A to Z Challenge: F - Fairytale & Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross Review

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is a month long event hosted by a group of amazing folks. The Challenge is beginning April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.  It doesn't even have to be a word--it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself.  The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.


My theme - My word of the day will express things I love most about Young Adult Books and why!

Fairytale

When thinking of fairytale's my mind wanders to a mixture of Disney Princess's and Grimm stories. Most children stories are all very light and with a happy ending, while the adult stories are always heavy with the darkness. Usually it's difficult to find a blending of the two, but I've found recently that there are a few selection of young adult stories that take the challenge and make it exquisite. While I love the sweetness of a great Disney movie and the trepidation that comes with an adult retelling, I find that I prefer the young adult versions. There is something thrilling and yet innocent about them that has me enthralled from page one. One great example is Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross.    

 From Goodreads

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.

My Take

Where do I start in explaining how much I loved Kill Me Softly? I should say that the day that NetGalley offered this to me for review, was literally the best day ever! But, I guess I should explain what the greatness of this story is about. We start with meeting Mirabelle (Mira), as she prepares to run away from her god-mothers a week before her sixteenth birthday, to the town where she was born and then orphaned by the untimely death of her parents. She longs to seek out their graves for closure, but her unsuccessful search takes her to a cafe in a casino in the middle of the night with no where to go. While contemplating going home and giving up, she comes across a boy that tries to get rid of her, she doesn't listen. Instead she comes his brother who insists on helping her in her parent search, and even though she finds the situation strange, she takes him up on the offer. Mira's life becomes slightly complicated when she is thrust into the lives of some peculiar kids her age with the oddest hangups and soon she discovers that she just might have some of her own. A tale of discovery twists into one as old as time when one girl takes her fate into her own hands and shoves it into a blender, then yanks the top off to see where the explosions goes.

As usual after reading something new, I've found my new favorite heroine to be completely envious and mystified by and Mira is definitely that girl. It's plan to see the hurt and trauma left behind on her by being orphaned at such a young age, and yet she doesn't let it control her completely. I like that she takes matters into her own hands and goes against her guardians to seek out the truth about her past. Her attitude is spunky and refreshing, which is one of my favorite qualities in a stories narrator. Whatever situation she finds herself in, she takes it with ease and the grace of someone that should be much older than a girl about to turn sixteen. Things aren't exactly easy for her though, but being surround by an interesting cast of supporting characters (Viv, Layla, Freddie, Rafe, Jewel, Caspian, Henley, and Wills - whom all of which I absolutely adore!) the road of her journey is paved with laughter and different scenarios. 

Mira and her assortment of friends aren't the only fun and interesting people of the story, no, there are also two boys that vie for her affections. The boys in this story just happen to be brothers, who don't get along very well, and have dark mysterious pasts. First we have young Blue, who try as he might, makes a great effort to push Mira literally out of the city basically saying it's for her own protection. He's bold, snarky, too good looking for his own good, and has a little bit of a hero's complex (but don't tell him that because he'll deny the claim)! The moments he and Mira share are hilarious as they are intense, and each one will leave you questioning every intention. Then we have Felix, Blue's older brother and Casino running extraordinaire, who makes it his new life's goal to help Mira out in any way he can. He's sweet, caring, private, and so good looking it takes Mira's breath away. When these two are together, you'll be so wrapped up in them that you'll let the fact that he's a little odd slip right through your fingers. Combining these two with a plethora of mystery, it's a wonder that Mira can even think straight!

Kill Me Softly is jam packed with a refreshing new outlook on classic fairytales that will have you reading between the lines trying to figure out which stories are being unfolded - I had a blast figuring out each and everyone! If your a fan of breathtakingly sweet and heartbreaking romance, gut wrenching mystery, and a thrill ride of terrifying truths; then this story will have you on the edge of your seat pouring over every page until you reach the end. I whole heartily recommend this one for a read or several on a day when you have tons of free time, because you won't want to stop reading! I am now and will forever be a huge fan of Sarah Cross, her brilliant storytelling has me eagerly awaiting a sequel to find out what happens next!

Check out Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross HERE on Goodreads to give a read! :)

What's YOUR favorite Fairytale?