BLOG TOUR/REVIEW: Every Breath by Ellie Marney

August 23, 2013


What if Sherlock Holmes was the boy next door? Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics.


Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist when Mycroft wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion’s den – literally. A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again…



*Thank you Allen and Unwin for providing me a review copy of this novel. This review will be featured in The Every Breath Australian Blog Tour*


Every Breath was a fun, deep, urban teen crime thriller of two neighbours who investigate a homicide. It's the story of Rachel Watts a former country girl who feels lost and out of place in the big city, and her neighbour James Mycroft who is eccentric, crazy but totally genius! Together the unlikely pair fit together to make a perfect match and each added something valuable to the story. Both characters had a backstory and depth to them, and their understanding and connection with each other is great to watch.

Have you ever felt a little embarrassed when even the oddly loveable badass is smarter then you? Well yes this was very much the case. Both Watts and Mycroft were geniuses and I was impressed by the conclusions they drew purely based on their own investigation. I struggle with basic science so I was like whaaaa? But the author managed to pull it off so well that I didn't look at the book the same way I view my maths equations, which is most definitely a good thing as I totally suck at maths. I'm one of those people who struggles to keep up in crime shows, my suspicions are not always accurate and I haven't ever before read Sherlock or any crime based book for that matter. So Every Breath was a exciting new experience and for me a breathe of fresh air.

It's been said that this book has a lot of Sherlock references but to be honest I didn't think to much about that because I hadn't seen it before *don't kill me*.  But I'm guessing the continous calling by last name came under that category which was something I picked up on. At first I was kind of waiting for them to communicate using their actual names but eventually I got used to it and it just made it all the more special when they did use first name basis. Since I didn't have the need to draw comparisons, I was just enjoying Every Breath for what it was. A fast paced intriguing crime thriller with unique characters.

If Sherlock Holmes can have a Watson, then stands to reason that James Mycroft can have a Watts. Right?

I think it's because the characters are so flawed that they are loveable. Mycroft isn't perfect and not your typical love interest and the romance came at just a dash - but a perfect one at that - but there was still something about him that made me appreciate him and he grew on me. I wanted him and Rachel to be together. I ship them and I loved how they brought the best out in each other. Rachel was also a good voice to this story and what I felt to be a honest and relatable character.

I loved the ending of Every Breath because it was thrilling, scary, cleverly thought, scientific, realistic, filled with action and sweet. Every Breath is a great novel for new members of the crime genre and perhaps a fun rather then heavy one for crime readers. It was fun, modern and exciting and very Australian! Which I loved because not many books are set in Australia these days and this great piece of Aussie Lit was very accurate of the city scene.




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13 comments

  1. Oooh, this books sounds really interesting, I'll definitely check it out. I love YA stories that are set in Australia so that's definitely a plus :)

    Great review!

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  2. Ooh...I hadn't heard of this book, but I love the Sherlock series on BBC so I'll have to check this one out. I really enjoy when authors write flawed but lovable characters and the romance sounds just right. Great review! ~Pam

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  3. I really want to read this because 1. It's Aussie literature, 2. you say it's good and 3. I love a good mystery every once in a while.

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  4. This book sounds really good! I so glad you enjoyed It. Great review as always Sunny! Erika @ The Red Bookmark

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  5. I also *ahem* can't quite keep up with crime shows. It just gets too confusing for me! But I have read a book that sounds a little similar to this - Virals by Kathy Reichs. I totally recommend that one if you're looking for another YA mystery book. It's SO good!

    I'm loving the MC's name... Don't know why but... ;) I'm glad the characters were flawed, I LOVE flawed characters!

    Great review! :D

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  6. On the other hand, I really like crime or mystery books! I never read Sherlock Holmes too... but there's this manga I used to read all the time called Detective Conan/Meitantei Conan so I would probably enjoy this book too! Plus, I NEED to try Aussie books -- I have never read any of them honestly! *gasps*

    Thanks for the review, Sunny! :3

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  7. Absolutely love Sherlock Holmes so will need to check this out! Can't go wrong with a good mystery, especially web it's difficult to call where the plot is going. Romance sounds fab, Sunny and thanks for the great review :D

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  8. Ooh I haven't read many Sherlock Holmes' retellings, but I'll have to check this one out, I'm glad that the romance was so believable and that you shipped Sherlock and Rachel. :) Sherchel? Ralock? Also, I haven't read/seen Sherlock Holmes either, so you're not alone! The characters do sound flawed yet really in-depth, though, which I'm really glad happened because that sounds like such a good characteristic in a book.

    Fantastic review, Sunny! <33

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  9. I've never heard of this one but it sounds like a great thriller mixed in with a nice romance! I love it when characters are flawed and realistic. I'll have to look into this one! Wonderful review, Sunny!

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  10. I love Australian books--books set in Australia, books written by Australian authors, and books that are both. Unfortunately . . . I haven't read a lot of them, which I have been realizing lately because I've been looking for Aussie books I've read for a certain post that I do every week. Something about those books (and British ones too) is refreshing. They feel different, and I love that.

    I'm going to have to take this book into serious consideration. I started watching Sherlock this summer, and I've really liked it. I've seen one the Sherlock Holmes movies. I haven't read the books, but I would like to read something Sherlock related.

    Great review!

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  11. This book sounds interesting - although not my type! I'm glad you enjoyed it though, and you find it fun to read. As that's what reading is all about! And don't worry Sunny, I haven't seen Sherlock either - I think I'd be completed lost reading it.
    Sophie

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  12. Oh wow, I need to check out this book! I'm a bit of a Sherlock fan (I watch Sherlock, Elementary, the RDJ films, and I'm working my way through the Arthur Conan Doyle books), and I would love to see a YA adaptation of it! Great review Sunny!

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  13. This book sounds fabulous! I think continually calling Watson by his last name is basically an accepted form of communication these days anyway. You shout out "come along, Watson!" to whoever happens to be standing beside you during an event and you've basically established a friendship for life. I do it all the time. :)

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