17 May 2012

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.
 



11 lovelies:

bookworm105 said...

I want to read this so badly! Thanks for the great review! :)

Gianne said...

I'm so happy you liked it! I've been looking forward to reading this one for a while, but now I'm even more excited to get my hands on a copy! I love fairytale retellings, so I'm glad it's your favorite one! Great review :)

Unknown said...

SQUEEAALLL! Absolutely amazing review, Gianna! Your review is really creative. <3

I heard some reviews mentioned that the main character is annoying LOL. My reviews depend on whether I like the main character or not, so I thought I might pass this book. But, given how much you like it, you urge me to give it a try. I looovee beautiful writing! Really need to check out the bookstore soon! :)

Gianne said...

OH MY GOSH, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! And I don't even mean ordinary love either -- I mean intense, crazy, and totally consuming love that made me declare this my favourite book of the year! The writing, the world, the characters, the fairytale aspect, the romance (oh, SWOON!), and BLUE... It was all just so perfect! I don't have much room in my schedule to post non review book reviews, but I'm planning on writing one up for this book soon too! :)

Amazing review, Gee! I just had to say that -- because everyone deserves to read this epic book as well! :') <3

Gianne said...

Oh, wow. You keep reading books and saying such amazing things about them I can't see how I could resist reading them, too. *sigh*  This one looks so good! It's so sad you didn't connect with the Mira, but if she's like you described, then yeah, I can see why.

And hey! I like your new reviewing style! :D

Gianne said...

It's so good! :D You must MUST read it! <33

Gianne said...

Ahhhh, Mimi, I'm so glad you loved this one too :D <33 I can't wait to read your review on this one, hun!

Gianne said...

XD I think it's a sign...THAT YOU MUST READ THEM TOO! ;D It was a total shame I couldn't connect with Mira, but that girl... just *facepalm*

And aww, shmanks :3 I'm switching around here and there with review styles XD

Gianne said...

I LOVE FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS &&& I can't wait to read this one! It sounds SO good and I am glad you loved it. I usually don't like when the protagonist makes too many unreasonable choices (cause I always want to slap them!) but I don't think I will mind in this one. Great review Gianna :D

Gianne said...

This one is sooo good, Cindy! You have to read this lovely gem :D <33

Gianne said...

I'm glad that you loved this one. Fairytales and retellings are retelling my thing (you can see that on my blog probably :p), but I just couldn't get into this one :( I hated Mira. She was such an annoying character, with her instant flings with other boys because 'they look so hot.' And the fact that everybody warned her: and what did she do? Exactly.. I know that she is supposed to be sixteen, but I guess I have been too.. responsible even then :p I couldn't buy it.
 
The use of the fairytales: fantastic. The ending: nice surprise! Blue: the only thing that kept me from throwing this book through my room :p Well.. my laptop, since I read a copy from NetGalley (luckily)

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