I Must Betray You - Review

I Must Betray You

by Ruta Sepetys

What they say: Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Romania is under the control of communist dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, as it has been for a LONG time. Everyone's actions are monitored and spies are everywhere. Imagine living in a society with no freedom, no choice and sometimes where the only option is to betray your country to save your loved ones. Women must have children and risk them being taken off of them. 

Cristian is forced into becoming a spy, an informer, a rat with the hope for freedom and defeating the system. Would you risk joining the revolution?

The world building is bleak and intense, as I was reading I felt as though I was there in 1980s Romania with Cristian. 

For me, it took a few chapters to get going but after that it kept me engaged to the last page. I went through moments of extreme anxiety and then to fleeting happiness whilst reading I Must Betray You but the most important theme is hope. Hope for a better future and the idea of never up and searching for someone to trust.

4 Stars in my Sky!

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