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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I had mixed feelings about this book. It was fun and sort of depressing, which is part of the reason why I like reading GCL - that slight flavor of realism. I liked seeing Ella and Char's parents, but I also think some of the events seemed a little too contrived in order to get all of the Ella Enchanted characters together in one place.
I found the romance in this book to be a bit melancholic - the main couple is cute, but they never really get the chance to choose anyone different. Which would have been fine, except for the fact that the happy ending felt a little bit forced. I don't feel completely satisfied by their feelings for each other, especially since Evie is so romantically stunted at the beginning of the book.
I found the romance in this book to be a bit melancholic - the main couple is cute, but they never really get the chance to choose anyone different. Which would have been fine, except for the fact that the happy ending felt a little bit forced. I don't feel completely satisfied by their feelings for each other, especially since Evie is so romantically stunted at the beginning of the book.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed going back into the world of “Ella Enchanted”. There are some parts that make the latter book to this prequel a little less satisfying. But I enjoyed the journey and the complicated relationship between Evie’s new perspective and the long held one of humans.
Love this cute prequel to one of my favorite childhood stories.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
Disjointedly written, it’s difficult to track movement of characters. Message is really off-putting. Accept a proposal given, even against your will, even when you think you’re too young. It will all work out in the end. I don’t understand this book at all! Not the ogre/human dynamic, not the weird sub plots, nothing really felt right. I loved Ella Enchanted, but this one was not good.
Ella Enchanted is one of my all time favorite books. I just re-read it with my girls last year and was overjoyed that they loved it as much as I do. We were SO excited to find Ogre Enchanted in the library and immediately started reading it when we got home. I eventually had to buy a copy because it was pretty obvious we weren’t going to get through it in 3 weeks. It took months! It really dragged. We were all so disappointed. The vocabulary was outrageous for a children’s book. So many things I couldn’t pronounce and I am an avid reader with a pretty large vocabulary already. I am a firm believer in expanding a child’s vocabulary but this was just extremely excessive. The girls found it boring until about the last 4 chapters. Overall I didn’t hate it.. just didn’t didn’t love it nearly as much as Ella Enchanted.
Nothing could live up to Ella Enchanted (at least not in my book), but this book was enjoyable with nice tie-ins to the original.
Ella Enchanted was as one of my favorite books as a kid and still is one of my favorites. It definitely was a reason for off my love of fractured fairy tales, so I was ecstatic to hear about Ogre Enchanted. Ogre Enchanged was an exciting adventure, very fun, and provided a peek into Ella's world (before she was even born). I enjoyed every page!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A loose twist on Beauty and the Beast that takes place in the same world as, and before the events of, Ella Enchanted.
When Evie’s best friend proposes to her, she politely turns him down. She doesn’t love him in that way, and besides, fifteen is too young to get married anyway. But the meddling fairy Lucinda decides that Evie needs to be taught a lesson, and transforms her into an ogre. Now Evie has only 62 days to accept another marriage proposal or else she’ll be stuck as an ogre forever!
How is she supposed to find someone to love her when everyone she meets either runs away screaming or tries to kill her? And how is she supposed to help people with her healing skills when everyone is afraid she’s going to eat them? When disease breaks out in the capital city of Frell, she might just have a chance to prove her worth and trustworthiness, and maybe even convince someone to break her curse.
I was honestly hoping for a less predictable ending for this one, but it is still an enjoyable fantasy just like all Levine’s books I’ve read so far. And it was very interesting to see Ella’s parents make an appearance here!
This book was so so disappointing! I tend to love anything GCL does, but this was antiquated and infuriating. Evie establishes in the first chapter that she isn't interested in romance or boys, but the plot is contrived to make her spend the entire book looking for a spouse! She evaluates every male she comes across for their potential as a mate (and never even considers the women? even Lady Eleanor who Evie continually describes as super gorgeous and sticks up for her and hugs and kisses her on the cheek even though Evie is smelly/hairy??? okay). I thought surely Evie would find some other way to break the curse, given that she expressly states she is not interested in romance. But then she ends up falling in love with the guy she turned down in the first place? What changed, other than the main character undergoing serious trauma?! I'm
Anyway, two stars because it was okayish with the pacing and I thought the apothecary stuff was fun. Sexism and old-fashioned morals aside, a nice fantasy with lots of cute Ella callbacks. Also, slammin cover art.
Anyway, two stars because it was okayish with the pacing and I thought the apothecary stuff was fun. Sexism and old-fashioned morals aside, a nice fantasy with lots of cute Ella callbacks. Also, slammin cover art.