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taschima's review
2.0
"Somewhere, someone's dream was coming true.
And someone's was ending..."
Tear You Apart was okay, but it was hard to get through, the main character is unlikable until the very end chapters, and it portrays a very unhealthy romantic relationship.
"That was Beau Rivage: grime and glitter, magic tucked into shadows and hidden in plain sight. Normal people went about their own dysfunctional lives while the Cursed ran the city, and the strangeness went largely unnoticed."
The premise for the whole world of Tear You Apart did not click for me. You have this town in which "normal" people are cursed with fairy tale curses, and everyone must play their part, right? Only, why should they? There are no repercussions to just saying "fuck it" and not going through with your curse. In fact, there are no repercussions to just getting the fuck out of dodge. Sayonara, see ya! But everybody just seems to be a glutton for punishment. Why would you stick around if you know you are going to be killed? Why stick around if you know that they cursed you to be the bad guy? I found it hard to believe that Regina would not use her intelligence and just leave her neglectful husband. I understand to a certain extent that the teens must stay because of their parents, but why would the parents (adults mind you, which we see very few of in here, and most of the ones we see are EVIL) WANT their kids to grow in this environment? Makes no sense to me, specially since this story is set in the modern world (the references to pop culture just pained me; it just didn't come natural). You have to apply your disbelief very thoroughly if you are to enjoy the setting.
"Divine... so innocent... gorgeous. more beautiful than she is."
Not only could I not submerge myself in this world, but the main character was one I could not support. At the beginning it seemed like the best idea ever, a jaded Snow White that has a bit of a back bone to her.
"Viv took the tiny, bitten-off flower in one hand and stroked the mouse's back with the other. "Thanks," she murmured. "Although if you really loved me, you would have given Regina a disease by now."
But jaded turned into extremely bitchy and entitled.
"Is there any way I can cut the line?"
"Normally we only give special treatment to princesses who have eleven sisters. But I guess I could make an exeption...since you remembered not to wear your pajamas."
"Thanks," she said. "I'd hate to get you fired."
REALLY VIV? If before I thought you were a sad example of a heroine now you just made my shit list. She is not the cool Snow White that you would like to hang with, she is the whole entitled princess package. I could not support her in any way, not until the very last chapters. I understand the main character has to have ways in which to develop their character, but at the same time you have to like your main character to some degree if the novel is going to work and not just like them by the very end.
The icing on top of the wonderful cake that is Viv is her toxic relationship with Henley.
Viv goes out of her way to demean Henley and make him jealous...
"She was only half focused on what Danny was doing. She was thinking about Henley, how angry he would be--as angry as she'd been? Angrier? Her breath caught."
She holds on to their relationship, and to Henley, even though she knows it is bad for both of them. She keeps Henley on the hook, always thinking that her prince charming is jus down the road so why settle for this guy when another is destined to be with her? Though to be honest Viv thinks her prince is not going to be a prince charming, she thinks he is going to be a psycho who is turned on by dead ladies. She both wants to meet her prince and not, but just in case he turns out to be horrible wrong for her better keep Henley around.
"He couldn't promise he wouldn't kill her. She couldn't promise she would stay with him. They shouldn't be together; she knew that. But she didn't care. Tomorrow she would care, in an hour she might care. But not now.
"The sick feeling rose up in her again. Leaving Henley-- choosing someone else--meant losing him.
"Whatever you want," she said. "I don't own you."
"Yes, you do, Viv. You know you do."
I just want to scream at Henley to grow some balls and leave the crazy girl behind.
"The day Henley turned sixteen, a fairy cursed him to be Snow White's Huntsman. And everything had changed."
Henley on the other hand you want to like. He got the bad end of the deal. He is on Viv's beck and call, stands her bitchyness and her mood swings, and plays her game of hot/cold. So yeah, you want to feel for Henley, and often times I do feel for the guy, but then he goes and does this...
"Viv followed the sound and her eyes found Henley, lit by the flashing headlights of an orange BMW until he smashes them with a shovel."
... he pummels the car of a guy that Viv was USING to make Henley jealous. This is the moment where I just wiped my hand off both characters and told them to kill each other. Mind you this is 10% into the story. Eeks.
