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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cinder & Ella is such a cute book. I read it when I was 11 and I enjoyed reading it. Now I am reading it again. I really love that there are both Ella's and Brian's point of view and the trope is the best. It's so cute book and there aren't too many embarrassing scenes. If you like trope (texting, celebrity x noncelebrity) you should read this book.
*3.5 stars
Before I get into this review, I'd like to mention that I usually am a fantasy book reader, and often intersperse lighter reads like this between my usual books to kind of relax my brain between thrilling high fantasy reads! Also, this is my first Goodreads review so I'm really figuring out formatting! Minor spoilers ahead.
The Plot
Generally I did enjoy the plot! I tend to like things with a bit of an angsty twist and hidden identities so this was right up my alley. And of course, as a book fan, the geekiness of the leads was very cute to read. While of course the story is based on a modern day retelling of a fairy tale, the suspension of disbelief was a little hard in some moments used to create drama. The plot was generally simple and I could see how things would be played out throughout the book, and at times it was downright ridiculous how students acted, but it was enjoyable all the same. However, I did relate with and understand many aspects of the book! I felt like there were a lot of good ideas, but they weren't always fully fleshed out or resolved very conveniently. One thing I loved was how the characters' stories were paralleled to the book/movie The Druid Prince and the Cinder Chronicles. It was endearing and beautiful to watch it all unravel. Overall, it was an easily read plot that will make you smile like an idiot :)
The Writing
I had an...interesting relationship with the writing. I thought it was generally alright, but there were times in the beginning that I almost stopped reading because of the style and voice of the writing. However, I gradually got used to it enough to ignore some of my pet peeves. As someone who's read her fair share of wattpad books, it kind of gave me those vibes at times, and the writing went between readable to a little bit cringe-worthy for me. To be honest, I think it was the writing that sort of lessened the stars for this review.
One of the problems I often have with contemporary or chick lit books is that the guys often have ways of over-sexually talking about the women when they argue (I won't get really into this point) but I found that Cinder & Ella had a refreshing lack of that, which I really appreciated.
One thing I did wish I saw more of was "show instead of tell" in some situations. There were times where I felt like I was just being told things that just happened whether conveniently in dialogue or written in thoughts, and would have loved to see it fleshed out more in character actions or description.
The Characters
Generally, the characters were all fairly predictable, and I was happy to see that the insufferability of certain characters were fleshed out later and had background. I worried that they would be reduced to two dimensional caricatures of the characters they were based off of at first (like the stepfamily) but there was an acceptable growth in characters and even Ella's situation, and we all appreciate a good character growth arc! Of course, I'd like to comment a bit on the two leads.
Ella was actually surprisingly likeable for me. I worried at first that I wouldn't really be into her, but she has this inner strength in her and the way her outlook on her family and situation evolves is very mature of her. I enjoyed how the book explored the evolution and multiple perspectives of the people in her situation. While Cinder & Ella indeed centered around their romance, I did appreciate the focus on her family dynamics, how it was changing, and her recovery. She has become very jaded since the accident and she does have quite a chip on her shoulder but at the end of the day, I love her and she deserves the entire world.
Brian is a dork and I love him despite him being kind of an idiot. He was very consistent in his feelings and his character flaws were very believable. I really appreciated how the author did not write him as some huge macho unrealistic celebrity who argues in a very hyper-masculine way for the female lead that somehow involves her sexiness (which is something I've seen and hated in a lot of books in similar genre) but instead a dork who is hopelessly in love with a girl he met online. He was really Cinder in all ways true, except the fact that he didn't settle for Ratana ;D
Overall
Despite some mechanical things that came with my way of rating the book, I actually really enjoyed it! I was smiling so much and all the love exhibited towards the end of not just the leads but the family, friends, and the people around them really gives you a lot of hope for just people in general. While of course wildly unrealistic, it is a book that makes your day if you're able to read through it! I would say I was very glad I stuck to reading this one despite my misgivings.
Extra: The issues that were covered in this book actually reminded me of one of my favourite contemporary romance books, The Sea of Tranquility, as the struggles that both Ella and Nastya are very parallel and both journey to find themselves again and their place in the world around them after their respective accidents.
