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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Going in with only knowledge of the Disney channel film, I wasn’t sure what to expect! But it’s a quick, enjoyable and lighthearted read! I’m not sure if it’s a book I’ll reread but I enjoyed it nonetheless!
As most of my readers know, I am a HUGE Arthurian Legend buff. I read it all, or well as much as I can. I actually thought that Arthurian Legend set to a high school would be an excellent idea, looks like Ms. Cabot beat me to it. This book was pretty good. The plot kept an excellent pace and the explanation of the characters coming back was believable enough. The only thing that made me give this book 4/5 was because the Elaine went off on a lot of tangents randomly. I guess I did the same thing when I was a teen, but in a book it was distracting. Everything else was awesome, and I figured out who Elaine was early, I felt pretty smart for figuring it out.
I am a sucker for King Arthur's legend, and this is a modernized version of it.
I don't know. I guess the book is not what I expected in the beginning. Instead of having the history/myth weaved here and there in the plot, we just got it in the last half, if not quarter, of the book. I mean, I don't mind reading the typical Meg Cabot teenlit problem at the beginning, but really, I expect more history/myth from the time I read the title and the synopsis at the back cover, for that matter.
I had actually watched the Disney Channel movie version of this back when it was released. I didn't realize it was based on a book at the time, or I'd have likely read this first. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it, though, as I really did enjoy it. Since it's been such a long time since I watched the film, I'm not sure as to the accuracy of it, as far as matching the book version. I also don't remember the film enough to say definitively which I prefer, I just know that I enjoyed both.
I love the Arthurian legends in the book and how it goes into information about the Order of the Bear. I'm not sure if this is a real organization or not, but it was interesting and actually believable that some people might think that Arthur might be reincarnated at some point. I also enjoyed the similarities in some of the names, not just of characters but of other things in the story.
I was surprised at the end, probably showing how little I remember watching the movie, about Ellie's role in everything, and how it all went down in those final moments. I love the characters and the plot development throughout the book though. It was very cute and well told.
I love the Arthurian legends in the book and how it goes into information about the Order of the Bear. I'm not sure if this is a real organization or not, but it was interesting and actually believable that some people might think that Arthur might be reincarnated at some point. I also enjoyed the similarities in some of the names, not just of characters but of other things in the story.
I was surprised at the end, probably showing how little I remember watching the movie, about Ellie's role in everything, and how it all went down in those final moments. I love the characters and the plot development throughout the book though. It was very cute and well told.
I listened to the audiobook version and found it to be very good, mostly because of the narrator, who I thought was great. However, the book on it's own is OK. Cute and fun.
An absolutely brilliant story, had me hooked from beginning to end. Fans of Arthurian Legend will particularly love this story, but even if you know nothing of King Arthur, I have no doubt that this book will capture you too.
4.25 Stars
Let me first say that my love for the Disney movie is what made me want to read the book. Also, I knew the book was different and I was totally okay with that. If you've read any of my reviews about adaptations before, you'll know I typically view each thing on its own rather than hating one for being so unlike the other.
I like how this was a little darker than I had expected. By that I mean there's some SERIOUS family drama and I quite like what it brought to the story.
The characters were fine, though I felt some of the secondary characters could have been a little more developed. Also, this book is a true product of its time and there's basically zero diversity other than a group of people who were clearly put in because Cabot wanted her character to denounce racists. Which isn't bad, but would be considered not "good enough" for today's standards.
I liked the plot, everything came together nicely by the end and it was honestly just a super fun journey. I really enjoyed this book, I'm glad I read it!
Between this and The Princess Diaries I definitely know I want to be reading more of Cabot's backlog in the future!
Let me first say that my love for the Disney movie is what made me want to read the book. Also, I knew the book was different and I was totally okay with that. If you've read any of my reviews about adaptations before, you'll know I typically view each thing on its own rather than hating one for being so unlike the other.
I like how this was a little darker than I had expected. By that I mean there's some SERIOUS family drama and I quite like what it brought to the story.
The characters were fine, though I felt some of the secondary characters could have been a little more developed. Also, this book is a true product of its time and there's basically zero diversity other than a group of people who were clearly put in because Cabot wanted her character to denounce racists. Which isn't bad, but would be considered not "good enough" for today's standards.
I liked the plot, everything came together nicely by the end and it was honestly just a super fun journey. I really enjoyed this book, I'm glad I read it!
Between this and The Princess Diaries I definitely know I want to be reading more of Cabot's backlog in the future!
What a fun book. I really liked this story modern take of King Author. Definitely one of the better stories by Meg Cabot.
Total guilty pleasure, but I've never been totally satisfied with the end of the Arthurian myth (especially its treatment of the women) and I appreciated this revisionist story set in a modern American high school. Meg Cabot does know how to write her happily-ever-afters.