So I had a problem with the characters, the world building (so much info dumping on the first few chapters it was ridiculous), and just the story in general. It felt weird and like the theme was hanging on by a thin thread. I am not even mentioning the "underworld" which is only comprised of an underground privileged club and a palace. Really, no world building.
Maybe I would have liked this one more if I had started with Kill me Softly (which everyone else seems to really enjoy so I might still give that one a shot). The cover is gorgeous, but it doesn't fix the problems with the story. It is readable, but not exactly Sarah Cross' best work.
And someone's was ending..."
Tear You Apart was okay, but it was hard to get through, the main character is unlikable until the very end chapters, and it portrays a very unhealthy romantic relationship.
"That was Beau Rivage: grime and glitter, magic tucked into shadows and hidden in plain sight. Normal people went about their own dysfunctional lives while the Cursed ran the city, and the strangeness went largely unnoticed."
The premise for the whole world of Tear You Apart did not click for me. You have this town in which "normal" people are cursed with fairy tale curses, and everyone must play their part, right? Only, why should they? There are no repercussions to just saying "fuck it" and not going through with your curse. In fact, there are no repercussions to just getting the fuck out of dodge. Sayonara, see ya! But everybody just seems to be a glutton for punishment. Why would you stick around if you know you are going to be killed? Why stick around if you know that they cursed you to be the bad guy? I found it hard to believe that Regina would not use her intelligence and just leave her neglectful husband. I understand to a certain extent that the teens must stay because of their parents, but why would the parents (adults mind you, which we see very few of in here, and most of the ones we see are EVIL) WANT their kids to grow in this environment? Makes no sense to me, specially since this story is set in the modern world (the references to pop culture just pained me; it just didn't come natural). You have to apply your disbelief very thoroughly if you are to enjoy the setting.
"Divine... so innocent... gorgeous. more beautiful than she is."
Not only could I not submerge myself in this world, but the main character was one I could not support. At the beginning it seemed like the best idea ever, a jaded Snow White that has a bit of a back bone to her.
"Viv took the tiny, bitten-off flower in one hand and stroked the mouse's back with the other. "Thanks," she murmured. "Although if you really loved me, you would have given Regina a disease by now."
But jaded turned into extremely bitchy and entitled.
"Is there any way I can cut the line?"
"Normally we only give special treatment to princesses who have eleven sisters. But I guess I could make an exeption...since you remembered not to wear your pajamas."
"Thanks," she said. "I'd hate to get you fired."
REALLY VIV? If before I thought you were a sad example of a heroine now you just made my shit list. She is not the cool Snow White that you would like to hang with, she is the whole entitled princess package. I could not support her in any way, not until the very last chapters. I understand the main character has to have ways in which to develop their character, but at the same time you have to like your main character to some degree if the novel is going to work and not just like them by the very end.
The icing on top of the wonderful cake that is Viv is her toxic relationship with Henley.
Viv goes out of her way to demean Henley and make him jealous...
"She was only half focused on what Danny was doing. She was thinking about Henley, how angry he would be--as angry as she'd been? Angrier? Her breath caught."
She holds on to their relationship, and to Henley, even though she knows it is bad for both of them. She keeps Henley on the hook, always thinking that her prince charming is jus down the road so why settle for this guy when another is destined to be with her? Though to be honest Viv thinks her prince is not going to be a prince charming, she thinks he is going to be a psycho who is turned on by dead ladies. She both wants to meet her prince and not, but just in case he turns out to be horrible wrong for her better keep Henley around.
"He couldn't promise he wouldn't kill her. She couldn't promise she would stay with him. They shouldn't be together; she knew that. But she didn't care. Tomorrow she would care, in an hour she might care. But not now.
"The sick feeling rose up in her again. Leaving Henley-- choosing someone else--meant losing him.
"Whatever you want," she said. "I don't own you."
"Yes, you do, Viv. You know you do."
I just want to scream at Henley to grow some balls and leave the crazy girl behind.
"The day Henley turned sixteen, a fairy cursed him to be Snow White's Huntsman. And everything had changed."
