Review: Breathe

Breathe

By Sarah Crossan

Source: ARC from BEA

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Summary: In a world without air, what would you do to breathe? In a barren land, a shimmering glass pod houses the survivors of the Switch, the period when oxygen levels plunged and the green world withered. A state lottery meant a lucky few won safety, while the rest suffocated in the thin air. And now Alina, Quinn, and Bea—an unlikely trio, each with their own agendas, their own longings and fears—walk straight into the heart of danger. With two days of oxygen in their tanks, they leave the pod—and everything they know—behind. What will happen on the third day?

Review: First, I’d like to point out how amazingly beautiful the cover of this book is. It’s indescribably mesmerizing. Now onto the review! Before reading this book, I was getting sick of dystopian novels. I previously thought dystopian novels were unique with an interesting setting and a cool feisty female main character. Lately, I realized many dystopian novels have the same plot focused on a female character overthrowing an oppressive government and well were sort of all the same. Breathe was different.  Unlike many dystopian novels, you can tell right away Sarah Crossan has a real talent for writing. The words flow off the page and the dialogue seems realistic.

 I absolutely hate it when novels have a flawless boy who is smart, athletic, hot, and basically everything a girl could ever want because in the real world that boy does not exist in the real world (trust me I’ve been looking). Sarah Crossan captured the essence of a true teenage boy perfectly.  When Quinn checked out Alina’s butt I laughed at how that insignificant everyday moment in high school hallways was captured so perfectly in a war-zone fantasy world. Quinn was by far my favorite character because of how real he appeared. The main idea of the book was breathtaking; a world without oxygen is an extremely clever concept I never really imagined before. If you like Across the Universe you will love this book as it captures the same adventurous mood. Breathe comes out on October 2, 2012 and I cannot wait for the sequel!

~Brittany