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lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was very excited to pick up this thriller because I though the setting sounded absolutely atmospheric, and the premise intrigued me. "Breathless" follows aspiring journalist Cecily, as she agrees to climb Manaslu, in the hopes of interviewing Charles McVeigh, a climber who is about to finish his record-breaking series of climbs. Cecily has very little experience mountain climbing; her only true experience ending with her needing to be emergency rescued. There seems to be something sinister on the mountain, plotting to harm anyone that gets in its way. Can Cecily make it to the top of the mountain unscathed and finally write something to launch her career?
I loved how this novel was written. I felt like the pacing was impeccable, the writing was so immersive, and we received just as much information as we needed before the next big reveal. I felt like I was truly on a mountain and there was a blizzard and possible killer with me. What fell short for me was the motivation for Cecily. I understand wanting to face your fears and challenging yourself, but it feels too unbelievable that she would agree to climb such a tall mountain with no experience and no training. People train months, even years, to attempt to do what Cecily did, and they still die because of adverse circumstances. Cecily wants to do this, and she invests the last of her money into buying the equipment she will need to be successful. We are told this is why she keeps going: because she has to. If she does not complete this climb, she will not have her interview, and she will not get paid. It just feels like loose reasoning, especially because Cecily does NOTHING to train beforehand.
The rest of the story was interesting, and I loved the reveals and how the mystery unraveled. I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, but I still enjoyed the novel overall!
I loved how this novel was written. I felt like the pacing was impeccable, the writing was so immersive, and we received just as much information as we needed before the next big reveal. I felt like I was truly on a mountain and there was a blizzard and possible killer with me. What fell short for me was the motivation for Cecily. I understand wanting to face your fears and challenging yourself, but it feels too unbelievable that she would agree to climb such a tall mountain with no experience and no training. People train months, even years, to attempt to do what Cecily did, and they still die because of adverse circumstances. Cecily wants to do this, and she invests the last of her money into buying the equipment she will need to be successful. We are told this is why she keeps going: because she has to. If she does not complete this climb, she will not have her interview, and she will not get paid. It just feels like loose reasoning, especially because Cecily does NOTHING to train beforehand.
The rest of the story was interesting, and I loved the reveals and how the mystery unraveled. I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, but I still enjoyed the novel overall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
jaceebenefield's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Alcohol
maregred's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism