Scan barcode
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I had high hopes for this one given the setting. Any sort of mountain climbing expedition promises all sorts of disasters. Adding in the elements of a thriller should only add to the intrigue. Unfortunately, I didn't find this to be the case with this book.
Cecily is a journalist who has been training for months to make a climb to interview Charles McVeigh. On top of already brutal conditions, a series of unsettling events occur throughout the trek. Death isn't necessarily unusual during climbs... but they start getting suspicious.
Despite such an exciting setup with so much potential, I felt that the story dragged on with very little happening. There were too many characters, most of whom didn't have enough importance to the story to spend as much time on them as they got. It's obvious a lot of heart and research went into this, so I feel bad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to while reading the first few chapters.
Cecily is a journalist who has been training for months to make a climb to interview Charles McVeigh. On top of already brutal conditions, a series of unsettling events occur throughout the trek. Death isn't necessarily unusual during climbs... but they start getting suspicious.
Despite such an exciting setup with so much potential, I felt that the story dragged on with very little happening. There were too many characters, most of whom didn't have enough importance to the story to spend as much time on them as they got. It's obvious a lot of heart and research went into this, so I feel bad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to while reading the first few chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a good time. Nothing spectacular, but I liked learning about mountaineering, and I don't regret picking it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Sexual harassment
asparagusisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought I was a thriller girlie but if I predict another thriller, I will lose it.
BREATHLESS by AMY MCCULLOCH is an adult thriller following Cecily Wong, a journalist that has to "come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak mountain peak in the world," to interview a famous mountaineer, Charles. Of all the journalists in the world, Charles has chosen her and will only give her the interview if she completes the summit. If they complete this summit, he will be known to be the first man (or beating the current record) to climb all fourteen (8,000 meters) mountains without any supplementary oxygen or using fixed ropes. Even though this may sound like an exciting and inspirational feat, "Cecily has given up everything to get to this interview and career-making opportunity to get her life back on track." But once she begins the climb, Cecily starts to realize that there are more dangers on the mountain than just the climb itself... this time there might be a murderer on the mountain. Cecily is one of the first to catch onto when climbers start to disappear one by one. But by the time the realization begins to settle in, "it is too late to turn back."
(Some parts of this summary are in quotations because they are taken from the book's official description.)
It took me over two weeks to finish reading this book because a) I was busy and b) there was not a lot of thrill that was holding my attention. I wanted to feel goosebumps and be shivering in my boots as if I were in the cold and terrified for my life like Cecily. Like many thrillers that I have read recently, I had guessed multiple aspects of the story correct and was underwhelmed when they were revealed. Thriller authors tend to slip in little bits of information (clues) to what is revealed later in the book. McCulloch did that in Breathless but it may have been too obvious to the readers. Other than that. I enjoyed the book. Climbing mountains is clearly a passion that McCulloch is interested in. The most I know about it is through movies like Everest, Vertical Limit, 127 Hours, and now this book. (I will admit, I did have to do some research while reading when I didn't understand some of the terms.) I enjoyed the book and would be interested in picking up another book with a mountain climbing setting.
All I have to say about the ending is this: I FREAKING KNEW IT AND THE SHERPAS BETTER WHOOP HIS ASS!!!
BREATHLESS by AMY MCCULLOCH is an adult thriller following Cecily Wong, a journalist that has to "come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak mountain peak in the world," to interview a famous mountaineer, Charles. Of all the journalists in the world, Charles has chosen her and will only give her the interview if she completes the summit. If they complete this summit, he will be known to be the first man (or beating the current record) to climb all fourteen (8,000 meters) mountains without any supplementary oxygen or using fixed ropes. Even though this may sound like an exciting and inspirational feat, "Cecily has given up everything to get to this interview and career-making opportunity to get her life back on track." But once she begins the climb, Cecily starts to realize that there are more dangers on the mountain than just the climb itself... this time there might be a murderer on the mountain. Cecily is one of the first to catch onto when climbers start to disappear one by one. But by the time the realization begins to settle in, "it is too late to turn back."
(Some parts of this summary are in quotations because they are taken from the book's official description.)
It took me over two weeks to finish reading this book because a) I was busy and b) there was not a lot of thrill that was holding my attention. I wanted to feel goosebumps and be shivering in my boots as if I were in the cold and terrified for my life like Cecily. Like many thrillers that I have read recently, I had guessed multiple aspects of the story correct and was underwhelmed when they were revealed. Thriller authors tend to slip in little bits of information (clues) to what is revealed later in the book. McCulloch did that in Breathless but it may have been too obvious to the readers. Other than that. I enjoyed the book. Climbing mountains is clearly a passion that McCulloch is interested in. The most I know about it is through movies like Everest, Vertical Limit, 127 Hours, and now this book. (I will admit, I did have to do some research while reading when I didn't understand some of the terms.) I enjoyed the book and would be interested in picking up another book with a mountain climbing setting.
All I have to say about the ending is this: I FREAKING KNEW IT AND THE SHERPAS BETTER WHOOP HIS ASS!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
erinmjustice's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Child death
juliaaa02's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Child death
More...