"To find out what a story's really about,' the Librarian said,

'you don't ask the writer. You ask the reader."


- SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin


Showing posts with label Sarah Cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Cross. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Blog Tour (Review and Giveaway): TEAR YOU APART by Sarah Cross (YA)


http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/2015/01/tour-schedule-tear-you-apart-by-sarah.html

TEAR YOU APART
Beau Rivage #2
by Sarah Cross
Release date: January 27th, 2015
Published by: Egmont USA
Genre: Young Adult Fairytale Retelling
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Format read: ARC from the publisher.


SUMMARY

An edgy fairy tale retelling of "Snow White" set in the world of Kill Me Softly for fans of Once Upon a Time and Grimm.


Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv goes underground, literally, to find the prince who's fated to rescue her. 

But is life safe in the Underworld worth the price of sacrificing the love that might kill her?

***

POP CULTURE CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF TWISTING FAIRY TALES: ABC's Once Upon a Time and NBC's Grimm continue to pull in high ratings. And with the anticipated Angelina Jolie Maleficent (2014), the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods (2014), and Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella (2015), Hollywood is infected with fairy tale fever.

CAMEOS FROM FAVORITE CHARACTERS: Viv, who first appeared in Kill Me Softly trailed by her brooding boy-toy Henley, takes center stage in this new Beau Rivage tale. Other familiar characters including Blue and Jewel are back to help her defy her destiny.

TEENS LOVE THIS FAIRY TALE WORLD: Kill Me Soflty was a 2013 YALSA Teens' Top 10.
Readers have been clamoring for a sequel.


A FRESH TAKE ON THE FAMILIAR: Drawing on "Snow White," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and "Rumpelstiltskin," Tear You Apart is very conscious of the way these stories have pervaded pop culture, twisting known tropes into an exciting new story that can stand on its own. 



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.



GIVEAWAY

- 10 winners will receive a signed finished copy of TEAR YOU APART. 
- US/Canada Only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Sarah Cross


Sarah Cross is the author of the fairy tale novels Kill Me Softly and Tear You Apart (coming January 2015), the superhero novel Dull Boy, and the Wolverine comic "The Adamantium Diaries." 

She loves fairy tales, lowbrow art, secret identities and silence.




http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/
TOUR SCHEDULE

Week One:
1/19/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Story Post
1/20/2015- Crossroad Reviews- Spotlight Post
1/21/2015- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Story Post
1/22/2015- Bumbles and Fairy-Tales- Review
1/23/2015- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Story Post                                                                    

Week Two:
1/26/2015- Jump Into Books- Review
1/27/2015- Du Livre- Story Post
1/28/2015- Head Stuck In A Book- Review
1/29/2015- A Glass of Wine- Story Post
1/30/2015- A Backwards Story- Story Post and Review of the novella TWIN ROSES

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Waiting On Wednesday #106: TEAR YOU APART by Sarah Cross (YA)


"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 


This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)


What I'm waiting for...


(A sequel to Kill Me Softly)
by Sarah Cross
Expected release date: January 27th, 2015
Published by: Egmont
Genre: Young Adult Fairytale
Format: Hardcover, eBook



SUMMARY

An edgy fairy tale retelling of "Snow White" set in the world of Kill Me Softly for fans of Once Upon a Time and Grimm.

Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv goes underground, literally, to find the prince who's fated to rescue her. 

But is life safe in the Underworld worth the price of sacrificing the love that might kill her?












Why I'm waiting on TEAR YOU APART...

Why wouldn't I????
And, I haven't even read Kill Me Softly Yet! lol

This is said to be a combination inspiration/retelling of "Snow White, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and Rumpelstiltskin"!!! 
These are all my favorites! If the author could have thrown in a touch of Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland, well then, she would become my fairytale-godmother-goddess!!! 

I believe that this could be read as a standalone, but there are cameo appearances of characters from Kill Me Softly; I will be sure to read this one first, just to be sure :)



SO, what are you so anxiously waiting for???

 
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