BREATHE

BY

SARAH CROSSAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

A glass dome houses the survivors of the Switch, the period when oxygen levels plunged and the green world withered. A state lottery meant a lucky few won safety, while the rest suffocated in the thin air. Now Alina, Quinn and Bea are leaving the dome, walking straight into the heart of danger. They have only two days' worth of oxygen on their tanks. What will happen on the third day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I loved the whole concept of the book. A world where you have to pay for the very air you breathe. A world where babies are tied to their beds to keep them from moving around much, therefore consuming more oxygen, a world where you need to buy oxygen tanks if you want to exercise, a world without trees.

The story is told in three different points of view. Alina ( who is part of the resistance, a group of rebels who want to restore air to the Earth's atmosphere), Bea who wants to move up in society and her best friend Quinn, who is part of the top members of society. The three of them embark on a journey outside of the dome, looking for other members of the resistance and the truth behind the politics of the dome.

I got into this story very quickly, the way the world is set up is very subtle and given to you trough action rather than words. The characters are very likable and flawed, very real. To me, Alina was the easiest to like. She is very focused and determined, she believes in the cause. Quinn is the son of very rich people, he cares very deeply for his best friend ( Bea) and does everything he can to help her. Bea was the one I liked less. And now that I think on it, she is very much like me. She follows the rules. She knows that things in their society are not perfect, but feels like there isn't a thing she can do about it and so she does nothing. She only wants Quinn to like her back.

This book is action packed  and the romance is very subtle. This is one book I highly recommend.