Novella Review: Breathless

Breathless 

By: Sophie Jordan

Published By: HarperTeen Impulse

Publication Date: December 4, 2012

Page Count: 100

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Audience: Young Adult - Fantasy

Review of Firelight

Review of Vanish

Review of Hidden

I was looking forward to Breathless, although I had not really looked that much at the synopsis beforehand; with Sophie Jordan and the Firelight series, I don’t really need to look because I know I’ll love her writing. Once again, I was sucked into the world of the Draki – Dragons who can shapeshift and assume a human facade.

This time it was Azure, Az, who we followed – she is Jacinda’s best friend. Breathless is set before many of the events of the Firelight series, so far as I could work out. In it, Az is on vacation with her parents at a secluded lake location – the perfect place for a water loving Draki to learn to be around humans. Az is a fairly typical teenage girl – she pushes her boundaries and persuades herself that she isn’t disobeying her parents when she sneaks off for swims. For most people, that wouldn’t be an issue, but Az manifests in water, grows gills and beautiful blue scales cover her skin.

While she is swimming, Az becomes enticed by a human boy, Tate and gets drawn into a bit of a mess when she saves his sister from drowning. He is fairly predictably hot and he seems to actually notice Az in a way that none of the other boys in her pride ever have. Thereafter develops a forbidden summer romance, which played out much as I expected.

I enjoyed Breathless, and Sophie’s writing always sucks me into a scene, but I felt like it was just ok. I didn’t really learn much new about the Firelight world, and I didn’t feel particularly bothered about if Az left Tate behind or kept on seeing him when the chips were down, because their romance developed rather too quickly for me this time around.

Overall this was a fun read, but not much more for me.

Summary:

Sophie Jordan's breathtaking digital original novella set in the world of Firelight.

For Az, it's supposed to be a fun summer vacation with her family. Nothing complicated. Just a quick trip to test the waters as she prepares for a year on her own. That all changes when she rescues a drowning girl and meets Tate—the most gorgeous human boy she's ever seen. Tate throws her heart, her plans, and her life into upheaval, but the closer she gets to him, the harder it is to hide the secret of what she is. With no hope for a future together, the last thing that can ever happen . . . is love.

This stand-alone digital original is perfect for those new to the Firelight series as well as veteran fans.