Unbreathable

Unbreathable #1

by Hafsah Laziaf

One hundred and fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed, and the remaining humans fled to the dusty red planet of Jutaire, where the only oxygen is manufactured, food is scarce, and death strikes often.

When Lissa's father discovers Earth still exists, she accidentally inhales the toxic air of Jutaire, and in one breath, discovers she isn't quite human.

Her father hangs for his discovery, and Lissa knows the Chancellors will come for her, for she saw the Earth that night too. With nothing to lose, she sets out to expose the truth. It isn't long before she meets Julian, a beautiful boy who can breathe the toxic air like she can - and shows her that the Jute, the original inhabitants of the planet, are more tangled in their lives than she knows.

But the Chancellors are only pawns in a greater game - one where the Jute control everything. Worse, the Jute plan to leave Jutaire for Earth, but to get there, they need her. And they'll stop at nothing until Lissa is in their clutches, even if they kill every human in the process.

The race for Earth has begun.

Unbreathable is a tale of love, redemption, and sacrifice, and one girl's struggle to find her place in a world where she doesn't belong.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy, Ebooks, Romance, Post Apocalyptic

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2013

Reviews

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actual rating: 1.5 stars

I should start this review with a disclaimer: I am friendly with this author and I have a lot of respect for her as a fellow blogger. However, I hope to review this book with as little bias as possible. Also, this is a review of an early e-ARC and I've been informed that the finished copy may have had a few significant changes. I'll try and indicated that, but I haven't checked the e-ARC against the finished copy, so please keep that in mind while reading this review.


Initially I was very excited to start Unbreathable because not only is Sci-Fi one of my favorite genres, but I also love when books take place on different planets or in space. I figured Unbreathable would fit the bill since it's toted at a Sci-Fi adventure. Unfortunately, I didn't end up loving it as much as I thought I would.

1. Pacing

About half of Unbreathable's problems could have been solved if the pacing was a little slower. The beginning was entirely too fast and didn't give the reader a chance to get to know the main character, Lissa. Instead, we are dumped into a situation, given a brief background and expected to simply keep up with the events that followed. The problem with that was that Lissa supposedly undergoes quite a bit of character development after she starts combat training. Afterwards, we are told how much of a shy girl she was, how she was now stronger and more confident. But since we didn't get to know Lissa before that event, there was nothing there for me to make that connection or see that growth.

Laziaf's writing style also conflicted with the pacing. The use of short sentences and very descriptive passages was lovely by itself, but made the book feel like it should have been moving slower vs. the events happening back to back.

2. Character Development

I didn't connect with any of the characters and disliked them for the most part. There's an evil queen, an evil brother, the love interest, the girl with the power to save everyone. It was all very run of the mill and lacked depth. Why was the queen evil? What was her motivation? It felt like she was evil for the sake of being evil. There was also Mia's character that confused me. What was her purpose besides being a filler character? There wasn't anything more to these characters besides what their role involved plot-wise.

Why did Lissa seem to forgive everyone, even the bad guys? Oh, you've killed off people forever and even tried to kill Lissa and her family/friends and now you're dying or you're sorry? No problem! Lissa will forgive you! Not every character can be redeemable, but that is exactly what happened in Unbreathable. It didn't make Lissa seem forgiving or mature, but the contrary: naïve and lacking self-preservation.

3. The Romance & Plot

If you prefer your Sci-Fi with a stronger romantic focus, then there is a chance Unbreathable will be for you. However, if you are like me and prefer the romance to take a backseat to the plot and action, Unbreathable may disappoint you. Even though the events and plot moves fast, the romantic scenes were well-written and were clearly the strongest parts of the novel. In fact, if Laziaf's next novel were a contemporary romance, I'd be all over it.

As for Unbreathable's romance, it tried to do entirely too much. There was the main romantic arc between Lissa and Julian that could have been sweet had it had proper time to develop. Then, there was the side romance between Lissa and Rowen that was strange, creepy and uncomfortable.

At the same time, the main focus of the book is supposed to be the race for earth, but those parts are rushed just to get to the next kissing scene (the best parts of the novel were the kissing scenes). I would have liked if Unbreathable made up its mind on what kind of book it wanted to be. Did it want to be an epic love story with a Sci-Fi backdrop (Space Opera) or did it want to be the action novel that it was marketed as? Trying to accomplish both of these things, left the book wide open to plot holes and, ultimately, feeling incomplete for me.

I didn't really buy the love between Julian and Lissa, though, this may be due to the beginning moving too fast. Their feelings did seem to develop very strongly and quickly, allowing Lissa to call Julian "The One" not long into their relationship. This was very unbelievable to me since Lissa had been raised in isolation from everyone besides her father. She had zero experience with boys and love (something she admits to), but somehow ends up falling for one of the first boys she interacts with.

Then, enter Rowen, the bad boy. I believe his romance with Lissa was introduced to give Lissa more choices, but he was not redeemable in my eyes and I really don't understand why Lissa liked him, and eventually, confessed to loving him in the span of a few days. (This may be one of the things that is changed in the final copy.)

I just couldn't ship these peeps.


In conclusion, Unbreathable didn't measure up to my expectations. I needed more plot, more character development and better world building to connect to the story. While the premise promised an exciting adventure, I found it lacked the action and finesse to pull it all together.


e-ARC was provided by the author for an honest review.

More reviews and other fantastical things at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.

[Dizneeee · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but rounding up!

Check out the original post on my blog for a chance to win a copy of UNBREATHABLE!
Lissa (who I pronounce as Lisa and think that Hafsah named after me...hahaha!) is our main character. She makes some discoveries as the book moves along. Some HUGE discoveries! Lissa keeps unveiling more and more of the treachery that is the Jutaire government? Royalty? Whatever you want to call it. Royalty, really. You just don't know about the royal mess until you get farther into the book.

There's so much to find out about Lissa!

Now, let me get to Julian. Julian. I could just stop right here and say, "Julian!" and y'all would just have to read and find out. I need Julian and Lissa to kiss. I asked Hafsah when I could read more about them. I need them to be happy. And kiss! A lot! You just need to know that Julian is a rebel, helps Lissa, and needs to kiss Lissa. :)

UNBREATHABLE is a well-written story with a thought-out plot. The reader can tell than the author planned each step along the way. I honestly thought the story had a seamless flow. All of the surprises that seemed to come all came at a pace...until the ending.

The ending. Dear, Lord! That ending needs for me to have a next book in my hands...like yesterday! Earth. Lissa and Julian. The Jutes. The Earthlings. So much that can happen!

[LeighAnn Kopans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lissa's struggle to determine who she is and what she stands for in the midst of total upheaval of the only world she's ever known is absolutely riveting. The author's worldbuilding and descriptions mesmerize while the internal conflicts of the heroine grab hold of the reader's heart. By a third of the way through UNBREATHABLE, I didn't want to put it down; by the last few chapters, nothing could stop me from flipping through the pages to the end. Told in hypnotically poetic prose, UNBREATHABLE is a captivating tale of love, loss, growing up, falling in love, and, above all, hope.

Recommended for readers who loved the long-lost not-quite-human Princess story line of Amanda Hocking's TRYLLE trilogy and the lyrical writing of Tahereh Mafi's SHATTER ME, this YA sci-fi debut is not to be missed.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Space is like the next frontier of YA or something, which is where Unbreathable takes place. Jutaire is a Mars-like planet where humans now reside along side, but separate from, the native Jute. It is said that Earth was destroyed, so when Lissa and her father catch a glimpse of the planet, they need to be silenced. Her father is put to death, but Lissa is special. Humans and Jute alike need her for something. Something involving Earth. Both sides want to use her, so Lissa needs to decide who's worth saving in this war.

