Review: Out of Breath by Blair Richmond

Out of Breath by Blair Richmond

Published: October 31, 2011

Publisher: Ashland Creek Press

Pages: 250

Received: for honest review/blog tour

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Nineteen-year-old Kat Jones has been a competitive runner since she was a young girl, but after her mother's death, the path her life was supposed to take begins to crumble around her -- until one day, she finds herself on the run in a literal sense, this time in a race for her very life!

Kat's journey takes her to the Pacific Northwest town of Lithia, the place of her last good memories, of the days when her mother was still alive. But soon after her arrival, strange things begin to happen in Lithia -- and when one of her new friends disappears under mysterious circumstances, Kat begins to realize that Lithia's inhabitants are not all of this world. Worst of all, she is falling in love with one of these otherworldly locals, and the friend who hopes to save her has secrets of his own.

As Kat tries to rebuild her life, she is also training for a race that will turn out to be her biggest challenge yet, as she must outrun not only the demons of her past but the demons of the here and now, who threaten her very existence and that of the entire town.

At once a paranormal love story and an environmental allegory, Out of Breath offers an exciting new voice in young adult fiction.

This was a great story based on trying to find out who you really are, who you want to be and how to get there. Kat faces many challenges in this story, but all lead to her trying to make those decisions about her own life. She has a love for running - the freedom you feel as the wind whips in your face, the solitude of being alone with your thoughts. But Kat has also been running from her past, moving from place to place just as quickly as she arrived. Has she finally found a place that she feels she can stay and finally be herself?

There are side stories that go along with all of this running business - that of a love triangle and vampires. It kind of reminds me of Twilight, but not totally. There is the dark and mysterious, Roman and then there is the boy next door, Alex. A bit of a love triangle develops with touch of jealousy between the guys - each trying to protect Kat in their own way, each falling in love with her a little more.

I'm hoping to learn more about their reasons for being so protective of Kat, I have a hunch about why, but can't write it because it would lead to a spoiler. I will just have to wait for the next two books in the trilogy to see if I am right. I'm excited to see if Kat really stays put in Lithia, to learn more about Roman and Alex, and to see what happens with this love triangle.