Out of Breath by Blair Richmond

FYI: I am very much NOT a fan of the vampire fad is literature that we seem to ourselves in the midst of. Sadly, as the mother of three girls ranging in age from 16 to 22, I am also somewhat knowledgeable on the subject. So I know what I'm talking about when I say that I had to smile when the female protagonist in this novel was named Katherine. (reference Vampire Diaries for those not in the know.) Having said all this, you will notice in the /5 rating, I couldn't come down very hard on this book.

/5      

Character Development          5

Editing                                     5

Sex                                          0

Violence                                  0

Romance                                 3

Readability/Flow                    5

'Out of Breath' by Blair Richmond is set to be released at the end of October and all of you 'Twilight', 'Vampire Diaries' fans out there are in for a treat. I have no idea why I agreed to read this ARC despite my hard line against all things vampire/werewolf/etc (must have been a moment of weakness), but I started it yesterday afternoon and was up till midnight finishing it. I admit, I liked it.

What it's About (from the press release):
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.

What I liked about it:

1. The cover. I hope they don't change it.
2. The fact the Katherine is has a secret and an agenda of her own. It is actually a secret that an entire novel could be written around without the addition of otherworldly beings.
3. Mr Richmond's writing style. The characters are well developed and the story flows beautifully. I was hardly aware of turning pages.
4. The addition of running as an activity. These are hard core athletes that comprise a society of their own within the town. They are connected by the sport in a way we see every day with skiers and rock climbers, hockey players, etc. 
5. The way running and the beauty of the mountains and nature become characters of the book in their own right.
6. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger but left me ready to read the next book of the trilogy. (Oh, did I mention that this is the first book in a trilogy?)
7. The fact that the press release says for ages 12 and up and it is totally appropriate for ages 12 and up - maybe even 10 and up.

What I didn't like:

1. As an older reader it was blatantly obvious that many of the ideas and characteristics of the vampire world were incorporated from both 'Twilight' by Stephanie Meyer and 'Vampire Diaries' by L. J. Smith - this would not likely be an issue for younger readers and maybe not even for readers who are fans of these other books.
2. The fact that I liked the book! I was kind of enjoying my anti-vampire book stance till now.

Here's a Taste:

Something new I've decided to do with my reviews is give you all a taste of the book from the first page. Remember this is an ARC so this might change (but I hope not because I love this first paragraph):

They call it a runner's high, a sensation of euphoria experienced after a certain distance, usually a very long distance. Some runners must travel six miles or more before feeling it. But me, I feel that high every moment my worn old running shoes touch the ground.

 ****Heads Up********* Pre-order this book at:

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Breath-Blair-Richmond/dp/0979647576/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1315239383&sr=8-8



OR

http://www.ashlandcreekpress.com/books/outofbreath.html