Unbreathable moves incredibly fast. This is in part due to the quick moving plot, but also to short chapters. I finished the book pretty quickly because of this. However, the situation for Lissa is constantly changing and I couldn't always keep up. At times, things moved way too fast and I'd have to go back and reread a page or two because I missed something. Characters go from perfectly healthy to being at death's end of a poising, from totally evil to somewhat good, from one location to another without much transition. Yes, Unbreathable always held my attention as there's never a dull moment, but there's no breathing room. Pardon the pun.

I loved the setting of Unbreathable. Space is awesome, but I couldn't help but wonder why humans are there in the first place. Obviously Earth wasn't really destroyed since Lissa sees it and the Jute are trying to get to it. But why did humans leave it in the first place to come to a planet where they can't even breath the air and the rain is deadly? Also it seems like the Jute don't have any regard for human life, so why share a planet with them? I also had questions about the Jute motives for wanting to move to Earth. They can't really breath oxygen, so why go to a planet with it? There is a solution to this, but they didn't have it when this plan was developed. I was just really confused.

The romance in Unbreathable really did not work for me. Lissa, of course, has to fall in love with the only other person who is like her: Julian. He's a nice guy, but bland. Then somehow she falls for his brother, Rowan, who is not a nice guy at all, and I don't mean in the bad boy way. This is a love triangle that I could not get behind. Lissa claims she's faking affection for Rowan in order to get information about his evil plan, but in the same breath she has actual feelings for him. But then she's feeling guilty because she has Julian, but when she's with Julian she can't stop thinking about kissing Rowan. If Lissa had either just been using him, or just had feelings for him, I wouldn't have minded. That flip-flopping was annoying. However, at one point I wanted her to choose Rowan, because Julian gives her the creepiest gift ever. I can honestly say I had never read about that gesture of love before, and I never want to again. If a guy gave me that, I'd get a restraining order, not kiss him!

I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy Unbreathable as much as I had hoped. It sounded fun and exciting, but mostly it was confusing. I really liked it in the beginning, but things slowly went downhill as my questions built up and the strange romances developed. While it is nice to get a standalone for once, I do think the story could have benefited from being spread over two or three books. Several things could have been developed more this way, making for a more enjoyable read. As it is though, I was left with the biggest question of all: how do you take blood from someone for 17 years without them knowing?

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Anncleire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC from the author in exchange of an honest review!

First thought: Wonderful Book!


My review on my blog:
http://pleaseanotherbook.tumblr.com/p...



“Unbreathable” è uno di quei libri che nasce dal nulla, ma che volevo leggere fin dalla prima volta che ne ho sentito parlare. Soprattutto perché a scriverlo è una ragazza ventenne, Hafsah Laziaf, una blogger, del blog Icey Books, e perché la trama mi ha colpito subito, per essere uno sci-fi con un tocco in più, young adult, con una impronta super moderna. Quando qualche tempo fa su Twitter Hafsah mi ha chiesto se volevo leggere e recensire la sua piccola creatura non ho potuto proprio nascondere il mio entusiasmo, morivo dalla voglia di leggerlo. E ho scoperto che il libro è anche
meglio di quello che immaginavo, perché questo libro è fenomenale.


Centocinquanta anni fa, la Terra è stata distrutta, e gli umani sopravvissuti sono scappati sul pianeta rosso e polveroso di Jutaire, dove il solo ossigeno viene prodotto artificialmente, il cibo è scarso e la morte colpisce spesso. Quando il padre di Lissa scopre che la Terra esiste ancora, lei inala accidentalmente l’aria tossica di Jutaire e in un respiro scopre di non essere proprio umana.
Il padre viene impiccato per la sua scoperta e Lissa sa che i Chancellors verranno a prenderla, perché anche lei quella notte ha visto la Terra. Con niente da perdere, si prepara a svelare la verità. Non passa molto prima che incontri Julian, un ragazzo bellissimo che può respirare l’aria tossica come lei, e che le mostra che gli Jute, gli abitanti originali del pianeta, sono legati alle loro vite più di quello che possono immaginare.
Ma i Chancellors sono solo le pedine di un gioco più grande, uno in cui gli Jute vogliono controllare tutto. Peggio, gli Jute stanno organizzando un viaggio per lasciare Jutaire e andare sulla Terra, ma per raggiungerla hanno bisogno di Lissa. E non si fermeranno di fronte a niente finché Lissa non è nelle loro grinfie, anche se devono uccidere ogni umano nel processo. La corsa per la Terra è iniziata.


Non so se sarò in grado di scrivere una recensione decente, non so se in qualche modo assurdo riuscirò ad esprimere tutti i miei pensieri su una storia che è ben congeniata e scritta in un modo così assolutamente speciale e unico, che non ho potuto far altro che sommergere Twitter con le mie citazioni. Questo perché la Laziaf ha una capacità descrittiva rara da trovare in una ragazza così giovane e alla prima esperienza, con una maturità e dei pensieri in cui mi sono profondamente riconosciuta. È Lissa che racconta la storia in prima persona, è con lei che viviamo l’incertezza della morte del padre, lo scoprire che non è come gli altri e intraprendiamo un viaggio oscuro e pericoloso attraverso Jutaire. Il pianeta che ospita gli umani non è molto ospitale, l’aria irrespirabile, la pioggia acida, la razza che vi abita crudele e inarrestabile un mondo duro dove:
“food is scarce, rain is deadly, and life is bleak.” Ogni passo è pericoloso, aspettano solo di beccarti con i piedi in fallo, ma Lissa ha sempre vissuto una vita riservata, sommersa dai libri e dalle premure del padre che le ha insegnato molte cose tranne le più fondamentali. Ma quando si ritrova da sola, in pericolo, completamente in balia degli eventi incontra delle persone che cambieranno completamente la sua prospettiva sul mondo come lo aveva visto in quel momento. Da ragazzina spaventata si trasforma in una guerriera, impara come mettersi in gioco e come non restare vittima delle intenzioni degli altri e si fa carico di problemi che sono molto più grandi di lei. Una idealista, una che non crede alla violenza gratuita, che vorrebbe salvare il mondo, altruista, generosa e in qualche modo passionale, una che non si lascia fermare da una ferita pur di salvare le persone che ama, una ragazza che nonostante sia visceralmente legata al desiderio di andare sulla Terra non manda tutto all’aria, una ragazza che fino a quel momento, come tutti gli altri non ha mai compreso che ci fosse un modo per farsi valere:
They live because there is nothing else for them to do. For them, this night is another and tomorrow will bring a day like any other. That’s the despicable way I was for seventeen years. Existing without living.
Lissa è una ragazza molto riflessiva che rimugina spesso su quello che prova, su come agisce, su come potrebbe cambiare le cose. Non è impulsiva, anche se poi il cuore prevale su tutto. E in questo l’incontro con Julian è decisivo, determinante.
“Long. Lithe. His hair is a jagged mess of darkness atop his head.” Così appare a Lissa il primo momento, solo dopo scopriamo i suoi incredibili occhi azzurri, la sua tenerezza, la sua combattività, il suo essere incredibilmente forte e coraggioso. Un ragazzo che non si lascia fermare da niente, che nonostante sia trattato come uno degli ultimi ha più capacità di qualsiasi altro. Un personaggio complesso e affascinante, ricco di cose da dire e dalle mille sfaccettature che lo rendono subito un ragazzo da amare. Non è solo un bel faccino, anzi, spesso ci si ritrova a non condividere il corso delle sue azioni, imperfetto, ma totalmente scusabile, soprattutto in un mondo fragile e insicuro.
Il corollario dei personaggi secondari è molto vasto e tutti funzionali alla storia, non ci sono pesi morti nella narrazione e anzi si rimane sempre sospesi quando ne compare uno. Da Rowan, alla Queen Rhea, la regina degli Jute, da Eli a Mia, passando per Dena, ma sicuramente il mio preferito resta Slate. L'ho adorato dal primo momento, per la sua sincerità, il suo sguardo dolce, i suoi modi gentili, e quel dolore che si è portato dietro per anni. Tutti hanno qualcosa da aggiungere ad una trama assolutamente impeccabile.
Le atmosfere sono descritte in maniera incredibile, sia quelle nel mezzo del palazzo della Regina, sia quelle per i quartieri abitati dai terrestri. Il cielo stellato, che Lissa guarda spesso e la Terra, che rappresenta la speranza ultima per tutti, ha un fascino e un simbolismo che non ci si sarebbe mai aspettati.