Before I get into this review, I'd like to mention that I usually am a fantasy book reader, and often intersperse lighter reads like this between my usual books to kind of relax my brain between thrilling high fantasy reads! Also, this is my first Goodreads review so I'm really figuring out formatting! Minor spoilers ahead.
The Plot
Generally I did enjoy the plot! I tend to like things with a bit of an angsty twist and hidden identities so this was right up my alley. And of course, as a book fan, the geekiness of the leads was very cute to read. While of course the story is based on a modern day retelling of a fairy tale, the suspension of disbelief was a little hard in some moments used to create drama. The plot was generally simple and I could see how things would be played out throughout the book, and at times it was downright ridiculous how students acted, but it was enjoyable all the same. However, I did relate with and understand many aspects of the book! I felt like there were a lot of good ideas, but they weren't always fully fleshed out or resolved very conveniently. One thing I loved was how the characters' stories were paralleled to the book/movie The Druid Prince and the Cinder Chronicles. It was endearing and beautiful to watch it all unravel. Overall, it was an easily read plot that will make you smile like an idiot :)
The Writing
I had an...interesting relationship with the writing. I thought it was generally alright, but there were times in the beginning that I almost stopped reading because of the style and voice of the writing. However, I gradually got used to it enough to ignore some of my pet peeves. As someone who's read her fair share of wattpad books, it kind of gave me those vibes at times, and the writing went between readable to a little bit cringe-worthy for me. To be honest, I think it was the writing that sort of lessened the stars for this review.
One of the problems I often have with contemporary or chick lit books is that the guys often have ways of over-sexually talking about the women when they argue (I won't get really into this point) but I found that Cinder & Ella had a refreshing lack of that, which I really appreciated.
One thing I did wish I saw more of was "show instead of tell" in some situations. There were times where I felt like I was just being told things that just happened whether conveniently in dialogue or written in thoughts, and would have loved to see it fleshed out more in character actions or description.
The Characters
Generally, the characters were all fairly predictable, and I was happy to see that the insufferability of certain characters were fleshed out later and had background. I worried that they would be reduced to two dimensional caricatures of the characters they were based off of at first (like the stepfamily) but there was an acceptable growth in characters and even Ella's situation, and we all appreciate a good character growth arc! Of course, I'd like to comment a bit on the two leads.
Ella was actually surprisingly likeable for me. I worried at first that I wouldn't really be into her, but she has this inner strength in her and the way her outlook on her family and situation evolves is very mature of her. I enjoyed how the book explored the evolution and multiple perspectives of the people in her situation. While Cinder & Ella indeed centered around their romance, I did appreciate the focus on her family dynamics, how it was changing, and her recovery. She has become very jaded since the accident and she does have quite a chip on her shoulder but at the end of the day, I love her and she deserves the entire world.
Brian is a dork and I love him despite him being kind of an idiot. He was very consistent in his feelings and his character flaws were very believable. I really appreciated how the author did not write him as some huge macho unrealistic celebrity who argues in a very hyper-masculine way for the female lead that somehow involves her sexiness (which is something I've seen and hated in a lot of books in similar genre) but instead a dork who is hopelessly in love with a girl he met online. He was really Cinder in all ways true, except the fact that he didn't settle for Ratana ;D
Overall
Despite some mechanical things that came with my way of rating the book, I actually really enjoyed it! I was smiling so much and all the love exhibited towards the end of not just the leads but the family, friends, and the people around them really gives you a lot of hope for just people in general. While of course wildly unrealistic, it is a book that makes your day if you're able to read through it! I would say I was very glad I stuck to reading this one despite my misgivings.
Extra: The issues that were covered in this book actually reminded me of one of my favourite contemporary romance books, The Sea of Tranquility, as the struggles that both Ella and Nastya are very parallel and both journey to find themselves again and their place in the world around them after their respective accidents.
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ich hab das buch seit 5 jahren in meinem regal und habe es nie gelesen, weil ich dachte, dass es nichts mehr für mich ist.
am anfang dachte ich auch erst "what in the wattpad", aber das war nach den ersten 2/3 kapiteln weg.
hat meine erwartungen übertroffen und es ist n wohlfühlbuch.
am anfang dachte ich auch erst "what in the wattpad", aber das war nach den ersten 2/3 kapiteln weg.
hat meine erwartungen übertroffen und es ist n wohlfühlbuch.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
