The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 5

Day 5:
Reason to Breathe, Rebecca Donovan

Now, this one... it's gloriously written, and talks about something very, very important - and it does it in such a painfully raw, beautiful way, it's impossible not to fall in love with Emma, and to plead with the literary gods for her to be able to escape her hell.
BUT it's not for the faint of heart.
And I don't say that to be funny. If domestic abuse is something that you can't stomach (of course, it bothers and makes all of us uncomfortable, but if it's truly something you cannot read about) then stay away from these books.
Which is sad, but understandable.
I can promise you that there is a happy ending... at the end of the third book. And if you're getting this as a present for someone, be sure to get #1 and #2 (Barely Breathing) as a package deal, because the cliffhanger at the end of Reason to Breathe is brutal.

Out of Breath

Title: Out of Breath (Breathe #3)
Author: Rebecca Donovan
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 6/10


One would think these books would get easier as they went on, right?
And, I guess, in a way they did. Because the abuse in the first book nearly killed me, and the way book two ended ripped my heart to shreds. So I thought, surely, nothing could hurt more than those two already had, right?
In a way, yes.
In another, not so much.
Emma's struggle to come to terms with her past is truly breathtaking, raw, and very very real. I see quite alot of myself in her, so while none of her actions in this book surprised me, I also knew perfectly well when she needed to stop; I also knew how hard it actually is to stop. Rebecca Donovan captures that struggle between wanting to survive and having had enough of life perfectly, and Emma embodies that struggle right up until the end.
I did miss Evan during the first 30% (yes, I kept tabs) of the book. And then to suddenly not only have him be there, but be in his head was... weird. And sudden. But not in a bad way. I know that adding a second first person narrator to a book can sometimes backfire if the plot can't support it, or it's not presented in the right way. And while I felt that sometimes the quick shifts were a bit too sudden, I also appreciate the added dimension it provided the book with, without eve actually taking away from the suspenseful moments.
I really liked the way her big reveal was only shown through memories - it kept me on my toes right at the end of the book, where the agony of the will-the-won't-they was about to drive me crazy.
I will definitely miss those two hard-headed fools.

All in all, a fitting end to a stunning series that tugs at all heartstrings. Bravo, Ms Donovan. Bravo.