Il particolare da non dimenticare? Una collana con un ciondolo di smeraldo…

Uscito il 29 ottobre, autopubblicato dalla stessa Laziaf, il libro è una storia di speranza, di azione e di riflessione sui valori veri della vita, quelli imprescindibili a cui non si può rinunciare in un tempo di crisi sia spirituale che sociale. Scritto divinamente, ben strutturato e portato avanti, ha una trama che regge e un tessuto scientifico verosimile e allo stesso azzardato, che lo fa entrare di diritto tra i miei preferiti di quest’anno. Nasce come uno stand alone, ma sto già implorando Hafsah per un sequel più che necessario, dopo la fine. Date una chance a questo libro, non ve ne pentirete.
Buona lettura guys!


Ringrazio immensamente Hafsah Laziaf per avermi concesso la magnifica opportunità di leggere il libro in anteprima in cambio della mia onesta opinione. Davvero grazie!

[Octavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, a word to the author, Hafsah. I respect and admire how brave you were when it came to trusting us, those who are close to you, with reading and JUDGING your baby, Unbreathable. Thank you for having that courage, because you really are talented and I'm so damn happy I was given the chance to read it.



Now...on to the review!




I'm going to stay on topic here, and give you a review filled with substance. Well, I'm going to TRY to stay on topic and give you a review filled with substance. But, it's kind of hard when all I really want to say is "Trust me! I'm always right and this book is kick ass, so go pre-order it yo!" See how I got all gangster there at the end? That shows just how serious I am.

I was originally really afraid to read Unbreathable. Why? Well:

1. It's written by a friend

If that doesn't scare you NOTHING will.

2. It's Sci-Fi

I'm still really new to Sci-Fi, and I'm the first to tell you that change makes me want to pee my pants.

3. You guys.

Don't even act like you didn't think for 5 seconds that my review would be biased because Hafsah is my friend! Don't.

But in the end none of that mattered. Unbreathable was a book that mixed so many elements that I loved (and some I didn't) and mashed them up into this book that I can see myself re-reading...and re-reading...and re-reading. I loved the world building, I loved the characters (especially Lissa our MC!), and the writing was ah-mazing! The book starts with an action scene involving Lissa, and FYI, I'm always cautious of books that start with action, mostly because after that initial kick ass moment the story seems to drag, but Unbreathable didn't! But it wasn't necessarily faced paced, if that makes sense. No? Ok, um... it was like a fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie. The first bite is great, and your all "mmm this is soo good" but then you reach that gooey hot center and your just like



So of course you have 6 more because why not! THAT, was Unbreathable! It was perfectly paced from the beginning, and somehow only got better until you sadly realized the book was over, your cookies are gone and now you have chipmunk cheeks.

Then you add in this "huge" ensemble of characters and I about died. Typically when a book includes more than 3 characters I tap out. I don't have the attention span and I just can not remember everyone's name or motive or THINGS, but again this is Unbreathable and it has changed my view...sort of. See, there are a wide assortment of characters and on occasion I did have to stop and think about where I've seen x-y-z before but it was only for a moment. Each character has its own dynamic, its own personality, it's on MOTIVES! And what motives they were! No silly, "well I want her because she's pretty so everyone must DIE!" mess. Or "I'll leave to get away from him, but I won't like it because secretly I really want him back" garbage. When someone said or did something that made my eyebrows raise it was for a reason that made me go, "yeah, I can see myself doing the same thing", and I loved that most of all because it made the characters REAL! Ahh, the mere fact that everyone made each step based off of logical thinking and facts and true emotions just made me all kinds of giddy!

But, and there is always a but, I do wish that the language would have been a little different. I'm still new to Sci-Fi but I do believe that an alien planet should have different words for the same occurrences. Like rain on Earth should be "insert cool name I can't think of here", you know? I also wish that the "revelations" weren't so easily spotted. Not everything was clear as crystal, but there were a few things that I knew as soon as a character opened his/her mouth and I like to work for my info. Other than those two, tiny things, I genuinely loved Unbreathable and I'm beyond flipping excited for the sequel, because there WILL be a sequel right? RIGHT?!

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

This air was different. As unbreathable as it should be, I needed it, desperately wanted it. It was a living thing, caressing my lips, coaxing them open. It wanted to suffocate me. Fill me. Complete me.

Unbreathable had everything you would want in a great piece of YA science fiction - action, complex character relationships, mystery, suspense, and twists that kept adding those little extra sparks along the way.

The fact that this whole novel was set on a totally different planet with a fight for earth made it different and intriguing right from the start. It was good that some explanation was given about how things came to be, and the writing style was atmospheric and fantastic. It was so easy to read this book and flowed effortlessly with the great word choices and sentence structure that made the most impact on the reader in the key moments. There were also lots of family revelations in store for Lissa and the other characters which opened the door for great character development. Lissa in particular really thrived as the novel progressed, and she turned into a true fighter, ready to sacrifice herself for the good of her people.

In the middle of the novel there is so much going on, and the romantic/power-play elements really heightened the stakes for the main characters. Although the romance was one of the key elements of this story, it wasn't overpowering at all and there was a great balance between that and the action which followed. This book really illustrated the power of love, in both a romantic sense and one where it is used to protect the ones you love. It can transform people and change their attitudes in more ways than one.

The only small piece of criticism I have about this book was that in some parts the pacing was almost so fast that I didn't know what was happening. This isn't really a big deal though, because everything does get clearly explained by the end - which by the way has made me really want to see what on earth *see what I did there ;)* is going to happen in the next book!

*CONCLUSION*

In conclusion, Unbreathable is a refreshing new YA sci-fi novel that readers are sure to enjoy. With a plot that is filled so that there is never a dull moment and characters with developed personalities I'm sure that this is a novel that readers will not want to miss.

[Jessica Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

The fire crackled. On Jutaire, without oxygen, the fire is different. Fed by different air. Maybe it wishes it were orange, for it sputters and reaches up to the sky with angry fists of blue and purple. It still doesn't know we can't all get what we want.

Hafsah’s Unbreathable is a different take on an old premise: aliens, fighting for earth. The difference is, in Unbreathable, the battle isn’t being fought on earth or in space. It’s being fought on another planet. A planet called Jutaire, where both aliens (the Jute) and humans have found a way to co-exist. A planet where something so natural and second nature as breathing is dangerous to humans, and therefore, treated with a kind of obviousness a stranger would find odd, yet a resident of Jutaire would only use as a visual to determine who you are.

On Jutaire, love has intermingled with the humans and the Jute, weaving strife and secrets and two sides to every story. Lissa isn’t sure who she is. She’s pretty sure who her father is, though. Until one single traumatizing event changes her entire perspective and introduces to her to a boy named Julian -- a boy whose care and attentiveness begins to bring Lissa out of her shell. Once that happens, everything she thought was the truth begins to be unveiled. Lissa learns eventually just how important she really is to the entire planet.

When I think of war, I see blood. Pain and suffering. Nothing good comes from war.

But there is good. There will be an outcome. One side will find peace, solace. While the other will end in bitter loss.

There are two sides to the coin of war.

