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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
90s slasher in a modern day book? Hell yeah! Breathe In Bleed Out has all the magical tropes and OTTness of a classic slasher movie, set round a modern theme of self-care and wellness. It's gory, it's dramatic, it's "why do they always split up when there's a psycho on the loose!" fun!
The characters appear one-dimensional, until McAuley changes tack and writes from their POV, giving the readers their tragic back stories, their motives, and a brief attempt at connection. There are certainly the beginnings of character development, though short-lived, and Hannah seems to 180 on her character in the blink of an eye (after so much time suffering, it's a bit of a whiplash, though I did say there was trope fun!) Classic plot twist ending, the motive there is much less believable and very out of left field. Overall though, as a slasher/horror fan? I can breathe happy and say I had fun.
The characters appear one-dimensional, until McAuley changes tack and writes from their POV, giving the readers their tragic back stories, their motives, and a brief attempt at connection. There are certainly the beginnings of character development, though short-lived, and Hannah seems to 180 on her character in the blink of an eye (after so much time suffering, it's a bit of a whiplash, though I did say there was trope fun!) Classic plot twist ending, the motive there is much less believable and very out of left field. Overall though, as a slasher/horror fan? I can breathe happy and say I had fun.
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an intriguing story to read from start to finish. And I can confidently say that I didn’t anticipate a majority of the happenings. Hannah was a character I NEEDED to root for.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, & NetGalley for allowing me to have early access to this gem!
Thank you to the author, the publisher, & NetGalley for allowing me to have early access to this gem!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Not every experience needs to be captured. It’s important to remember that your first love was the sound itself, not a secondhand recording.”
Summerween has never been so good. Haunted by her finance’s death on a harrowing wilderness trip, Hannah shelters herself away from everyone and everything she knows, depending on pills to dull her pain. When her friend group goes on a wilderness retreat run by a guru, mysterious and slightly cult-like activities make her question whether she’s sane or gone crazy from trauma. Will Hannah confront her demons and her past, or will it and the strange events at the camp catch up to her?
“What if I’m so shaken up that I can’t be unshaken? You’re a human being, Hannah. Not a martini.”
If you are a horror fan, especially a slasher fan like me, especially if Scream is your favourite scary movie like mine, you need to read this book.
It’s intellectual yet funny; dripping with gore and spiritualism.
“Two hundred dollars for an oversized doily? That’s not spiritualism. That’s capitalism.”
The storyline is to die for. Sorry, I had to. And I had no idea who or what was at the end of the book, or even the next chapter. It kept me on my toes the whole time.
What an amazingly fun read. Unputdownable. Five stars.
“I think the only question that matters is what you believe. Because if it’s real to you, then it’s just fucking real, right?”
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Hannah’s fiancée died in front of her on the same trip they got engaged on, and she shut down. Now her old friends are bringing her to a healing retreat to attempt to get their friend back, and reconnect with themselves. But when a local legend seems to be more real than imagined, who will be safe?
Each twist had me changing my mind on who was the big bad, and I didn’t start to catch on until very close to the end. I found this very entertaining and recommend it to fans of horror and whodunnit.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
Each twist had me changing my mind on who was the big bad, and I didn’t start to catch on until very close to the end. I found this very entertaining and recommend it to fans of horror and whodunnit.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
3.5 stars
I did not see that end coming, this is my first horror book
I expected to feel really scared but I didnt, so maybe this is my sign to read more horror
I enjoyed this story, and this touched on grief and healing and how much grief if left untreated can bleed into our daily lives and upend it.
I am not really a yoga person but I love its representation with healing.
I loved the writing style but it was a slow read. I expected it to be more fast paced being that it was a horror book
I will highly recommend this book to someone started off there horror book journey
I did not see that end coming, this is my first horror book
I expected to feel really scared but I didnt, so maybe this is my sign to read more horror
I enjoyed this story, and this touched on grief and healing and how much grief if left untreated can bleed into our daily lives and upend it.
I am not really a yoga person but I love its representation with healing.
I loved the writing style but it was a slow read. I expected it to be more fast paced being that it was a horror book
I will highly recommend this book to someone started off there horror book journey
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced