Sarah Crossan

Ireland, 1846: Nell Quinn begins working as a scullery maid while her parents, tenant farmers, deal with the loss of their potato crop and livelihood.

In this novel in verse, Nell narrates all the happenings in her life, at work and at home. She meets the nephew and heir of the lord she works for and realizes he is kind, even while her family and friends become hungry and desperate. At one point, I thought it might veer just a little too much into the romance and make everything seem happy in show more an unrealistic way, but Crossan is a better writer than that. She does not shy away from the stark realities of the Irish farmers' experiences, the sheer anguish of seeing people die of hunger and disease. But Nell does experience love, too, leaving the reader a kernel of hope in a bleak situation. show less

Literary Merit: Excellent
Characterization: Excellent
Recommended: Recommended
Level: High School

Until I went to my review group meeting in July, I had never heard of Moonrise, nor had I ever read a book in verse. Oh man was I in for a gut wrenching, heartbreaking story told in bursts outlining the life of a teenager named Joe as he travels to Texas to live and work while his brother sits on death row, awaiting his execution.

I read this in one sitting, it was so enthralling. Joe is seventeen show more and hasn’t seen his brother Ed in about ten years. The majority of those ten years, Ed has been imprisoned for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, and honestly I believe him. There’s a real sense of injustice in this book, especially when Joe gets a letter from Ed detailing what happened the night the crime was committed and how police coerced Ed through sleep deprivation, hunger, thirst, and fear to make a guilty confession.

Absolutely this book makes me think about the justice system and the way the people who carry out the law are so easily corrupted. It also brings about a lot of thoughts about families and relationships and parental neglect and how those themes can affect children differently. Ed, Joe, and their sister Angela have no father figure, and their mother is basically a dead beat. After Ed is sentenced and Joe is still a small child, their mother takes off, leaving a devastated family even more devastated and torn. The kids are lucky enough to have an aunt step in and care for them, but she’s so strict it still causes head butting and drama. As Joe gets older, he gets a letter from Ed asking him to come to Texas because a date for Ed’s execution has been set. In the moments that follow, we get to see Joe on a journey to do everything possible for his brother, even if that’s simply walking miles and miles in the Texas heat (because Joe doesn’t have a car) to visit his brother every day, if only for an hour.

I really enjoyed the book overall. The characters are all fleshed out quite well and the storytelling in verse works so well to pack an emotional punch and really hit you in the feels. The back and forth between past and present helps the flow of the story to show things that happened in the past which may have in turn led to bad decision making in the future. I think by telling the story in verse it also develops the characters really well. It strips down the story to the meat and bones, leaving out all fluff, and allows the reader to get a real sense of who these people are and why we should care about them.

Moonrise is an emotional rollercoaster of fear and injustice and what it means to hope, even in the darkest of hours. It’s definitely a book that will stick with me for a long time. show less

Breathe is a surprising read that uses the tropes of YA in refreshing ways and entertains its readers to the max. Full of danger and action, it is a thrilling read that explores human relationships and questions what one is capable of when faced with the impossible.

When I started Breathe, I thought it was going to be like the other Dystopian books I have read, and while there are similarities, what impressed me is the motivation behind the three protagonists in the book, and how cleverly show more Crossan shows us all sides of the story and explores her world. It’s not a simple world, and it is proven that not all the Premiums are uncaring and privileged, and not all the Auxiliaries are rebellious and uncouth. Another thing I love is that this interesting world isn’t simply a backdrop for the romance in the story, but a solid element in the world building and well realised.

I mentioned the three protagonists before: Alina, the rebel who has to escape the authorities in the Pod who are determined to punish her; Quinn, a Premium who is expected to take on leadership responsibilities in the Pod because of his father’s position in the Council; and his best friend Bea, a talented and law-abiding Auxiliary who dreams of being elevated to Premium status so her family can live comfortably. They are realistic and engaging characters, and I don’t think I can pick a favourite between them, they are all flawed and memorable. The author didn’t complicate their relationships by adding a love triangle, and I agree – it’s all complicated enough without that unnecessary element!

The book begins slowly, and I recall thinking that if it continued to creep along like that, I wouldn’t make it past the first Part (there are five in the book). However, it ramps up beautifully and I think Breathe would be quite difficult to put down past the half way point! The author does a wonderful job of building up the tension until everything snaps and chaos reigns, it’s very enjoyable

I was impressed with this book, and I even more excited to find out it is the first in a series. I’m looking forward to reading more about the world and its characters in Resist (expected publication October 2013), and recommend Breathe to those who want to read about a thrilling Dystopian world without it being relegated to a backdrop for a love triangle.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. show less

Heart-shattering. A novel in verse, Moonrise tells the story of Joe and both his reconnection with his brother Ed, who is on death row for the crime of killing a police officer, and of what the family was like before it all took such a horrifying dive. I love a good novel in verse, and this one joins the worthy club occupied by Brown Girl Dreaming, Inside Out and Back Again, and Karma. Though quick to read through, each chapter/verse deserves a slow reread - Crossan doesn't pull any punches show more with the form.

All of that, in itself, isn't what makes this book so deeply affecting. I remember reading an exit interview that President Obama did with Michiko Kakutani (here). Specifically, he says,"At a time when events move so quickly and so much information is transmitted, the ability to slow down and get perspective, along with the ability to get in somebody else’s shoes — those two things have been invaluable to me." He's talking about empathy and the power of books to create and sustain the visceral feeling of being someone else. I have my own feelings about capital punishment, but this book made me rethink those feelings and question the things I thought I was so sure of. And any book which can cause such a seismic shift in such a genuinely heart-rending way deserves to be read not just once, but repeatedly. show less