Henley on the other hand you want to like. He got the bad end of the deal. He is on Viv's beck and call, stands her bitchyness and her mood swings, and plays her game of hot/cold. So yeah, you want to feel for Henley, and often times I do feel for the guy, but then he goes and does this...
"Viv followed the sound and her eyes found Henley, lit by the flashing headlights of an orange BMW until he smashes them with a shovel."
... he pummels the car of a guy that Viv was USING to make Henley jealous. This is the moment where I just wiped my hand off both characters and told them to kill each other. Mind you this is 10% into the story. Eeks.
So I had a problem with the characters, the world building (so much info dumping on the first few chapters it was ridiculous), and just the story in general. It felt weird and like the theme was hanging on by a thin thread. I am not even mentioning the "underworld" which is only comprised of an underground privileged club and a palace. Really, no world building.
Maybe I would have liked this one more if I had started with Kill me Softly (which everyone else seems to really enjoy so I might still give that one a shot). The cover is gorgeous, but it doesn't fix the problems with the story. It is readable, but not exactly Sarah Cross' best work.
liz1004's review
3.0
I'm just....not that into these books. Awesome world, shitty & creepy love stories.
Review to follow.
Review to follow.
stephisbranded's review
4.0
Just as good as the first. So much fun! I love how she marries the stories of Snow White and the Dancing Princesses AND Rumpelstiltskin. Amazing.
thereadingfaery's review
4.0
*Check out the original review at http://www.confessionsofabookfreak.blogspot.com*
Actual rating: 4.25 stars
This is about Vivian, or Viv, who has a Snow White curse, which means that one day, either she will have her heart cut out by the Huntsman (who happens to be her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Henley) or will be poisoned by her stepmother. She is terrified, which makes her pull away from Henley, and she is certain he will have enough of their fighting one day and kill her.
Viv makes a lot of mistakes. She’s very emotional, and makes a lot of her decisions based on her emotions, which usually ends pretty badly. She loves Henley, but thinks they can’t be together in the end because of the curse. She’s worried that her prince won’t be nice, that he’ll be some kind of pervert who likes dead girls or something.
Viv’s father is never home, leaving Viv and her stepmother, Regina, who hates her, alone in their house. And the talking mirror is also there; although every mirror in their house can talk.
I liked Viv okay. Sometimes, she could be a little stupid, which was annoying, but there were times when I could actually understand her feelings, to a certain point. She was a little too paranoid for my taste, but otherwise, she was an okay character. I get why she was paranoid – living the bigger part of your life with someone you know will one day either make someone kill you or poison you can do that to a person.
Henley is the Huntsman in Viv’s Snow White curse, destined to kill her or let her go. Henley is pretty protective of Viv, ready to give his life in order to protect her, even when they are fighting.
I like Henley okay, too, although I really don’t understand why he doesn’t leave Viv. She’s not that nice to him most of the time, and I don’t understand how he can live with it, and not do something about it. I’m not saying I think he should cut her heart out, but I don’t think he should stay with her. It makes no sense.
They live in Beau Rivage, a town where fairytales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, you name it) come true. The people who are literally living a fairytale are called Cursed. They get Cursed by fairies, and really don’t have much of a choice in their life. There are other people in Beau Rivage, too, people who don’t know about the Cursed.
I like the idea a lot. I love fairytale-retellings, so this seemed perfect, in theory. And it wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty good; just not as good as I’d hoped. Some of the characters were pretty annoying, and I really wanted to get to know them better. Especially Jasper. It felt a little like you should know enough about them because of their curse, but it didn’t work out for me. Maybe there was a point to that, maybe not, but it just didn’t work for me.
The world was great, as was the writing, and I liked the ending, it wasn’t too obvious, so it really was a good book. It followed the story-line of Snow White, but was still its own book, which was great. It is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in fairytale-retellings. Otherwise it’s predictable and boring. And it was modernized, so that was a big plus. The only minus was the characters, and that it was a little boring at times.
And I have to say something about the cover. It's so awesome. Not as perfect as the cover for Kill Me Softly, but close.
So, overall, it was a good book, and I’d definitely recommend it.
