Review: Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Read from August 26, 2012
to September 30, 2012

Book: Breathe (Breathe #1) by Sarah Crossan

Publication Date: October 2, 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow 

Number of Pages: 400

Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopia

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? - From Goodreads

The main draw of Breathe was its synopsis. It was intriguing and I think dystopian fans would eat it up or at least put this book on their radar. I know I did. And while I wasn't really engrossed by the story, Breathe has its moments.

The first and the last part of the book were the ones I really liked. Narrated by three characters; a rebel, an Auxiliary and a Premium, it made the storytelling more diverse. But there were plenty of lull moments and it didn't help that I felt that I read this type of dystopian a thousand times before. I want something new, something that would make me think and feel. Maybe that's also the reason why although I have a short-term memory when it comes to names, Alina, Bea and Quinn would be forgotten extra fast. They're not just very memorable. 

What a harsh thing to say, no? But the thing is Crossan has a way with words and timing. At times when I feel like I'm reading just for the sake of reading and finishing the book, she comes up with something and it's like getting doused with a cold water in the face. She has a way of pulling the readers back to her story again, to make them more invested into it. There was also this quite touching scene with Quinn's father that had me aww-ing a little. 

Overall, I believe Breathe would be enjoyable for a lot of readers who are into dystopian. It didn't really work for me but I'm still definitely watching out for Crossan's future works.

Cupid's Verdict:

3 Cupids

An advance copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Edelweiss