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theb00kcryptid 's review for:
Breathe In, Bleed Out
by Brian McAuley
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You know that song Machinehead? The way I kept singing the title of the book to the tune of that song, 🎶 breathe in, bleed out 🎶 Just, over and over and over. I’m a bit relieved to be done with this book so I can stop that particular earworm from gnawing at my brain.
Anyway, onto the review itself. I know the author intended for this to be like if you were reading a B movie slasher film. And I think it really does read that way. Where it all falls apart for me is the characters, all of them. Except Kimi, she’s my bitch forever and ever, the only likable one. Also kind of…the plot?
For the characters I just hated them and for a slasher that’s fine, you kind of almost want that because you’re not really connected to them. Their purpose is to die, but damn they were another level of insufferable. I even kinda wanted our MC to die, I did not like her. The plot was mostly okay when it was about the slashing but when it tried to go any deeper than that it just didn’t work for me. Hannah was tortured by her past which was honestly a bit of a letdown, with the way she was acting I thought she was straight up lying about what happened with Ben. Tess was a cliche and in love with her straight friend. A tech company turned down new software stating it was unethical. Sure, Jan. And I didn’t guess the killer, it’s true, but it was such a letdown.
Overall, it’s a story that’s fine for what it is and honestly that’s on me for searching for deeper meaning in a slasher story. The kills (once they started happening at like 30% in) were super fun and exactly what I wanted so it’s not all bad news.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Anyway, onto the review itself. I know the author intended for this to be like if you were reading a B movie slasher film. And I think it really does read that way. Where it all falls apart for me is the characters, all of them. Except Kimi, she’s my bitch forever and ever, the only likable one. Also kind of…the plot?
For the characters I just hated them and for a slasher that’s fine, you kind of almost want that because you’re not really connected to them. Their purpose is to die, but damn they were another level of insufferable. I even kinda wanted our MC to die, I did not like her. The plot was mostly okay when it was about the slashing but when it tried to go any deeper than that it just didn’t work for me. Hannah was tortured by her past which was honestly a bit of a letdown, with the way she was acting I thought she was straight up lying about what happened with Ben. Tess was a cliche and in love with her straight friend. A tech company turned down new software stating it was unethical. Sure, Jan. And I didn’t guess the killer, it’s true, but it was such a letdown.
Overall, it’s a story that’s fine for what it is and honestly that’s on me for searching for deeper meaning in a slasher story. The kills (once they started happening at like 30% in) were super fun and exactly what I wanted so it’s not all bad news.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.