One hundred and fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed, and the remaining humans fled to the dusty red planet of Jutaire, where the only oxygen is manufactured, food is scarce, and death strikes often.Mark on Goodreads
When Lissa's father discovers Earth still exists, she accidentally inhales the toxic air of Jutaire, and in one breath, discovers she isn't quite human.
Her father hangs for his discovery, and Lissa knows the Chancellors will come for her, for she saw the Earth that night too. With nothing to lose, she sets out to expose the truth. It isn't long before she meets Julian, a beautiful boy who can breathe the toxic air like she can - and shows her that the Jute, the original inhabitants of the planet, are more tangled in their lives than she knows.
But the Chancellors are only pawns in a greater game - one where the Jute control everything. Worse, the Jute plan to leave Jutaire for Earth, but to get there, they need her. And they'll stop at nothing until Lissa is in their clutches, even if they kill every human in the process.
The race for Earth has begun.
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I'm really happy to be hosting Hafsah Laziaf today on our blog! She is a dear Twitter friend and the debut author of that beautiful book you see above! I've just started reading UNBREATHABLE and I'm already enjoying the writing, and intrigued by the story! To get you interested, here's a little excerpt!
The mutants are fast. They surround
me in a flurry before I have a chance to make it a few feet. I glance
helplessly down the nearest row of houses as three women hurry into a house,
one of them carrying a toddler against her hip. They whisper and throw nervous
glances my way before the door slams shut. I’ll find no help here.
I scan the
faces of the Jute. Other than their unmasked faces and uncanny beauty, there
isn't a way to tell they aren't human.
But I can
tell one thing: the dark-haired Jute in the center is the leader of the five.
His long coat, rich and dark, billows behind him in the wind. The others stand
slightly behind him, their clothes faded compared to his, but new compared to
my own. He stands out. His features look familiar, but I’m too far to tell for
sure.
"We
aren't here to hurt you,” he calls.
His voice
reminds me of Julian. Maybe it's because I’ve heard very few young men speak
before. My mind strays to the countless weapons in the training room. Why did I
run?
"What
do you want with me?" My voice cracks.
He laughs,
the sound deep. "You. I want you."
"Leave
her alone, Rowan." Someone shouts behind me. Julian. Relief floods my
veins. He raises a black bow, and I hear the sharp slice of metal as he draws
an arrow back.
"Didn't
think I'd see you again in this life," Rowan shouts back with a one-sided
grin.
Their
voices. Rowan. Julian. The same.
Julian
narrows his eyes. "I said leave. Or they're all dead."
Rowan moves
his mutant forward and his hair ruffles in the wind. He holds his arms out in
mock defiance.
There’s a
swoosh of air behind me. One after the other, the Jute on either side of Rowan
fall and oxygen seizes in my chest. The mutants groan and take off into the
emptiness beyond human land.
Rowan
surveys the fallen bodies lazily. Carelessly. "I need her. Not them."
"Leave,
or I'll shoot." Julian says. His voice is tight.
But the
same arrow is nocked in his bow. Someone else killed Rowan's men.
Rowan jumps
down from the creature. "You. Shoot me?" He laughs. "No, Jules,
not even if your life depended on it. But I-"
He falls
when two blasts of blue hit him square in the chest and his body jerks in
silent spasms. Not dead.
I turn to
Julian, my eyes wide. The wind howls suddenly.
"Teach
me," I wheeze. Neither of us says anything else.
I tremble as I walk. Julian looks at
me with sympathy and I hate it. But I keep walking. The farther away I can get
from the Jute named Rowan and his dead crew, the better. Every few steps,
Julian glances back, as if he expects something. Someone.
I just want
to clear my mind. I just want answers. I need them.
"You
knew him," I say. Fear pulses in my veins: he wanted me.
Julian
clenches his jaw. "Yes."
I can tell
he doesn't want me to push. But I need to know what's going on.
An arrow
sinks into the dust ahead of me and a cloud of red explodes over my clothes. I
jump with a gasp but Julian stills. And someone laughs defiantly.
A girl
about my age and height walks toward us. Her eyes are dark shards of glass.
I’ve seen penetrating eyes like those before. Her pitch-black clothes are tight
and her stark white hair is cut short, falling in messy strands over her right
eye. Everything about her screams pride. She strolls past us and plucks her
arrow from the dirt. Julian throws a nervous glance at me before facing her.
"Dena.
What are you doing here?" He sounds wary.
"What,
no 'thank you'?" She places one hand on her hip and waves the arrow with
the other.
"Thanks
for what? Killing them? For immobilizing Rowan? I could have done that."
But his voice lacks the conviction of his words.
She doesn't
even spare me a glance before sauntering over to him. Close to him. Closer than
close. She presses her body against his and leans in, so their faces are barely
breaths apart.
"No,
Julian," she breathes. He leans away, but she leans closer. "For
saving you from my father."
That’s
where I’ve seen those eyes. She’s Chancellor Kole’s daughter. My sliver of
dislike increases. That’s why Julian wasn’t at the gallows.She saved him from Chancellor Kole, not
Slate. Not me, like I wanted to.
The tips of
his ears turn pink and he opens his mouth. She raises her finger and traces his
lips. "Shh, don't give me that 'I wanted to die' crap again."
I inhale
sharply. Julian was trying to get himself killed in the Chamber. The reality of
that hits me in the stomach.
They stare
at each other. Even from the side, Julian is beautiful. The way his cheekbones
cut into his skin, the way his lips press against one another, and his eyelids
slowly drape over his sharp eyes.
Dena's gaze
flickers to his lips and my cheeks burn. I don't want to see anymore. I wipe my
sweaty palms down my pants and hurry towards the Tower.
It wasn't
Julian who saved me. It was Dena. I don't feel afraid anymore. No, this is
disgust. Anger at my cowardice.
I hear Dena
screech and Julian sigh. I want to cover my ears and wash my eyes.
"Lissa,
wait!" Julian calls. I stop, but don't turn around.
"Thank
you saving me," I say. He flinches at my monotone.
"It's
not what you think."
"I
don't think anything. It's none of my
business," I say. Even I'm surprised at the bitterness in my voice.
By the time
we near the Tower, my anger has faded, and every heartbeat of silence makes me
more embarrassed.
Julian
looks at me. "There was one point in my life when I wanted so many things,
her included. I thought I loved her.”
I purse my
lips. But he knows I’m listening.
"Then
my mom died." His voice is a soft, pained whisper. "I loved her so much.
More than anything. And I-I couldn't save her." He chokes off in a
humorless laugh.
"I
didn't want anything after that. Not Dena, not Earth, not even my life. Life
lost its meaning. I've been trying to join my mom ever since. And Dena-"
"It
wasn't love."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hafsah
Laziaf was born on the east coast on a hot summer day in 1993, raised
on the west coast and is now stuck in the middle – in Texas – with more
books than she can read. She’s the designer behind IceyDesigns and the
blogger behind IceyBooks. UNBREATHABLE is her debut novel.
Thanks for sharing the excerpt. It is fantastic, I can't wait to read this!
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