Take a photo of a barcode or cover
bethandhertea 's review for:
Ogre Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
Sooooooo ok. I really REALLY loved Ella Enchanted as a girl, and still do today! Which probably puts unfair pressure on this book, since it's impossible not to compare the two. This book just didn't have that same magic as the first book, that same level of impossible tension from the curse, or leaving me afraid for the main character.
There were a few things that stood out for me as unlikeable:
A) I sincerely HATE Lucinda. I had actually forgotten how much. And while in Ella we get to see her change her ways, in this one she is just a smug pain in the ass and I just can't with her.
B) I didn't like the "romance". Largely because it didn't feel like a true-love situation. Evie herself says at the beginning she's too young, which is frankly a large part of the problem. I appreciated that they waited a few more years to get married, but it just felt contrived.
C) A HUGE part of why I loved Ella Enchanted was that the princess saves herself. SHE breaks her own curse, not with a kiss of true love, but simply because she stood her ground and said no. That was so very important to me, and this book just did not have that moment. Evie is a great character, but in the end she is saved because of someone else's actions. It's not a bad ending, but it lacked any sort of oomph for me.
D) I don't know, I found a lot of the ending unsatisfactory. Peter and Lady Eleanor's story was so sad, and knowing that they won't get any happier in Ella just leaves me feeling melancholy.
On the whole, this really isn't a bad book, but unfortunately I love Ella Enchanted too much to love this one. Perhaps if I was younger I would enjoy it more.
There were a few things that stood out for me as unlikeable:
A) I sincerely HATE Lucinda. I had actually forgotten how much. And while in Ella we get to see her change her ways, in this one she is just a smug pain in the ass and I just can't with her.
B) I didn't like the "romance". Largely because it didn't feel like a true-love situation. Evie herself says at the beginning she's too young, which is frankly a large part of the problem. I appreciated that they waited a few more years to get married, but it just felt contrived.
C) A HUGE part of why I loved Ella Enchanted was that the princess saves herself. SHE breaks her own curse, not with a kiss of true love, but simply because she stood her ground and said no. That was so very important to me, and this book just did not have that moment. Evie is a great character, but in the end she is saved because of someone else's actions. It's not a bad ending, but it lacked any sort of oomph for me.
D) I don't know, I found a lot of the ending unsatisfactory. Peter and Lady Eleanor's story was so sad, and knowing that they won't get any happier in Ella just leaves me feeling melancholy.
On the whole, this really isn't a bad book, but unfortunately I love Ella Enchanted too much to love this one. Perhaps if I was younger I would enjoy it more.