Early Cuddles: Every Breath by Ellie Marney

18 June, 2014 Reviews 16 comments

Want to get a taste of an upcoming title without a full review or spoilers? We’re here to do that for you! It’s not a real review, and there are definitely no spoilers – just a bunch of reasons to read or not read or pass on this title.

 

You know what’s awesome? When you stumble across a book you had no prior awareness of and it turns out to be everything you desperately wanted without realizing you wanted it. You know what else is awesome? When a book is loosely inspired by/based on/written around (I’m not sure what the word I’m looking for is) one of your favorite things and then actually lives up to it. You know what’s the most awesome thing of all? When both these things coincide which is exactly what happened with Every Breath.

Here are ten reasons you should get really excited about Every Breath:

  1. James Mycroft is brilliant, troubled, obsessive and magnetic (and hot. In my mind, he is very, very hot). He’s definitely Sherlockian in tone but still feels like a completely new character. Same goes for his partner in crime (or, I guess, anti-crime. Well, sometimes light crime) Rachel Watts. Watts is smart, methodical, cool and collected. Much like their [insert word that’s like namesakes but not exactly], they perfectly compliment each other and make a delightful team.
  2. THE SHIIIIIIP. The UST (unresolved sexual tension) burns up the pages. I shipped it SO. HARD. Like squealing, kicking my feet in the air, occasionally panting, I can’t ever get enough shipped it. If I ever win the lottery or something, I plan to commission (beg) Ellie Marney to write me Mycroft/Watts snippets for the rest of forever.
  3. The writing, though nothing flashy, is solid and the quippy dialogue is fantastic. The overall dark and moody vibe gives the story depth and adds a desperation to both the main plot and Watts’ inner narrative. The setting is particularly thorough, having never been to Melbourne (or Australia period) I feel like I have a pretty solid idea of what the city is like.
  4. The mystery is engaging while still maintaining an excellent balance between plot and character development. One thing that often bugs me about mysteries is when so much goes into the plot, the characters end up feeling like they’re just bouncing from clue to clue with no time in between to be themselves and let me get to know them. Not so much the case here.
  5. It would’ve been really easy for the action to veer into unbelievable territory, given that these are high school kids investigating a murder, but it didn’t. Though Mycroft and Watts found themselves in some pretty dramatic situations, I never thought to myself ‘like hell.’ The steps they took to get into those situations were fairly believable (granted you have to be okay with the idea that one half of the pair is an eccentric genius, but, obviously, I am).
  6. The supporting cast is small but intriguing. Though the book is heavily focused on Mycroft and Watts, the secondary characters still feel (for the most part) more like real people than plot devices.
  7. The subtle diversity. I wouldn’t say that diversity is a huge theme of this book, it’s more that it’s just quietly there (kind of like real life, GO FIGURE).
  8. Teenage Sherlock and Watson
  9. TEENAGE SHERLOCK AND WATSON
  10. SERIOUSLY AM I SHOUTING INTO THE VOID HERE? TEENAGE SHERLOCK AND WATSON. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?!

Reasons To Pass:

  1. You don’t like nice things.

I should confess that there was never any hope of me giving this a rational, impartial review. I’m a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes stemming from childhood family bonding over the original series and a wee bit of an obsession with the BBC’s Sherlock. (It’s a small obsession. I’ve only watched it three, okay four…alright, five times. Maybe spent a few weeks, okay months, on tumblr fixated on the Johnlock tag. You know, normal stuff.) ANYWAY. Objectivity? Not a thing here. I was either going to love this book to pieces or burn the internet down with my rage. I am overjoyed that it ended up being the former. I am so in love with this book and frantic to get my hands on the rest of the series.

Seriously people, put this on your TBRs and get excited, this book is absolutely fantastic for fans of character-driven mysteries. Every Breath has a comfy new home on my favorites shelf and Marney has officially landed on my Authors To Watch list.

 

16 Responses to “Early Cuddles: Every Breath by Ellie Marney”

    • Meg Morley

      YES. PUT IT ON YOUR TBR. TELL YOUR FRIENDS. (I’m sorry I’m shouting at you, I’m just very excited)

      • Cathryn

        Don’t apologize. I’m the same way when I find an awesome new book.

  2. Morgan

    Definitely putting this on my list! I love mysteries. I’ve only seen the RDJ Sherlock Holmes (I know, I know) but I loved it and the idea of Sherlock Holmes in general. Thanks for putting this on my radar! Great review 🙂

    • Meg Morley

      I love the RJD Sherlock Holmes movies! They’re so much fun and RJD is the master of quip delivery. Yay for putting this on your radar, it is FANTASTIC!

  3. Semoy G

    … Any chamce I can persuade tou to mail me this book for… “review”? No?

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE????

    .. Fine.

    Still. I do share your Sherlock obsession. This is going on my TBR-SO-HARD list.

  5. Amelia

    WHAT.

    I don’t know what I’ve been doing with my life up to this point. But I must have this. Like, yesterday. Had I not seen your review, I wouldn’t’ve bothered with it. Having read it, I need this book. Right this very exact nanosecond.