I just finished listening to this, and I will immediately buy and begin another book by Sepetys as soon as I’m finished with this review. My twelve year old as already listened to the book twice. It’s quite educational, introducing several facts from history that kids will/should learn about in school. The story is riveting, the characters are not too complicated for the young readers, but developed enough to keep this seasoned reader involved. The author did a good job at the descriptions of cruelty and horror without getting too detailed or graphic to be appropriate material for teens.