Review: Kill Me Softly - Sarah Cross

Title: Kill Me Softly

Author: Sarah Cross
Genre: Young Adult, Fairytale Retellings

Release Date: April 10th 2012

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Pages: 314

Source: For Review

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.

I've never actually read any fairy-tale retellings yet before this one. So maybe that's why I found this highly creative, clever and original. I loved loved loved how she incorporated the different fairy tales into every day life. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and all my favourite childhood fairy tales had me grinning this whole time! I think that's the best and my personal favourite aspect of the story. All the secondary characters were also amazing and very realistic compared to the main character. 

I did kinda knew what Felix and Blue's secrets were from the beginning, but the main character Mirabelle didn't. I mean, I get that she was portrayed as an innocent and naive young girl, but that still kinda irked me. Other than that, I still found the mystery and secrets very enjoyable to read, and I couldn't wait to flip the next page.

What really let this book down was the main character, Mirabelle. That girl certainly won't be going into my favourite heroine list ever. She's very whiny, immature, selfish, and did I mention that she keeps going from one guy to the other? One more thing and I'll be calling her a slut. Which isn't very nice. She's also suppose to be 15 nearly 16 (same age as me!) but I kinda imagined her as a spoiled 12 year old. Maybe it's because how she handles things very poorly, or just how reckless and stupid she is. Also, she didn't learn or grew throughout the novel - she stayed exactly how she was at the beginning, and at the end..

There is a love triangle in here, but not a good one. I feel like everyone including me prefer Blue, but the main character is the only one who loves Felix. Which is one of my book pet peeves (the main character falls in love with the 'wrong' guy when readers love the other worthy one). It was kinda predictable, not just with the romance, but with the overall arc aswell, so just giving you lot the heads up. 

Overall, if you enjoy fairy-tales, retellings, love triangles, not-so-happily-ever-afters, and heart-breaking curses, then Kill Me Softly is a must-read for you!