This review was originally posted on my blog IrisjeXxhttp://irisjexx.com/unbreathable-by-hafsah-laziaf-book-review/. I would love for you to check out my blog and tell me what you think about it!
Unbreathable by Hafsah Laziaf
Published on October 29th 2013
Published on October 29th 2013
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review in any way.
The Story :One hundred and fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed, and the remaining humans fled to the dusty red planet of Jutaire, where the only oxygen is manufactured, food is scarce, and death strikes often.
When Lissa's father discovers Earth still exists, she accidentally inhales the toxic air of Jutaire, and in one breath, discovers she isn't quite human.
Her father hangs for his discovery, and Lissa knows the Chancellors will come for her, for she saw the Earth that night too. With nothing to lose, she sets out to expose the truth. It isn't long before she meets Julian, a beautiful boy who can breathe the toxic air like she can - and shows her that the Jute, the original inhabitants of the planet, are more tangled in their lives than she knows.
But the Chancellors are only pawns in a greater game - one where the Jute control everything. Worse, the Jute plan to leave Jutaire for Earth, but to get there, they need her. And they'll stop at nothing until Lissa is in their clutches, even if they kill every human in the process.
The race for Earth has begun.
Unbreathable is a tale of love, redemption, and sacrifice, and one girl's struggle to find her place in a world where she doesn't belong.
My Thoughts :When I first read the summary and saw the cover of this book I remember tweeting Hafsah Laziaf if she was still looking for people to review it for her (I mean have you seen the cover? It’s gorgeous!). Unfortunately she wasn’t looking for reviewers anymore, but she was in fact still looking for people on her Street-Team. I signed up and here we are! I finished it a few days ago and here comes the much awaited review.
If there is one thing I like in my books it would be a strong protagonist. Check. Lissa was everything you would want in a protagonist. she is strong willed, fights for what she wants and believes in. She really matured throughout the book and reading from her perspective was fun, her thoughts felt genuine which made it much easier to feel ‘in touch’ with her.
Thinking back I think the main thing I liked so much about Unbreathable would be the characters. As mentioned above it holds a strong protagonist. But aside from Lissa, the other characters are just so well thought out and well-written. There’s a distinction going on between the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ characters but all of them are just so well developed! They grow and change throughout the story and even though there is some stereotyping going on, in a sense they are all unique in their own way. And not to forget not ‘quite’ human. Hafsah Laziaf did an amazing job with these characters because they managed to surprise me just when I’d thought I had figured them out.
Since I am talking about characters, I might as well go on with Julien and Rowan, because yes there is a love triangle in this one. I spoke about the distinction between good and evil before. Insert that here. This is also what I meant with the stereotyping. I do think it is awfully typically for YA to have a love triangle (and not to forget the parental issues). Now, this might sound really negative, but it wasn’t that bad. It actually worked. Lissa is in love with Julien and is in serious denial about Rowan. Most love triangles feature a protagonist that isn’t able to make a choice between two guys, which is NOT the case in Unbreathable. Yes she is facing a though spot, because Julien and Rowan are total opposites (and I can’t forget to mention that they are brothers either) but she has made her choice. I am not telling you because that would be a major spoiler, but I can tell that she is confused for a while but then stands by her decision. And boy is that refreshing!
Plenty of action, great word building, and a superb ending! *sigh! That ending!*
A tale about love, hope, and forgiveness. A beautiful debut for Hafsah Laziaf! I look forward to reading more of her work.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
I love all your comments, and it makes me so freakishly happy to get the alert that I have a new one, so thank you!