Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Book: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross
Publisher: Egmont USA
Pages: 331
Source: Review copy
Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

First off, this is such a gorgeous cover with an amazing amazing amazing title! If you know me, I'm not the kind to gush about covers, but this is just beautiful. Although, the real question is... is the story as beautiful as its cover?

My answer would have to be... YES!

WHAT I LIKED:

• The writing is just flawless. I am not kidding.
• Like I'm not one to gush about covers, I'm also not one to gush about writing. Never have I read a book where the writing was one of my favorite points! The writing in Kill Me Softly was beautiful. It flowed seamlessly and drew me in like a moth to a flame. I have so many favorite passages from Kill Me Softly. 

• Cross knows how to write some damn good romance scenes.
• Better yet, Cross knows how to write some damn good romance! There was a very very strong case of instant love and a rather twisted love triangle in Kill Me Softly, but you know what? Cross actually made it work. 
• Although I wasn't a fan of the instant love between Mira and Felix, I definitely adored the blossoming relationship between Blue and Mira. The sexy times was just oozing with sexual tension...very well written sexual tension.

• Blue: my favorite color to wear and my favorite character!
• I love Blue. Hard to like at first, he eventually grew on me and I ended up loving each and every bit of his character. He definitely made me swoon at least once or twice in this book, and he's just so sweet when he wants to be.

•  This is the best fairy tale retelling. EVER.
• The world building of Beau Rivage is so awesome. Cross gets major points for originality. I love the meshing of all the curses and fairy tales and how Cross just spun everything into a wonderful fairy tale itself.

• I loved the crazy twist near the ending and the ending itself!
• I won't say anything about the jaw-dropping shock, but it really surprised me. It's probably my favorite part of the book. The ending itself made me feel very jittery and antsy (the good kind) and concludes in a nice fashion.

 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKED:

• Mirabelle Lively is anything but lively and interesting.
• Okay, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that Lively is her last name but my point is... I couldn't like Mira. She was an unreasonable, close-minded character who made the most illogical choices! However, it's not really her fault. She's been sheltered her entire life, so it didn't make her an all bad character... for the most part.

 

THE VERDICT:

• Kill Me Softly is probably the best fairy tale retelling I've ever read. The prose was mesmerizing, the romance was absolutely delectable, and it was hard to put down! Kill Me Softly was simply magnificent, and I don't think anybody should miss out on this.