Set in the final year of Soviet Russia’s collapse, this stunning debut novel tells the story of Sonya, a timid Jewish girl reuniting with her once-dissident mother and falling in love with a mysterious boy who may be an anti-Semite. All the while, Sonya’s mama is falling in love also?with shiny America, a land where differences seem to be celebrated. The place sounds amazing, but so far away. Will Sonya ever find her way there?
my thoughts:
Historical fiction is where its at! I'm serious! The more I read this genre, the more I fall in love with it. Not only do you learn history, but you get to read awesome stories chock full of fascinating characters - what's not to love, right? And let me just say, Castle of Concrete was amazing! It was delightful, compelling, and unputdownable. I absolutely LOVED it!!
Sonya is Russian and Jewish. She's left Siberia to live with her mom in Moscow. She's a teenager who has to contend with all the difficulties of high school life. But, she's also a girl in love and that is a problem as the guy is an anti-Semite. Yep, she's fallen for the wrong guy. Of course, there is also the nice guy, the one who teaches her about their culture, their history. Its a lot for Sonya to deal with - then again, matters of the heart usually are complicated messes. Plus, her mom doesn't seem to fully grasp all that Sonya is dealing with. So much is happening and Sonya just wants to get a handle on it all. Talk about a must-read!
Katia Raina has written a wonderful story that will captivate you. You won't want to stop reading. The way she weaves history with Sonya's story is just brilliant. She makes you want to read more about the collapse of Soviet Russia - to learn about its history, the culture and the people. And, she makes you want to befriend Sonya and cheer for her throughout. I just loved this book to bits! It was such a great read.
I would happily recommend Castle of Concrete to anyone and everyone who is a fan of the historical fiction/YA genre - you will LOVE this book!!
Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Castle of Concrete
Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!
2 comments:
Love the sound of this one! It's such an interesting time period, and yet there's not a lot of books set in it. And there should be! :)
This genre isn't even my jam but I really, really, REALLY enjoyed this book as well!! Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
Post a Comment