Breathe

by Dax Varley

This is an alternate cover edition for B01LCP4D7M

I kicked out…once…twice…then the parking lot melted away.

Hayden McKaley sneaks out past bedtime, never expecting the worst. She wakes the next morning in a strange house, her ankles and wrists bound.

Her captor—a man wearing a Yoda mask—is mourning his son, a boy so fixated on Hayden he’d created an art journal of his obsession. But this diary holds more than flattering sketches and endearing love poems. It tells of a boy’s bent mind, his appetite for self-injury, and an addiction to playing The Game.

Now his grieving father seeks revenge.

The man’s vengeance is simple—agony and pain. Can Hayden unmask the beast and escape his endless torture? Or will she end up like his son?

Breathe is a young adult suspense that includes two alternate endings.

92 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

Dax Varley is the author of SLEEPY HOLLOW, RETURN TO SLEEPY HOLLOW, BLEED, and NIGHTMARE HOUSE. She loves humor, horror and all things paranormal.

When Dax isn't writing, she's collecting odd photos online, reading recaps of her favorite shows, or kicked back with a good book. She lives in Richmond, Texas with her husband, a shelf full of action figures, and about a dozen imaginary friends.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breathe is a young adult suspense with three different endings. So first off I have to admit it isn't aimed at me as its target audience. However, it is always good to see what the youth culture is embracing these days. At a similar time in my life I was reading Ian Fleming and Graham Greene.
So, we have an interesting story written from Hayden's POV. Hayden McKaley is the teenager who sneaks out to meet her mate to watch a new hit movie, only to fall victim of an abductor who is out for revenge, but quite psychotic at the same time.
First, can someone please explain if you were sneaking out of the family home why you would take your vehicle off the drive, to shout loudly, you've gone out in your car?
Secondly, can someone enlighten me regarding the use of two alternative endings?
Lastly, am I supposed to pick the ending which best matches my reading experience?
By declaring his motive was associated with the reaction of his son to her and his self-harm based on his unrequited love, once she solved out whom he was she'd find her kidnapper too. So by definition he could never let her go unless his revenge was sufficient that any resulting criminal sentence was to be embraced like a badge of honour.
It is a clever short tale, full of suspense and a sense of harm in waiting. I felt the sense of place and pending violence intimidating setting up the dreadful finale well, with a number of twists and thrills.
So, the endings. I like the original one as it finished the story well and with a nice surprise. I got it and the thinking of the author. The author however appears to have been overthinking as the alternative endings are less credible once I'd finished the original story. Would this be different if I'd read one of these two first? Both additional conclusions to the story work; they shed some light on the writer's thoughts and plot planning, but apart from the menace of number two, neither adds to my own reading experience.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/3/2019)! 🎁

[InformationSuperhero · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Let me save a few teen librarians some time and possible issues. Breathe is a poorly written example of torture porn.

Please don't eat me alive for posting this. I use GoodReads as a resource for selection and collection development in a high school library. As a librarian I appreciate little warnings such as these as selecting materials can get us in trouble. Each library clientele and collection development policy is different so each location's collection varies based on that. Keep that last sentence in mind before your crucify me, please.

My reluctant readers like kidnap fiction so I try to have some available to circulate.

Some titles in our collection:
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
Stolen: A Letter to My Captor
Dead to You
The Cellar
Held
Taken

I wrote a gorgeous paragraph that deleted when I tried to upload this. I doubt I can recreate it so:

These titles contain substance more suitable for a educational environment. These titles may have some pain and/or sexual activity that coincides with the plot but pain and pleasure from it are not the main reason for existing or entertaining.

The following themes can and/or have been written in book reports regarding the above listed titles: beauty, family, greed, mental health, vengeance, family and completeness. In my opinion Breathe lacks the kind of theme a educator would want to read in a report and is a poorly written example of torture porn.

I wouldn't include this in our collection because this is not something I can defend against my collection policy or would want kids to tell their parents that their librarian suggested it. I do not want to deal with parents, my supervisors or employers b/c I have purchased this for our library. If kids hear about it they can find it elsewhere. I will not make this a political issue in my school or put my job in jeopardy because of buying this book.

Do I as a school librarian want to deal with development policy ramifications and put my job in jeopardy? No.

Will I stop a kid from reading this? No. I am sure some will want to read this and they can.

I'm not saying they shouldn't read this. I just won't provide it.

If a kid really wants it they will find it. Let them find it themselves.

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://literary-lion.tumblr.com/

Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hayden McKaley is pretty and popular - and she’s been kidnapped. Who is her captor, and what does he mean when he says that Hayden killed his son?

This is thinly veiled torture porn. The characters are a pretty, nice girl and a very evil man. Also, there’s a son who may or may not exist and a doctor who’s personality doesn’t exist. It’s extremely short and other than torture almost nothing happens.

I want to categorize this book as a mystery, because who Hayden’s killer is is a huge part of the novel. The problem is that the book introduces us to no one but her kidnapper. The clues Hayden sees to his identity mean nothing to the reader. A mystery isn’t fun if there’s literally no way for readers to unravel it. It’s not satisfying to have to wait for the end to find out that some character you’ve never heard of is the criminal.

Let’s talk about alternate endings. They can be interesting, but your book should not be 30% alternate endings. It feels like the author got bored of the plot and didn’t quite know how to tie it off. Certain “clues” only lead to certain endings. Alternate endings are not a good choice for novels where the suspense and mystery are the drives. I want to know who did it. I don’t want three different options.

In a weird way, I sort of enjoyed the book. It was easy to breeze through in about an hour. I was sort of invested to find out what happened to the guy’s son. If the book had spent more time on a blend of the first and second ending it could have been interesting. If Hayden or her kidnapper had a personality outside of tiny boxes it could have been fantastic. They didn’t, and it wasn’t.

This novel is too short to develop anything interesting and it’s even shorter with the alternate endings taking up so many pages.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is completely different from other books I've read in that Dax Varley channels Tennessee Williams to write various stories or rather the same story with various endings. It's unusual, but highly entertaining. I enjoyed it.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tennessee Williams spent a lifetime re-writing his plays, rarely satisfied with a work even after it had gained acclaim. He took Summer and Smoke and turned it into Eccentricities of a Nightingale, and he wrote two Acts Three for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. And here is Dax Varley, channeling Williams, in her novella Breathe. Varley is a master at creating suspense and interest in very few pages. Varley’s novellas are just the thing to cuddle up with (when there’s nothing else or no one else to cuddle up to) and enjoy an hour or two of reading. How satisfying it is to know that a fun story can be told so quickly, and you, as the reader, can be totally enveloped by it. Breathe is the story of teenager Hayden Mc Kaley’s abduction and her struggle to break free from her sadistic captor. Who wouldn’t want to get wrapped up in this adventure? But here’s where Varley’s inner Tennessee Williams shows up: Varley has created three totally separate endings for her story, all completing the work and giving her readers the satisfaction they seek at the end. The fun is that we, as readers, can choose which ending we like best. I rather like ending number two, but another reader might really love ending number three. And then, of course, there is ending number one, no shabby ending in and of itself. Dax Varley is an inventive soul, a skilled writer, and she can be counted on to give her readers all the fun they are looking for.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was definitely not a fan of this book. It had everything going for it; a good premise that seemed to be quite original, and a blurb that hooked readers in. However, the story just wasn't executed well enough. The main bulk of the story had oodles of potential to be really emotionally gripping and draining (but in a good way), yet I was unable to connect with the main character and instead I was left feeling as though something crucial was missing.
Truthfully, the only reason I was able to complete this book is due to the short length of the story.
Lastly, the multiple endings really were not to my taste and I am skeptical that any author can truly pull it of. Quite frankly, I feel like multiple ending are a cop out. It's the author saying, "I couldn't be bothered to sit down and really think about what the best ending should be for this story. So I'll just choose a few of the ones I like, and you can pick the best one." If an author wants me to feel as though the ending is ambiguous, then simply create a very well written ending that can be interpreted differently.
Overall, I was left very unimpressed by this book, and am not contemplating whether two stars is too generous...

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathe by Dax Varley.
Hayden McKaley sneaks out past bedtime, never expecting the worst. She wakes the next morning in a strange house, her ankles and wrists bound.Her captor—a man wearing a Yoda mask—is mourning his son, a boy so fixated on Hayden he’d created an art journal of his obsession. But this diary holds more than flattering sketches and endearing love poems. It tells of a boy’s bent mind, his appetite for self-injury, and an addiction to playing The Game.Now his grieving father seeks revenge.The man’s vengeance is simple—agony and pain. Can Hayden unmask the beast and escape his endless torture? Or will she end up like his son?
A very good read with good characters. Great story. I found Yoda to be very creepy. I do love my horror. I loved the cover. 5*.

[Kat]

I picked this up free and finally downloaded it today. I wasn't planning on reading it right at the moment but the beginning hooked me in. I think this could have actually been made longer if the author wanted to. I was a little confused at the end but I think I got it. Some parts, like just before the endings could have been written better. One of the endings was basically a huge plot twist which I liked since it was so surprising. That ending was a bit confusing though but I liked the creativity of it. The other one was more predictable. I liked the idea of the alternate endings. Breathe was a quick read. I'm interested in checking out Varley's main work now.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Breathe started as a fantastic thriller for reluctant readers. Hadley is kidnapped and tortured by a man who is accusing her of causing his son's death. Although written poorly, the plot was exciting enough to be appealing to low readers. However, the story ended quite abruptly, and included two alternate (still abrupt) endings. Definitely a disappointment overall.

I read and ARC from NetGalley.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting novella. A teen girl who is a minor local celebrity (she does the commercials for her dad's car dealership) is kidnapped by the father of an obsessed fan who blames her for his son's death and submits her to some pretty terrible torture.
The unique part is that the novella comes with 3 different endings. The first gives what I considered to be a "twist" that caused moderate eyerolls. The second caused medium eye rolls and the third was just alright.

[Aviar Savijon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read, a story that you will remember for a long time after reading it, it is so vivid and detailed I simply loved it.

[R.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super short read. I liked alternate ending #1. Creepy.

[Robin Ofsonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

This book was a good read, quick read. I enjoyed the different endings, all which put a good spin on the story.

[Bauschan Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

a big big thriller!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[A.B. Shepherd · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really not a big fan of horror so I can't really give this a higher score. I will say the storyline was inventive. And I preferred alternate ending number 2.