Kill me Softly Review

Date Published: April 5, 2012

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Number of Pages: 331

Publisher: Egmont USA

First Thoughts:

Can I start off by saying I never knew the sweet classic tales I thought I knew so well (Cinderella, sleeping beauty, little mermaid, etc.…) were actually quite morbid and disturbing? Wow…this was an interesting and definitely different kind of read for me. The concept and storyline were unique and so strange…I actually don’t know how to really grasp what I think of this book…it has its moments and it was definitely really cool to read about but in the end I’m still unsure if it was the book for me.

Plot:

The plot was different and filled with a lot of spinoffs of the classic fairytales…I wasn’t much into the classics to begin with but reading the more morbid and creepy versions of them really made me wish I had. I’m starting to wonder if perhaps the fairytales I had watched when I was little had hints of these “new” fairytales because if they did…well that’s just disturbing and so, so , so wrong. The story was a little hard to follow at times, the sub-plots seemed to get snagged and twisted along the way and I sometimes found myself having to go back and re-read certain parts to better understand the current part I was at. The pace of the book was semi-fast…some parts were more action packed than others and I felt the story start to drag at certain parts…this whole 331 page book took place in less than a week…but of course those 4-6 days were essential…and the ending just felt rushed and a little unrealistic…I felt the author rushed it and in the end it really didn’t impress me. Some things I did enjoy about the plot was that it wasn’t the same type of paranormal you read about so often, it had so many different unique properties that I didn’t once find myself becoming bored of the ideas themselves, I just think this book needed to be better organized and created. And one thing I didn’t like was the “bad” boy…it’s like every book now days has a “bad” boy and quite frankly I’m starting to get tired seeing one…now I like me a good “bad” boy once in a while but not so often and well this one in particular was good but like I said not too original.

Romance:

Yes of course there was romance in this book how could there not be? So if you’re not into reading about some little TLC and love then don’t even bother reading this book. I felt that the romance was pretty good, it had some really cute moments but kind of typical…the romance wasn’t unique and therefore didn’t really feel necessarily special to me. Romance did play a key concept and conflict in this story so yes it was a big part of what this story was about. Overall the romance was okay but not great.

Characters:

I liked the characters, I felt they were full of life and each one definitely had their own quirks and traits. It was fun to see some of the characters clash; there were definitely a few comical scenes. The main protagonist was kind of hard at first to connect with, she kind of actually annoyed me at times with her line of thinking but as the story progressed I slowly started to warm up to her and understand her a little better. As for the more minor characters they were good and well placed and they did help the story move along and help solve the conflict…actually some of the minor characters like Jewel and Layla were some of my favorites…they really played their parts really well and added character and spark to the story. And as far as I could tell each one had a part to play and did well with their contribution to the story.

Transformation of the Character:

There were a few minor transformations but they weren’t really easy to see and they could easily be debated as being the character just realizing who they were all along…the main character didn’t really change at all, she discovered more of herself but her traits and way of thinking stayed the same throughout the story….it kind of disappointed that she didn’t change…she could have used some transformation to help brighten and sparkle up the overall feel of the story. So overall this aspect did nothing to the story.

Description:

The description was really good; the author really knew when to pay attention to the details. I especially enjoyed seeing the little details of the houses and the “Dream” Casino/hotel…the “Dream” hotel was really cool, the way she described it made me want to go and visit…well if only I watched my back that place is dangerous! Anyways I really felt that at times the way she described the scenery was really poetic and beautiful…it really allowed the reader to visualize each scene and better understand what the characters were up against. The amount of description was good for most of the book, I don’t think it was the description itself that made the story drag at times but the story/concept itself…like the way it was organized caused the reader to read more slowly and try to better understand what’s going on. Some of the last scenes with Felix were just creepy, the author did a fantastic job describing his “special” room…definitely spooked me! But overall I really enjoyed the description and felt that it was one of the best aspects of the story.

Style:

The authors style was good, I liked that she mostly stayed in one POV (near the end she switched POV just for a short while). I thought the use of third person really added character to the book and allowed the reader to step back and get a broader view of what’s going on…I think that view point allowed the reader to understand what was going on…to see the big picture and go Ah! I know I’m making a big deal of following along the story and yes it was hard at times but it wasn’t too bad…just enough to make it worth mentioning. As for the writing itself I didn’t have any problem with it, it was smooth and enjoyable to read.

Quote of the book:

""This has to be your happy ending, Mira. Because this is the only ending you have.""

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to fans of fairytales and romance; it was a cute and interesting read and is worth the time and effort. Though I found some major flaws with the story I would definitely be willing to read other books by this author…she was a good writer it was just the story itself…maybe this book just wasn’t for me. Either way this was an overall good book and fun to read.

My Rating: