The Breathing Ghosts

by Eleanor Keane

Eighteen year old Rowan Oakwood isn’t quite like other girls. She’s a lesbian, a loner, an orphan and the first and last female vampire hunter of her line, forced to hunt vampires with a magic she can barely control.

But when the cold-hearted and cunning vampire Virgil Valvayne sets out for a brutal revenge, she soon finds herself a target.

Rowan knows she has no choice but to kill Virgil, so why is she so drawn to his beautiful and reclusive sister? And is Violet Valvayne really all she seems?

Soon boundaries are crossed, loyalties shift and dark alliances are forged, until Rowan doesn’t know whom to hate, whom to hunt, or whom to love…

The Breathing Ghosts is a dark fantasy for young adults.

Genres: LGBT, Paranormal, Romance, Lesbian

670 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

I am the author of 'The Breathing Ghosts'- a dark vampire fantasy aimed at young adults- which was published in February 2013, its sequel, 'The Blood Witching' (published in November 2013) and the accompanying short story collection, 'The Ghosts' Feast,' which was published in July 2013. All are available to buy as ebooks from Amazon and Amazon.co.uk.

I have also previously written for the online webzine For Books' Sake, Mookychick.com, and on young feminism for the Feminist Library, London. I have performed extracts from The Breathing Ghosts at Westminster Reference Library, London (with the poets and authors Sophia Blackwell and Roz Kaveney) City University LGBT Society, the Courtauld Institute of Art Literature Society and the Feminist Library (London, UK.) I have also been interviewed for Nyx Book Reviews, and for 'Dark Gothic Resurrected' ezine (Summer 2013 issue.)

Please see my official website (www.thebreathingghostsse.wix.com/theb... more information on 'The Breathing Ghosts' Series and other writing projects.

Reviews

[Geo (rain) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, but it just didn't work for me. Some parts I enjoyed, and I kind of liked Rowan, the protagonist, and a few other characters. I think it started well, but as it progressed, I began to lose interest.

I felt it was too long, the plot dragged on too much and it tried to focus on too many characters. At first I actually liked the multiple points of view, but after a while it became tedious. I just found most of the characters flat, undeveloped and uninteresting, so I didn't care about them. And the 'villains' were awful, but in a laughable kind of way "I might as well tell you a little about myself", coming from a vampire before attempting to kill his victim, as in I'm going to kill you, but first I will tell you all about my personal love story. Okay. It just felt cheesy and out of place. And that's something that happened several times in the middle of a dramatic moment, whether it was because of a silly comment or an action (such as a kiss) that didn't feel like it belonged there..

For the most part I thought the writing was okay, although I had some issues with the repeated use of some phrases (i.e. "act as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth", "tell-tale sign"), a few inconsistencies (to name one that bothered me: often some characters just "disappeared" from a scene, to the point where I'd forget they were supposed to be there, until suddenly they were there again), and the dialogue, which was at times painful.

There was also a bit of romance. Rowan and Violet meet in the second half of the book, but it felt rushed and I didn't feel the connection between them. From Rowan's side it also kind of felt as "instalove", which didn't help. After reading the synopsis, I was kind of waiting for it and thought it would be an interesting dynamic, with Rowan being a vampire hunter and Violet a vampire, but alas, there wasn't much of that.

Maybe it really just wasn't for me.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hopeful 3*.

I wanted to really like this one, it has vampires for a start, but there were a number of flaws which detracted from the story. A few typos to start and I usually ignore that sort of thing, but sometimes little things add up to something more.
There were several 'Point of View' problems. It was not always clear about the POV, and it dragged me out of the narrative. The book is wordy and several chunks could be deleted without impact on the plot. There were times when things were repeated in principle if not using the same words. I also noted some inconsistencies in the storyline too. As a result, I skimmed sections.

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vampire hunter learns about her power the hard way!

Having your parents butchered by a mad vampire while you were still in the crib. Meeting a werewolf who wants to help you. Doesn't help that no one can tell you how to use your powers and you have a great story as her story unfolds. Enjoy!

[Qwerttaste · Rating 1 out of 5]

That book has some major issues: completely unnecessary chapters, it jumps between different viewpoints in a way that drains any tension in some of the following chapters, the last fighting sequence is about 25% long and mind-numbing boring etc.

[Nicole Niekerk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Beautiful descriptions, inventive plot and relatable characters! Wonderful story! I will definitely recommend it!