Actual rating: 4.25 stars
This is about Vivian, or Viv, who has a Snow White curse, which means that one day, either she will have her heart cut out by the Huntsman (who happens to be her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Henley) or will be poisoned by her stepmother. She is terrified, which makes her pull away from Henley, and she is certain he will have enough of their fighting one day and kill her.
Viv makes a lot of mistakes. She’s very emotional, and makes a lot of her decisions based on her emotions, which usually ends pretty badly. She loves Henley, but thinks they can’t be together in the end because of the curse. She’s worried that her prince won’t be nice, that he’ll be some kind of pervert who likes dead girls or something.
Viv’s father is never home, leaving Viv and her stepmother, Regina, who hates her, alone in their house. And the talking mirror is also there; although every mirror in their house can talk.
I liked Viv okay. Sometimes, she could be a little stupid, which was annoying, but there were times when I could actually understand her feelings, to a certain point. She was a little too paranoid for my taste, but otherwise, she was an okay character. I get why she was paranoid – living the bigger part of your life with someone you know will one day either make someone kill you or poison you can do that to a person.
Henley is the Huntsman in Viv’s Snow White curse, destined to kill her or let her go. Henley is pretty protective of Viv, ready to give his life in order to protect her, even when they are fighting.
I like Henley okay, too, although I really don’t understand why he doesn’t leave Viv. She’s not that nice to him most of the time, and I don’t understand how he can live with it, and not do something about it. I’m not saying I think he should cut her heart out, but I don’t think he should stay with her. It makes no sense.
They live in Beau Rivage, a town where fairytales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, you name it) come true. The people who are literally living a fairytale are called Cursed. They get Cursed by fairies, and really don’t have much of a choice in their life. There are other people in Beau Rivage, too, people who don’t know about the Cursed.
I like the idea a lot. I love fairytale-retellings, so this seemed perfect, in theory. And it wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty good; just not as good as I’d hoped. Some of the characters were pretty annoying, and I really wanted to get to know them better. Especially Jasper. It felt a little like you should know enough about them because of their curse, but it didn’t work out for me. Maybe there was a point to that, maybe not, but it just didn’t work for me.
The world was great, as was the writing, and I liked the ending, it wasn’t too obvious, so it really was a good book. It followed the story-line of Snow White, but was still its own book, which was great. It is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in fairytale-retellings. Otherwise it’s predictable and boring. And it was modernized, so that was a big plus. The only minus was the characters, and that it was a little boring at times.
And I have to say something about the cover. It's so awesome. Not as perfect as the cover for Kill Me Softly, but close.
So, overall, it was a good book, and I’d definitely recommend it.
thebumblegirl's review
4.0
FAVORITE QUOTES
"My chipmunks would bite the shit out of you. You might now want to risk it."
~ page 140 (ARC)
"Is there something wrong with my face?" the queen demanded. "Oh! I'd forgotten! This one's the fairest of them all. No wonder she doesn't like what she sees!"
~ page 233 (ARC)
"Yes, Vivian, my lovely queen wasn't fated for the underworld, so the magic has spoiled her mind. But you needn't be concerned that will happen to you. If you go mad, it will be for other reasons."
~ page 234 (ARC)
MY REVIEW
One of the most believable and amazing retellings! Incarnating popular fairytales into twisted modern classics, TEAR YOU APART is thought-provoking, eerie and fun...
Our modern-day Snow White, Viv, is constantly reminded of what soon awaits for her - her stepmothers wish for her heart to be carved out by the Huntsman. It has been a threat weighing over her for many years now, one that she has learned to accept. Until recently. When her best friend, Henley, turned true love, is cursed with having to live out what is to be Viv's tragic ending. Even with Henley's promise to never hurt her, a curse cannot be removed nor broken. But Henley is determined to to fulfill his promise and protect her as best as he can... Due to these circumstances, there relationship has taken an interesting love/hate turn, but, in the end, Viv puts a lot of trust into Henley and feels that he will follow his heart and not what the curse will force him to do.
