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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I Love this book! Not at all what i was expectig. I would have given 5 stars if there was an extra scene or two about Miras parents at the end but thats just me being picky.
P.S Blue is amazeballs
P.S Blue is amazeballs
I LOVED this book. Definitely a great read for Once Upon a Time, Disney, or fans of great books in general.
[A free copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
2.5 stars.
I can’t remember the last time a book started with such promise and ended up being so disappointing!
Much of the blame for this lies with our heroine, saccharinely named Mirabelle, who is every bit as irritating as a focus as an ungrateful teenaged runaway promises to be. Unheeding of the rules and restrictions of her loving godparents, who have brought her up since her parents died in a fire during her christening, Mira decides – a few days before her sixteenth birthday – to run away, back to the town of her birth – Beau Rivage – and locate her parents’ graves.
Of course, her godparents had extremely good reason for everything they did, especially banning her from returning to Beau Rivage, as the town is home to a community where individuals are cursed and must carry out the storylines of fairy and folk tales. There is no escape and no free will from these pre-ordained lives.
Of course, these fairy and folk tales aren’t the Disney versions, but the originals; Cinderella’s stepsisters hack off parts of their feet in order to fit the dainty slipper; Donkey Skin’s father is fired with incestuous lust for his beautiful daughter; birds peck out eyes, hot coals are danced upon, etc etc. Promising, right?
After her arrival at Beau Rivage and her introduction to the other cursed of her generation, Mira becomes drawn to two brothers – one punkish and difficult, the other suave and charming – and then, suddenly… instant love triangle, and Mira’s quest to find herself and her parents’ final resting place is increasingly sidelined in favour of naughty lingerie shopping, drunken parties and spending a lot of time on the beach. At one point, there is a wrestle/tickling fight between herself and one of the brothers. It was absolutely cringeworthy and generally so uncomfortable to read.
The 2.5 stars reflect the promise and potential of the basic idea – plus, at times, there was some quite well written teenage ‘banter’. I still feel however, looking back to how desperate I was to get it over with by the end, and how much I hated the protagonist – that I am being generous. It’s still uncertain as to whether or not there will be sequels/companion books following the stories of the other Beau Rivage cursed, but if there are, I will certainly be giving them a miss.
2.5 stars.
I can’t remember the last time a book started with such promise and ended up being so disappointing!
Much of the blame for this lies with our heroine, saccharinely named Mirabelle, who is every bit as irritating as a focus as an ungrateful teenaged runaway promises to be. Unheeding of the rules and restrictions of her loving godparents, who have brought her up since her parents died in a fire during her christening, Mira decides – a few days before her sixteenth birthday – to run away, back to the town of her birth – Beau Rivage – and locate her parents’ graves.
Of course, her godparents had extremely good reason for everything they did, especially banning her from returning to Beau Rivage, as the town is home to a community where individuals are cursed and must carry out the storylines of fairy and folk tales. There is no escape and no free will from these pre-ordained lives.
Of course, these fairy and folk tales aren’t the Disney versions, but the originals; Cinderella’s stepsisters hack off parts of their feet in order to fit the dainty slipper; Donkey Skin’s father is fired with incestuous lust for his beautiful daughter; birds peck out eyes, hot coals are danced upon, etc etc. Promising, right?
After her arrival at Beau Rivage and her introduction to the other cursed of her generation, Mira becomes drawn to two brothers – one punkish and difficult, the other suave and charming – and then, suddenly… instant love triangle, and Mira’s quest to find herself and her parents’ final resting place is increasingly sidelined in favour of naughty lingerie shopping, drunken parties and spending a lot of time on the beach. At one point, there is a wrestle/tickling fight between herself and one of the brothers. It was absolutely cringeworthy and generally so uncomfortable to read.
The 2.5 stars reflect the promise and potential of the basic idea – plus, at times, there was some quite well written teenage ‘banter’. I still feel however, looking back to how desperate I was to get it over with by the end, and how much I hated the protagonist – that I am being generous. It’s still uncertain as to whether or not there will be sequels/companion books following the stories of the other Beau Rivage cursed, but if there are, I will certainly be giving them a miss.
My only problem with this book is that there were a few little loose ends to tie up which left it it open for a sequel, and I don't have that sequel in my hands at this moment. And if there's no sequel coming it's okay with me because the ending had the things I want in a book- happiness and hope and resolution.
The characters were intriguing, the fairy tale aspects were woven in seamlessly, and the plot gripped me. I'd put 'Kill Me Softly' down and think about what I'd read until I picked it back up. When I start skimming quickly to get to the next page because I'm that gripped in the story and NEED to know what happens next then you know it's a fantastic book, and I had to go back and re-read quite a bit of this one because I kept skimming ahead. I'll be recommending it to everyone.
The characters were intriguing, the fairy tale aspects were woven in seamlessly, and the plot gripped me. I'd put 'Kill Me Softly' down and think about what I'd read until I picked it back up. When I start skimming quickly to get to the next page because I'm that gripped in the story and NEED to know what happens next then you know it's a fantastic book, and I had to go back and re-read quite a bit of this one because I kept skimming ahead. I'll be recommending it to everyone.
Mirabelle has always lived with her two godmothers. Although they have an endless list of rules that are meant to keep her safe, she knows that they love her. But what Mira really wants is see where she comes from, she knows her parents are gone but she's never even got to see where she was born. So before her sixteenth birthday she runs away to Beau Rivage where she was born to find her parents. But things in the town are not what they appear to be, there are curses and fairy tales and Mira herself is wrapped up in one. But when she falls for Felix she finds herself wrapped up in a whole other more dangerous tale.
If you're looking for a spin on fairytales with a bit of the darker edge this book is perfect for that. All the fairy tales being thrust upon at birth and the markings matching up to someone of a similar one rather than a single person does make this one different than others. I re-read it mostly for nostalgia and a curisotly on how it held up to passing of time.
If you're looking for a spin on fairytales with a bit of the darker edge this book is perfect for that. All the fairy tales being thrust upon at birth and the markings matching up to someone of a similar one rather than a single person does make this one different than others. I re-read it mostly for nostalgia and a curisotly on how it held up to passing of time.
This book was not for me. I have SO many questions about unresolved & inconsistent story lines. Plus I never connected to Mira and found her too annoying to enjoy the story.
I was very impressed by this book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up. I only knew that the back summary sounded intriguing. It ended up being so much more than I could have hoped for.
The basic premise is that there are people living among us who are cursed to live the lives of characters from classic fairy tales. Our heroine, Mira, doesn't grow up knowing about this secret segment of society, but she ends up finding out that she is one of the cursed. We follow her as she learns about her destiny and those of the friends she makes along the way.
Being a YA novel, of course there is love triangle. Isn't there always? This one was one of the better done ones that I've encountered. I wasn't sure where I stood regarding the boys until toward the end.
The thing that really made me love this novel was the way it looked at the darker side of fairy tales. If you know much about the roots of fairy tales, you know that they are decidedly un-Disney-like in reality. Anyone seen Sondheim's Into the Woods? There is a lot of heartbreak in fairy tales. And a lot that is much worse.
If you're familiar with the more obscure fairy tales, you won't have any trouble guessing the big secret of the novel, like I did. However, the fun for me was in seeing it come to light and seeing how the characters dealt with it.
For a YA novel, it was very nicely written. It was in the third person, which is a refreshing change for a YA novel these days. Sarah Cross has a wonderful, poetic way of describing scenes that really made them feel fairy-tale-esque.
As for the ending, I was very satisfied with it. However, looking back now, there are several loose ends that I hope Cross will tie up in a subsequent book. I'd also love to read more about the side characters, particularly Layla and Freddie... and Viv, Caspian, and all the others. I need to see if a sequel is in the works...
The basic premise is that there are people living among us who are cursed to live the lives of characters from classic fairy tales. Our heroine, Mira, doesn't grow up knowing about this secret segment of society, but she ends up finding out that she is one of the cursed. We follow her as she learns about her destiny and those of the friends she makes along the way.
Being a YA novel, of course there is love triangle. Isn't there always? This one was one of the better done ones that I've encountered. I wasn't sure where I stood regarding the boys until toward the end.
The thing that really made me love this novel was the way it looked at the darker side of fairy tales. If you know much about the roots of fairy tales, you know that they are decidedly un-Disney-like in reality. Anyone seen Sondheim's Into the Woods? There is a lot of heartbreak in fairy tales. And a lot that is much worse.
If you're familiar with the more obscure fairy tales, you won't have any trouble guessing the big secret of the novel, like I did. However, the fun for me was in seeing it come to light and seeing how the characters dealt with it.
For a YA novel, it was very nicely written. It was in the third person, which is a refreshing change for a YA novel these days. Sarah Cross has a wonderful, poetic way of describing scenes that really made them feel fairy-tale-esque.
As for the ending, I was very satisfied with it. However, looking back now, there are several loose ends that I hope Cross will tie up in a subsequent book. I'd also love to read more about the side characters, particularly Layla and Freddie... and Viv, Caspian, and all the others. I need to see if a sequel is in the works...
I'm a big fan of the books that have that fairy tale spin to them. This book does not disappoint! Definitely a unique take that I LOVED and wished would continue!
so very original. written beautifully. I never imagined fairy tales could be spun in this way. :-) but somehow could not really connect or sympathize with Mira. something about her turned me off. also the plot development was sketchy. however, Blue was the shinning element! !!! Read it for Blue.