Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (April 2012)
(clicking the cover takes you to its Goodreads page)
Goodreads Synopsis:
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.
My Thoughts:
I wanted this book immediately after reading the summary. It looks fantastic, right? I had really high hopes for it. It was a surprising book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were plot twists and turns, and they mostly changed for the morbid. But it madet the story one of the most unique that I've read in a very long time. Though I did find some issues with it...
The Characters:
Mira, Mira, Mira... Mira is the female lead in the story, and I liked her character at first. She seemed strong and brave, running away from home and standing up for herself and everything. And then--within, what 2 days of meeting him-- she "falls in love" with Felix. I found absolutely nothing special about Felix. He was such a boring character! He was hardly around, but oh, he's nice to Mira! So of course suddenly she's in love with him. And basically all she knows about him is that he runs a hotel. I found it stupid. No one can legit fall in love with someone that way. I've never come across such insta-love in a book before, and it made no sense. At all. Two days! And probably a total of six hours! That's not love, it's called a crush!
But Blue! I liked Blue. Probably because he had personality. He was funny and cocky and he had blue hair. He had the best lines and was in the best scenes. But more than Blue I adored Freddie's character. I wish that the author had told the ending to his story, but I hope he got a happily-ever-after. He seemed like such a sweet guy, and I wish everyone had been nicer to him.
The Plot:
It's such an original plot. Fairy-tales come to life. Yes, some were twisted, but it kept me interested enough to keep picking up the book. I'd kind of predicted the end-- and to keep this non-spoilery, I'll just say the part with the room-- but it was still horrorful (is horrorful a word? :P), though it kept the story climactic and made things urgent and captivating. I was curious to find out how Mira's own curse would work out. But mostly I wanted to know what happened to the others-- Viv and Henly and Caspian and Layla... Sigh, but alas, we never know. (Unless there's a sequel? Hint hint, Sarah Cross :D.)
However, it's one of those books where you have to discover things along with the character. So, that means that if it takes two hundred pages for her to connect the pieces to the puzzle... that's how long it takes you, too. And call me crazy, but plots like this drive me insane. I hate when everything is cryptic. Okay, yes, it can make you think and work things out for yourself, but I hate reading dialogue when I have no clue what the characters are talking about. This book didn't have it too bad, but it left me clueless to some answers I wanted that I had to wait until the end for.
SPOILER. And one other thing. We never do find out about Mira's parents. I mean, we discover they're alive and all that, and that she has their number to call them... but she never does. We never discover how it works out. Did they move into Beau Rivage with Mira? Or did she wait until she turned seventeen--when her parents planned to appear--to meet them? Did she call them and they came to move back to Beau Rivage, or did she remain with her godmothers? It's never told, and I suppose it doesn't really matter, but it was a loose end, nevertheless. SPOILER OVER.
The Writing:
This book had great writing-- not bleak, not boring, but descriptive, and sometimes mysterious. This book had some of the most hilarious dialogue and I loved reading the fights between Mira and Blue. And I liked the ending. Despite no closure of the secondary character's futures, it didn't dissapoint.
Overall:
You should pick it up! The three stars is more for the plot and the unrealistic love (sorry, but it irked me! I think it could've been made more believeable). It was fast pasted, a quick read, wholly unique and original, and it should keep your attention.
3/5
