

Lina is also very strong, like her mother, and her will to survive makes her a character I admire. Instead of being defeated in the situation she is in, she decides to write and draw the atrocities that's going on around in order to try and tell the world. Between Shades of Gray is a grim and not a pretty book as Sepetys doesn't try to avoid the horrors which these people faced, but she does still manage to give the characters hope, despite their situations.

Between Shades of Gray is a heart-wrenching book about survival, love and hope and any fans of Historical Fiction should definitely pick this up!