I loved Hafsah’s voice in Unbreathable. At first, Lissa doesn’t have much hope about things other than to take care of herself and do her father proud. As the story progresses and she learns who she is, however, Lissa matures and grows and turns into quite the strong gal and watching this process was quite satisfying to me as a reader. I also enjoyed the interaction between Lissa and Julian, along with the frustrating relationship she had with Rowan (the “bad guy” whom I almost enjoyed reading about more than Julian!).

As the tagline says for Unbreathable, The race for earth has begun. While growing in character and developing a love for all people on Jutaire as she learns more about them, Lissa’s priorties change. War is inevitable, but instead of shrinking away from it, she is ready and willing to fight for what she believes is right.

I leave you with one more quote from Unbreathable (this one's in regard to Rowan, of course):

Rowan takes one look at my face and a sliver of a smile flashes across his face. I ignore him. He may have me under lock and key. But my thoughts, every single one of them, are mine.

Even if they are sometimes in his favor.

Ack! I can’t wait to read the next installment!

[Ella Zegarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Publicado originalmente en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Un género que no sabía existía hasta hace un par de años era las distopías, ahora es casi imposible no conocer un libro de ese género, no necesariamente haber leído alguno, pero al menos haber escuchado la palabra. Ahora, encontrar algo nuevo entre tanto mundo post-apocaliptico (poniéndome un poco dramática) es difícil. Hafsah Laziaf es una conocida bloguera quién dio el salto de ser resañadora a reseñada, muy valiente por parte de ella, los que estamos en este mundillo sabemos que aceptar críticas no es algo fácil, sobre todo si fuiste tú primero quién empezó criticando (me refiero a críticas en significado completo).

En mi vida leí algo que sea situado fuera de nuestro planeta, nuestra querida y maltratada tierra, en Unbreathable nos encontramos en el planeta Jutaire. El libro al completo es bastante interesante de leer, otra vez la raza humana, tan egoísta y ciega como puede ser (soy un gato, así que conmigo no aplica), hizo a la tierra un lugar inhabitable, donde solo unos lograron huir con los Jute. El libro me recordó un poco a Wall-E, aunque no hay robots dulces y ni Eva, pero en algo me recordó.

Si bien el libro es muy interesante de leer, muy original, tiene algunos detalles que no puedo pasar por alto, el hecho que tiene un gran potencial para ser explotado, pero no logra tener el despegue que esperaba, no es un libro plano, hay mucha acción pero sentí que faltaba algo. Y hay un triángulo amoroso bastante extraño, o quizá es solo que no congenié mucho con la forma como se desarrolla, y es un poco predecible.

En los puntos positivos es que los personajes son complejos, ni buenos buenos ni malos malos, tienen una humanidad que llega a confundir tus emociones. El vínculo familiar, la protección a sus hijos es algo muy marcado en el libro, me gustó eso, porque no es de una manera pesada o sobreprotectora.

Me gustó, es algo nuevo que leer.

Reseña Completa (quejas y comentarios):El Extraño Gato del Cuento

[Daisy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a cute read like the Juliette Chronicles but the reality....

The book was.... shit, the plot was shit, the romance was shit, the characters were shit, basically everything was shit. It was such a typical "I don't know you and you want to kill me, but I'm gonna eat your face off anyway" kinda romance AND a love triangle. Like WTF!! Just stick with one guy and stop switching. The characters are so superficial. For example, the main character has never really communicated with another HUMAN BEING except for her so called "dad" and suddenly she's caught up in this "Love triangle" and can't decide which boy's face she wants to eat. And obviously she's not satisfied with a "good boy" and instead goes for the "bad boy". This is extremely common in ya books and SOMETIMES can be what makes a book great if the author is skilled, but in this case, the romance only added to my boredom and continued annoyance at this book.

Another main problem was the bloody pacing of this book. Usually, I really enjoy fast-paced novels but this was out of my acceptable range. It felt like for most of the book, different characters were constantly thrown in to somehow keep the story interesting. But the problem was the characters weren't properly developed and just lacked the sophistication that a good ya book character should have.

There is no chemistry whatsoever between the characters relationships and I've had enough of immature, indecisive, typical ya little girls.

I think a miracle must have happened for me to have finished this book, because believe me, I was surprised I lasted till the end too.

I don't think Im gonna read anything like this again.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Istyria book blog - B's world of enchanted books

3.5 stars

I quite liked this book! Not as much as I wanted to though and I know it’s just me. Science Fiction still is a though genre for me to love. So I’d say it’s quite an accomplishment to make me even enjoy the book as much as I did.

I’ll start with telling what I didn't like because I never like to do that and want to get it over with. The writing was okay, nothing wrong with it but the book itself… I found it a little predictable at times, which in this book, took a lot from the story. I also didn't really like Lissa as a character. I don’t know why, I just didn't. One last thing for the bad stuff, a lot of times I didn't have a clue what was going on. Maybe it was because I was doing other things while reading and I needed to focus all of my attention on the book, but even so. It’s pretty confusing.

I liked Julian and Slate. They were cool and I liked them as characters. And even though I didn't really believe it in the beginning, the romance was pretty sweet and I give all the credits for that to Julian. The writing was good, like I said. If it wasn’t as good as it was, I wouldn't have finished the book. And I’ll say it again, sci-fi is a tough genre for me, so the fact that I gave this 3.5 stars is a good sign.

In the end I’d say it’s a good book and I wish I liked it more. If you’re not into sci-fi, you can give it a try, but I can’t promise you’ll like it. If you do love sci-fi, I recommend this book to you because I think you’ll love this book too.

[Lea (Between fantasy and reality) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbreathable was a great book with a various cast of interesting characters, plenty of action and amazing moments, beautifully written and with an aesome story. I fell in love first with the cover which is gorgeous, the when I started reading I just couldnt put it down, it was so well paced and interesting. I liked Lissa and how she matured and grew strong after the death of a man who raised her and how she always had hope. I loved Julian who is so brave and sweet and caring. I loved Slate, who finally get to see his daughter and you could just see the love pouring out of him. I liked Dena, who is heartbroken yet spunky. Rowan, wel, I liked him even though countless lives have been lost because of him but in the end he showed just how much love he is capable of holding. I hated the Queen, she was a b**** but she also had a different side which she I saw for a fleeting moment. I loved the world building, the humans on Jutaire, the beautiful Jute and a hope for Earth and a better existence. This is a story about love and forgiveness, sacrifice and hope. One of the best debuts and books of the year.

[Brett Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I started reading it to the moment I closed the app, Unbreathable held me in a spell. The characters, the world building, the romance... it was everything I thought it would be.

The characters were great. Lissa was a perfect heroine, and Julian and Rowan made for a good (if slightly unusual, imo) love triangle. The other characters were great too - they were as fully developed as the major characters, which is always a great thing! Oh, and the author's casting for Julian? He's gorgeous. http://www.pinterest.com/iceybooks/un...

Jutaire is easy to imagine, and I was able to put myself there multiple times. There were one or two things where I said "how does that work?" but it was always explained in the next chapter (or even the next page!)

Overall this was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. A fast, fun read, it was a wonderful way to fill up an empty afternoon.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, I really did. But there were just so many things that I didn't like. I loved the idea of this book, but I found it poorly executed. It was very disorganized at the beginning; Lissa was in her house and then the next paragraph, she would be out in the market facing off teenage boys. It was confusing and hard to understand.
And don't get me started on the insta-love and how it was focused on looks, not important stuff like personality. Also, get over his "sea blue eyes". That seemed to be the only thing that Lissa focused on when she saw or was with Julian. That got annoying very quickly.
I think I would have liked it more if it focused on Jutaire and saving the people and less on her love life.

[Fida Islaih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right as I finished reading it I wanted to reread it. From the beginning of the story you are already captivated by the big and little things that are happening. I love the voice! It's poetic.

I came to this realization early in the story, so you probably know how I feel through out the rest of it.

