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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
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
Thank you NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
To start things off - love the cover. It gives such a classic slasher vibe! The title, not so much, but I promise it makes sense eventually.
Breathe In, Bleed Out follows Hannah, a med intern trying to stay afloat with a heavy load of trauma on her back - namely, the death of her partner in unclear (to us) circumstances. She's having a rough time, becoming too dependent on her meds and withdrawing from her social circles, so when her best friend Tess manages to snag an invite to an exclusive healing retreat, it seems like a fantastic idea. In Avidya, Hannah will have her journey of self-discovery - just not the one she was expecting.
This book is fun and fast-paced - I read it in one sitting, I was so caught by it.. It's an homage to classic slashers that also delights in taking shots at toxic wellness culture, with its smoke and mirrors wrapped in a neat cultural appropriation package, and in showing how easy it is to believe what we need to.
To start things off - love the cover. It gives such a classic slasher vibe! The title, not so much, but I promise it makes sense eventually.
Breathe In, Bleed Out follows Hannah, a med intern trying to stay afloat with a heavy load of trauma on her back - namely, the death of her partner in unclear (to us) circumstances. She's having a rough time, becoming too dependent on her meds and withdrawing from her social circles, so when her best friend Tess manages to snag an invite to an exclusive healing retreat, it seems like a fantastic idea. In Avidya, Hannah will have her journey of self-discovery - just not the one she was expecting.
This book is fun and fast-paced - I read it in one sitting, I was so caught by it.. It's an homage to classic slashers that also delights in taking shots at toxic wellness culture, with its smoke and mirrors wrapped in a neat cultural appropriation package, and in showing how easy it is to believe what we need to.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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:
No
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy of this arc,
I think that if you like slashers this might work better for you then it did for me. Unfortunately slashers just aren’t exactly my favorite brand of horror.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Hanna is at her most compelling there and although she retains het interest I did not particularly like her friends very much.
This is a fun horror that’s clearly written by someone who likes horror and that is always a plus for me.
There is just one to many ideas for me and I think if we had got to focus more on either the cult angle, the slasher angel or the last minute betrayal or the supernatural angle
A solid entry especially for genre fans. If you can suspend disbelief you’ll have a good time.
Great for fans of the decent, the ruins book, scream or movie and I was a teenage slasher.
I loved this book! I finished it two sittings; it was such a gripping read. Perfect for a fun slashy summer. I loved trying to figure out what was happening and the whodunnit before Hannah could. Her friends and the rest of the cast felt fleshed out and believable. The mental health representation was really good as well.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
God, I love a fun horror novel.
This is the first time I’ve picked up a book and felt like I was watching a classic slasher film. I enjoyed every second, and I truly didn’t see the twisty end coming until it was right there in front of my face. I read the entire book in two days, squinting at different lines and highlighting away like I was a little detective. There are so many juicy clues casually dropped into the actual word choices and in the behaviors of the characters. I felt so sure I knew what was going on the whole time, but I was wrong - and that’s my favorite way for horror stories to go.
The writing style is witty and often pretty funny. I saw a lot of myself in the attitudes of multiple characters, and that just cracked right me up. The death scenes were creative and disgusting too, just how I like them. I even threw my phone down once and yelled for a quick second, just to release the abject horror I was experiencing while reading through the descriptions in this novel (the snake, man… the snake…). I think the author, much like myself, loves a perfectly curated death scene.
I think this story is a lovely callback to all the things horror watchers, readers, and writers love about the classics. It has an interesting setting that I haven’t really seen done before and approaches the subject matter in a serious but also satirical way that was exciting to see. The flaws of the characters aren’t sugar coated, and often times their flaws are almost too glaring and off-putting… but there’s always more to the story than that, isn’t there?
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this - and that’s what matters most to me. I love a story that can scare me and make me giggle at the same time. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie. What’s a little fear amongst friends anyway, eh? Pick this one up and have a little fun. Signing off with the funniest line I’ve ever read, as the author so aptly says: in the name of the Freddy, the Michael, and the Jason Voorhees - slaymen.
This is the first time I’ve picked up a book and felt like I was watching a classic slasher film. I enjoyed every second, and I truly didn’t see the twisty end coming until it was right there in front of my face. I read the entire book in two days, squinting at different lines and highlighting away like I was a little detective. There are so many juicy clues casually dropped into the actual word choices and in the behaviors of the characters. I felt so sure I knew what was going on the whole time, but I was wrong - and that’s my favorite way for horror stories to go.
The writing style is witty and often pretty funny. I saw a lot of myself in the attitudes of multiple characters, and that just cracked right me up. The death scenes were creative and disgusting too, just how I like them. I even threw my phone down once and yelled for a quick second, just to release the abject horror I was experiencing while reading through the descriptions in this novel (the snake, man… the snake…). I think the author, much like myself, loves a perfectly curated death scene.
