Kill Me Softly [Hardcover]

Sarah Cross (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 10, 2012

"Clever fun."—Kirkus Reviews

"Incorporating suspense and romance, this contemporary, edgy, Grimm-based novel is an entertaining and well-written entry in the crowded but popular genre."—Booklist


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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mirabelle Lively knows little about her past or her deceased parents; her loving, though overprotective, guardian godmothers, Elsa and Bliss, have kept it that way. But with her sixteenth birthday approaching, Mira runs away to Beau Rivage to visit her birthplace and her parents’ graves, hoping to find answers. The city and residents are not as they appear, and as mysteries and secrets unfold, so do revelations, including whether or not curses and fairy tales could be real and whether Mira is destined for happily ever after or a more sinister fate. Incorporating suspense and romance, this contemporary, edgy, Grimm-based novel is an entertaining and well-written entry in the crowded but popular genre. With nods to many fairy tales—including Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel—readers will find familiar, if occasionally predictable, elements. However, there are also some creative twists as the engaging YA cast navigates issues ranging from destiny versus free will to self-discovery to the power of love. Includes some strong language and mature scenarios. Grades 9-12. --Shelle Rosenfeld

About the Author

Sarah Cross loves fairy tales in all their incarnations. Her first novel, Dull Boy, is about another kind of myth—superheroes. Visit her online at www.sarahcross.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA (April 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606843230
• ISBN-13: 978-1606843239
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A different spin on the classic fairy tale April 24, 2012

By Latoya

Format:Hardcover

When Mira is first are introduced , she seems sweet but once she gets to Beau Rivage, her attitude changes. She seems lost and angry.That is until she meets Felix, who instantly bedazzles her and she becomes attached to him. Now, here is where I have issues with this book because Mira is fifteen and Felix is in his 20s, and he is coming on to her in a very sexually intoxicating manner. The poor girl is dizzy, literally from the lustiness(I am quite sure this is not a word, but I'm using it). Felix has a brother Blue, who Mira initially met when she arrived and he tried his best to get her to leave. I think the chemistry between Mira and Blue is so funny and the most interesting. She meets others just like her in this town and Mira feels like her new friends are keeping her in the dark, as they won't tell her anything, except stay away from Felix. Torn between her supposed love for Felix and the possible danger, she believes that she knows him better than they do, after a matter of days. Seriously!
The story is great and completely not what I expected. One of the cool things I really liked about this book are the marks that identify what story that the characters belong.Beau Rivage is full of fairy tale tragedies, and everyone knows their fate. The thing is no matter how hard they may try to change their path, destiny gets in the way. Mira wants to be the exception to this rule, that's if she survives her curse, and finds out what her trigger is before it is too late. Dark, witty and original this is a great book about love and destiny.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of 2012! April 11, 2012

By Rachel Naddeo

Format:Hardcover

I was so eager to read this novel and my expectations have been exceeded: I've been completely blown away by it! After receiving Kill Me Softly, I took no time to start reading it and I've been rendered speechless by this book's awesomeness. Not to mention that the cover is beautiful, so if the book didn't turn out to be that great, at least the cover would make your bookshelf a lot prettier. But that's certainly not the case; for the content is even more amazing than the cover.

If you thing fairy tales are only meant for children, then you are more than mistaken. Mixing original fairy tales with reality, Cross writes an amazing story full of magic, romance and mystery. I was so caught up that I finished this book in one seating! But I do have to add that I love Disney's fairy tale movie so this review will be a bit biased by my inner child. Furthermore I love Once Upon a Time, a TV series with a similar premise: a city where the inhabitants are fairy tale characters but can't remember it!

Mirabelle lives with her two grandmothers but she dreams of being able to visit her parents' graves; for they died in her christening and since that day she has never set foot in her birthplace, Beau Rivage, again. One week before her sixteenth birthday, Mira runs away from her two very controlling yet loving grandmothers. Arriving in Beau Rivage, Mira gets to know Blue and Freddie; Blue is a rather rude and wants to throw her out of the casino she took cover in, while Freddie is docile and sweet. She escapes Blue and his friend and goes into the garden, where she meets none other than Blue's brother, Felix. Entirely the opposite of Blue, Felix takes her into the hotel and is nothing but nice to her (maybe too nice!). And of course, Mira falls in love with him.

