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Exhaled: A Novella
Caesar likes his job. Sure, ferrying souls down to Hell might not be a dream come true, but it could be a lot worse. As a reaper, his routine is fairly consistent... until he meets Clare Williams.
Stubborn, fierce, freshly deceased, Clare Williams convinces Caesar to give her a few more days on Earth to fulfill four promises she must keep. As he becomes begrudgingly involved in her postmortem meddling, Caesar's apathetic views of the living world are challenged, and Clare's untimely death may just be the closest to life that this reaper has ever been.
Stubborn, fierce, freshly deceased, Clare Williams convinces Caesar to give her a few more days on Earth to fulfill four promises she must keep. As he becomes begrudgingly involved in her postmortem meddling, Caesar's apathetic views of the living world are challenged, and Clare's untimely death may just be the closest to life that this reaper has ever been.
70 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2014
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Bella Ryan
4 books4 followersAuthor writes under the penname Isabella Rogge as well.
Bella Ryan began writing when she was eight years old, beginning with poetry and progressing to short stories and novels in her early teen years. She wrote and self-published her first novel, Sanguine Moon, in 2013. The summer of 2014 was spent crafting her novella and second published piece, Exhaled. Next came Fire in the Stars, coauthored with Mitchell Thomas Kazanjian, and published in September 2015.
Recent works include Charcoal Sun, a prequel to her debut novel, and sweet hearts: poetry for the anxious and in love.
Born in California but raised in Colorado, Isabella graduated from UCCS in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology. While not writing, she might be found baking, painting, or getting lost in the woods. Her favorite book is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Turtles are her weakness. Her biggest inspirations are her family, including her coauthor and husband Mitchell, and her baby girl, Rosalyn.
Bella Ryan began writing when she was eight years old, beginning with poetry and progressing to short stories and novels in her early teen years. She wrote and self-published her first novel, Sanguine Moon, in 2013. The summer of 2014 was spent crafting her novella and second published piece, Exhaled. Next came Fire in the Stars, coauthored with Mitchell Thomas Kazanjian, and published in September 2015.
Recent works include Charcoal Sun, a prequel to her debut novel, and sweet hearts: poetry for the anxious and in love.
Born in California but raised in Colorado, Isabella graduated from UCCS in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology. While not writing, she might be found baking, painting, or getting lost in the woods. Her favorite book is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Turtles are her weakness. Her biggest inspirations are her family, including her coauthor and husband Mitchell, and her baby girl, Rosalyn.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 31, 2022
I received a free Advanced Reader Copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review prior to the novella's official release.
Let me start by saying that I don't request ARCs for review very often. I know I can be a harsh reviewer, and the last thing I want to do is commit to giving a completely honest review if that review might end up being discouraging, especially for an indie author with a real passion for writing.
That being said, I realized very quickly that Exhaled was not going to disappoint me.
Right from the start, the story captivates with beautiful and thought-provoking prose. The two main characters and their roles in the story are revealed early on, but there's still an element of mystery surrounding the circumstances of Clare's death and the four promises she must fulfill before allowing Caesar to take her to her afterlife. The reader not only sees death through the eyes of Caesar and Clare, but through the eyes of Clare's loved ones as well, each of whom experience and/or grieve Clare's death in different ways.
This novella tackles the topic of death in an incredibly beautiful and nuanced way. It would be so easy for a story with such a grim premise (pun intended) to be dark, bleak, and even depressing, and yet Exhaled is so much more than that. Yes, terribly depressing things do happen, such as and , but rather than take a nihilistic approach to topics such as life and love, the novella instead tells a tale of hope and of beauty.
One moment in particular that stuck out to me was
Overall, I think Bella Ryan has an incredibly mature, enlightened perspective of death and what it means, not just for the dead but for the living who are left behind. I was incredibly impressed with this story and look forward to reading more from the author in the future. Thank you again for sending me the ARC, and I wish you the best of luck with the novella's release in May!
Let me start by saying that I don't request ARCs for review very often. I know I can be a harsh reviewer, and the last thing I want to do is commit to giving a completely honest review if that review might end up being discouraging, especially for an indie author with a real passion for writing.
That being said, I realized very quickly that Exhaled was not going to disappoint me.
Right from the start, the story captivates with beautiful and thought-provoking prose. The two main characters and their roles in the story are revealed early on, but there's still an element of mystery surrounding the circumstances of Clare's death and the four promises she must fulfill before allowing Caesar to take her to her afterlife. The reader not only sees death through the eyes of Caesar and Clare, but through the eyes of Clare's loved ones as well, each of whom experience and/or grieve Clare's death in different ways.
This novella tackles the topic of death in an incredibly beautiful and nuanced way. It would be so easy for a story with such a grim premise (pun intended) to be dark, bleak, and even depressing, and yet Exhaled is so much more than that. Yes, terribly depressing things do happen, such as and , but rather than take a nihilistic approach to topics such as life and love, the novella instead tells a tale of hope and of beauty.
One moment in particular that stuck out to me was
Overall, I think Bella Ryan has an incredibly mature, enlightened perspective of death and what it means, not just for the dead but for the living who are left behind. I was incredibly impressed with this story and look forward to reading more from the author in the future. Thank you again for sending me the ARC, and I wish you the best of luck with the novella's release in May!
March 21, 2022
(thanks to the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review:))
3.75✨
this was really good. it started off a solid 4⭐️ read but in the end, it just felt like things weren’t 100% wrapped up. which might work for some people, but i like closure.
HOWEVER
if this was a prequel to something, or it was longer, i probably would have loved it/ connected with the characters more.
i still really liked the writing, and would probably read more of the authors work.
if i read more of caesar i probably would have loved him.
3.75✨
this was really good. it started off a solid 4⭐️ read but in the end, it just felt like things weren’t 100% wrapped up. which might work for some people, but i like closure.
HOWEVER
if this was a prequel to something, or it was longer, i probably would have loved it/ connected with the characters more.
i still really liked the writing, and would probably read more of the authors work.
if i read more of caesar i probably would have loved him.
April 12, 2022
Exhaled by Bella Ryan turned out to be a great quick read. It’s something that you want to keep in your purse when you may be stuck waiting on someone. The story was engaging and kept me entertained through the novella. I would recommend for Young Teens and up. There isn’t anything that I would consider as adult content (take that with a grain of salt. We all parent different).
I was sent this as an ARC Copy from Bella Ryan but my reviews are my own.
I was sent this as an ARC Copy from Bella Ryan but my reviews are my own.
April 4, 2022
I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review:
4 stars
This novella was really interesting but I always felt like I needed to know more than what I was given. I think this story could make a great full length novel if it was fully fleshed out.
As readers we are told a lot of things about the world, Caesar, Clare and their relationships that could have been shown. This novella is definitely a lot deeper and darker than I gathered from the synopsis. I was hoping for more of an undead Nick and Norah esque romp through Chicago.
It wasn’t exactly for me but I definitely will be recommending this novella to my friends who like something a bit more existential.
4 stars
This novella was really interesting but I always felt like I needed to know more than what I was given. I think this story could make a great full length novel if it was fully fleshed out.
As readers we are told a lot of things about the world, Caesar, Clare and their relationships that could have been shown. This novella is definitely a lot deeper and darker than I gathered from the synopsis. I was hoping for more of an undead Nick and Norah esque romp through Chicago.
It wasn’t exactly for me but I definitely will be recommending this novella to my friends who like something a bit more existential.
March 29, 2022
I received an ARC of this novella and I’m certainly glad for it!
This was a really sweet story. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the main protagonists—there’s a really lovely contrast between immortal Ceasar and recently deceased Clare. I loved how they learned and changed because of each other’s influence and how, in the end, that meant everything and not enough. Everything because Caesar will always remember and Clare will never be forgotten, and not enough because it still doesn’t change how the story ends. A lovely look at Life and Death and the things we can learn from each.
This was a really sweet story. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the main protagonists—there’s a really lovely contrast between immortal Ceasar and recently deceased Clare. I loved how they learned and changed because of each other’s influence and how, in the end, that meant everything and not enough. Everything because Caesar will always remember and Clare will never be forgotten, and not enough because it still doesn’t change how the story ends. A lovely look at Life and Death and the things we can learn from each.
April 2, 2022
A good, short read. For being a novella with limited length, it’s a pretty deep dive into death as a topic, emotion, & staple of life. Story focuses mostly on what comes immediately after death, and just alludes to the long term. Overall, a good reflection on feelings around death, limited time, wanting to make a difference/be remembered/do something new.
Some nice, witty banter mixed in, but definitely a lot of heavy topics, with the focus being on death, but a lot of hard life experiences as well.
(ARC review)
Some nice, witty banter mixed in, but definitely a lot of heavy topics, with the focus being on death, but a lot of hard life experiences as well.
(ARC review)
July 6, 2022
Simple and Sweet
This is a cute novella about a grim reaper that falls in love with a soul of a young woman that just died. We see the woman fulfill her unfinished business and the reaper slowly learn to open himself up to feelings. I do wish there was more substance to this story. It is short, underdeveloped, and reads like an AO3.
This is a cute novella about a grim reaper that falls in love with a soul of a young woman that just died. We see the woman fulfill her unfinished business and the reaper slowly learn to open himself up to feelings. I do wish there was more substance to this story. It is short, underdeveloped, and reads like an AO3.
October 19, 2023
Beautiful, just beautiful! The story where death basically learns to live. I had so much emotions reading this but loved every moment of it. I HIGHLY recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews