Tear You Apart

By Sarah Cross

If you want to live happily ever after, first you have to stay alive. Viv knows there's no escaping her fairy-tale curse. One day her beautiful stepmother will feed her a poison apple or convince her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Henley, to hunt her down and cut out her heart before she breaks his. In the city of Beau Rivage, some princesses are destined to be prey.

But then Viv receives an invitation to the exclusive club where the Twelve Dancing Princesses twirl away their nights. There she meets Jasper, an underworld prince who seems to have everything—but what he really wants is her. He vows to save her from her dark fate if she'll join him and be his queen.

All Viv has to do is tear herself away from the huntsman boy who still holds her heart. Then she might live to see if happily ever after is a promise the prince can keep. But is life as an underworld queen worth sacrificing the true love that might kill her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781606845929

Sarah Cross

Sarah Cross lives in New York and loves fairy tales in all their incarnations. Visit her online at www.sarahcross.com.

Reviews for Tear You Apart

[velmeran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A conglomeration of fairy tales combined to create one tale of predestiny and fate, this book tells the tale of Viv...who has a Snow White Curse. while I appreciate all of the stories about fairy tales and the endless spin offs, this one tells a more traditional, Grimm style tale.

I did not find Viv to be particularly likable or relatable, but Henley was the sort of Huntsman all girls dream about.

[thebumblegirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[manka23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars This was the first fairy tale re-telling I've ever read. This book exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the modern twist on Snow White and how other fairy tales were woven into the story. At times I found the writing a bit comical. This story has really peaked my interest in the Grimm fairy tales.I found myself a bit annoyed with Viv at times. Her actions pissed me off a lot. I found her rather self-centered and spoiled. I feel as if she took Henley for granted and then expected him to be there for her. I don't think she treated him right, she doesn't deserve someone like him. Although he does have some anger issues of his own.I also think that too many characters were introduced too fast. I had a hard time remembering who was who. I think that some of them were unnecessary and it would have made the story less confusing if there were less characters.Overall I'm really glad that I read this, I enjoyed reading a modern re-telling of a fairy tale that was a little dark.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book's title is appropriate, as the author manages to tear apart traditional fairy tales and remix them into something entirely new. Viv, the Snow White character introduced in the previous volume, is the central character and her romance with her Huntsman sets up plenty of conflict throughout this novel. Viv is an interesting character and I appreciated a number of her internal struggles as well as her determination to fight against the fate assigned her. Overall, fun reading, but this one felt darker than the previous book in the series.

[bookbrig-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Plenty of suspense, lots of fairy-tales twined together, dramatic romance, and darker endings-This is a good choice for a teen who wants a contemporary fairy-tale retelling that doesn't leave out the Grimm elements. I really liked the push and pull between curse and self-determination, and the lush descriptions of fashion and curse elements.

This was my "book that is a retelling of a classic story" for the Read Harder challenge - Snow White.

[bookishthings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the little town of Beau Rivage. You never know what to expect or what is going to happen to any particular person.

I didn’t care for Viv in Kill Me Softly. She seemed like an awful person. She doesn’t seem much better at the beginning of Tear You Apart, but there are definitely reasons for her behavior. She doesn’t think she’s capable of having the relationship she wants so she sabotages it every single chance she gets. She has a lot of issues with being loved and I don’t really blame her. Henley doesn’t help matters when he always flies off the handle in rage.

I liked seeing the Underworld. There are so many different fairy tales woven into this story and a large part of it takes place there. While it is beautiful there are definitely secrets. Ones that Viv intends to find out. Jasper’s family is odd, and there’s more to them than meets the eye.

I enjoyed the twists and turns, and Viv realizing that her curse doesn’t necessarily define her.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: This main character grated on my nerves, but other than her, the story bored me half to death.Opening Sentence: Viv stood in front of the mirror, painstakingly sabotaging her appearance.The Review:Vivian is trapped in a Snow White curse. It’s not a pleasant one. She’s doomed to one of two lives — one in which her love, who was deemed the Huntsman, kills her, or one in which he lets her live on only to watch her marry another. When she gets an invitation to the underworld, she meets the boy cursed to be her prince, who offers her a safe haven in his palace where they can delay the inevitable. But try as she might, Viv is not in love with Jasper. She’s in love with the one who will cut out her heart or leave her forever. Which choice is better? Is there any way to break her curse, or is fate something that cannot be escaped?I’ve been stuck with Tear You Apart for months. At one point, it took weeks to get from 30 percent to 35. Here I am, at 60 percent, after trudging my way through each never-ending page. I accept defeat. I simply am not enjoying the book. I no longer care for how Viv’s life ends up. Honestly? I’d be fine if she died in the end in an unexpected twist. At least it would be interesting. I have no interest in the characters, the plotline, or the world. I bear them no ill will, either — it wasn’t a problem with me hating the book, it was a problem with me being unable to find a reason to read on. I can say with complete honesty that Tear You Apart bored my socks off. I can also say that is the first and last time I will ever use that figure of speech. My review today will be short and sweet, because I have no interest on dwelling on this failed read any longer than necessary.Vivian was a boring character to me. She was dull. She whined. She invoked the only emotion I felt with anyone in this story: irritation. She constantly withered in her self-pity bubble. No one or nothing else really mattered but her plight. She was pointless and I didn’t find a sliver of connection between me and Viv. Isn’t she supposed to be caring about the birdies and the dwarves, being Snow White? Nah, she’ll just be sad about herself. Her relationship with Huntley was where I really started to dislike her. She was so unkind to him! They have a history, and she’s not helping her whole “don’t kill me” case by pushing him away and being generally bitchy, forgive my language. Maybe if I had stuck it out for the rest of the book, I might have seen Vivian’s redemption, but I just can’t imagine a world in which Vivian and Huntley (whom she “loves”) are a good couple.The wicked stepmother was the only character in the story whom I liked. She had motivations, and a backstory to match. Her intentions were evil, but there were underlying themes to her character, perhaps the one thing in the book done right. Viv is so hypocritical concerning Regina, (they mooched the Once Upon a Time stepmother name!) going off and off about how she didn’t choose her curse, when Regina didn’t either. She grew up believing she was Snow White. Do you think she felt happy knowing that she’d been labeled evil? It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. She didn’t have the most pleasant life either. She gave into darkness to protect the part of her that hurt so badly when she heard of her husband cheating on her, or heard the mirror tell her that Vivian was prettier than she was.Okay, altogether, not my favorite novel. There were barely any merits that I can name. I was so bored! The pacing seemed slow. And there’s this beautiful, horrible, unique world, one that (had it been done better) I would have appreciated. It was like the Once Upon a Time world with more modern technology and multiple versions of the same characters. I wasn’t able to enjoy the world. Maybe the fact that I didn’t read Kill Me Softly before I read this changed my opinion, because I know many people loved that one. Oh, and this book almost became the only book that’s ever put me to sleep! Congratulations! I was reading Tear You Apart and then realized the book was slipping from my hands and my eyes were closing. I snapped out of it and turned off the Kindle to protect its battery life before giving into the snooze fest. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you liked Kill Me Softly. Perhaps you’ll like this one as well.Notable Scene:True love’s kiss was supposed to be natural between a cursed prince and princess. You were supposed to feel like you’d known each other a lifetime. But Viv knew what it felt like to know someone your whole life and to love him, and it didn’t feel like this.Fate and magic were supposed to bind them together, but she felt like her heart had been cut from her chest.FTC Advisory: EgmontUSA provided me with a copy of Tear You Apart. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[isisunit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would like to thank Egmont & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.Goodreads Teaser:"If you want to live happily ever after, first you have to stay alive.Viv knows there’s no escaping her fairy-tale curse. One day her beautiful stepmother will feed her a poison apple or convince her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Henley, to hunt her down and cut out her heart before she breaks his. In the city of Beau Rivage, some princesses are destined to be prey.But then Viv receives an invitation to the exclusive club where the Twelve Dancing Princesses twirl away their nights. There she meets Jasper, an underworld prince who seems to have everything—but what he really wants is her. He vows to save her from her dark fate if she’ll join him and be his queen.All Viv has to do is tear herself away from the huntsman boy who still holds her heart. Then she might live to see if happily ever after is a promise the prince can keep. But is life as an underworld queen worth sacrificing the true love that might kill her?"An interesting twist on the realm of fairy tales. Ms. Cross has combined the elements of both the real and fairy tale world to create a unique place in which reality seamlessly mixes with fantasy. A place called Beau Rivage, where nothing is too strange. Vivian was born a Royal, in other words she is one of the Cursed (those who are destined to live out one of any number of fairy tales), but she is on the side of privilege, seeing that she is a princess. For Viv is a living version of Snow White, the fairest maiden in all the land with her jet black hair, porcelain white skin, and blood red lips. If that isn't enough to mark her there is always her ever changing entourage of woodland creatures that follow her in adoration. This story was full of potential, yet I felt as if the two main characters were short-changed. Viv was stuck in the never-ending cycle of being the helpless victim, though with the quirk of basically being a bitch, while Henley was kind of shunted to the sidelines. Viv's motives could have been explored more deeply and should have experienced far more personal growth throughout the story. As it was it felt as though we were being treated to Viv stuck on a loop, with only minor changes to her constant lament of wondering if she could ever fully trust the though one and only love of her live. Henley was a fairly one-dimension character for me as well. He's the leading man, Viv's best friend all through childhood, and then BAM!, the next day he's become her Huntsman - destined to ultimately kill her or spare her. He's suddenly got so much potential, yet we never see much from him at all. He could have been a rich source of material, but instead he simply continues to do the same thing over and over. Nor do we learn why he makes the choices that he does. This storyline was rife with possibilities, but unfortunately it simply fell flat for me. There was only one thing that happened that I found remotely surprising, and that's not good in a story so rich in potential. All that being said, it's an easy, mildly entertaining read. Good beach material