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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I was really surprised by this book. I loved reading the story of Cinder and Ella. :)
But at some point the whole family drama (especially with Ella and her dad) was a bit too much for me.
All in all I liked this book and I'll definitely read more books by Kelly Oram. :)
But at some point the whole family drama (especially with Ella and her dad) was a bit too much for me.
All in all I liked this book and I'll definitely read more books by Kelly Oram. :)
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Yet another Cinderella retelling. This time as a modern day high school girl meets silver screen stud, teenage romance. There's a fair amount of teenage angst and drama that might have mature readers rolling their eyes and wanting to slap some sense into the characters from time to time. But if you're looking for an easy read, perhaps a guilty pleasure to take with you to the beach over spring break, this would hit the spot. There are enough characters and relationships that grow and mature by the end of the book to redeem some of its shallower moments.
*I would be wary of recommending this to any school aged readers who do not already have a well developed social life and support system available to them. While this book tries to drive home the importance of believing in yourself and having supportive friends and family in your life, there's a strong storyline based on an online friendship that develops into the ever elusive happily ever after. I have no problem with online dating or meeting friends through blogs, chat rooms, etc. But when pairing a fairy tale with the modern setting and familiar pop-culture references, I personally would worry about young people who already feel alone and shut off from the world finding justification in this book to continue leading an anonymous online life without trying to engage in the real world.
*I would be wary of recommending this to any school aged readers who do not already have a well developed social life and support system available to them. While this book tries to drive home the importance of believing in yourself and having supportive friends and family in your life, there's a strong storyline based on an online friendship that develops into the ever elusive happily ever after. I have no problem with online dating or meeting friends through blogs, chat rooms, etc. But when pairing a fairy tale with the modern setting and familiar pop-culture references, I personally would worry about young people who already feel alone and shut off from the world finding justification in this book to continue leading an anonymous online life without trying to engage in the real world.
This is my all time favorite version of Cinderella, starring a disabled heroine and a movie star.
Cinder and Ella was such a cute book. I remember seeing it on instagram and I instantly purchased it. But as I do with most of my impulsive buys...I didn't read it. I guess I was saving it. I was in the mood for a really cute contemporary with substance but something that wasn't too depressing and this book was PERFECT.
Ellamara is young, beautiful, runs a blog where she writes book and movie reviews and she's crippled. Cinder is hot, rich and madly in love with Ella. The only problem is, they have never met before. Over the years they've bonded online, through their mutual love of The Cinder Chronicles, a book series that Ella has been reading since she was a young girl. They've never even thought of meeting one another or moving further in their relationship until the accident that crippled Ella forces her to move to LA with her dad, the very place Cinder calls his home. Only the secrets that they're both keeping from one another makes everything seem like a nightmare instead of the fairy tale they both want.
Whenever I think about this book, or whenever I was reading it, there was always just the biggest grin plastered on my face because it was just so ADORABLE. Even though some of the things the characters were going through, Ella in particular, were heavy and at times really sad and painful to read, it was still a really fun and sweet story to read. I really loved the witty and quick banter between Cinder and Ella whenever they would text or IM one another. It reminded me so much of my first online friendship from YEARS ago. I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much. Because I could really relate to what both of the characters were going through. Meeting someone online and just connecting even though you've never actually met the other person face to face. Kelly Oram just did a really great job of weaving their online relationship into the story and making me believe that the connection and the feelings they had for each other were real.
From the title of the book, one would expect the story to be similar in some ways to Cinderella and there were SOME similarities but they were very subtle and kind of "blink and you'll miss it," which was actually a pleasant surprise. I don't like reading any kind of re-tellings and feeling like I'm just reading a summary or rehash of the original story. I loved that Cinderella wasn't actually the fairy-tale that Cinder and Ella bonded over.
This story was just so unique. I've never read a book where the main protagonist of the story was physically disabled. I've read Making Faces by Amy Harmon but in that story, the secondary characters were the ones who had to deal with being handicapped or disabled. So it was pretty cool to get a first hand perspective on what it was like for someone having to deal with the things Ella had to deal with. The physical pain of doing everyday things like walking or just moving, the mental pain in having to adjust to a completely different life on a different side of the country and the emotional pain of having to deal with being bullied, gawked at, taunted and shunned. I'm not physically disabled so I can't judge or say that Kelly Oram really captured what its like to live the life of the handicapped. But what she did do is make me feel for and care about Ella and what she was going through.
I just really loved the journey everyone took in this book and the lessons that were learned. About what it means to be a friend, taking up for yourself, making your own decisions and trusting in yourself enough to know that you can make it through whatever trials are put in front of you. Most of all I loved the love story.
