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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Happy ever after!
I hadn’t realized that I was reading another work by the author of Ella Enchanted! No wonder the setting was familiar! Brings back memories! 😍 So nostalgic 😍
I hadn’t realized that I was reading another work by the author of Ella Enchanted! No wonder the setting was familiar! Brings back memories! 😍 So nostalgic 😍
Another lovely fairytale retelling from Levine. This is a delightful twist on Beauty and the Beast. I loved the story and I loved Evie. A delightful book.
Levine's take on Beauty and the Beast. It is an adorable middle grade book that wraps into Ella Enchanted wonderfully. When I figured out the characters from Ella Enchanted, I actually gasped out loud. It definitely changes the perspective of the book, and I'm not sure how I feel about that?
It's cute and a quick read. A great companion for Ella of Frell, though I do have some questions? There is a story line I'm not quite sure I understand why it's happening, other than to add mystery and to the climax. Another one is dropped fairly quickly, but would have been fun to explore more of. But for middle grade readers, it's going to be enjoyable.
What would you do if you were the Beast?
It's cute and a quick read. A great companion for Ella of Frell, though I do have some questions? There is a story line I'm not quite sure I understand why it's happening, other than to add mystery and to the climax. Another one is dropped fairly quickly, but would have been fun to explore more of. But for middle grade readers, it's going to be enjoyable.
What would you do if you were the Beast?
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beyond the awful messaging, the book suffered from flat characters, no character development, and pacing that was simultaneously too slow and too rushed. The only likable character was the fairy Mandy. Even Ella’s mother, Lady Eleanor, was extremely frustrating. Evie bored me to tears. She’s apparently a healer, but we have no idea how she learned her skill at age 11. She doesn’t seem to have been an apprentice, and she lives in a small village that probably has few medical texts for her to study. But apparently she’s a very accomplished healer with four whole years of experience. Once she’s transformed all of her thoughts revolve around convincing someone to propose to her. That’s expected given the curse, but she was constantly convincing herself that men were in love with her when they actually had zero interest. At the end I wasn’t convinced that she actually understood what love is or feels like. I feel like she married Wormy because he was the least unpleasant option. Their romance wasn’t believable because we were told they were in love versus being shown. Wormy was a very passive suitor. He would have let Evie remain an ogre. Evie decides she loves him towards the end of the book. I have no idea why she loves him though.
Even parts of the book that should have been exciting ended up being disappointing. Evie goes off to visit the dragons and the whole encounter is over in about five pages. That was a lot of buildup for nothing. It was hard to understand Evie’s reasoning for doing things. She really just wandered aimlessly for two months instead of trying to attract a suitor. All in all this was a bad book with a potentially harmful message for impressionable young readers.
I can't believe I'm giving a Gail Carson Levine book a 2-star rating, but this book was disappointing for me. I couldn't ever really connect with the main character, so the whole book I was just looking forward to those characters who I know and love from Ella Enchanted. And her love prospects were just grim. I didn't like Wormy (and what kind of name is Wormy anyway??) and was never convinced that she actually loved him. Sir Jerrold was a treasure, but I didn't like them together. I just wasn't a fan of the love prospects, which was basically what this whole book was about. It was fun to get some background on Ella Enchanted characters, and discover their motives that weren't explained in Ella Enchanted. But overall, this book was just lackluster for me.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
I loved Gail Carson Levine so much as a kid that returning to her writing voice, fairy tale worlds, and humor is very comforting. That being said, this was a strange read. It was hard to root for Evie's goal of quickly finding a husband (to break the spell) when her initial choice to reject a premature wedding proposal was so admirable. I most enjoyed getting to spend time with Lady Eleanor and Mandy from Ella Enchanted.
Evie is an incredible healer. Evie and her best friend Wormy (Master Warwick) live in the town of Jenn. One day, Wormy surprises Evie by confessing his love and proposing to her. Evie completely disregards the proposal as Wormy is just her best friend. Unfortunately for Evie, Lucinda (the disaster of a fairy from Ella Enchanted ) witnesses the rejection and proceeds to turn Evie into an ogre. She gives Evie less two months to accept the proposal of a suitor or stay stuck as an ogre forever. With time running out, Evie embarks on a quest to find someone to love her and rid her of this awful curse.
At first, I thought that this story would be similar to Shrek with the maiden turned into an ogre storyline, but it was a completely different from what I was expecting. I’ll be honest, aft first I didn’t feel bad for Evie at first since she definitely took Wormy and his affections for granted. However, as she because hyper aware of ogre self, I really started to feel awful for her. She was well aware of how terrible she smelled and the fact that humans found her repulsive. I loved watching Evie change and develop a new outlook on life; one that entailed looking past outward appearances.
Overall, this is a heartwarming adventure that gives additional insight into the characters that preceded those in Ella Enchanted, and I loved getting to know them.
Thank you to Wunderkind PR for providing a finished copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
At first, I thought that this story would be similar to Shrek with the maiden turned into an ogre storyline, but it was a completely different from what I was expecting. I’ll be honest, aft first I didn’t feel bad for Evie at first since she definitely took Wormy and his affections for granted. However, as she because hyper aware of ogre self, I really started to feel awful for her. She was well aware of how terrible she smelled and the fact that humans found her repulsive. I loved watching Evie change and develop a new outlook on life; one that entailed looking past outward appearances.
Overall, this is a heartwarming adventure that gives additional insight into the characters that preceded those in Ella Enchanted, and I loved getting to know them.
Thank you to Wunderkind PR for providing a finished copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Doesn't have quite the magic of Ella Enchanted but very cute!
I couldn't finish it. It was just all over the place and I couldn't get a feel for the characters. I love Ella Enchanted and I know most people who pick this up will be familiar with the world of Frell but that felt like a poor excuse for lack of world building. It might have cleaned up if I had read further but I just couldn't get past the whole premise. Why was Lucinda even there to turn her into an ogre in the first place? Might try again some day, but unlikely.