Stealing Breath review

Stealing Breath by Joanne Brothwell had a lot of potential but it fell flat for me. While the plot was interesting and the writing was good, the characters were not enjoyable and there was just a little too much going on.

Sarah, an empath who has always felt others emotions, made some seriously stupid decisions, like running off into the woods alone instead of waking up her friends. She also refuses to find out who/what she is until she is forced to do so. She's twenty-one and has had this ability all her life but she just tries to ignore it instead of doing any kind of research or asking any questions about it.

The attraction and subsequent relationship Sarah and Evan also just didn't feel real to me. Evan randomly appeared and disappeared and they just fell into a physical relationship. I get that it was supposed to show the spiritual connection between the two but it just didn't really work very well.

Stealing Breath does have tons of action but there is little or no explanation of why things are happening or happened. It jumps from one crazy, paranormal situation to the next without answering any questions until the end and even then not everything is explained. I know there is a sequel but I don't like it when I still don't understand everything that happened at the end of a book.

Stealing Breath was a quick read and was just okay. I won't be reading the sequel.

Synopsis

Deep in the backwoods of North Dakota, twenty-one year old Sarah Ross is searching for a missing child when she is attacked by a glowing-eyed, transparent... creature. Sarah survives, destroying the monster by using mysterious abilities she didn't even know she had. Bloody and bruised, Sarah flees the scene and runs directly into Evan Valente, a handsome, charismatic stranger who helps her back to safety. But what is Evan doing out in the forest at five in the morning? Turning to a healer, Sarah is shocked to learn her eyes bear the mark of the Indigo Child-an evolved human with the ability to feel the emotions of others. But her indigo aura also makes her an easy target for those who wish to consume her powerful essence. Soon, Sarah is falling deeply in love with Evan and wants nothing more than to follow her heart and trust that he is the man he says he is. But she can't ignore the lingering feeling that Evan is hiding a terrible secret. The deeper she digs, the more danger she faces, leading her on a course that will force her to face the darkest, innermost parts of her soul.