Breathe Review

400 pages

Inhale. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe . . .The world is dead. The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.
Alina has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.
Quinn should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.
Bea wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.
And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?

Review:
This is quite a different concept from most dystopian fiction. Oxygen is rare and hard to get so people have to pay for the oxygen they use. Can you imagine if you were monitored with how much oxygen you breathe? Alina, Quinn, and Bea are three different people who all survive in different ways under Breathe. Alina is a strong and fierce character who does not live in Breathe, so she has to steal the air that she wants to use. Quinn is smart but he is also extremely privileged, although he doesn't let this affect the way he treats others. Bea is smart but follows the rules closely. All Be a wants is to be on the same level as Quinn, who she is in love with, but she doesn't have the same status. Somehow all three characters collide which takes them on a journey through the Outlands that they won't forget. There is a lot of underhandedness with what Breathe is doing to control the survivors and a lot more to what's going on in the world outside of Breathe. There is a lot of action and discovery as these three encounter all kinds of unexpected trouble and people in the Outlands. I can't wait to read the next novel in this series and I definitely recommend reading this if you love dystopian fiction.