I think this story is a lovely callback to all the things horror watchers, readers, and writers love about the classics. It has an interesting setting that I haven’t really seen done before and approaches the subject matter in a serious but also satirical way that was exciting to see. The flaws of the characters aren’t sugar coated, and often times their flaws are almost too glaring and off-putting… but there’s always more to the story than that, isn’t there?
Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this - and that’s what matters most to me. I love a story that can scare me and make me giggle at the same time. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good scary movie. What’s a little fear amongst friends anyway, eh? Pick this one up and have a little fun. Signing off with the funniest line I’ve ever read, as the author so aptly says: in the name of the Freddy, the Michael, and the Jason Voorhees - slaymen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
This is a terrific and terrifying slasher story set in a desert. The retreat setting was not relaxing at all. At the beginning of the tour of the campgrounds, I would think oh someone will get murdered here and there. I was surprised when the answer was yes but with a gory twist that I wasn't anticipating.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this slasher.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it’s a classic slasher novel, cute mystery and really well written. a story of grief and psychological torture almost, not super gore-y but enough to get the point across
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Torture, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for E-ARC of Breathe in, Bleed out by Brian McAuley in exchange for an honest review.
When I first heard Brian was releasing a new book, I was so excited I didn't even look up what it was about, he has become an auto buy author for me. So of course i rushed to Netgalley to see if i could get an early copy!
This did not disappoint, such a fun slasher with heart.
Brian's writing is very descriptive that when you read his books you can easily visualize it in your head, I mean it does makes sense as he is a screenwriter.
If you are a fan of Scream or any slasher franchise, PICK THIS UP!
If you are a fan is isolated murder mysteries, PICK THIS UP
If you love horror and what something fun, PICK THIS UP!
When I first heard Brian was releasing a new book, I was so excited I didn't even look up what it was about, he has become an auto buy author for me. So of course i rushed to Netgalley to see if i could get an early copy!
This did not disappoint, such a fun slasher with heart.
Brian's writing is very descriptive that when you read his books you can easily visualize it in your head, I mean it does makes sense as he is a screenwriter.
If you are a fan of Scream or any slasher franchise, PICK THIS UP!
If you are a fan is isolated murder mysteries, PICK THIS UP
If you love horror and what something fun, PICK THIS UP!
Slasher fans have been feasting these last few years with some fantastic literary works by giants like Stephen Graham Jones. I’m adding Brian McAuley to that list.
I read McAuley’s first book, Curse of the Reaper, last year and absolutely loved it, as it examined an aging slasher star grappling with being replaced for the big budget remake. Then I devoured his two Candy Cain novellas from the Killer VHS series, which were fun B-movie slashers in bite size book form.
Now enter Breathe In, Bleed Out, McAuley’s upcoming slasher novel from Poisoned Pen Press. This novel, a slasher set at a mindfulness retreat, is heavily influenced by Scream, in that it is both a blood-pulsing slasher coiled around a whodunit mystery. The character deaths are creative (a couple felt very Final Destination-esque) and the plot is propulsive. He employs red herrings and plot reveals in ways that do not feel cheap or unearned.
I loved the main character, Hannah, as she struggles to cope with her fiancé’s death prior to the events of the novel and her dealing with her unraveling sanity as she is constantly being gaslit by characters with questionable motives. Who can Hannah even trust?
I loved this book so much and so devoured it. If you’re a fan of slashers, this is a must-read. You’ll have a bloody good time.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
I read McAuley’s first book, Curse of the Reaper, last year and absolutely loved it, as it examined an aging slasher star grappling with being replaced for the big budget remake. Then I devoured his two Candy Cain novellas from the Killer VHS series, which were fun B-movie slashers in bite size book form.
Now enter Breathe In, Bleed Out, McAuley’s upcoming slasher novel from Poisoned Pen Press. This novel, a slasher set at a mindfulness retreat, is heavily influenced by Scream, in that it is both a blood-pulsing slasher coiled around a whodunit mystery. The character deaths are creative (a couple felt very Final Destination-esque) and the plot is propulsive. He employs red herrings and plot reveals in ways that do not feel cheap or unearned.
I loved the main character, Hannah, as she struggles to cope with her fiancé’s death prior to the events of the novel and her dealing with her unraveling sanity as she is constantly being gaslit by characters with questionable motives. Who can Hannah even trust?
I loved this book so much and so devoured it. If you’re a fan of slashers, this is a must-read. You’ll have a bloody good time.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley is a slasher novel that follows Hannah and her lingering grief, along with four of her friends, to a wellness retreat as they set their individual intentions to conquer some demons. Oh, and a pickax-wielding-killer stalking their every move. Or is this just one of Hannah’s grief-induced hallucinations? McAuley slays with this horror trope! The narrative was full of suspense and twists and kept me on edge until the last page.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.