I'm not going to lie and say that this book is some kind of literary masterpiece. But it is well written, the characters are great to read and the overall execution and delivery of this book was incredible. If you're feeling like reading a really cute and fun book that isn't ALL schmoop and cheese, you should definitely consider picking up Cinder & Ella.
Ellamara is young, beautiful, runs a blog where she writes book and movie reviews and she's crippled. Cinder is hot, rich and madly in love with Ella. The only problem is, they have never met before. Over the years they've bonded online, through their mutual love of The Cinder Chronicles, a book series that Ella has been reading since she was a young girl. They've never even thought of meeting one another or moving further in their relationship until the accident that crippled Ella forces her to move to LA with her dad, the very place Cinder calls his home. Only the secrets that they're both keeping from one another makes everything seem like a nightmare instead of the fairy tale they both want.
Whenever I think about this book, or whenever I was reading it, there was always just the biggest grin plastered on my face because it was just so ADORABLE. Even though some of the things the characters were going through, Ella in particular, were heavy and at times really sad and painful to read, it was still a really fun and sweet story to read. I really loved the witty and quick banter between Cinder and Ella whenever they would text or IM one another. It reminded me so much of my first online friendship from YEARS ago. I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much. Because I could really relate to what both of the characters were going through. Meeting someone online and just connecting even though you've never actually met the other person face to face. Kelly Oram just did a really great job of weaving their online relationship into the story and making me believe that the connection and the feelings they had for each other were real.
From the title of the book, one would expect the story to be similar in some ways to Cinderella and there were SOME similarities but they were very subtle and kind of "blink and you'll miss it," which was actually a pleasant surprise. I don't like reading any kind of re-tellings and feeling like I'm just reading a summary or rehash of the original story. I loved that Cinderella wasn't actually the fairy-tale that Cinder and Ella bonded over.
This story was just so unique. I've never read a book where the main protagonist of the story was physically disabled. I've read Making Faces by Amy Harmon but in that story, the secondary characters were the ones who had to deal with being handicapped or disabled. So it was pretty cool to get a first hand perspective on what it was like for someone having to deal with the things Ella had to deal with. The physical pain of doing everyday things like walking or just moving, the mental pain in having to adjust to a completely different life on a different side of the country and the emotional pain of having to deal with being bullied, gawked at, taunted and shunned. I'm not physically disabled so I can't judge or say that Kelly Oram really captured what its like to live the life of the handicapped. But what she did do is make me feel for and care about Ella and what she was going through.
I just really loved the journey everyone took in this book and the lessons that were learned. About what it means to be a friend, taking up for yourself, making your own decisions and trusting in yourself enough to know that you can make it through whatever trials are put in front of you. Most of all I loved the love story.
I'm not going to lie and say that this book is some kind of literary masterpiece. But it is well written, the characters are great to read and the overall execution and delivery of this book was incredible. If you're feeling like reading a really cute and fun book that isn't ALL schmoop and cheese, you should definitely consider picking up Cinder & Ella.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have just one word for this book, and that's: SWOON.
Seriously, nobody does cute and fluffy like Kelly Oram, and this book was no exception.
Seriously, nobody does cute and fluffy like Kelly Oram, and this book was no exception.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book was a rollercoaster ride for me. At the beginning I had problems loving the story because it was really tense on the one side but also really boring from time to time. It needed some time to get to the main plot. But the ending was so beautiful and I loved it. See you for the second book.
This book is nearly a miracle: on the premise of it, the story shouldn't work as anything other than the cheesy wish-fulfillment romantic fantasy for teenage girls, but it manages to scrounge up enough nuance and gravitas to move beyond it into something more raw and, dare I say it, even emotionally realistic.
The potential for this story to go beyond a silly trope is grounded in
The potential for this story to go beyond a silly trope is grounded in
- The setup of anonymous years-long friendship between two kids who have found in each other the emotional support and level of acceptance they are missing everywhere else. Given that communities of proximity, which are often the only options at that age, aren't always the healthiest or most accepting of environments, this scenario is both realistic and common.
- The characters' age, which works on two levels: They are young enough to grow out of their mistakes, self-centeredness, propensity to misunderstand others and impulsivity, especially if they choose to work on that together and intentionally. And they are also more mature for their age already (not by choice, but they both had to grow up and assume some adult responsibilities faster than their age peers), so it is plausible to imagine them speeding that process up again for the sake of this important relationship.
- At least one of them being no stranger to therapy and its benefits (although the therapist and the "adults" in this book did make me see red for the majority of the book).
It would be a very narrow path to find for these characters to have a promising future together, and it would require a lot of effort and work from both of them, but the author managed to leave enough caveats to suggest that maybe, if they are very lucky, they might be just the right people to do it.
And that's why this story works for me while practically all others with a similar premise don't.