In the meantime, it seems that Viv does not know how to be around Henley. She is short tempered and rude. And having been abandoned by her father, because he can't handle the curse that has been laid upon her, and being left with a crazed stepmother - who can blame her for being a spoiled brat with a bitchy attitude. She has every right to be anyway she needs to be in order to keep her sanity.
And by now we know that for every doomed princess there is a charming prince who is said to be her savior.
Our prince, Jasper, lives in the Underworld. Yes, that place, down below. His family is cursed to be those who somewhat save the Twelve Dancing Princesses. They're the ones that dance and dance with the princesses, endlessly... Jasper is, to say the least, different and crude. And definitely not my favorite. But he was so well put together. I truly didn't expect him to be what he turned out to be.
I do have to admit, the love-triangle thing hardly felt like one. And I do love how things end.
Ooooh, and let's not forget the Rumplestiltskin twisty thing that happened...
There are many hidden fairytale innuendos as well as hilarious moments. I did laugh out loud a few times. Even with that, the story is dark. The characters are very complex and at times hard to swallow. The male characters are all very cruel and possessive at times. I had to keep reminding myself that they are under unbreakable curses, and that took a huge toll on their temperaments and qualities. But does can sinister curses excuse all of their horrible behaviors?
A definite new favorite! I highly recommend this to all who love fairytales, retellings and even those that love contemporary with a magical/paranormal twist! There is diversity and a ton of complex characters... However, it will help you better understand the main plot of the story if you are familiar with the main fairytales mentioned above.
*An ARC was sent to me from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
"My chipmunks would bite the shit out of you. You might now want to risk it."
~ page 140 (ARC)
"Is there something wrong with my face?" the queen demanded. "Oh! I'd forgotten! This one's the fairest of them all. No wonder she doesn't like what she sees!"
~ page 233 (ARC)
"Yes, Vivian, my lovely queen wasn't fated for the underworld, so the magic has spoiled her mind. But you needn't be concerned that will happen to you. If you go mad, it will be for other reasons."
~ page 234 (ARC)
MY REVIEW
One of the most believable and amazing retellings! Incarnating popular fairytales into twisted modern classics, TEAR YOU APART is thought-provoking, eerie and fun...
Our modern-day Snow White, Viv, is constantly reminded of what soon awaits for her - her stepmothers wish for her heart to be carved out by the Huntsman. It has been a threat weighing over her for many years now, one that she has learned to accept. Until recently. When her best friend, Henley, turned true love, is cursed with having to live out what is to be Viv's tragic ending. Even with Henley's promise to never hurt her, a curse cannot be removed nor broken. But Henley is determined to to fulfill his promise and protect her as best as he can... Due to these circumstances, there relationship has taken an interesting love/hate turn, but, in the end, Viv puts a lot of trust into Henley and feels that he will follow his heart and not what the curse will force him to do.
In the meantime, it seems that Viv does not know how to be around Henley. She is short tempered and rude. And having been abandoned by her father, because he can't handle the curse that has been laid upon her, and being left with a crazed stepmother - who can blame her for being a spoiled brat with a bitchy attitude. She has every right to be anyway she needs to be in order to keep her sanity.
And by now we know that for every doomed princess there is a charming prince who is said to be her savior.
Our prince, Jasper, lives in the Underworld. Yes, that place, down below. His family is cursed to be those who somewhat save the Twelve Dancing Princesses. They're the ones that dance and dance with the princesses, endlessly... Jasper is, to say the least, different and crude. And definitely not my favorite. But he was so well put together. I truly didn't expect him to be what he turned out to be.
I do have to admit, the love-triangle thing hardly felt like one. And I do love how things end.
Ooooh, and let's not forget the Rumplestiltskin twisty thing that happened...
There are many hidden fairytale innuendos as well as hilarious moments. I did laugh out loud a few times. Even with that, the story is dark. The characters are very complex and at times hard to swallow. The male characters are all very cruel and possessive at times. I had to keep reminding myself that they are under unbreakable curses, and that took a huge toll on their temperaments and qualities. But does can sinister curses excuse all of their horrible behaviors?
A definite new favorite! I highly recommend this to all who love fairytales, retellings and even those that love contemporary with a magical/paranormal twist! There is diversity and a ton of complex characters... However, it will help you better understand the main plot of the story if you are familiar with the main fairytales mentioned above.
