An immortal guardian.A soul-stealing enemy.A dangerous, new power.Only the Spirit Breather can stand against the darkness… to escape her haunting past, even for just a few days.
But even miles from home, Emily’s past is closer than ever.
When her best friend, Kadie, is snatched by the dark creatures nesting in the forest, Emily comes face to face with the truth behind her chilling past. Together, with the mysterious Joseph Stomper, who is much more than he seems, Emily must find the courage to embrace her role in a centuries-old prophecy and harness a dangerous gift before she loses everyone she loves.
With Kadie’s life hanging in the balance, will Emily learn to control her new power? Or will the darkness destroy them both?
Filled with deadly magic, frightening folklore, and forbidden romance, The Spirit Breather is a spine-tingling paranormal fantasy that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.
more
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
This is a new author for me but I must say I am impressed with the writing. We meet Emily as she embarks on a graduation trip leaving home for the first time after a traumatizing attack almost a year prior. Things go winky from the get go when strange things happen and her ex shows up. Add in a guardian she k does nothing about and the grand reveal of who she really is to get a story that will keep you hooked. Perfect for fans of paranormal.suspense with a hint of romance thrown in. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I’ve been reading a lot of YA lately as an escape from pandemic-induced anxiety (a sentence none of us probably thought we would be typing, #StayAtHome). The Spirit Breather is a great escape from the grimness of current events – it’s a pulse-pounding run through the woods full of Cherokee lore and teen romance.
The Spirit Breather follows Kate, a young woman who recently recovered from a brutal assault outside a nightclub. When Kate goes camping and her best friend gets abducted, she learns she is part of a Cherokee prophecy to rid the world of soul-stealing witches called Raven Mockers.
Along the way, Kate falls in love with a supernatural warrior sworn to protect her, and discovers a family she never knew she had.
There’s a balance between flooding your reader with a ton of world-building exposition and letting them fumble around for details in the dark at the beginning of a new series. Here, I think the author struck that balance perfectly. Harris respected her audience enough not to provide tons of exposition and backstory at the beginning of the book. Instead, she painted a quick middle-of-the-action scene and then introduced the reader to the main character Emily to learn more information about the world as Emily does.
However, that decision to save the exposition for the moments when Emily learns things did at times make the book feel a little thin – some new pieces of information seemed to be glossed over or introduced out-of-the-blue when it was convenient for the narrative. There were a few times deus-ex-machina type information suddenly solved an unsolvable problem.
Pacing seemed to be another issue that played to the book’s advantage and disadvantage. The adventure moved at a break-neck speed and established the urgency of the danger involved, but relationships between characters also developed in unrealistic bursts of speed. While the action moving quickly worked in the book’s favor, the sudden romantic developments felt a little jarring.
Even with that pacing problem, I did really appreciate the romance between Emily and her protector, Jacob. It felt sweet, subtle, and non-creepy, which is a major accomplishment in supernatural YA relationships (think of the power-imbalance and weird paternalism of Twilight). I also really liked that the author resisted the impulse to create a love triangle involving Emily’s ex-boyfriend. When the action hit its adrenaline-pumping apex, it was nicely balanced by the calmness of the romance.
Overall, I found The Spirit Breather unique and refreshing. I’m unfamiliar with Native American folklore, so using those
elements was new and interesting to me as a reader. With that backdrop, the author created a fresh adventure to open this action-packed series.
What I Loved:
The fantasy world that has been created in The Spirit Breather is intense and wonderful. I loved the Native American aspects that are so perfectly placed in the story. They complimented the overall plot and gave the world a base for the reader to understand the story through.
How I Felt:
This book was so much fun! I felt completely drawn into the story from page 1. The first moments are filled with action and character development, I felt immersed immediately!
The characters are built to make you want to connect with them. Joseph seems dark and broody, but you also want to get to know him. He can easily be a character you end up with a crush on. Emily is just this wonderful girl with a determination and fire that was intriguing and made me like her so much.
The bad guys were the Raven Mockers. They are these terrible shape-shifting creatures that get their energy and sustain life through human souls. From the first action scene in the book, the reader gets a terrifying view of how these creatures shift and what they are capable of. Hats off to Bekah Harris’ descriptive abilities here too. I could visualize every change in their body as they morphed from human to bird. I’m still shivering a bit as I write this. These powerful storytelling skills continue throughout the entire book!
The story was filled with action and excitement, and it created such a sense of urgency throughout the book. I felt the concern that the characters felt and their need to understand the answers to all the secrets. This was a fast-paced read that kept me turning the pages.
Overall, I enjoyed The Spirit Breather so much! I loved the world the story takes place in, the characters, the balance between storytelling and exciting action. It culminated in a wonderful fantasy that has me looking to find book 2!
To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend The Spirit Breather to YA fans that are interested in the dark, magical aspect of fantasy. I believe that YA Fantasy fans will be so excited to get their hands on this book!
I was provided a copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
I loved this book. I’ve never read anything quite like it before. Looking forward to more.