How can a fairy’s blessing be such a curse?
At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy’s gift–the “gift” of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it’s hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse–once and for all.
The excerpt on the back cover, plus the cover art of Ella Enchanted. All credit goes to the author, Gail Carson Levine.
Intrigued? Read on:
Everyone’s heard the tale of Cinderella. Ever wonder why the glass slippers didn’t disappear? Or how the prince fell in love with her so quickly? Or why her father would marry such a horrible woman? This novel twists up the old classic and shows a whole other side to the story we thought we knew.
Ella Enchanted dives far beyond the classic tale of a servant girl at a ball and a lovesick prince. Suddenly, the ball seems like a tiny part of a much larger story, a story of a defiant girl desperate to break her curse and defy her stepsisters. It’s a beautiful tale of perseverance and love, seen from the eyes of a spunky heroine who is unwilling to let anyone control her.
What I love:
Fairy tale retellings hold a special place in my heart, Ella Enchanted foremost among them. Gail Carson Levine has a special skill for worldbuilding and making the story so much deeper. Her unexpected twist—Ella’s curse of obedience, which is the focus of the entire novel—is a refreshing break from the usual Cinderella retellings. It added to the story in so many ways, and really defined Ella as a character.
In Ella Enchanted, the original Cinderella story becomes only a small piece of the tale. The novel weaves a plot that started long before the ball, creating a truer, more logical, altogether deeper story.
Carson Levine colors the world with giants and gnomes and exotic creatures of all sorts. The kingdom expands far beyond that of Cinderella, cities and towns brightened with people and cultures and all the sort of day-to-day things that happen in a kingdom inhabited by elves and humans, terrorized by dragons and ogres.
What I don’t love:
While her worldbuilding is rich and her characters are all too enjoyable, Gail Carson Levine lacks a few things when it comes to prose. While reading, I’ve noticed that many of her earlier works—mainly Ella Enchanted—are mostly taken up with dialogue. When dialogue occurs, everything else fades to the background. What they’re doing the conversation must either be assumed or is described in quick sentences slipped into the conversation.
The opposite of her lack in prose, Carson Levine actually wrote what most consider as too much background in the first few chapters. However, in a high fantasy novel, this isn’t that uncommon and I don’t begrudge her for it. Still, it begins slowly.
As a final note, Carson Levine wrote the book in first person. Usually, I dislike first person, but Carson Levine did well. With the closeness of the prose to the main character, it was necessary to get as much into her head as possible. Her thoughts and the prose flowed seamlessly.
Content warnings:
Minor violence, kissing.
There are a couple skirmishes, none described in much detail. The main character sees the bones of a pony after ogres have consumed it. And lastly, girls fight briefly, whether while trying to grab something from one another, or in brief scuffles.
Multiple kisses occur between multiple couples, all of which were either engaged (or literally about to get engaged) or married at the time of the kiss.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 4/5
Story construction: 5/5
Writing skill: 3.5/5
Ethics: 3.8/5
Conclusion:
An enchanting, humorous spin on the classic Cinderella story, Ella Enchanted pulls readers into the depths of a lush world, in which a girl must overcome her curse in order to love a prince.
Gail Carson Levine is a natural worldbuilder, expanding an old story into something far grander and even more beautiful. From cover to cover, I was right alongside Ella, following her from her birth and the curse delivered by the fairy Lucinda, all the way to the classic happily ever after.
Though suggested for readers eight to twelve years of age, at fifteen I still thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, spirited story. All in all, I gladly recommend Ella Enchanted and give it 3.8 apples out of 5.
Psst! Intrigued by Ella Enchanted but looking for something aimed at an older audience? Check out The Goose Girl!
Comment below and let me know what you thought! Have you read Ella Enchanted before? Do you have a suggestion for the next review?
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