Sarah Crossan
Release Date: 10/2/12
Synopsis:
Inhale. Exhale.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe . . .
The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.
Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.
Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.
Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.
And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?
My thoughts on the book:
Breathe isn't the best or worst dystopian I've ever read. The concept is interesting, and the plot is intriguing, but the characters are god awful. I also really did not like the ending. I realize this is going to be a series, but I felt very defeated after that ending. I was like, "wow, I just wasted how long reading this book for THAT ending?" Anyway, that being said, hardcore dystopian fans are sure to love this. As previously stated, the plot is enjoyable and the world-building is fantastic.
I'm not going to spend much time on the characters because it will just be a rant. None of the characters were very complex or interesting. None of them were well-developed. They had spontaneous growth spurts, and since it was first person POV with the three narrators listed above, feelings were told more than they were shown. Also, none of the characters were actually likable. Alina was rude and harsh, Quinn was ridiculously useless and flaky, and Bea whined constantly. Not my favorite cast.
The plot kept me reading, though, and I did enjoy it until the end. Even though I didn't like the characters, I still felt a sense of urgency with the plot. I also wanted to know what was going on with Abel, but I don't feel that was really tied up for me. No one's fate was sealed, and no questions were really answered. That bothered me. It was just a depressing ending. Yuck.
The world-building is fantastic, and I could clearly picture this world. I think that's what gave me the aforementioned sense of urgency. This world just seemed so real, it was hard not to care about the fate of it, even though I didn't care what happened to the characters. I'd say that the world-building and original idea were the two saving graces of this novel.
As I said, I would recommend this book for hardcore dystopian fans. A lot of people love it, and just because the characters bugged me doesn't mean they'll bug you. If you're unsure about it, check it out from the library. You may just find a book that you really love.
Pre-order Breathe
I'm really glad that this is a pretty good read, it sounds like the world building really makes this book!
ReplyDeleteI have always been a little put off by this book. For me, the synopsis is just way to vague. I had still hoped that it would be a good read, but I have to really connect with the characters to enjoy a book, and it sounds like Breathe just doesn't hit the mark. I might read it at somepoint down the line though.
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