DNF Review: Breathe For Me

Author: Rhonda Helms
Date of Publication: August 5 2014
Pages: 232
Source: NetGalley (thank you!)

Isabel’s been cursed since the Middle Ages.

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, she made a hasty bargain with a demon, asking for liberation from an oppressive husband-to-be and the excitement of travel. But the demon’s “gift” came at a steep cost. Each time he moves her to a new city, her memory’s wiped. No one can touch her bare skin without injury or even death. And she sees the lifespan of every living being (and is, in fact, immortal herself).

All a constant reminder that she’s different than other teen girls.

But New Orleans seems to accept her as she is. She has friends and a real life in this quirky, hot city. Then Isabel meets Dominic, whose deep soul and strong character draw her to him. Her growing love gives her the courage to confront the demon, insisting the curse be broken. But the demon’s price for freedom is much, much higher than she could possibly give.

Review:

This was a DNF for me, for the simple reason that I was not at all interested in reading this book. I've had it for quite some time and I ended up dragging along, not reading it for weeks. It wasn't that the story was horrible. From what I read, the story was fine. It just didn't have any kind of spark, nothing that held my interest.

Isabel is the main character and she is someone that is tortured and angsty. Except the reader doesn't know what her big issue is, the big paranormal twist that makes her feel that way. As the story progresses, bits and pieces are revealed. It's shown that Isabel can't touch people otherwise she kills them. She can see how much time people have before dying. She also seems to be from another era and she made a deal with a demon. I didn't get too far, so I can't comment on much else, but these facts are slowly revealed, and I guess my issue with them is that I never got to the part where I felt like I needed to know more.

Isabel is a dry character. She probably gets better as the story progresses, but reading in Isabel's POV makes me sad because she is so helpless, and almost reserved. I didn't feel much emotion from her, even when she was supposed to be quite distressed. I couldn't connect to her. Furthermore, her relationship with Dominic, especially at the beginning, had me cringing.

They have an initial attraction. He is super sweet. He is somehow really into her, and super into poetry and pursues her even when she constantly turns him down. They get to know each other better while working on a project-- a poem-- for Isabel's favourite class, English. He turns out to be a poet too. When Isabel is around Dominic, she can barely think and often loses her composure as she stutters a lot.

This storyline isn't new to me. It doesn't feel new. It doesn't hook me in because there are so many stories about Isabels and Dominics. I also think the "project" idea is too overused and I did roll my eyes a little.

I really have read very little of Breathe For Me, so conceivably, it could improve right after I stopped reading. This is a case of me having very little time to actually read, and wanting to spend my reading time on books that call to me right away. Sadly, Breathe For Me wasn't one of those books.

-P.E.

1 comment:

  1. I don't have much patience with a book that's stingy with revealing pieces of the plot. It makes for a frustrating read, for sure. I don't blame you.

    ReplyDelete

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