Suffocate is the first novelette in THE BREATHLESS series. For centuries, the world outside the Biome has been unlivable. Today, marks the first time anyone will attempt to leave the suffocating ecosphere. Eria is not worried because her scientist father has successfully tested the new Bio-Suit many times. It’s a celebratory day until something goes horribly wrong. In the midst of tragedy, Eria uncovers a deep conspiracy that affects the very air she breathes. If those responsible find out what she knows, they won’t stop hunting her until she takes her last breath. The 2nd novelette in the series, CHOKE, is scheduled for Fall 2012. The 3rd, EXHALE, is scheduled for Winter 2013

• File Size: 352 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Coleman and Stott (May 16, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008450Q70
• FTC Disclosure: Book sent for the purpose of an honest review

So, I’ve been sitting on this review for a few days now, because I really wanted to tone down my incessant fangirl-ness when it comes to S.R. Johannes. It took some time, but I think that I can look at this novella objectively now.

Gah, I loved this thing.

I actually have a thing about novellas, short story anthologies, and the like. To me, they’re like the appetizer to a meal (read: novel). They’re meant to cut hunger, but they’re not meant to fill you up. (Do you get the image that I’m trying to create here?) It is my experience with short stories, or even a series of short stories, the characters (to me, the most important aspect of reading anything), aren’t as well developed, and the plot lines are superficial at best. I was so happy to find that this was not the case with Suffocate.

This “novelette series,” as Johannes calls it, starts with this book, Suffocate. While it is a very swiftly moving story—it is less than fifty pages, easy—what happens in that short amount of time will really catch you off guard in the best of ways. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but let me say, Johannes so eloquently weaved the clues to the bombshell of a conclusion that I absolutely did not see it coming. And I loved that. So often I can see the ending to a story from a mile away, but with this novella, I had such a profound “A-ha!” moment, that it made me smile. The saddest part is that I will never have that moment again, but I wish it for you, new reader.

Also, the characters are just great. Eria, the main character, is a precocious teenager who is just one of the good ones, but not in the flawless, unrealistic way that sometimes is portrayed in so-called “unflawed” characters. Also, Ash, Eria’s unlikely sidekick and (hopefully) her love interest, is a really great foil to Eria’s character, but there is an undeniable shroud of mystery surrounding him. I can’t wait for the next books to be released so that I can find out what else happens with both of them.

There’s just no way that I can give this story anything but 5 out of 5 meows.

MamaMia

A college student and lover of all things literary, MamaMia has been reading romance novels probably before it was appropriate for her to do so. She is addicted to her iPhone, on which she has three modes of reading books, and is usually (when she is not studying for school or looking at cooking vlogs on YouTube) immersed in a read and getting to love some characters. She is currently on a contemporary romance kick, but is known to read about vampires, teens fighting bad guys, and Navy SEALs, to name a few.

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