Reviews with content warning for Grief - Breathless

Ugh. I really, really wanted to love this. I was excited that someone who has actually hiked this particular peak was writing a mystery/thriller taking place on it.

What I got…I just…Let me start with the main character because she’s sort of a mess. So a team is being assembled to climb a death zone peak. Typically, you want people who are adequately experienced and self-sufficient (Yes, wildly rich but inexperienced people buy their way into teams sometimes, but that isn’t the case here). The main character, Cecily, is admittedly unexperienced. In fact, her only challenging hike ended in the death of another hiker and she’s still clearly traumatized by it. Yet somehow she’s still invited along to hike a peak that’s significantly more challenging and technical than anything she’s done previously. I could maybe look past some of this if she were a quick learner or relatively competent, but inexperienced. Nope. They’re literally trying to teach her how to complete maneuvers as they are climbing a potentially fatal mountain and she is constantly frozen by fear and self-doubt.

Then we get into the organization of the climbing team. It is in disarray for the entirety of the story. The leader of the expedition is barely with them. There are all sorts of issues that crop up that aren’t thoroughly evaluated or challenged. No one is aware of where people are. Emergency response is lackluster. It’s just messy.

And finally, experienced hikers start dying in ways that are questionable at the very least…but everyone just seems content to let it go. Maybe the high altitude is slowing everyone’s brains down? Again, they all have to be purposefully oblivious or else the plot wouldn’t progress.

I think that last line sort of sums all of the issues up for me. You have to ignore sooo many gaping holes in logic for this book to work. I can accept a few unrealistic details here and there, but when you anchor a book in reality then ask readers to keep jumping past plot hole after plot hole, it unfortunately just makes it a no-go for me.

I will try to end this with some positives. The description of the mountain was absolutely lovely. I could really envision the setting well.

I also really loved the portrayal of the Sherpas and how the author made sure to discuss the ethics of mass hiking expeditions and the impact on the Sherpa community. They are the backbone of high altitude climbing in the Himalayas and I’m glad she showed them proper respect.

And I also loved that she tackled the issue of sexism in climbing/hiking/trekking. There are so many amazing female climbers and many of them face challenges simply due to their gender. It wasn’t a main theme, but it does get touched upon a couple of times.

Content Warnings

maregred's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

Content Warnings

jnl00700's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5

Content Warnings

More...