Scan barcode
A review by mandy1207
BreathTaken by Amanda Jaeger
4.0
Thank you to Amanda Jaeger for the ARC and the opportunity to read and leave an honest review.
BreakTaken follows a man named Richard Teft who is struggling with alcoholism and obsession. He’s been dealt a crappy hand and can’t help but drink himself into a stupor at the end of the day. But when women start getting murdered in his town and they all resemble his muse, Amy, Richard is unsure if he is acting out.
I’d give this book 3.5 stars, but am rating it a 4 due to some of my reasoning being subjective and picky.
What I enjoyed:
I love that Richard is an unreliable narrator. The way Jaeger writes his POV is reminiscent of Caroline Kepnes’s Joe Goldberg of You. It’s this rolling, circular prose that gets inside your head. At times, it can be difficult to read, but it’s something that makes the writing gripping and causes you to not want to look away. I think this makes Jaeger’s work stand out from other thrillers and what makes it a true psychological thriller. I applaud her for this.
I loved Mills. She’s sassy and lends a lot to the story. I think she was very well-done and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.
What I struggled with:
I had a difficult time connecting with Richard until 3/4th of the way through (but was I really supposed to?). At times I felt the scenes were too repetitive or too on-the-nose and brought me out of the story, but then there would be a gorgeously written scene that would reel me right back in.
I love-hate the intricacies. I think some of them could have been narrowed down, but at the same time it’s always fun when something clicks. I did feel at times maybe there were too many, although they all tied in at the end and for that I applaud the author. I think it also fit Richard's internal dialogue as well, which is why this may be a subjective opinion.
The thing that really brings my rating down is the climax. This is where I feel I’m being completely subjective, but honest, so take it with a grain of salt. There’s something that pulled me out of the story the entire climax and it left me wanting just a bit more (I don’t want to say what exactly because I want people to give the book a true chance!). There was also a slight lack of clarity in the ending that felt a bit unbelievable to me.
I would still recommend the book if you like true psychological thrillers, because this has it all: the mind racing, the eeriness, the shock factor. I will be reading more of Jaeger’s work. It takes a lot to write something psychological like this. It’s not an easy feat and she did a great job!
BreakTaken follows a man named Richard Teft who is struggling with alcoholism and obsession. He’s been dealt a crappy hand and can’t help but drink himself into a stupor at the end of the day. But when women start getting murdered in his town and they all resemble his muse, Amy, Richard is unsure if he is acting out.
I’d give this book 3.5 stars, but am rating it a 4 due to some of my reasoning being subjective and picky.
What I enjoyed:
I love that Richard is an unreliable narrator. The way Jaeger writes his POV is reminiscent of Caroline Kepnes’s Joe Goldberg of You. It’s this rolling, circular prose that gets inside your head. At times, it can be difficult to read, but it’s something that makes the writing gripping and causes you to not want to look away. I think this makes Jaeger’s work stand out from other thrillers and what makes it a true psychological thriller. I applaud her for this.
I loved Mills. She’s sassy and lends a lot to the story. I think she was very well-done and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.
What I struggled with:
I had a difficult time connecting with Richard until 3/4th of the way through (but was I really supposed to?). At times I felt the scenes were too repetitive or too on-the-nose and brought me out of the story, but then there would be a gorgeously written scene that would reel me right back in.
I love-hate the intricacies. I think some of them could have been narrowed down, but at the same time it’s always fun when something clicks. I did feel at times maybe there were too many, although they all tied in at the end and for that I applaud the author. I think it also fit Richard's internal dialogue as well, which is why this may be a subjective opinion.
The thing that really brings my rating down is the climax. This is where I feel I’m being completely subjective, but honest, so take it with a grain of salt. There’s something that pulled me out of the story the entire climax and it left me wanting just a bit more (I don’t want to say what exactly because I want people to give the book a true chance!). There was also a slight lack of clarity in the ending that felt a bit unbelievable to me.
I would still recommend the book if you like true psychological thrillers, because this has it all: the mind racing, the eeriness, the shock factor. I will be reading more of Jaeger’s work. It takes a lot to write something psychological like this. It’s not an easy feat and she did a great job!