But nothing is as it seems in Beau Rivage. Blue doesn't leave Mira alone and she finds herself more and more in the middle of some really strange things. She meets many of Blue's and Freddie's friends who talk about weird stuff and behave really strange. As it turns out, many of the city's cititzens have a curse on them, tying them or their family to some known fairy tales. For example: Viv is cursed to be Snow White. Her stepmother hates her and the family's gardener is bound to be the huntsman who will one day be ordered to cut out Viv's heart. Kill Me Softly shows us a modern style of popular fairy tales, which are not as dreamy as they are made out to be. Mira learns that fairy tales entail some sick twists and turns before the happy ending, if it has a happy ending at all.

Mira finds out that being born in Beau Rivage, she also has a role to play. Furthermore she realizes that her fairy tale bounds her to another character in this book, even though she doesn't love him, fate will not ler her escape the inevitable role she has to play. Despite many warnings against Felix, Mira doesn't believe in anyone and keeps dating him. But when her life ends up in danger, Mira has to confront the truth. Felix is dangerous but what is he? (you will have to read the book to find out!)

Kill Me Softly was such a great read; it is one of those book that you never want to end. I had so much fun trying to figure out each character's role and curse in the story and I think Sarah Cross could write many books about other characters's curse. The only criticism I have is that the ending was too sudden! I was reading tranquilly on my Kindle and suddenly the book is finished. I mean I was totally unprepared, so I think she could have written a few more pages (or who am I kidding? I would have liked if the novel had more than a 1000 pages). Kill Me Softly turned out to be one of my favorite reads, ever! I'm hoping on, or rather begging for a sequel (but I do believe there will be one, since there were many loose ends)!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love, trust, and friendship are put to the test in this darkly beautiful modern take on fairy tales April 10, 2012

By Dark Faerie Tales

Format:Hardcover

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Love, trust, and friendship are put to the test in this darkly beautiful modern take on fairy tales.

Opening Sentence: Birthdays were wretched, delicious things when you lived in Beau Rivage.

The Review:

Sarah Cross blends fairy tales with reality, and illustrates what that means for cursed teens as they learn about themselves and those around them. Mira, the protagonist, is an orphan who lives with her two strict, but loving godmothers. Mira is not allowed to do lots of things, including visit her parent's hometown of Beau Rivage. Mira accepts her godmother's rules as caring eccentricities except for the ban on Beau Rivage. A few days before her sixteenth birthday, Mira runs away and heads to the one place that she knows her parents were before they died.

Mira is stubborn and defensive, but just wants to feel like she belongs somewhere in the world. I think she uses scathing remarks to protect herself from getting close to someone who may one day leave and hurt her. She is also impulsive, and takes risks that might cause her harm. When she arrives in Beau Rivage with little money and no plan for what she intended to do once she got there, Mira hangs out in a casino until she can figure out what to do next. There she meets Blue and Freddie, two guys her age who warn her away from the casino that Blue's family owns because he has a brother, Felix, who will take advantage of her situation as an orphan in an unfamiliar town. Mira scornfully rejects Blue's pleas to leave, and hides out in the casino.

Blue is named so for his blue hair, and comes across as a rebellious teenager who has friends, but keeps them at a distance. He jokes around to hide his emotions, and does what he can to make girls, especially Mira, hate him. We find out later that this has to do with what type of curse he has. Freddie, on the other hand, is sweet, innocent, and and fiercely devoted. His personality also fits in with what type of curse he has. It turns out that many of the citizens in Beau Rivage have some sort of curse tied to familiar fairy tales.

There are all sorts of classifications of curses that play out over and over throughout history that Mira is confronted with. At first she doesn't believe it, but she has a role to play like the others in town. Many of their curses are intertwined with each other. For example, one girl's curse is to be hated and envied by her stepmother, and their gardener/general errand boy who loves and hates her will one day be ordered by the stepmother to cut out the girl's heart. This is the classic Snow White tale for the modern age. The girl, Viv, treats the gardener, Henley with either disgust or admiration, causing mixed signals between them that may one day lead to her death. Mira learns that there are deadly consequences for choices she can make.

While Mira is learning more about the hidden part of her past and the other cursed teens in Beau Rivage, Blue's brother Felix has been successfully romancing her despite everyone's warnings about him. Mira has never felt like she was wanted romantically before, which is why she falls head over heels for Felix. It is only near the end of the novel and when her life is in serious danger that Mira finally confronts the truth behind the rumors about Felix. Mira learns a lesson in humility as she realizes that she doesn't have to go through life alone, and should realize that there are more people out there who care about her than she ever realized.

Mira thinks that she can find out who she is by visiting her parent's hometown, but instead is handed a new life that she never could have dreamed of, and it turns out for the better. I would recommend this novel for anyone who likes modern twisted fairy tales and vibrant, emerging romance.

FTC Advisory: EgmontUSA provided me with a copy of Kill Me Softly. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.