Breathe My Name

reading next: Revelations

Breathe My Name
written by R. A. Nelson

Mmm, it's been a good long while since I've read a book that's made me think! Breathe My Name was full of everything any good book requires--well developed, 3-D characters (with the exception in my opinion, of Ann Mirette, who seemed highly 2D to me), beautiful writing that doesn't overdo it, and more than anything, a fully engaging (and super twisty) plot. I liked that through the entire book, all the characters kept me guessing. Was I ever sure of Nix's goodness? Clearly, they got together way too early in the book for it to amount to anything, he's got to be abusive, right? Nope. And clearly, the entire book has set us up for Ms. Jelks to be the central evil character, yes? Nope. Some twists were good, great, even. Some, such as the aforementioned one with Carruthers suddenly being the point of all evil--not so much. I felt a little let down, I expected a huge emotional showdown between Ms. Jelks and her daughter, but while we were given some of that, I really felt robbed by Carruthers. I was so sure he was the miraculous stranger, but no! Still, kept me guessing. There were moments near the end where I almost could have thought Frances was the one who made up Fireless or equally twisted, but this I did not see coming. Some of the flashbacks started being choppy as well, and I felt as if the last flashback of Fireless could have carried the weight of the entire book. The story of what happened shouldn't have been revealed through narration to Nix (nor should it have been revealed on the book jacket...) but through that one flashback that told it all. Nevertheless, this one was amazing psychological thriller. A little more resolution could have been inserted at the end, small tweaks here and there, and I still find myself highly doubtful that Nelson went into this book intending to make Carruthers evil, but I'll live.

Rating: 4.5/5...can I go with a 4.9 or something, instead?