*An ARC was sent to me from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
alexiskg's review
4.0
Well, I read it in a day and have kept thinking about it for many after, so I must have liked it pretty well. Nice weaving of multiple fairy tales into one story, as in the first Beau Rivage book. Still problematic in terms of agency, but better than with Mira's story. The use of previous characters was just right, in terms of when they showed up (for the reader's interest) and how involved they were in Viv's life (rarely, in keeping true to her aloof loner sad princess deal). I felt like Viv was more likable and redeemable throughout then she acted or was treated by the writing, which was a weird disconnect I can't quite shake.
sunsoar25's review
2.0
Viv knows she can't escape her Snow White curse. She knows that Regina, her stepmother, will feed her a poison apple or will order Viv's ex-boyfriend, Henley, who plays the role of the Huntsman, to relieve her of her heart. No matter what she does she knows the curse/ destiny will take control of her life. Then, she actually meets her prince. You know, the one she'll have her happily ever after with (if Henley, aka the Huntsman, doesn't cut out her heart for Regina, that is) after he awakens her from her enchanted sleep in the glass coffin. Her Prince, Jasper, shows up a lot earlier than he's supposed to, and offers to protect her from the curse if she will join him and be his queen. Can Viv pull herself away from her destiny, Henley, and Regina, even if they could mean her death?
To begin, I have not read Kill Me Softly, the first book in the Beau Rivage fairy tale retelling series, but based on this you don't really need to read it to get the story. The premise of Tear You Apart intrigued me because it could potentially be a fantastic read alike for Once Upon A Time featuring Snow White, The Evil Queen, and The Huntsman. Unfortunately, Tear You Apart doesn't really deliver.
The main detractor, for me, are the characters. Primarily, my main issue throughout is Viv. Viv is not a likable character. For the majority of the story, she is an annoying, self-centered brat who makes stupid decisions when it comes to guys. I mean, it just doesn't seem smart to constantly treat the guy who could potentially kill you at any moment like crap, does it? Hensley swears he would never hurt her, but his anger management skills leave a lot to be desired. The same goes for her prince, especially when his true nature is revealed. The "romantic" relationships in this story are seriously screwed up and aren't healthy at all (read: it's creepy and abusive love-triangle). I don't want to root for Viv/Henley (What kind of name is that, anyway?) or Viv/Jasper.
In regards to Regina, sure, she is pretty horrible, but honestly I wouldn't blame her for wanting to bump Viv off. It would be a public service. Overall, though, as the Wicked Stepmother/Evil Queen, she's pretty disappointing. I could have done without her flirting with Henley. Again, talk about creepy and uncalled for. Another thing that got to me about her is the name: Regina. She had to get the same name as her Once Upon A Time counterpart? How is that allowed? However, book Regina pales in comparison to tv Regina. On that note, Viv is no Snow - not by a long shot.
It didn't take me long to start rooting for Viv's demise.I thought there was no way she could come through the story whole, but somehow she manages to survive and have a happy ending with her Huntsman. What?!
Overall, I liked the Once Upon A Time-esque concept and the idea of the town itself. Otherwise, the story fell flat in so many ways.
These two will always be my Snow White and Regina:
And, he will always be my Rumpelstiltskin (yes, this character does play a major role in the latter part of the book):
To begin, I have not read Kill Me Softly, the first book in the Beau Rivage fairy tale retelling series, but based on this you don't really need to read it to get the story. The premise of Tear You Apart intrigued me because it could potentially be a fantastic read alike for Once Upon A Time featuring Snow White, The Evil Queen, and The Huntsman. Unfortunately, Tear You Apart doesn't really deliver.
The main detractor, for me, are the characters. Primarily, my main issue throughout is Viv. Viv is not a likable character. For the majority of the story, she is an annoying, self-centered brat who makes stupid decisions when it comes to guys. I mean, it just doesn't seem smart to constantly treat the guy who could potentially kill you at any moment like crap, does it? Hensley swears he would never hurt her, but his anger management skills leave a lot to be desired. The same goes for her prince, especially when his true nature is revealed. The "romantic" relationships in this story are seriously screwed up and aren't healthy at all (read: it's creepy and abusive love-triangle). I don't want to root for Viv/Henley (What kind of name is that, anyway?) or Viv/Jasper.
