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Saturday, August 23, 2014

Breathe by Elena Dillon ARC Review (SPOILER ALERT)


Breathe by Elena Dillon 
ebook, approx. 166 pages (for a Kindle according to Goodreads)
Smashwords Edition
Originally Published on November 21, 2012
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository |
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

Synopsis: Jasmine’s life isn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hasn’t been normal since the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life is changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California, to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.

In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way. Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think things are going in the right direction. On top of that the most gorgeous boy she has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out who she is. Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening. Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming after her this time? Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.


Thank you Netgalley and Mark My Words Book Publicity for my ebook copy of this book.


I was unimpressed and unmoved by this book. It wasn't that it was terrible but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get into it. The writing style was all tell and no show, which made it impossible to feel anything from the characters or the plot.

The story itself has such a commonplace plot that it needed something extra, something that made it stand out among the rest, and pull the reader in. Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, it failed to do that.

Strengths/Likes:

1) I am very critical when it comes to accents, and most of the time I don't think that they work because a lot of times author's think if they throw in a couple of words that it's believable that a character has an accent or speaks another language. But in this case, I found it very convincing that the story was set in the South and that most of the character's accents, especially Easton's was authentic.

2) The villain appearance wasn't "ugly, deformed, and awful" he looked like a normal person. I think since this novel is about stalkers and murders that people should know that they don't always look bad.

Weaknesses/Dislikes: 

1) As I already mentioned, this book was all tell and no show. Through her protagonist, Jasmine, the reader is told the ins and outs of all of her relationships through her own internal thoughts instead of interactions. There were interactions that later backed up her thoughts, but I already knew all about the relationship so I was bored when the interactions did happen.

Here's an example of the telling that carried on throughout the book:

"We had an understanding. Lily was pretty much off limits. She was too sensitive, so it was no fun to spar with her. He, of course, would still give her a hard time, but he was her twin and knew her limits far better than anyone. Caedan and I, we enjoyed our little battles. We gave no quarter and took no prisoners. We loved to find ways to torture each other. Punk'd had been our favorite show, and before Daisy died we had come up with some elaborate ways to get each other. It made my mother crazy, but in many ways it made us closer."

2) The dialogue was long and awkward. The characters instead of flowing conversation between one another when they spoke, they had long monologues that covered more than one subject. Here is an example:

"I was just trying to give her back the paper she dropped, and she acted like I was gonna attack her or somethin'. I don't know why she fainted. I didn't touch her--I swear. Why would that happen? I can't believe you caught her. That was awesome! Is she okay? Do you think there is something wrong with her?"

and

"If you aren't going to tell me, I don't have to tell you anything. You don't even care about me or anybody but yourself. He could be really bad, and you wouldn't even know it. I am telling Mom, and you are gonna be grounded! See if I care how you feel, Jas!"

3) There were random bouts of anger in this book that I didn't understand. Easton and his cousin's Chase aggression towards their "brothers" on the football team. Or Easton's fight with Jasmine over how she didn't want to be surrounded by the media again. I found it unsupportive and controlling. Maybe that was the point.

This one wasn't for me guys, hope you guys enjoyed it and helped answer any questions you may have had when looking up this book. 

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