Date
Published: April 30, 2012
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Number
of pages: 420
Publisher:
Self-published
First
Thoughts:
This book took
place 6 months after the ending of “Reason to Breathe” and immediately the
reader was sucked right back into Emma’s life. So much more happened in this
book; both emotionally and physically. There were a lot of rough edges to the
emotions that makes me seriously consider why I put myself through these kinds
of books but then I slowly remember why; they inspire me. This book will test
your limits and see how far it takes till you reach your breaking point; it
will bring you to understand a little bit more about Emma and what’s running
through her mind. This was a book that I didn’t want to put down; be prepared
for an emotional journey once again.
Plot:
The plot was good,
it had all of the elements that you expect to be there and it kept my interest
throughout the entire length. One thing I felt unsure of was that parts of the
story felt a little random, like a few scenes didn’t blend in well with the
rest of the story, like some of the transitioning between days were rough and
needs a little tweaking. Don’t get me wrong I loved the story, we were privileged
more into Emma’s mind it’s just some of the transitions between scenes seemed
off and it took me awhile to adjust to the style. But overall the rest of the
plot seemed really good, the conflicts seemed to be explained and allowed time
to soak in all the new information and reactions. The ending in this one wasn’t
near as bad as in “Reason to Breathe”. I think I can seriously wait for this
next book without being so anxious; the cliffhanger was so much more gentle
(thank you Donovan). The pace of this book was intense at times and smooth at
others, there wasn’t really one set pace, it varied off and on depending on
what point of the book you were at. And as far as the story itself went it was
really good and had some deep lining issues being addressed, this isn’t a book
to read if you’re just wanting to have fun and chill, this is something to read
if you want to be inspired and to experience what’s its like to be Emma…to see
exactly why she ended up living with her Aunt and Uncle and what led to her
deep lining emotions; this book will really open your eyes to the world around
you and see exactly what happened to Emma. So overall with just a few minor
issues with the plot I really did enjoy the story.
Romance:
There isn’t much I
can go into in this book in this department without ruining the book for you
but I can assure you the romance is definitely amped up in this book so be
prepared for the ride of your life. Be prepared to shout, yell and scream
because if you’re like me you’ll going to want to. But overall I loved the
scenes between Emma and Evan and really could feel the love and attachment
between the two; it’ll melt your hearts.
Characters:
The characters were
created perfectly, it was easy to connect with them and follow alongside them.
Emma didn’t seem to be different from the first book, of course she might be a
little more emotional in this book (but I think you’ll understand why). Evan
and Sara are just as adorable as they were in the previous book and I still
love them! As far as new characters introduced I found Jonathon to be a little
creepy; there’s so many layers to him that I think it’ll be a long time before
I’ll ever calm down about him. And as far as the other minor characters like
Jill and her other various friends, I found they fit perfectly where they were
placed, so overall the characters did this book some great justice.
Transformation
of the Character:
There was a major
transformation in this book and I was blown away, it was so perfect and so
amazing to experience and watch. The changes slowly built on top of one another
till the breaking point and all of the changes came into one and the beginning
of the transformation took place, I still think there’s going to be more added
to the transformation in the last book to come but being able to see the
beginnings of it was fun and amazing to see. So overall the transformation
aspect of this book was beautiful.
Description:
The descriptions in
this book did a great job on allowing the reader to really feel all the crazy
emotions this book evoked in the reader. I loved the use of language the author
chose to describe the inner mind of Emma, it was amazing to see how she really
felt and all the crazy things she was thinking not only about herself but about
the people and things around her. As far as the way the author chose to
describe the landscape I really loved the way she used to images to contrast
with the inner feelings of the main character. The use of the color yellow on
the house she was staying at was really symbolic and clever. And as far as
dialogue goes, though it seemed awkward at times it was an overall good aspect
to the story because there was both outer and inner dialogue; it allowed the
reader to better connect with the characters. So overall I really enjoyed the
description.
Style:
The author’s style
didn’t really change from the first book; her writing is just as beautiful and
intoxicating as the first book. I liked only seeing from one POV (Emma’s)
because it allowed us to be able to perceive the conflicts better through her
eyes. But overall the author’s style was just as good and nothing really
changed.
Quote
of the Book:
“Sometimes people
hurt more than they can handle…And sometimes they don’t know how to ask for
help. They’re so caught up in their own pain; they end up hurting everyone
around them. I wish you didn’t keep getting hurt.”
Goodreads
Summary:
Emma’s struggle
with an abusive home life came to a heart pounding conclusion in the final
chapters of Reason to Breathe. Now everyone in Weslyn knows Emma’s secret, but
Carol can’t hurt Emma anymore. Some are still haunted by the horror of that
night, and some must face the repercussions of their choices. Fans of Rebecca
Donovan’s debut novel will discover there’s still much to learn about Emma’s
life.
Last
Thoughts:
I would recommend
this to fans of “Reason to Breathe” and to anyone who is in need of an
inspiring and eye-opening read. This book is for a somewhat mature audience so
I advise going to it with care…some of these issues are hard to see. But
overall though I felt “Reason to Breathe” was a little better than this book, I
will still keep this book in my heart and continue to keep re-reading it for
years to come.
My Rating:
Nice review and really descriptive
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