This was a very hard book for me to read because the things Lina goes through are horrific. This is a part of WWII I never really knew about, and this book really opened my eyes to the terror the Baltic countries must have faced under Stalin. Sepetys did her research, and even if the characters are fictional (save for one) you can feel the truth behind these events. These things really happened to people, and it's a shame such horrors got brushed under the rug for so long. To read about Lina's hopes and dreams of becoming a famous artist, reuniting with her father, and seeing Andrius again, they sort of became my hopes and dreams as I read. 
 Sometimes, I felt a bit detached to Lina. Even though it was in first person, the overwhelming sadness and grayness that surrounded Lina made it hard to connect with what was happening sometimes. I grew to love the other characters though, especially Andrius and her mother, Elena. Elena is an amazing book mom. The quiet strength she has in her, her ability to endure in the face of all tragedy for the sake of her children, she was perfect. And Andrius, sweet Andrius, one of the few lights in Lina's life. His unique circumstances and his friendships with Lina and Jonas made me smile. Everyone from their train car, the unity and strength they found in each other was unbelievable. They were all they had in the end. 
 I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending. I kinda wished we could have had seen Lina reunite with Andrius, or at least confirm whether or not her father was still alive. At the same time, I feel just the hope Lina had in her heart was enough. 
 To put it simply, this book is wonderful and important. I laughed, I cried. I have a strange love for WWII historical fiction, and I think it's because even as I read about the terrible things that people endured during the war there are always moments that make me laugh or smile. Yes, war is tragic, but it also brings people together, people who ordinarily would have never met under different circumstances. 
 To quote a noble wizard, "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."