Of course there are some surprises. I like the complexity of a love triangle, I may not understand everything, but that's what I love about it. It's beautiful nonetheless. I cried a couple times. Awesome writing does that!

[Ambur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh!!!! Why have I been letting this sit on my Kindle unread for so long?!! I am so glad that I finally picked up Unbreathable because it was amazing!!! I loved the world-buidling, the characters, the story itself, and the writing!! Everything was absolutely fantastic!! :D I seriously CANNOT wait to read the sequel! I was more Julian and Lissa!!! :D I loved this one so much!


Full review to come! :D

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

UNBREATHABLE is an awesome story with deep characters. The story sucks you in from the very beginning.

[Shannon (Twilight Sleep) · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING. Review to come.

[Swishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK AH I LOVE THE AUTHOR SHES GREAT AND THIS BOOK IS GONNA BE GREAT

[Simone S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could do a review of 'How I felt as I read each plot point' or I could do 'Everything wrong with __' or 'chapter by chapter wtf commentary' ..... Let's be cynical and do the latter.

Our main character, Lissa will spend the first chapter and a half hinting at her conflicted feelings, dropping hints that her father is dead because of her - and pondering the possibility that she is a complete freak. Oh and running through the night like Naruto. A lot.

This is not Earth - it's some red planet called Jutaire - apparently Humans pulled a Wall-e, and shipped off Earth to find a better world, away from the toxic fumes. But they seemed to get a bad deal because the air on Jutaire is so mother-trucking toxic that you will shrivel and die within 3 seconds of breathing it in.
Our neighbors - the extremely hot, humanoid, asymmetric Jute - tolerate the humans enough to share their .... I forget what they call it - but a special material that filters Jute air, and for the Jute, filters out oxygen. Also protects you from the acid rain. :)

Oh did I mention that?
It rains acid blood over there! So you stand in the rain and you die - within 3 seconds! Nifty! I can see why the current president thought it would be a good idea to move here!

But back to the breathing part - guess what kids! Lissa can breathe both oxygen AND Jutaire-air. Which means she's half Jute half Human! Looks like daddy had a one-night stand with some Jute chick!
In the next chapter we try to find metal and glass. To build a telescope. To show the people Earth. Because apparently owning a telescope is illegal and punishable by death. Which was the reason her father died. And her trauma is that when questioned if she had seen Earth with her father through his DIY telescope (which she had) she denies it. Then her father disowns her as a soldier plunges a sword through his gut. Ouch.

But when we get to the storehouse that is always tightly guarded, from thieves of the night like ourselves - we bump into a boy - oh glory! The Boy of our YA novel - and he's so handsome and dark and brooding - and guess what! We know him from a childhood incident that left us both swooning for years during our puberty!
But he's tripped the alarm. And suddenly soldiers everywhere, her mask gets knocked off - everyone gasps, and the boy orders her to run - so she runs for the hills back home and-!..... tucks herself in to bed to sleep. Because somehow sleeping unguarded is a good idea when the militia know where you live?

The next day a soldier - the same one who murdered her father shows up, and roofies her, drags her back to the palace, and hedges for 3 WHOLE CHAPTERS what we already figured out, but Lissa refuses to see, and then believe. This handsome soldier - Slate, is actually our father. And the man who raised us - Gage, is our Uncle. Woo-hoo. We also take the time to look at a portrait of The Queen of the Jute on the wall, in Slate's bedroom. Which should've been a red flag from the get go....

We are properly introduced to the mysterious boy from the warehouse, who convinces us that we need to train because (more hedging for chapters) The Queen's army will be coming to kill her, because .... something? Secrets! In the meantime we build a tumblr worthy 'friendship-soon-to-be-romance' with him. His name is Julian. Roll that name on your tongue for a little while girls. He's a suicidal, half-breed. Dreamy. But instead of her jack-of-all-trades luck in her breeding - Julian is the exact opposite. His father is Jute, and his mother is human - therefore due to science and biology he is naturally weaker. He can't breathe oxygen for long, and he's not as perfect as the Jute.
Lissa totally loves him.

Then we skip a month while she trains and becomes a bad-ass because The Queen of the Jute, needs her for very specific science-y things in order to GET BACK TO EARTH WHICH REALLY DOES EXIST!!!!

Then we meet Rowan - Julian's half brother, and the right-hand man of the dreaded Queen. Roll that name on your tongues even longer ladies. Rowan. Mmm... yes.
He's a bad-ass who conveniently looks just like Julian but dark and more dangerous. He has a very carnal crush on Lissa, and because he's the bad guy - he will have her. And because he
looks like Julian, Lissa kinda likes him back. But ahem - we love Julian. Right. Got it.

So after a midnight raid of the Humans' Palace... White House... HQ... thing. Lissa hands herself over the the Queen's soldiers. Only to discover - GASP! - the Queen is her mother!. Big shocker there. With the huge pin-up in her dad's room, and the far away look he gets when he talks about her.

After very cruel demonstrations of her power, the Queen takes us back to her Palace in the nice side of town, where everything is power-washed, and the nobles wear nice clothes, and they have real milk! and a movie theater!
The Queen reveals her diabolical plan with her captives, and our clueless protagonist. In order to fuel the rocket-ship she'd been fixing up for years, she'd been taking dead human and doing science-y things to their corpses to make fuel - shudder - that's why there are so many punishable by death crimes in the low-lands. Bam! Corruption! Just like Earth! :D
Now that her fuel tank is full and good to go - there is one last problem. When the Jute land on Earth - they won't be able to breathe. That's where Lissa comes in. Using her blood and some more science-y things the Jute can make a vaccine allowing them to breathe oxygen. As a bonus we'll crown Lissa Princess, and she gets to come to Earth with her boy-toy Julian.

But what about the humans of Jutaire? Lissa can't leave them behind - and the Queen doesn't give an eff, so we embark on a race against the clock, and our evil mother - with no time to loose to save our people. Except that time we went to a ball to be crowned Princess... and then we went on a picnic with
Julian.... and then we got kidnapped by Rowan who turned out to be a madman trying to overthrow the Queen, but also a good person because he loved Julian's mother as his own and gave her a proper burial after the Queen assassinated her, and now is out to avenge her.
So we spend a whole day eating dinner, going for walks, brooding, and then 'seducing Rowan to get information, so we can save Julian who we really love'. Riiight.... that was just an excuse to make out with Rowan.

Then we put on our battle armor, doing the whole Warrior Princess things... like Mulan - and save Julian and our people!!!!
In a very emotional way! But at least we got to throw knives like a bad-ass!

-----

I enjoyed the battle - it was pretty well written. The first 7 chapters were bloody murder to get through because Lissa was seriously thick. I am a team Rowan - as while Julian was cute, Rowan had more depth - which I appreciated more than "I like to draw, and you're pretty, so I like you. Also we're both half breeds."
I feel like we chose who we chose only because Julian was there first. If he hadn't, the decision would've been different.

This book could be a stand-alone, but I wouldn't mind a second book. Like maybe from Dena's perspective. That would be cool. I honestly can't handle any more of Lissa and her.... emotions.


That was a mouthful.....
Thanks for making it to the bottom of my review!
~Simone

[Hannah Bottenberg Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first time I came across this book on Goodreads and read the description I was very interested. I pictured it to be an interesting take on sci fi, with cool aliens and technology.

Wow, I was wrong...

It was interesting at the start, enough for me to go beyond the kindle sample and purchase it. It had promise, but it only got increasingly stupid after chapter five.

