Hold Me Like a Breath: Once Upon a Crime Family
by Tiffany Schmidt is the first book in a new series (probably a trilogy) that was released earlier this year. The next book will be released in June 2016, Break Me Like a Promise: Once Upon a Crime Family
.I wasn't sure when I first saw this last winter if it really had anything fairy tale related to it beyond the title. The description, provided below, is more Romeo and Juliet with a definite horror twist to it. Then I saw the reviews, and this one stood out:
Schmidt offers a modern-day retelling of the 'The Princess and the Pea' that attempts to cast the princess in a more proactive, less victimized role than is traditional. Penelope does manage to break free of her delicate-flower mode. . . . The romance at the heart of the book is a sweet one. . . . A decent girl-power twist on an old fairy tale for thriller lovers. (Kirkus Reviews)
So I am sharing here and perhaps someone will let me know if it has more fairy tale tropes than I expected. And I am always intrigued by any novel that can use Princess and the Pea tropes, a true rarity.
Book description:
In Penelope Landlow's world, almost anything can be bought or sold. She's the daughter of one of the three crime families controlling the black market for organ transplants. Because of an autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise easily, Penny is considered too "delicate" to handle the family business, or even to step foot outside their estate.
All Penelope has ever wanted is independence-until she's suddenly thrust into the dangerous world all alone, forced to stay one step ahead of her family's enemies. As she struggles to survive the power plays of rival crime families, she learns dreams come with casualties, betrayal hurts worse than bruises, and there's nothing she won't risk for the people she loves.
Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Kimberly Derting, this first book in the stunning new Once Upon a Crime Family series from acclaimed author Tiffany Schmidt will leave readers breathless.
I read this one! I thought it was a pretty good take on The Princess and the Pea...our heroine has a disease that makes her bruise very easily. And toward the end we have a journey through a storm to the home of a crime family "prince." It's not a straight-up retelling but the bones are there!
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