Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Breathe.

Title/Author: Breathe by Sarah Crossan.

Genre: YA.  Dystopian.  Post-Apocalyptic.

Publisher:  Greenwillow.

Source: Received at BEA

Favorite character: Bea.

Favorite quote: It has nothing to do with what I've been taught. It has to do with how I feel. ~Bea.

All in all:  Very enjoyable!

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? ~Goodreads.com
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Breathe.  Told in three first person viewpoints, I sometimes had to check who was speaking, but ultimately, all the narratives worked well. 

Alina who works for The Resistance, starts out hard and cold and I love how she progressed to having sympathy, empathy because of the example set for her by Bea.  Quinn is a "Premium."  An upper class citizen who resents that everything is handed to him and he can't achieve anything on his own.  However, he is still sheltered and a bit selfish until he has to face real danger and real problems.  I like how he emerges stronger and more defiant.  Bea seems to be the glue between the characters of Alina and Quinn.  She is a lowerclass citizen who has a more difficult life and therefore seems to have more integrity.  Her kindness and sense of right and wrong are an example to Alina and an inspiration to Quinn.

The romance in this book was darling.  It starts out as a love triangle or rather a J. Geils Band song (You love her but she loves him.  And he loves somebody else).  The heartache is very touching and through the course of the book it grows in a realistic way which I don't want to give away. 

The story may be familiar but I still couldn't predict what would happen.  The writing is clear, simple and strong and the plot flows.  There is not a lot of other threads to bog down the story, yet other events that are presented are done with purpose.  The world that Crossan created is easy to envision yet not overly worked.  The pod that everyone lives in is laid out and I love recognizing landmarks outside the pod. 

It is open ended and clearly has a sequel.  This usually bothers me but for some reason it did not with Breathe.  Maybe because as I was getting to the end of the book, I knew that it couldn't be wrapped up quickly or maybe because I just enjoyed it so much. 

I thought this was a very thoughtful book.  I think if you liked Hunger Games and Under the Never Sky you will enjoy Breathe

Other editions:












7 comments:

fakesteph said...

Interesting, I've been curious about this one for a while. I glad to hear you enjoyed it. And I'm glad to know going in that there will be an open ended ending.

Julie@My5monkeys said...

I am glad that you enjoyed this book. I found it meh...Bea was great :)

Karen said...

OK - This one is up next after Mara Dyer! (unless I get distracted....again lol)

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a great read. I have had it on my TBR for awhile now and really have to crack it open. I love a good plot with intentional additions to the story. Thanks for your informative review.

Midnyte Reader said...

@Steph-I think I was just in the right mood to read this. It was light and fun, but did have some deep moments.

@Julie-Yes I saw a lot of mixed reviews and I can understand why, but I did like it.

@Karen-I'd be curious to see if you like this one.

@Readingista-I hope you enjoy this.

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

I think I will pick this up!

Also, if the opportunity to freeze myself in order to be brought to life in the future ever presents itself, I'll just say no. The future seems pretty bleak, and I think I'll just pass. ;)

Anonymous said...

I am definitely going to pick this one up, eventually! Lovely review.

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