Thursday, March 7, 2013

Breathe by Sarah Crossan ★ ★ ★★


Reviewed by Katelyn Harris (Aged 13) Meet Katelyn

Imagine a world so different to our own, yet so similar. This is the world for Quinn and Bea, two of the inhabitants of The Pod, a massive domelike structure where the air is clean and available to all, at a price.
Quinn is a Premium and enjoys the luxuries of life as his father is an important businessman. Bea is at the other end of the social scale, an Auxiliary, and her family can barely make their air rent.
Outside of the Pod there is the Outlands, where there is nothing except old houses, left over from where the lucky few fled to the Pod. This barren, treeless, lifeless world is home to a few crazy isolationists, struggling to survive.
The Pod is far from a paradise and the Resistance is attempting to solve the air crisis by regrowing trees after discovering the Government has not fulfilled a promise it made to do just that.  Alina is part of the Resistance, trained to steal samples from the few trees that are left in the world. When her partner is killed, she has to find a way to leave the safety of the Pod and into the Outlands.
Friends, Quinn and Bea, are heading off on a camping trip outside of the Pod. Bea is hoping that this is more than just a camping trip, it’s a chance for Quinn to realise that they could be more than friends. And then, Alina crosses their path and Bea’s plans are ruined. Alina uses her charm on Quinn and convinces him to take her out with them.  Alina separates soon after leaving the Pod, but an enchanted Quinn follows, with a reluctant Bea trailing behind.
An encounter with a mentally unstable Isolationist, leads to Bea’s life being endangered. Bea is saved, but at a cost.
Sarah Crossan has written an excellent novel, great for teenage audiences as it underlines our need to conserve our environment as there is the possibility that, one day, the story could become our reality. The underlying message is not overwhelming, but an important part of the story, along with the romantic triangle between Quinn, Bea and Alina. The book is written in a very descriptive style, so it feels as if you are there, watching it all unfold.
I would recommend this to teenage audiences who are interested in a Dystopian story which has adventure, romance and excitement. This book is so good, I read it in a day and I’d love to see this book made into a movie!


Our review copy of EARTHFALL thanks to the wonderful people at Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

To buy or learn more visit BREATHE
EBook available here from Bloomsbury Breathe eBook $5.99
Release Dates: Australia and New Zealand: October, 2012

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Crossan grew up in Ireland and England, and then moved to the US, where she now lives. She graduated with a degree in philosophy and literature before training as an English and drama teacher at Cambridge University. Since completing a Masters in creative writing, she has been working to promote creative writing in schools.

Visit Author’s Official Site: http://sarahcrossan.com/


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