May 15, 2013

Review: BARELY BREATHING by Heather Allen

Title: BARELY BREATHING

Author: Heather Allen

Source: ebook from author for review


DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOK 1, JUST BREATHE. It will contain spoilers for that book

goodreads...
Ever Harding used to believe in love. That is until she was left heartbroken by the only person she ever really loved, Jack, the mysterious boy from her history class. Little did she know he was born of the sea, on land to watch over her. But was he really? She made the ultimate sacrifice, to live in the sea as a mermaid, for Jack and for love. But she found that in the end, that love wasn't enough.

Now she finds herself alone, having to make a huge choice. She must decide whether to defend others against the choices she has made or fight for the freedoms of a population, she has just become a part of.

Ever's brother James, became a part of the sea not by any choice of his own, but he is willing to embrace it as long as a certain long legged, beauty is by his side. But as his sister found, things are not always as they seem.

In the end what they feared the most comes to reality, the battle, waged between staying true to life in the sea or changing a race of people to become more powerful and diverse. Will Ever and James survive the lines drawn in the sand or will they have to battle each other for what they believe?

Little do they know the battle in the end, will be something entirely different than what they were ready for.

My take...
Ever has learned that Jack has betrayed her and it seems that her decision to live in the sea has been for nothing. Now she has to learn to fight her brother in an impending war that really isn’t her battle to win. But since she made the choice to live in the sea and become a mermaid, she has to stick by her decision and help lead her people to victory. But is Ever making the right choice? Is her dreams telling her something bad is going to happen? And will she ever be able to pick up the pieces of her broken heart that Jack destroyed?
Ok gonna break it down about what I liked and disliked. Lets go with dislike first. I disliked that the first half of the book had hardly anything going on. There was some training, some bonding, and some new relationships. But that about sums it up. There really wasn't anything paramount that went on. Sure there was some small talk about the upcoming battle and how Ever can't stand even the mention of Jack's name, but really nothing big happens. So altogether the first half of the book was slow, kind of too slow.
One other thing I sort of disliked was the fact that the parents were a little too oblivious to what their children are up to. At least they took the initiative, kind of, this time around with James and acted like parents. But they seem a little off to me. I guess that is the mom in me talking.
Now, for the things I liked (and loved). I liked Alex but never got that feeling that he was truly meant for Ever. And I hated that I couldn't feel that way. But you can see that they obviously care for one another. He is such a great guy and has so much to offer her. Ever is just going to have to decide whether she wants to live with a broken heart or move on and learn to find love again. And it is not decision she will make lightly. She will tear herself up trying to decide what she wants and what she needs in her life.
James. Yes, I absolutely loved that he was such a big addition to the story. At first I wasn't crazy about him, but he grew on me and I enjoyed his scenes and POV. I enjoyed the relationship that him and Ever developed throughout the book and hated it too. Because in the end...there will be a battle and they will be fighting against each other. And it broke my heart to see them getting along so well knowing that the end inevitable.
The end is a whopper of cliff hanger. It definitely has you eager for the last book in the series, FOREVER BREATHING. And boy do I look forward to it and to finally see how the series will conclude. BARELY BREATHING was a good book, I just wasn't gaga over it. But I do recommend it to those who have read the first one. You will want to continue on and see how it all develops.

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