The Swarm is unrecognizable, untraceable, and unpredictable—random attacks on the streets of Chicago by a mob of crazed teens that leaves death in its wake. It’s been two years since the last attack, but Lia Finch has found clues that reveal the Swarm is ready to claim a new victim.
Lia is the only one still pursuing her father’s killers, two years after attorney Steven Finch’s murder by the … Steven Finch’s murder by the Swarm. Devastated and desperate for answers, Lia will do anything to uncover the reasons behind his death and to stop someone else from being struck down. But due to debilitating asthma and PTSD that leaves her with a tenuous hold on reality, Lia is the last person to mount a crusade on her own.
After a close encounter with the Swarm puts Lia on their radar, she teams up with a teen hacker, a reporter, and a mysterious stranger who knows firsthand how the mob works. Together, they work to uncover the master puppeteer behind the group. Though if Lia and her network don’t stop the person pulling the strings—and fast—Lia may end up the next target.
Inspired by the real-life “flash mob” violence struck Chicago in2011, Every Stolen Breath by debut author Kimberly Gabriel is a fast-paced and immersive thriller that shows just how hard one girl will fight back, knowing any breath might be her last.
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I loved it.
Lia Finch’s father was killed by Chicago’s Swarm – a group of teenagers swarming around a seemingly random target and beating the person to death – two years before the book opens. Lia, a teenager with debilitating asthma and PTSD, is determined to find out who the leaders are and begins to investigate. What her investigation shows that the person murdered is not a random victim but a target. And the leader of the Swarm is not one of the teenagers. But no one believes her, not even the detective who is supposed to be investigating her father’s murder, because she’s just a teenager. When she believes she can predict the next Swarm, she goes to the Navy Pier. The Swarm appears seemingly out of nowhere and murders a man. Then, it begins its march on her. One of the members of the Swarm tries to convince her to jump into the water, but she doesn’t trust him, so he helps her over the railing. She is washed onto the beach near the Mayor’s home. She has photos on her phone, but she dropped the phone and her purse before she went over the railing. That night the purse is returned anonymously.
This is a well-written book that grabs you on page one and doesn’t let go of you until the last page. The character of Lia very well drawn and quickly you’ll find yourself rooting for her as she refuses to give up her search for the person who tells the Swarm who their next victim is. The minor characters are necessary to the story and are not just accessories for the main character. Even though Lia takes unnecessary risks, they are risks that adults might have avoided, but for a teenager on a mission, they make sense to her, and they advance the story.
This book belongs at, or near, the top of your to-be-read list of books. This not just another YA book meant for teenagers because it speaks to all of us about taking risks, overcoming obstacles and the power of love.
My thanks to Harper Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.
Favorite Quotes:
Then she hung up before I could think of an articulate rebuttal, leaving me sitting there, mouth gaping like some taxidermized fish.
It’s the side effect of attending a pretentious private school, where people treat Everybody’s Business like it’s a class they can ace and add to their transcripts.
I can’t help but wonder if I’m caught in some sick and twisted Alice in Wonderland dream where my world has turned upside down and nothing is as it seems.
Strength isn’t defined by who can hit the hardest in a fight, but by who’s still standing at the end.
My Review:
I rarely read YA and to be honest, I purposely avoid it, but I’m thrilled I had the foresight to make an exception for Kimberly Gabriel’s brilliantly plotted debut. I couldn’t seem to resist the intriguing synopsis and a colorful book cover that required a full stop and several minutes to thoroughly examine.
Ms. Gabriel’s storylines were diabolically clever and fiendishly crafted while populated with uniquely compelling and intriguing characters of all ages and levels of mistrust and suspicion. I was immediately sucked into Lia’s mono-focused and quivering vortex of distrust and dramatic catastrophic thinking. This mesmerizing tale was written from the first-person POV of an angsty sixteen-year-old asthmatic who proved to be rather unstable with significant features of PTSD including panic attacks, auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, and crippling anxiety and self-consciousness. She was also stubbornly persistent, grief driven, highly resourceful and had the arrogance of youth in her toolkit.
With cunning and deftly written twists and turns, Ms. Gabriel has made a stunning and flawless debut. As I was making my way through this tautly penned and complex tale, I had a striking epiphany of why I tend to eschew this genre while simultaneously realizing this book was well worth the disheartening and stark reminders of the painful sense of powerlessness and nettling subjugation and disregard experienced as a teenager with two XX chromosomes. While I vastly enjoyed her work, I still haven’t decided whether I should thank the author for the personal insight or swear a pox on her instead.
This YA thriller has a lot going for it: interesting premise, intense action, teen romance. The characters are a mixed bunch, though, and some of the twists are predictable. But for me, it was the type of predictable twist that I can accept and even enjoy, especially when I’m not expecting deep or insightful thoughts on the human condition (e.g., the type of reading mood I’ve been in recently as I’ve battled migraines.)
Lia, as the main character, is rather self-absorbed. This is understandable. She’s a teen (what teen isn’t a bit like this?) and she’s still grieving the violent death of her father. She also has to deal with her debilitating asthma. Now she’s witnessed yet another deadly, seemingly-random attack from the Swarm. Her PTSD spins out of control. This makes her preoccupation with her own life understandable, if not necessarily likable.
Her two BFFs, Katie and Adam, seem like stereotypes of the quiet Asian girl and the gay, computer-hacker best friend. Neither felt very real to me.
Cullen, her archenemy-turned-fake-boyfriend-for-the-media, felt more developed. As the mayor’s son, he’s hyperaware of the power of social media and need to manipulate the press to cultivate one’s influence; for a teen boy, he’s a savvy political strategist. Or perhaps he’s just someone who’s been manipulated for his daddy’s “family friendly” political image a few too many times.
Of all the teens, Ryan left me with the most questions. Yes, he’s Lia’s insta-love interest. (More accurately termed “insta-attraction.” I don’t roll my eyes at this trope because I remember experiencing it as a young woman.) Yes, he’s a mysterious stranger who somehow knows her name. Yes, he throws her off a bridge into a river to save her life (or kill her, take your pick) at the end of chapter one. But he’s got answers to her questions–or does he? Is it possible that he’s misleading her?
The action escalates quickly. While some of it felt a bit repetitive, Lia’s flights from danger (especially with street-smart Ryan along to correct her multiple screw-ups) got my heart pounding. I also enjoyed seeing how Lia and Adam, her hacker friend, try to track down info through modern technology. The Swarm is techno-savvy, and while she’s technologically-literate, her adversary is always one step ahead of her. Always.
The ending brought mixed emotions for me. With certain questions left unanswered, it seemed to leave open the possibility of a sequel. Yet this book didn’t “feel” like it needed to be part of a series or a trilogy or have a sequel; it felt like a standalone. Would I read a sequel? Sure, if only to make certain that the people I wanted alive stayed alive!
Overall, this is a fun novel. Suspend reality for a while, kick back, and enjoy the ride.
Note: I received a free copy of Every Stolen Breath from NetGalley and Blink in exchange for an honest review.