Let me break down what the problems were. *cracks knuckles*

1. Formatting and typos: okay I know it's self published, and I know it's hard to catch everything without a professional editor. I KNOW. But when your formatting errors happen consistently enough to make ME feel like editing this instead of reading it for pure enjoyment we have a serious problem. QUOTES DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!! And anyone with writing knowledge or even people who read books on a regular basis should know that! First of all, if you feel the need to break up a character's dialogue into more than one paragraph, do not put an end quote before the next paragraph. That indicates that the character's speech is closed. Over! And that the next paragraph is supposed to be another character's speech. It will only confuse and frustrate readers when they realize it's actually supposed to be the same character speaking. I don't know how many times this happened and it bothered me so much. Also, if you have to break up dialogue into two paragraphs to begin with, your character is already talking too much. Breaking characters' speech into more than one paragraph should be used very sparingly, if at all.

2. Pacing: this story was paced wayyyy too quickly. We jump from one place to the next, and while that made it a very fast read, it didn't make it an enjoyable one. I couldn't care less about any of these characters. I didn't even get to know them. It felt like watching Rouge One all over again but even worse. We're not given time to even like or sympathize with our cast, and it didn't help that characters were added here and there so fast and we were expected to instantly like them just because the narrator/ author tells us to (e.g. Mia).

3. Characters: where do I even start? Like I said, I didn't give a single fig about any of them. Perhaps the pacing could have helped, but seriously, I doubt it. I mentioned Rouge One, and to be honest those characters were interesting enough to where more time with them could have helped me like and know them better. However, Lissa is no Jyn Erso. Not even close. One minute she's acting like a scared clueless little idiot, and the next minute she's supposed to be a badass throwing knives into people's throats. Everyone loves and adores her, and I still don't know why. We're led to believe she's *a special sparkling snowflake* but she really has no consistent personality or no redeeming qualities to speak of. She's not even a shell of a character that could be interesting - no - she's just a complete, unmitigated Mary Sue. And then there are the other characters. Every last one of them is a cardboard cutout. A cliche. And every last one of them is there to kiss Lissa's ass and tell her how special she is. Even Dena, the stereotypical mean girl ends up bowing down to Lissa. It's so annoying. Not a single one of them is original or thought provoking. They are all means to Lissa's ends. And don't even get me started on Julian and Rowan. I can't fathom why she likes either of them, and frankly I can't fathom why either of them are goo goo ga ga over her. They're all so one dimensional and illogical that I couldn't even want her to be with one over the other. I just didn't care.

4. The world building: in science fiction and fantasy this is probably the one thing you absolutely have to nail for me to get behind your story. If you can't do that, then it's not even worth it. Needless to say, the world building here was lacking. It had the potential to be interesting but it just wasn't. We have aliens. But how are the aliens even any different than the humans? They didn't look different in any way that was described in detail. Their customs weren't unique in any way, just some half assed regurgitation of something vaguely feudal. Do they even have their own language?? Or are we really to believe that all the Jute just happen to speak English? One possibility is that they are merely supposed to be the "lost colony" that Lissa wonders about and really are just humans that have been on Jutaire longer. However that idea is never fully explained, and also kinda lame if that is the case. If they ARE in fact extraterrestrials I want to know about their biology, their culture and customs. I want to know how they are different. Lissa goes on and on about how different they are from humans but they really aren't at all. They're basically humans living in a feudal society that can breath the "toxic" air. Those are basically the only differences. Don't get me wrong, I love Star Trek, but it's even lazier than some of the episodes where the aliens look JUST like humans. There is simply nothing new or interesting about the Jute. Also explain to me the science of how they are going to use human bodies as fuel to get to earth. Does that even make any sense at all? How many light years away is Jutaire from earth? Is it many? Or barely any distance at all? If Jutaire IS light years away it will take thousands of years to get there considering the fuel made from HUMAN CORPSES most likely can't break the speed of light 🙄 If Jutaire is in another star system (the closest being Alpha Centauri at 4.5 lys away) how can you even see earth in enough detail to see its colors with merely a small telescope made from metal and glass? The most sophisticated telescopes in the world can't even definitively tell you how many planets our neighbor Alpha Centauri has let alone what color they may be. Is Jutaire then just Mars but with a different name? SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SUCH LITTLE WORLD BUILDING TO ANSWER THEM!!! It actually makes little sense. Science fiction is not the same as fantasy. It doesn't rely on magic to make things happen. It relies on -you know- some ACTUAL SCIENCE to make a bit of sense. That doesn't mean it had to be real. But it at least has to be plausible. Which sadly, most of this is not.

The bottom line is, this story could have had potential. I liked the idea of the plot actually, but none of the elements came together to support it properly. It feels like a very rough first draft of something that, had more thought been put into it, could have been something nice. But in the end it was anything but.

Actual rating 2.5 out of 5

My Scale

1 star: terrible, awful, not worth the paper it’s written on, how tf did this shit get published? Would only recommend for people who want a laugh, or as an example of how not to write.
2 stars: pretty disgusting, but has elements that have potential, or are marginally enjoyable. Would definitely not recommend except for a laugh.
3 stars: readable, but not great. There could be elements that I like, but I would not recommend for other than light reading, and would most likely not read again.
4 stars: Very good and would definitely recommend. Mostly has elements that I enjoy, and a few flaws.
5 stars: Flawless; one of my favorite books. Would sing its praises to anyone willing to listen and will fight anyone who doesn’t think it’s a literary masterpiece.

[Jennifer Madero (Boricuan Bookworms) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find more of my reviews on my co-owned blog Boricuan Bookworms

ARC Provided by Author in exchange of review

When it comes to sci-fi books I'm a bit hesitant because not everyone can pull it off in a believable way, even less when it involves A LOT of world building. But in this book the author has outdone herself. Any doubts I had of the book were brushed completely once I began it.

Lissa has one more thing left in her life after her dad is killed, Earth, and the mysterious knowledge that she can somehow breath Jutaire's toxic air. 150 years ago humans left Earth because of it being no longer good to sustain life, taking as their new home Jutaire with it's own species, the Jute. While it is unknown what is of the Jute and their whereabouts, humans are slowly dying with nothing to strive for, except for the small hope of Earth. Lissa wants to make that spark bigger on everyone, but there's one problem. Her dad died for trying to spread those wonderful news. When Lissa is met with Julian, someone who can also breath Jutaire's air, they both discover how special Lissa really is and how she is the key to the survival of both species, specially since the Jute are also planning on taking Earth for their own only. Between lies, uncovered truth, passionate and sweet romance, Lissa's life takes a whole twist in the unknown that can cost her life and the ones from the people she most loves.

I loved the world building of the story. It was really easy for me to imagine this story in another planet than Earth and how everything worked out. It was well developed and easy to grasp. The plot was really original and had my mind being bewildered at what was happening and how everything was solved in the end. Furthermore, the author's writing style made it simple and easy to read without making my head pound with unnecessary descriptions or informational-dumps.

Now, there are times in a story when you just hate the usual cliche moments, overly used concepts, or even insta-love. Here I had no complains about it to be honest. It was delivered in such a strong and loveable way that I couldn't hate it no matter what. There are times when you simply WANT the insta-love to happen, and this in a great example of it. Though, as much as I was constantly wanting Julian and Lissa to kiss because it was obvious they both felt something, the story is stretched out in that aspect so that we can see how they both develop as characters and their love isn't a kid's thing but something deep, swoony, romantic, and strong against all odds. I shipped those two so hard, I was at the border of crying various times when things just didn't go my way.

As my friend Marianne said, I didn't like Lissa either, at least at first. There was something annoying about her and whinny that I simply didn't like, but at the end loved because it was necessary for me to see how she slowly begins to change for what is needed of her. By the end she's no longer the dumb little girl who had lost her dad. She was a *censor* ops sorry no spoilers. Ok she was really responsible and selfless in the end, doing not what everyone expected of her, but what she felt was her duty as a living being who cared about everyone first before herself. Those little details are the one who made her a strong heroine in the end, the kind I love with the right amount of romance to throw in, plus adding Julian... :O

Julian is... perfect. He's caring, protective, vulnerable, selfless, romantic, and completely swoony. Which frustrates me because where are the men on this Earth that are like that? Are they hiding under a rock? Under the sea? Jutaire? Give me some Julian!

Ahem. Yeah. Okay so the rest of the characters in the story felt well developed so  have no complains on that. I loved how one moment you thought something of someone and then BAM surprise not like you thought so because their true colors are these. The villains were wonderful. Queen Rhea just plainly frustrated me and had me wanting to strangle her every second of the book she was present. 

And so was Rowan for lots of reasons. But I can't totally say I hated him because he was misunderstood quite a lot (not excusing his bad behavior) and was loveable. He is, after all, Julian's *censor* Ok he's related to Julian in a way I won't spoiler, and those two are simply too much for one girl...

In general, the book was amazing and was much more than I expected from the description. My one and only problem was that in the book we are presented a lot of great plot twist, but they lacked more tension building as to make me be really surprised. Because of that, some things ended being predictable. After some pondering, I think it was for the best because if more things were added then maybe the story might have felt dragged on. Either this or that, because in truth no story is truly perfect.  I forgive the author for that.

After reading the book I am so full of questions for what might come next! Maybe there are some other survivors who remained on the ruined planet. Maybe there are other aliens. Maybe they all die in space and there's no more story! :O Okay so maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get my drift. So many maybe's...

I really recommend this book to all sci-fi lovers and hopeless romantics. It is a great and fast read that'll have you restless for more.

Rating: 4 stars

[Morgan Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever audibly gasped so many times while reading a book before. This book is nothing short of slow and is continually throwing in plot-twists of the best kind. They are the ones you don’t see coming yet don’t seem too forced either. They are so much deeper than just the typical “bad shit keeps happening” type of plot twist.

My emotions were pulled in so many different directions and I continually found myself being conflicted with my opinions on characters. Just like Lissa, I kept seeing the humanity in the inhumane and the pain in those who have been broken that left me feeling sorrowful. Despite being a young adult novel, there were many themes that cut deep if you took the time to explore them.

The beginning of the book was definitely a bit overwhelming just based on the pace that this book takes, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this pace was maintained and I never got bored.

Loved this book and would definitely read again as I know there are things I didn’t pick up on the first time around.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 64%

This book was not at all what I expected. I expected sci-fi with a bit of romance, but at some point the themes get lost and we're left with a sort of sick love triangle that I found really off-putting.

This book was gifted to me by my Secret Santa and so I really wanted to like it, or at least finish it, but I just couldn't do either. The premise of the book is good and original, but the execution doesn't do it justice, the characters are shallow and the romance is wrong, it feels like it belongs on a teenage drama TV show.

This book could have been so good if it had a bit more complexity and character development. The story would have benefited so much from more focus on the conflict between the Jute and the humans instead of the forced family drama and bizarre love triangle.

[Marianne (Boricuan Bookworms) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews can be seen on: Boricuan Bookworms

“And you? What do you want?”
I drop down beside him and think, closing my eyes. In the darkness of my closed eyelids and the hushed silence of the night, I see one object.
Round and green and white and blue.
“Earth.” My voice is soft. I turn in time to see something flicker in his eyes. “What about you? What do you want?”
He meets my eyes. Intense. A million words in one penetrating look.
“You.”
- Unbreathable by Hafsah Laziaf

This book is much more than a pretty cover. It’s a sci-fi based story about a girl who lives on the planet Jutaire, 150 years after the earth was destroyed. Then, one night, Lissa discovers that Earth wasn’t destroyed after all. And, after inhaling Jutaire’s toxic air and surviving, she realizes she isn’t human either. A beautiful boy named Julian who can also breathe Jutaire’s air helps her discover that she holds the key to bring the humans back to Earth; there’s only one slight problem: The Jutes also want Earth, and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means destroying Lissa.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be a bit simplistic, but I understand it because it’s told from a first person narrative, which makes it sound much more believable.

Anyways, ever since I started this book, I knew I would like it. The book sticks to the premise, adds wonderful twists and turns, and adds swoony and forbidden romance along the way.

Lissa is the protagonist here, and at first I really didn’t connect to her. I was mad at her for being so dense at times, and it infuriated me that she didn’t react at all to what was happening around her. This changed quickly, however, when she meets Julian, and her life is altered dramatically. Her character development was amazing: from dense and annoying to selfless and smart. I definitely liked her much more towards the end of the book.  Julian was also greatly developed, and I loved that Lissa’s story in this book wasn’t the main one. We also see the story from Julian’s, Rowan’s, Dena’s, Slate’s and Rhea’s side. Hafsah made each character 3-dimensional and easily relatable.

I’m going to deviate from the story a bit just to swoon for a while. Julian is perfection. He’s sweet, protective, loyal, and GORGEOUS. I shipped him with Lissa so much that I was waaaay too emotionally invested for my own good. I also have to say that Rowan is the antagonist in this story, but so DELICIOUSLY EVIL. My God, that boy and his wonderful eyes should not be anywhere near me… sigh.

Okay…. Getting back to the review.  The world building was great! I’m really picky with it comes to this, so when I read that this was going to be set in another planet, well I was afraid. Thankfully Hafsah did a great job in delivering a very believable life in another planet, while simultaneously making it “difficult” to live in said planet as well.

Do you know what else I liked? The romance!



At first, it’s obvious that this is bordering on insta-love, but I didn’t mind it because Julian is so adorable and the romance was strongly built. Simple little gestures from Julian solidified my hardcore love for these two; each time someone got in the way of that, I audibly groaned and threatened to throw my kindle against a wall.

  “Lissa?” He says, opening the door to my room again. “You’re safe here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“You can’t always be here,” I say.
His eyes hold mine, dark and penetrating. “I will. Always.”
-Unbreathable by Hafsah Laziaf

Now, let’s talk about what I didn’t enjoy: I think the only aspect I didn’t enjoy was that there were some great potential plot twists that could have been revealed in a truly awesome way, but were just revealed with no build-up. Nevertheless, I understand and respect why and how the plot twists were revealed because it would have slowed down the story, and I liked the pacing just the way it is.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who loves romance in their books and a believable sci-fi premise.

The ending wrapped up everything nicely, so the book could be a stand-alone, but I’m hoping to see more from this story in the future.

My dream cast (because I just couldn't help it!):

Lissa- Crystal Reed
Julian- Wade Poezyn
Rhea-Angelina Jolie
Dena-Jena Malone
Slate- Jeremy Renner
Mia- Girl I found on Pinterest (I couldn't find her name!)
Rowan- Wade Poezyn (It's the same model because he can really pull off being Julian and/or Rowan!)

Rating: 4 stars.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The plot was awesome, loved every single concept/plot/characters the book had. The only thing I didn't like is that since is is a stand alone book, there is a lack of details and clarity sometimes which really bugged me since this would be a truly awesome story if it had a little more explanation/world building/character development. However, despite that I really did like this book and thought it had some great sci-fi concepts. If your looking for a quick read while you hunt for another series or trilogy to get into I would definitely recommend this.

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. There might be billions of books out there that have the same dystopian plot line but few people can actually write it different and make you feel for the characters and storyline.

This isn't one of them.

I hated this book. It made me CRINGE SO MUCH! It was unnecessarily fast paced and the love triangle was so corny and made me want to bash Lissa in the head! I forced myself to read this book hoping it'd get better. It never did.

Don't waste your time and money on this story :)

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Note I received an eARC for free in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion.*

UNBREATHABLE by Hafsah Laziaf was so good, I almost stopped breathing. :) I’m not kidding. Okay, maybe a little, but in all seriousness, UNBREATHABLE was a really good read. It tells the story of a girl who is set on exposing hidden secrets and the reasons why her life is suddenly changing. The story takes place on a whole new world. This time I’m not joking - the story takes place on a planet named Jutaire, where some humans now live. After realizing Earth still exists, they want/need to beat the Jute (aka the aliens) there. The race for Earth has begun. (I never thought I’d ever write that).

