Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA Press
Rating: YA 15+
Genre: Fairytale Retelling, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy
Pages: 336

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.

Mira has been raised by her over-protective two godmothers after her parents died in a fire. Her sixteenth birthday is just around the corner, and all she wants to do is find her parents graves and learn about them, who they were, and by that, maybe who she is. Determined, Mira sets off on her own journey, on the way bumping into a few curiously fairytale-like people and one blue haired boy who she's strangely attracted to. All the while, the big question looms over Mira. Who is she?

Witty, unique, heartbreaking and utterly captivating, Kill Me Softly is undoubtedly one of my favorite fairytale retellings. I had a feeling I was going to love this [not just because of all the rave reviews but also due to the amazing premise], but boy, I had no idea just how much I was going to love this! It was fabulous, magical, enchanting and just everything you could ever really want in a fairytale retelling!

While I didn't really LOVE Mira, the main character, she was bearable, although at times she did the most stupid things which really annoyed me. She was gullible and a little clueless, which made me mad because Blue, the other main character, was just SO amazing, and at times I kind of felt like she didn't deserve him (but then again, that might have been because the only person I think Blue will be good with is ME :P). All of the characters were actually really sweet and well done. Even Freddie, the cliche 'Prince', was surprisingly likable! He kind of reminded me of a lovesick puppy dog! 

"Knight, stop flaunting your body," Blue said. "Mira's going to start thinking of you as a piece of meat."

"Mira can think whatever she wants about me," Freddie said, tugging his shirt over his head. "I consider it an honor that she thinks about me at all."

Blue laughed. "You're such a kiss-ass."

"I am not!" Freddie said, sounding genuinely hurt.

Aren't these two brothers the cutest??

Blue Valentine, will you marry me? No, seriously! He was so amazing and thoughtful and funny and so sweet! My heart totally melted for him and his blue hair and wicked sense of humor. I felt really bad for him in the book, just because of everything he's had to deal with, and all his struggles and all. Why is it that bad things always happen to good people?? Story of my life right there, people.

Kill Me Softly is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, although there are also tidbits from other fairytales too, which is super cool. I have to tell y'all I did not at all expect it to end the way it did! It was a really great ending, full of suspense, drama, action, and, of course, Blue. 

I'm actually really surprised I ended up enjoying this book as much as I did because of all the hype I'd built up in my head. But, nonetheless, I LOVED this book. If you're a sucker for fairytale retellings with swoon-worthy male leads, go get this book!

If you like this, try:

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Beastly by Alex Flinn