"Kill Me Softly"
By: Sarah Cross
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 have been sucked into the
retelling of fairy tales for a couple of years now. Each one is so unique and entertaining, its easily one of my favorite new genres out there today. I had a chance to read and review “Kill Me Softly” before it came out and I just couldn't resist this cute, interesting young
adult novel.
The novel starts out with
Mirabelle running away from home. Her parents were killed when she
was a baby so she lives with her two “aunts.” (They turn out to
be Fairy Godmothers, cue...gasp!) As she is nearing the age of 16,
she decides she wants to find out more about her parents. She's been
kept in the dark about her family so she sets off in the dark of
night to go to where her parents are supposedly buried.
Mirabelle travels to the town
where she was born and immediately meets all sorts of different
people. I wish I could make friends as fast as this girl does! She
befriends a group of teens who are mysterious and seem to
speak of secrets, yet they accept her and her mysterious birth mark.
Throughout the book it is revealed the teens are really living out the fates of famous fairy tale heroes and heroines and
they each have their own birthmarks. Mirabelle, who had no idea she had such a fate, finds out she herself has such a fate.
Beau Rivage is a town of fairy
tale people. It's a great concept and I loved reading how each teen
was going to fulfill their destiny. There are Cinderella types, a
Beauty and a Beast who hate one another, and even a Sleeping Beauty.
In addition to meeting this specific group of teens, Mirabelle is attracted to two
mysterious brothers who hate one another but both attract girls.
The story is original filled with
great multidimensional characters. It was really interesting to find out about the Grimm's tales that are not as well known and how they fit in. I will warn you, when I finished
the book I wasn't nearly ready to be done and am already ready to
read the sequel. The teens at my library will definitely enjoy this
title and as a twenty something librarian, I loved it! Fun,
interesting, and the perfect mix of fairy tale mythology and real
world, this is one not to miss.
Book Details
Publisher: Egmont USA
Date of Publication: April 10, 2012
# of Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-1606843239
That sounds interesting. I'll have to read it.
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