I only had one tiny problem with this book. I just felt that the world could have been developed a bit more. By the end, I still had a few of questions left unanswered. But maybe Hafsah is holding them hostage for the sequel (I hope there’s one!), which is fine. I just felt like if the world was better developed, it would have been a smidge easier to understand some parts of the story. But having the answers wasn’t exactly necessary. For example, I’m a bit iffy about why the humans moved to Jutaire in the first place, but the answer doesn’t really play a part in the story.

Other than that, I sincerely loved, loved reading UNBREATHABLE. One of the best aspects of the book is the story it tells. The story is one that I had never, ever, ever, read before. And let me tell you, that almost never happens. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, or if it’s just because I’m always stuck in my own bubble, but I found UNBREATHABLE incredibly unique. I mean, have you ever read a book about trying to beat the aliens on a race to get to Earth? I haven’t. And really, the more unique a book is, the better it is. With every twist and turn, the story became more and more interesting and intriguing. So, intriguing that I was almost late for my next class after I had started it during Study Hall. I swear, I didn’t even hear the bell ring - I was too busy reading! Whoops..

The romance in this book was pretty awesome. Somehow UNBREATHABLE managed to contain just the right amount of romance. Enough not to interfere a lot with the story, but enough to make me go “Awwwww!”. However, romance did play a role in the book, a minor, yet important part. There may also be a tiny love triangle. But that’s all I can say without spoiling anything. Oh and there are some hot guys… enough said.

That being said, Lissa is pretty awesome herself. She deals with everything pretty well considering the circumstances. And although her actions are sometimes rash, they are understandable and sometimes expected. I mean if your father was killed for mysterious reasons, wouldn’t you want to discover the truth? It was nice to know that even humans don’t all live on Earth anymore, they still act like the humans we are, that the move didn’t change them that much (personality wise). With every twist that happens and every obstacle that occurs, Lissa proves to be a girl determined to do what she feels is right, no matter what it will cost her. She definitely is a character worth admiring.

Overall, UNBREATHABLE is not a book I would mind reading again (I already have read it twice). It was also good enough to make me want to buy a physical copy. Right now, I’m kind of stalking Hafsah on Twitter for sequel news. And if you know me at all, even just a tiny bit, you probably know I’m not the stalker type (at least I think I’m not…). So yeah, UNBREATHABLE was an epic book! You all better should read it!

*Originally posted at Icy Cold Reads. You can view the original post at Review - UNBREATHABLE.

[Chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some conflicting feelings towards Unbreathable. So I am kind of going to break this review into two parts, which I have never done before.

On the one hand, I did really enjoy it. I like Laziaf’s writing style; the way it is understated, and smooth. It engaged me from the moment I started reading. I loved Lissa’s character voice, and the way she saw and thought about things.

I adored the descriptions and explanations of Jutaire, the Jute, and the human settlement. The world building was excellent in regards to these aspects. I can see the White Plains so clearly in my head, as well as the rows of houses amongst the red dust of the human settlement. This scene setting was amazing.

The surprises were ample, and placed evenly throughout the book. We weren’t bombarded with surprises in one chapter, but they were quite heavy throughout the book. But they were interesting and captivating, and personally, I enjoyed every single one of them.

The boys. I liked them enough. Of course, I preferred Rowan. I felt like his character had more depth, and that he was more driven and motivated in regards to what he wanted. The description of Rowan’s clothing was one of my favourite aspects of Unbreathable. I loved knowing what he was wearing at every moment – midnight blue, sky blue. The outfits sounded very pretty, and extremely handsome.

The plot itself was good. I liked the focus on Jutaire, and Earth as habitable planets; Earth more so. I cannot tell too much regarding the plot, because then I would be ruining heaps of things. But I liked it.

And now, the things I didn’t like so much.

Character development. In regards to Lissa, there was SO much room for character development. She discovers all these new and crazy things about herself, but I think she accepts them too easily. I would have preferred for the plot to move more slowly, and for Lissa to take her time adjusting to this new information about who and what she really is. The development of her character was a little lackluster.

The love triangle. This part of Unbreathable kind of pained me. Like I said previously, Rowan was my preferred love interest. Julian is the other one. I didn’t understand Julian’s character all that well. I think he was also missing some character development, and some explanation of the kind of guy he is, and why he does the things he does. The love between Julian and Lissa progresses far too quickly for my liking. Again, if had been slowed down a little, it would have been better.

In regards to the love triangle, I really disliked Lissa’s attitude. Yes, the whole point of a love triangle is that the girl loves both of the boys. But with this one, it was so extraordinarily obvious who Lissa was going to choose. And yes. I know Rowan does a lot of bad things, but I couldn’t stand the way Lissa treated him. It made me dislike her as a character, which always impedes upon the enjoyment of a novel; disliking the main character.

It was these things that reduced my four star love of Unbreathable to the three star rating at the beginning of the review. For me, when I am able to talk about things I liked, and things I wish could have been improved, it means that I invested myself emotionally in the story. I was highly invested in the story of Unbreathable, which is why I wanted the things that I wasn’t fond of to be a little better.

That being said, I did enjoy Unbreathable, and I can’t wait to read the next instalment in the series.

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.

[Richa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at City of Books

Unbreathable is a breathtaking debut from Hafsah Laziaf. The writing is so beautiful, so captivating. I was enthralled right from the start. No wonder I devoured it within a few hours! I was totally sucked into this riveting plot, and I didn't want to let go.

Earth is supposedly destroyed, and the remaining human population lives on Jutaire, alongside the native Jute. But they can't breathe the toxic air of Jutaire, and have to rely on permanent oxygen masks. The same goes for Lissa, until she discovers that she can, in fact, breathe the Jute air without being intoxicated. That same day, she discovers that Earth still exists, and her life changes forever, for better or worse. Lissa is different, and she's coveted for it. But though she's lost her father, she's not alone anymore. She meets Julian, an immediate ally. She knows she can trust him, and that she can find answers with him. But what she finds is nothing like what she expects, and once again her life is turned upside down.

I really loved the fact that pretty much every character in this book has more than one side to them. Nothing's simply black and white; there are a lot of gray areas. There is conflict within most of them, and it's fascinating to see their battling sides. And those sides aren't just good and evil - it's not that simple. I see so much complexity in these characters, and I loved getting to really know them.

Lissa is a key example of this. She discovers so much about herself within the span of a few days, and what would normally overwhelm most people just made her more determined. She grows a lot over the course of the novel, and she's definitely stronger - both physically and mentally - by the end. Lissa's compassion for humans and Jute alike is admirable, and so is her love for Julian and Slate.

Julian is perfect! He's kind-hearted, strong, protective, and downright swoon-worthy. I loved every scene with him in it. He's the kind of guy you want to be with forever, you know? He loves Lissa unconditionally, and understands her like no one else. That keen understanding between them surpasses any chemistry they could have with someone else. Lissa and Julian's relationship is truly one of a kind.

There's one more character that really got to me - Rowan. He reminds me of the Warner we see in Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - there's darkness there, but flickers of good, too. I don't want to say Rowan's the antagonist, but he kind of is. Even though there are times where I can empathize with him, and Lissa does too. I really felt for him then, and I know there's potential for the light in him to grow. By the end, I was convinced that he does have a truly good heart, no matter how much its buried in hate and vengeance.

The plot is intense from the beginning, and there's suspense everywhere. Plus, so many twists! Though I found several aspects quite predictable, they didn't hinder my progressing fascination of the book. Action-packed and compelling, Unbreathable is definitely a must-read for all sci-fi fans out there! And even if you're not really into sci-fi, I still think you should definitely try this one, because it's fantastic.

*Thank you to Hafsah Laziaf for providing me with an eARC for review*

Rating: 4.5/5