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littlecornerreads 's review for:
Ogre Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Rating: 3.5 stars
Why You Should Read The Book Jacket Summary Reason #4: So you don't spend the first few chapters thinking the main characters are ogres and end up completely distracted when you discover they're human.
[b:Ella Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #1)|Gail Carson Levine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410727190s/24337.jpg|2485462] is without a doubt one of my favorite books in the whole world, so you know I'm going to read anything related to it.
I tried to keep my expectations low because 1) I'm well past the age of its target audience
2) I've read other Gail Carson Levine books after Ella Enchanted which felt like they never quite lived up to the hype (possibly related to reason #1?)
3) The Ella Enchanted film adaption gave me trust issues.
I really was not expecting much from this story; I didn't even expect an entire book when I'd put it on hold at the library. At most I was expecting a cute short story about some random ogre-version of Ella Enchanted.
Then I started reading it and was surprised by how much lower I should have kept my expectations. This was not a book that grabbed my interest and attention right away. I didn't find either of the characters engaging (and was honestly ridiculously distracted that some human child's name would be WORMY) and thought that maybe I had finally reached the point where the little girl in me died and I was too old to appreciate children's books. I also felt slightly cheated because I could not for the life of me figure out what made this "Ella Enchanted #0.5" beside the cameo by Lucinda (whose appearance felt too sudden and inexplicable and forced - even for a children's book). But I persevered and actually ended up enjoying the book. It's not my new favorite book, and I'm not going to start shopping for books in the children's section, but it reminded me what I loved about the world Levine built in Ella Enchanted. I did also finally figure out what made this a prequel of sorts to the book, by the way.
The story, by nature, is a bit juvenile but that's kind of the point. There were a few places where it felt overly contrived or like a bit too much of stretch even for a fairy tale. It also used the word "tingle" way too much for my liking, but all in all, it was a fun, light read on a day when my brain sorely needed a break.
Why You Should Read The Book Jacket Summary Reason #4: So you don't spend the first few chapters thinking the main characters are ogres and end up completely distracted when you discover they're human.
[b:Ella Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #1)|Gail Carson Levine|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410727190s/24337.jpg|2485462] is without a doubt one of my favorite books in the whole world, so you know I'm going to read anything related to it.
I tried to keep my expectations low because 1) I'm well past the age of its target audience
2) I've read other Gail Carson Levine books after Ella Enchanted which felt like they never quite lived up to the hype (possibly related to reason #1?)
3) The Ella Enchanted film adaption gave me trust issues.
I really was not expecting much from this story; I didn't even expect an entire book when I'd put it on hold at the library. At most I was expecting a cute short story about some random ogre-version of Ella Enchanted.
Then I started reading it and was surprised by how much lower I should have kept my expectations. This was not a book that grabbed my interest and attention right away. I didn't find either of the characters engaging (and was honestly ridiculously distracted that some human child's name would be WORMY) and thought that maybe I had finally reached the point where the little girl in me died and I was too old to appreciate children's books. I also felt slightly cheated because I could not for the life of me figure out what made this "Ella Enchanted #0.5" beside the cameo by Lucinda (whose appearance felt too sudden and inexplicable and forced - even for a children's book). But I persevered and actually ended up enjoying the book. It's not my new favorite book, and I'm not going to start shopping for books in the children's section, but it reminded me what I loved about the world Levine built in Ella Enchanted. I did also finally figure out what made this a prequel of sorts to the book, by the way.
The story, by nature, is a bit juvenile but that's kind of the point. There were a few places where it felt overly contrived or like a bit too much of stretch even for a fairy tale. It also used the word "tingle" way too much for my liking, but all in all, it was a fun, light read on a day when my brain sorely needed a break.