Breath

Breath by Jackie Morse Kessler
4/5 stars
Graphia, 2013
321 pages
YA Paranormal Issues
4th in YA Quartet Riders of the Apocalypse

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

After devouring the previous books in this series (Hunger, Rage, and Loss), of course I had to read Breath and find out how everything wraps up. We've previously visited the Horsemen of Famine, War, and Pestilence which leads us to the most-feared one: Death who has proved to be an intriguing figure common to all the books. Although I think you could read Hunger or Rage to start, you definitely need to have read all three books before starting this conclusion. If not, you will likely have trouble following the action.

Unfortunately for me, this book was a bit of a letdown. While I loved the intensely personal stories of Hunger and Rage, which drew me into a teenager's pain as she confronted something dark and real, Loss was less satisfying and more out-there. Breath continues that trend, alternating the story of Death with the life of a seemingly ordinary young boy, unraveling in a somewhat mystifying fashion. I'm not going to go in-depth at all to avoid spoilers but I was pretty unhappy with some of the specific choices of this narrative.

I think another problem was the character of Death, who looks like Kurt Cobain. I've seen many other reviewers who gushed over him but I always preferred Terry Pratchett's DEATH so this variant never ranked for me. Some other things we learn about Death in this book also kept me from falling for him.

Still I ranked this pretty high. I do admire Kessler's vision as I have found this series very different from other books out there and I think the writing is pretty good. Although the conclusion is not quite too my taste (I would probably have pulled some punches), a lot of others have found it satisfying and if you have read and enjoyed the other books, you'll have to complete the series.

Cover: Once I read the books, I find that I really love the covers and this one is no exception. The infinity sign was not a favorite initially but it is explained and that won me over.

Other Opinions:
Tiffany's Bookshelf

Loss

Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012
258 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to acquire a copy of this book, one of my most anticipated reads of the year due to my love for the previous books in the series Hunger and Rage. While each can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading all of the books.

Besides enjoying the previous books, I knew that this book would focus on Pestilence, the Horseman of the Apocalypse who we know the least about. He made brief appearances in the other books but he has definitely been very mysterious. Before we meet him though, we have our "ordinary" human protagonist.

Billy Ballard, great name, has been regularly picked on every day for years with his only hope of a break coming after graduation in two years. All he can is curl in on himself and hope his tormenters don't injure him too badly. Adding on to his pressures are his need to work hard in school to earn a scholarship and caring for his ailing grandfather with Alzheimer's who transforms into an angry man unable to recognize Billy. He has deep self-hatred for his inability to stand up for himself and he wants to be the hero who gets to kiss the pretty girl.

The book is divided into three parts. The first introduces Billy. The third part is about Billy learning to stand up for himself by facing off against a crazed Pestilence. But the second part of the book was a hard read.  In it, Billy is searching for Pestilence who has hidden himself in his memories in order to avoid ending the world. By running away, he has allowed disease to reign unchecked, putting the world in far greater danger than if he was performing his job to maintain balance. I like the plot but not so much the writing, which is very dreamlike and hallucinatory-not to my taste. On the plus side, it also incorporates legendary figures King Midas and Robin Hood in unusual ways.

Besides disliking the writing in the second part, I had two other problems. One was how the pestilence and bullying themes didn't seem to connect as strongly as famine/anorexia and war/self-cutting did in the previous books. The second problem relates to Marianne, Billy's crush, the girl he wants to kiss. We don't get much insight into her; it is assumed that she also likes Billy but I wanted to know more about her and confirm that she wanted to be the girl who is kissed.

I know many people love the portrayal of Death in this series and he makes several significant appearances in this book.  But my favorite literary Death is from Terry Pratchett's Discworld and I continue to prefer him to this version of Death.

Overall: As we delve deeper into the world of the Horsemen, more fantasy-like elements come out. Some people will love that writing; others like me, will not. Still this is a must-read if you've enjoyed the previous books and will help us endure the wait until Breath.

Rage

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler
HMH Children's, 2011
209 pages
YA;
4.5/5 stars

Source: Received a free e-copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After enjoying Hunger, especially the basic concept of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I knew I'd want to read the second book which looks at the Rider of War and Missy Miller, outcast and self-injurer. I ended up liking this book even more because I thought that I got to know Missy better. Also because Missy has a cat and a sister, like me.

Missy's beloved cat recently died, her sister seems to hate her, her parents are too busy to notice her, her ex-boyfriend brutally humiliated her, and her escape is either the pain of soccer or the sharpness of a blade against her skin.  But she has been chosen by Death and she has the opportunity to unleash all of her wrath and pain on the world through her new role.  She can leave behind her awful life for something unique.

Structured somewhat like the previous book, Missy also interacts with Death, Famine, and Pestilence (an intriguing character who will be the focus of the next book and who we've seen the least of so far) and forms a bond with her awesome sounding steed.  Missy has her heart broken by the reality of war and its effects on civilians which helps lead to her transformation.  She also has an unusual romance (that's all I'll say about that).

Similar to Hunger, the book concludes with Missy in treatment for her self-cutting and with an optimistic outlook for a healthy future but without promising some unrealistic happily ever after.  That's one of the things I like best about these books.  Kessler looks at some of the deepest, darkest pains experienced by young people and offers hope without sugarcoating it.  Also like Hunger, Kessler will be donating a portion of the profits to a non-profit; in this case, it's To Write Love On Her Arms or TWLOHA.

Read for e-book challenge.

Hunger

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010
174 pages
YA
1st in Series
4/5 stars

Source: Netgalley

Summary: Lisa is a teenage girl with typical parent, boyfriend, and friend problems.  Except she's anorexic and has just been named Famine of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Now she travels the world and sees the devastating effects of famine and grapples with her own power and her critical inner voice.

Thoughts: I actually had no interest in this at first (yes, I judged it without knowing anything about it) until I learned that it was about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in YA.  I've never heard of anything like that so I thought it could be really interesting.

The imagery was the best and most powerful part of this book for me.  There are descriptions of food that made me so hungry and descriptions of famine that broke my heart thinking about those who starve every day while I am able to feed myself.  There was a particularly difficult passage to read about one girl's bulimia routine and another when Lisa unleashes her power unwittingly.  Lisa's battle with the Thin voice was also poignant and heartbreaking.  I have struggled with image issues thinking about how I could be thinner and how I'm unlovable due to my weight.  I'm currently in a good place but I think this topic is relevant to most of its target audience.

The characters were somewhat underdeveloped.  We spend all of our time with Lisa and get to know her but her boyfriend and two friends are pretty one note; her parents are largely nonentities; and the other Horsemen have minimal presences (Pestilence has one conversation with her; War has two; and Death pops up a couple of times).  While Death was probably my favorite of the other three Horsemen, the fact that I adore Terry Pratchett's DEATH from his Discworld novels means that I generally find other portrayals lacking, as happened in this case.  This worked for me because I really just wanted Lisa to get better and she needed to reach that place on her own instead of being forced in to it.

In the Author's Note, Kessler shares vulnerably about her own struggle with bulimia and about a girl who inspired this character.

Overall: Short but powerful; excited for the rest of the series.

Cover: I was confused at first about the scale until I learned that a scale is the traditional representation of Famine; then it makes perfect sense.

I have also been fortunate enough to receive Rage, the second book, and I will try to read and review it closer to the release date.