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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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
For a prequel, this was pretty good. I thought Evie was going to end up being Ella's mom for the majority of the book, but I'm glad she didn't end up with Peter.
Disappointing after the masterpiece that is Ella Enchanted.
A prequel? Nah. Gail Carson Levine? Sign me up!
So I approached this book with a bit of skepticism, because I have been burned by prequels before. To date, I have only liked one series, and then only two books of that trilogy.
But Ogre Enchanted was a delightful prequel to Ella Enchanted. I admit I was thrown a bit at the beginning trying to place it in the timeline, which made the first bit frustrating. But soon I forgot about it in the delight of the story.
I loved how the two halves of Evie battled each other without becoming a stereotypical Gollum/Smeagol argument in her head. Evie was a perfect fusion of ogre and human, and there was a constant struggle the whole book because of it. But it never devolved into an actual two person argument in her head. I really appreciated that.
I liked how she discovered a human-ish side to ogres, and how humans discovered the human within her. The comparison of love (lust? but it's middle grade) tingle to the tingle of ogre hunger was fantastic.
Speaking of the prequel problem, this was a double edged sword in this novel. I really appreciated the insight into the marriage of Eleanor and Peter, Ella's parents. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and answered questions I didn't know I had. That's hard, because I've read Ella's story so many times.
But on the flip side, Levine seems to have changed the nature of ogre magic, for plot reasons. In Ella Enchanted, the ogres knew exactly why Ella was afraid of them, and went so far as to give orders without bothering to use persuasion. But Evie couldn't read thoughts as an ogre, so how would she have known of Lucinda's curse (assuming she was still an orge)?
Very minor quibble. Because I like pointing those things out when I find them. Does not detract from the novel at all. I loved this story, from great beginning to hilarious conclusion.
So I approached this book with a bit of skepticism, because I have been burned by prequels before. To date, I have only liked one series, and then only two books of that trilogy.
But Ogre Enchanted was a delightful prequel to Ella Enchanted. I admit I was thrown a bit at the beginning trying to place it in the timeline, which made the first bit frustrating. But soon I forgot about it in the delight of the story.
I loved how the two halves of Evie battled each other without becoming a stereotypical Gollum/Smeagol argument in her head. Evie was a perfect fusion of ogre and human, and there was a constant struggle the whole book because of it. But it never devolved into an actual two person argument in her head. I really appreciated that.
I liked how she discovered a human-ish side to ogres, and how humans discovered the human within her. The comparison of love (lust? but it's middle grade) tingle to the tingle of ogre hunger was fantastic.
Speaking of the prequel problem, this was a double edged sword in this novel. I really appreciated the insight into the marriage of Eleanor and Peter, Ella's parents. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and answered questions I didn't know I had. That's hard, because I've read Ella's story so many times.
But on the flip side, Levine seems to have changed the nature of ogre magic, for plot reasons. In Ella Enchanted, the ogres knew exactly why Ella was afraid of them, and went so far as to give orders without bothering to use persuasion. But Evie couldn't read thoughts as an ogre, so how would she have known of Lucinda's curse (assuming she was still an orge)?
Very minor quibble. Because I like pointing those things out when I find them. Does not detract from the novel at all. I loved this story, from great beginning to hilarious conclusion.
I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. It was fun to revisit the land of Kyrria introduced in Ella Enchanted and see some familiar faces. Evie was a fun character although I felt that the love story was lacking. I probably would have devoured this one when I was younger because I loved Ella Enchanted. I felt the story was slow at times and this does take place before Ella is even in the picture. I honestly haven't read Ella Enchanted in so long I didn't know how the story connected. A fun read for younger children or the nostalgia factor. Definitely introduce Ella Enchanted first before reading!
I can see what the author aimed for, but the main character’s obsession with falling in love/making someone fall in love with her and the way it was portrayed just weren’t my jam
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes