School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Although Mirabelle loves her godmothers like family, for her 16th birthday, she wishes nothing more than to visit her parents' graves. Mira respects that it is the one place that they have forbidden her to go, but the teenager breaks all the rules by running away, determined to find closure. What Mira finds in Beau Rivage only leads to more questions. Beau Rivage is a town full of secrets, based on the fairy tales that everyone thinks they know by heart. The teen is amazed to learn that the birthmark that she's always been ashamed of actually denotes that she has a role to play in a fairy-bestowed curse. Not only is Mira to play the part of a sleeping beauty, but her group of new friends in Beau Rivage all have their own marks and fairy tale destinies. Mira realizes that these are not the happy endings that most little girls dream of, but dark destinies that could lead to disfigurement or even death. With her birthday looming, a date which a fairy has hinted may be a very "significant" day in her life, Mira has to escape her curse and the dangerous romantic relationship in which she's become entangled. Kim Mai Guest reads Sarah Cross's story (Egmont USA, 2012), infusing it with the authentic sound of a temperamental teenager trying to find her place in the world. She balances Mira's naivete with sass, and vocalizes the girl's varied moods and gradual descent into disenchanted reality. Listeners will be fascinated with the world that Cross has created.- Jessica Miller, West Springfield Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When Mirabelle leaves home in search of the truth about the parents she never knew, she discovers a group of teenagers fated to live out fairy tales--some blessed, some cursed. Mirabelle also learns that she is one of them, and her story has already begun. Rushed relationships and a hurried ending leave much unfinished in this otherwise clever twist on happily ever after. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A girl struggles to escape her fairy-tale fate in this suspenseful fantasy. Mira will turn 16 in a few days. Though she loves her godmothers, she wants to return to the city of her birth and find her parents' graves, one of the many things that her godmothers forbid. She runs away and travels to Beau Rivage, not knowing that the town is magical and that she risks death by returning. She quickly meets a boy she instantly dislikes, Blue, who has blue, spiked hair and seems to enjoy insulting her. But Blue's older brother Felix charms her and gives her a free luxury room in the family's casino hotel. Mira can't understand why everyone warns her not to spend time with Felix, and she quickly falls in love with him. Finally, Mira learns that she, with the other teens in the story, is cursed to live out fairy tales. She finds herself caught in not just one foretold fate that threatens her, but two--and the second could kill her. Cross, who knows her fairy tales, weaves a number of them into her story, giving them interesting twists as she applies them to her vulnerable and rebellious teen characters. Earnest Freddie, cynical Viv and captivating Felix all stand out as the archetypes they're supposed to embody, and as individuals as well. Clever fun. (Fantasy. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Mirabelle Lively knows little about her past or her deceased parents; her loving, though overprotective, guardian godmothers, Elsa and Bliss, have kept it that way. But with her sixteenth birthday approaching, Mira runs away to Beau Rivage to visit her birthplace and her parents' graves, hoping to find answers. The city and residents are not as they appear, and as mysteries and secrets unfold, so do revelations, including whether or not curses and fairy tales could be real and whether Mira is destined for happily ever after or a more sinister fate. Incorporating suspense and romance, this contemporary, edgy, Grimm-based novel is an entertaining and well-written entry in the crowded but popular genre. With nods to many fairy tales including Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel readers will find familiar, if occasionally predictable, elements. However, there are also some creative twists as the engaging YA cast navigates issues ranging from destiny versus free will to self-discovery to the power of love. Includes some strong language and mature scenarios.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist