Title:The Air He Breathes
Series: Elements #1
Author: Brittainy C. Cherry
Release Date: September 25, 2015
Rating:4.5 stars
Cliffhanger: no
I was warned about Tristan Cole.
“Stay away from him,” people said.
“He’s cruel.”
“He’s cold.”
“He’s damaged.”
It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster.
But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.
We were both empty.
We were both looking for something else. Something more.
We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.
“Stay away from him,” people said.
“He’s cruel.”
“He’s cold.”
“He’s damaged.”
It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster.
But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.
We were both empty.
We were both looking for something else. Something more.
We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.
In a blink of an eye, in one moment's time, everything I knew about life changed.
This is my first Brittany C. Cherry book, (stupid, stupid me) and this is one thing I can tell you with complete confidence: when you pick up a book from this author, you're holding something precious in your hands. I had no idea what I was missing out on all this time and I feel like I'm finally realizing how deprived I've been. Believe me, this author has hit my auto-buy list-solidly. Sometimes an author has a voice that really speaks to you. Immediately, completely, and perfectly. That's what I feel here. If I could give this book a million more stars I would. Within the first chapter I was already laughing, crying, and sometimes both at the same time. Can you say that about many books? This story is something special, you need to introduce yourself to this hauntingly beautiful story.
It's a story of overwhelming, soul crushing grief. A story of pain. The kind that shreds you and dehumanizes you into someone you don't recognize.
It's about finding strength through that brokenness and pulling yourself out of the darkness even when you don't think you can. And these emotions were expressed with such crystal clarity, I felt every bit of hurt these characters were going through. The loss of loved ones is a subject that I can imagine isn't easy to write about. But it was done with sensitivity and it just...moved me. There's no other way to say it.
Both Tristan and Elizabeth have lost a loved one. Her husband, his wife and young son. They're going through the motions of life, but the've been dead inside since the day of their loss.
I hurt so bad for them seeing their emptiness and loneliness. Especially for Tristan who didn't even have the comfort of his child to cushion the blow. Elizabeth pushes on-for her daughter. But Tristan lives only with the memories of what was taken from him. And his wounds have cut him so deeply that he lashes out at anyone who crosses his path. Even though he was hateful and hurtful to Elizabeth, their common link bound them together and wouldn't let her write him off. Looking in his eyes was like looking into a mirror and she only wanted to get closer.
He was hard to look at, because he was so broken, but every scarred part of his existence seemed to draw me in.
The relationship she had with her best friend was the perfect way to deal with the difficult emotions you go through in this book. They were hilarious together-every scene between them had me smiling and chuckling at Faye's outrageousness. Elizabeth's sense of humor added a lightness to the story that balanced out all the dark. Without it, I don't know if I could have handled the harshness so easily.
Hmm. It seemed he wasn't a morning, afternoon, or night kind of person, so he had that going for him.
The beginning of their relationship grows from a very unhealthy place. They're both still just trying to survive. But after their dislike wears off, they evolve into something more. But it's not real. They cling to each other, but they're only clinging to ghosts. They're fine with that, in fact they need it desperately. To feel like they're holding on to a piece of their past through each other. This is completely wrong and it was like taking 10 steps back in their healing process. But in some small way, maybe it was needed for them to break out their torment and inability to move on. Pushing past this crutch, they were finally able to give each other what they really needed. Someone to listen. Someone to see them. They come from a parallel place and no one else could understand the emotions they battle every day except each other.
"Everyone in this town is afraid of me. Do I scare you, Elizabeth?" he whispered, his breaths against my lips.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I see you."
We see Tristan's hard heart start to soften being around Elizabeth and her daughter Emma. The way he symbolically gave her messages from her father with the feathers was enough to make me cry like a baby. I can't even tell you how many times I was overwhelmed with emotion. My whole brain was screaming and my throat was clogged for pretty much the majority of the book. If I could have soaked in every word slowly and made this experience stretch out longer I would have. I just don't have the words to explain how incredible this book was. It was pure, raw, unfiltered emotion, I loved every minute of it. We see the bottomless lows they go through and that's what makes them soar so high in the end. Read. This. Book. You won't ever forget it.
**When I finished this book, this song came to mind. It's like it was made to explain how this book makes you feel. Beautiful, haunting, and lovely. Listen to it along with the book. It made me cry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gB4i...
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