Ruta Sepetys has told the heart wrenching story of Lithuanians brutally forced into camps by Soviet officers. The brutal, horrific conditions in the work camp are captured in seating details. Lina tries to bring hope into her life by drawing and documenting the conditions of the camp in her drawings. She hopes the messages will somehow reach her father who is in another camp. Ruta Sepetys shines a spotlight on historical events adding layers of context.

I am unable to read on my Kindle so unfortunately I am not able to read and review this Between Shades of Gray.

This book was just sadly not for me! I was hoping for something different but it turned out to be something I was not expecting, which is okay and I'm sure someone else would love it!

Because this is a graphic novel the arc did not translate well on my kindle. It was impossible to follow and that was white frustrating

*Thank you Penguin Teen for my gifted e-arc.

It is hard to rate and review this graphic novel because due to formatting issues, the captions did not align under the pictures, and the story seemed out of order. Also, words were incomplete like ‘sorry’ appeared as ‘soy.’ These defects dampened my reading experience. Because this was a graphic novel and not a novel with full chapters, it seemed to be missing context, and I found the story hard to follow.

I think this would make great supplemental material for a history lesson on Stalin because the students would be really engaged with the pictures. It would also be a great text to compare to the Diary of Anne Frank because the protagonist is an artist who also expresses herself with the written form. This book is great to open up discussion about the poor treatment of the victims of the labor camps, especially women. Plus the twisted encouragement to report on neighbors for anti-Soviet rhetoric.

Some of my favorite quotes that would make great discussion pieces:

“How could we stand up for ourselves if we kept cowering in fear?”

“I wanted to roll the hate up into my mouth and spit it right back into his face.”

A haunting YA graphic novel that’s as good as the novel. The comics are dark and melancholy. I’m a huge fan of the novel and this was a great graphic novel version.

I've loved this book since I read it as a novel years ago. And I enjoyed the graphic novel adaptatation.

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY has been in my tbr for ages, so I was excited when a graphic novel adaptation released last fall. This was a haunting read that left me in tears at the end. The art style fit with the story (especially since the main character is an artist) and brought the pain and horror to life. I will need to pick up the full novel soon!

The story of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is one that needs to be told in every form available. It is captivating and haunting all at the same time. The illustrations provided by Dave Kopka are stunning and show the complexity of the story.

The translation of novel to a graphic novel is always difficult. And Between Shades of Gray is far from the exception. Donkin reduces the novel into its core beats and misses the nuance of what made the original novel so impactful. I suggest reading the novel over the adaptation.

Between Shades of Grey is one of my favorite novels and has been for a long time. When I saw there would be a graphic novel version I instantly needed it but was also really hesitant about it. If you’ve read BSOG you know the context of the novel and how hard it is to read and process so an illustrated version of it… I was scared 😅

I have to say the way this novel was depicted, the illustrations were INCREDIBLE. Oddly fitting, the style of art is done in a way that I personally felt captured the aching pain of what the story tells perfectly. It hurt to read yes. It hurt to see yes. But it was powerful and got the point across in a way that makes my heart ache even more so than before. I HIGHLY recommend.

This is one of my absolute favorite historical fictions for any level, but especially YA. I am constantly recommending this one to students, and particularly resistant readers. How wonderful to now have a graphic novel version to share as well. Reading this again made it fresh and just as heartbreaking as the first time I read it. So powerful and well done.

Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel which is adapted by Andrew Donkin with art by Dave Kopka and color by Brann Livesay, is one of those stories. I have a healthy respect for this type of storytelling and history sharing because I have had to struggle to discover my own people history and stories. </p>

Stories That Aren't Often Told
I'm going to be honest. I know a lot about the concentration camps set up by the nazis in World War II, but outside of the Jewish Resistance, my knowledge is limited on the experiences of other groups in the war. I had no idea what was going on on the Soviet/Russian side of the conflict.

Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel is a story about the arrest and deportation of Lina, her mother and little brother in 1941 Lithuania. Because I didn't read a synopsis ahead of time and I jumped right into reading it based on my last experience with Ruta Sepetys' storytelling, I had to put some things together as I read. Almost similar to how Lina had to during her horrific experience.

The Terror of Not Knowing
There is no omniscient narrator, the reader knows what Lina knows because it is written from her point of view. At first I didn't really understand where they were being taken or the framing of them being kicked out of their homes and put on trains to a destination that they have no idea about. The imagery is eerily similar to how Jewish people were taken from their homes and put on trains to the death camps.

Much of the emotional terror from this story is the not-knowing. Lina and her family never know what will come next or where they will be taken next. They don't know where her father is or how he is doing. They don't know about the rest of their family. They don't know when the next moment might be their last.

Hope and Community

This is a super tough book to read. But it is not devoid of hope, even though sometimes it feels buried in the hardship of what is happening to Lina at the Soviet workcamps. There is hope in the budding romance between Lina and Andrius. There is hope in her mother protecting her and her little brother.

Their community is full of hope too. Just when it seems like someone is going to be in it for themselves, they surprise you with a kind action. The only thing I really wanted to learn more about in the novel was the other characters. Lina's mother was so interesting and resilient that I wish I could've learned more about her.
Illustrations
The illustrations were superb and the colors that are used really fit the mood of the story. Much of it blue-toned, which also matches the family's clothes. There clothes are also contrasted against the Soviet green uniforms.

Final Thoughts
Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel is a story about survival. It isn't pretty and it is hard to read. Because it is a graphic novel, it in fact is graphic at times and the images can be hard to look at. But if we didn't read hard to read stories, we would miss out on a lot of history and a lot of lessons that can be learned from it. This is the type of book that I recommend you buddy read so you can decompress with each other afterwards.

This was a fantastic graphic novel! I really enjoyed reading about Lina and her family. The artwork took me a minute to get used to, it wasn't my favorite, but the story drew me in regardless. If you are a fan of historical fiction then this will be right up your alley!

This book was as amazing in pictures as it was in just words. The point of views of this book and all of Ruta Sepetys' other books are amazing and my favorite historical fiction. 5/5 to this book. Thank you for Penguin Teen for sending this to me

This is a beautiful representation of the novel Between Shades of Gray in graphic novel format. I was not familiar with this part of the history of WWII, when people in many countries that were absorbed by the USSR were sent to either fight in the war or into Siberia to perform manual labor. Now I am interested to learn more about this topic. I loved the art and the use of the format. Recommended where historical fiction and Ruta Sepetys books are popular.

This was a very eye-opening story for me because I never knew about this part of history. This book follows 15-year-old Lina, her younger brother Jonas, and their mother whom the Soviets deport from their Lithuanian home to a Siberian labor camp in 1941. Their family is forcefully separated and suffer through unimaginable cruelties.

"Stalin had taken my home and my father. Now he had taken my birthday."

This story reminded me of how important storytelling and books are in educating and immortalizing true stories of people who believe their pain has been forgotten. This is so beautifully written and very well researched.

"Kretzsky. It means beautiful, but with strength. Unique."

I love how the simplicity of the art gives more weight and attention to the words and the story. The story, the art, the small bit of romance, all of it is just so perfect. I love this book and definitely recommend it.

I have a hard time reacting to this book because it was so deep and introspective. There isn't anything hidden within the writing. It is dark, and grim, and needs to be read with care and caution - though I do encourage people to read this.

Lina is an incredibly strong and resilient character. At 15, she is separated from her father and the rest of her family is thrusted into a horrible situation, a Siberian work camp. Not wanting to lose the last of what she loves, she finds ways to document her time and hides it, hoping to one day be able to share her story. This was a story that I had to take time and care in reading, it isn't happy. You go through and witness the cruelties that Lina faces, but then the author takes you back to flashbacks of life before which helps with the ache. The romance is sweet and gentle and I really enjoyed the addition to also bring a little light to a story that seems so grim.

Ruta Sepetys writing is unique and powerful and I think anyone who likes wartime stories will really enjoy this. Have tissues ready!

Thank you to Penguin Teen & Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Books like Between Shades of Gray are incredibly important. This book was the first time I learned about the deportation of the Baltic States by the USSR. Sepetys masterfully depicts the horrific events in a way that makes the trauma these people faced real, while also never losing hope. This book is hard to read because it completely humanizes these experiences. There is no way to look at the events in this book and think they're justified.

I loved the way this was adapted for graphic novels! This will bring Lina's story to so many more people. I think this will only impact more people to be more empathetic. I really loved Lina. She was such a strong character and she always sticks to her convictions. Her story is one that won't ever leave me.

CWs: Antisemitism, blood, child abuse, child death, confinement, death, death of parent, genocide, grief, gun violence, kidnapping, injury/injury detail, murder, violence, war, xenophobia.

I found the formatting of the eARC made this unreadable to me so I cannot review this book at this time.