The Fountains of Silence

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city. - excerpt from Goodreads

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is her latest work this year and it has been the longest time ever for me. I first fell in love with her writing through The Salt of the Sea and it was such an amazing book. This book is no exception, it is just as phenomenal. I am truly grateful to have received this from Times read for review. Written in a setting relating to a historical event, her book is inspired by the Spanish Civil War specifically the post war period. She has spent 8 years of researching for this book, so I am happy that it had all worked out for her. With multiple character views in alternating chapters, you get so much different perspective from different backgrounds.

Our male lead is from America and our female lead is a native of Spain, how they intertwine seems simple at first but more and more involvement pushes the story forward. While other characters might be on the sidelines, their growth is also eminent through the alternating chapters you read from the book. Slowly the connection between these characters will show through the plot twists. The mix of the Spanish language into the book gives you a flair of their culture so its funny to learn simple words from reading. Every time Daniel and Ana interacts, you could feel the attraction and how Ana is holding back because of her background. Both character's personality sort of compliments each other, encouraging each other's growth as well.

Salt to the Sea

War torn Germany. Four young people. Four dark secrets.

They come from different lands but each of them is hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies...and war.

As thousands of refugees flock to the coast, desperate to escape the advancing Red Army, the paths of four young people converge. All are hoping to board the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. 

Yet not all promises can be kept. - excerpt from book

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys is my first time reading a historical fiction. Set in the time of 1945 during world war II this book was pretty interesting for me and that's because I didn't learn about this event in my history class. Of course I roughly knew what happened but I could not talk about it as I'm not sure about a whole lot of things during that war. So when I started reading the book there were some things that I wasn't sure of like how Europe was like, which countries were involved in the war. Things like Red Army, the ships, the Amber Room and treasures were new to me and when I came across it I had to Google it and read from Wikipedia. I didn't want to feel like I was studying for a history test so I decided to just read the book till the end and then find out things I don't know.