Review by kimsbookerynookery - Breathe In, Bleed Out

kimsbookerynookery 's review for:

Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley

4.0

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Summerween is here and Brian McAuley is releasing a crazy fun little slasher for all my twisted girlies!

When ghosts from her past threaten to destroy her, Hannah agrees (begrudgingly) to take a trip with her friends to a wellness retreat out in the wilds of Joshua Tree. She hopes this trip will help her cope with the loss of her fiancé even despite the culty vibes Guru Pax gives off. When Hannah finally begins seeing a little hope for the future her friends start disappearing.

This definitely felt like an ode to slashers of the past with some meta notes taken from Scream and serious twists & turns ala Friday the 13th. The FMC is absolutely as frustrating as many of the famous scream queens while still having the strength to keep herself alive. The cast of side characters are all given vivid depictions and so much personality they practically jump off the page. Many of them are meant to be caricatures of LA stereotypes, and as someone who lived in SoCal for a few years, the depictions were spot on and hilarious.

The setting was perfect for the story. Joshua Tree where many wellness retreats are popping up to cater to the overworked and overwhelmed SoCal elites, yet so vast a retreat can be completely isolated from the rest of the world.

While there were a few little pacing issues at the beginning and at some points the FMC was a little too frustrating for my taste, I had so much fun reading this! It’s great for a fun read while on vacation, which is exactly where I read it! If you like slashers and don’t mind some depictions of gore, this might be for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content Warnings