Thursday 15 August 2013

Review: Breathless

Breathless by Brigid Kemmerer
Kensington Teen, 65 Pages
Published: April 30th 2013

Too many secrets. Not enough time.

Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.

But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.

His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.

He can feel it—the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brigid Kemmerer is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Her books have a quality to them which is so raw and real, something that a lot of people don't quite manage to achieve. She also has a knack for broaching difficult issues with a sensitivity and tact that is a true credit to her and her writing. In this sense, Breathless is no different to her full length novels, and my only problem with this novella is that there wasn't enough of it for me.

Nick Merrick has always been the standout character of this series for me. I adore him. While his brothers are relatively open books, Nick has a calm, quiet, brooding strength about him, he is complex, with secrets that he keeps under lock and key. Secrets which, through the course of the novella, are slowly revealed to us.
I've always found him to be a hugely compelling personality, and the emotional struggle that he faces in this novella is both heartbreaking and beautiful in equal measure. The (albeit brief) insight we are given into his hopes and dreams help to flesh out a character who has in some ways, always been a bit of a secondary character, overshadowed by his larger than life siblings, and in particular his twin brother. Here we finally get to see the first sparks of Nick coming into his own, and it is delighful. His character & emotions which bubble up through the novella come to boiling point in a scene which is sweet, romantic, and just steamy enough ;)

Quinn is another character who comes into her own here, and we are shown a completely different side to her than we have been before. Breathless belongs to both Nick & Quinn, and I was honestly surprised by how much I liked her by the end of it. Not a character I hate, but also not one I particularly liked, Kemmerer spun me around completely. Sharp, brash Quinn is shown to have a different face than the one she shows the world, and the glimpse into what she thinks, feels & suffers will throw a grenade at the opinions previously held of her. Well done Brigid: I already loved Nick, now you've made me love Quinn too!

One thing I don't think I'll ever be able to fault this author on his her writing style. It is fluid and compelling and you can't help but always want more of it. Breathless had humour, drama and excitement, not to mention scenes which were sweet & sad in equal measure. In all, a lot to pack into a 65 page ebook.

If you're already a fan of The Elementals series, then you have no doubt already read this one. If you're not, then this might just make you one.

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Thank You so much for taking the time to read this blog post! All comments are welcome, so let me know what you think!
Nic
xoxo