In regards to Regina, sure, she is pretty horrible, but honestly I wouldn't blame her for wanting to bump Viv off. It would be a public service. Overall, though, as the Wicked Stepmother/Evil Queen, she's pretty disappointing. I could have done without her flirting with Henley. Again, talk about creepy and uncalled for. Another thing that got to me about her is the name: Regina. She had to get the same name as her Once Upon A Time counterpart? How is that allowed? However, book Regina pales in comparison to tv Regina. On that note, Viv is no Snow - not by a long shot.
It didn't take me long to start rooting for Viv's demise.
Overall, I liked the Once Upon A Time-esque concept and the idea of the town itself. Otherwise, the story fell flat in so many ways.
These two will always be my Snow White and Regina:
And, he will always be my Rumpelstiltskin (yes, this character does play a major role in the latter part of the book):
artemishi's review
4.0
The bottom line here is that I think the story was good, but missed a lot of potential.
As with the previous book in the series, Kill Me Softly, the MC is not a really likeable character. That book, she was naive and made bad decisions. This book, Viv lets fear control her and turn her into a snotty brat most of the time. So in some scenes it was hard to keep rooting for Viv, even understanding that the psychological warfare her stepmother had been waging her whole life, and the constructed narrative of her future thanks to the curse, was coforcing her unto a "heartless" panic reflex to life.
What I enjoyed was the continued construct of fairytale curses in modern day-this book mentioned many more than the last book, and included non-Western European fairytales. It also played with the idea that villains can be heroes and heroes can be villains (a spin on the underlying theme of predestination vs free will, at least in this setting). Regina, Viv's wicked stepmother, has an arc that largely happens offstage and was intriguing to me (she's a sympathetic character, which I love in a villain).
What I didn't enjoy as much was the disjointed story- it feels like it had one path in mind at the beginning, and then changed its mind halfway through, and mashed some deus ex machina together to blend the two ideas. I also thought Jasper was played a bit heavy handed. Garnet was introduced as a tool and not a character (and that always bothers me, especially as her only purpose in the story was to illustrate what a monster their father is). I didn't get a lot of development with Henley's character, which I was hoping for...but if I had to choose between Henley and Regina, I'll take Regina each time.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and quick read, especially as a fan of the world that Cross built in Kill Me Softly.
As with the previous book in the series, Kill Me Softly, the MC is not a really likeable character. That book, she was naive and made bad decisions. This book, Viv lets fear control her and turn her into a snotty brat most of the time. So in some scenes it was hard to keep rooting for Viv, even understanding that the psychological warfare her stepmother had been waging her whole life, and the constructed narrative of her future thanks to the curse, was coforcing her unto a "heartless" panic reflex to life.
What I enjoyed was the continued construct of fairytale curses in modern day-this book mentioned many more than the last book, and included non-Western European fairytales. It also played with the idea that villains can be heroes and heroes can be villains (a spin on the underlying theme of predestination vs free will, at least in this setting). Regina, Viv's wicked stepmother, has an arc that largely happens offstage and was intriguing to me (she's a sympathetic character, which I love in a villain).
What I didn't enjoy as much was the disjointed story- it feels like it had one path in mind at the beginning, and then changed its mind halfway through, and mashed some deus ex machina together to blend the two ideas. I also thought Jasper was played a bit heavy handed. Garnet was introduced as a tool and not a character (and that always bothers me, especially as her only purpose in the story was to illustrate what a monster their father is). I didn't get a lot of development with Henley's character, which I was hoping for...but if I had to choose between Henley and Regina, I'll take Regina each time.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and quick read, especially as a fan of the world that Cross built in Kill Me Softly.
sass's review
5.0
I adore this series, I adore this author, I probably cannot be trusted to make an impartial judgement at this point, but Tear You Apart is amazing. A twisted, dark Snow White retelling, with other fairytales woven seamlessly into the plot, the world of Beau Rivage becomes more interesting by the page.