This was my first Ruta Sepetys novel and it will certainly not be my last. She tells the story of this incredibly tragic and little known WWII maritime disaster (like seriously, how had I not heard about it?!) without sugar coating anything for the YA audience. This book is not for the faint of heart - there are many of the unfathomable aspects of war highlighted, from gruesome injuries, deaths of innocent bystanders, ruthless and unfeeling soldiers and higher-ups, children without mothers and mothers losing children...really, no one catches much of a break in this one. 
 And yet humanity shines through three of the four young people Sepetys follows. Albert, a German sailor who Florian describes as a "first-class booby," is a self-centered egomaniac (yes, that's redundant, but necessary to describe this delusional man). He sucks. But everyone else is beautifully flawed and easy to root for. Joana, the selfless nurse and group leader who hopes to reunite with her mother. Florian, the mysterious Prussian with a valuable package and an eye for Joana. Emilia was my absolute favorite. As a Polish girl during WWII she has faced unbelievable pain and unnecessary abuse, but she is beyond fierce and brave. There's also the beautifully wise and caring Shoe Poet and the little boy he takes under his wing. Picture the cutest grandpa and grandson together and that was Poet and the boy. 
 Due to the magnitude of the disaster highlighted in this book, you have a feeling not many of the characters will survive. This is hard to swallow, but it should be. Sepetys illuminates the horror and injustice of war and gives readers a little taste of what it would have been like to go through what many innocent European citizens had to endure.