================================================================
Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Bonneville Books
Release Date: November 8th, 2011
I've mentioned several times already on my blog that I love fairytale retellings, and I'm saying it again right now. I love them, and Cinder and Ella was no different, I loved it too! I thought it was fantastic! It was inventive and I thought that Melissa did a fantastic job with this story. It's not often that you can be surprised by a fairytale retelling, but in this one I was. :)
Cinder and Ella was so different from the traditional Cinderella story that we're all so familiar with, and I loved that. I thought that it was fantastic that Melissa made the story her own and she did it in a way where it still held some similarities with the original. One of the biggest changes she made, and it's one you might be able to figure out right from the book's title, was to break up the character of Cinderella into two, Cinder and Ella. She also changed the Prince into a bad guy, and I'm pretty sure there weren't any glass slippers...unless I missed them somehow. :P
Cinder and Ella are sisters, and they have two other sisters as well. They don't have an evil stepmother, but the mother they do have is really unobservant. She spends all of her time spinning yarn, and their father has left them. I don't want to go into too much detail because I think with this story, it's nice to figure out all of the differences for yourself, but I wanted to give you a taste of how different it is. Cinder is the one who seems to take on the whole cleaning and maid aspect of the original tale, and while she is beautiful, it's Ella who has the golden hair and hazel eyes and stunning beauty. Their mother also eventually seems to meld the two girls together in her mind, she goes from calling Cinder and Ella, to Cinder 'n Ella, to Cinderella. In this way, the mother has combined the two into one girl. Although honestly they weren't really anything alike, other than the fact that they both loved each other. :)
Now onto the story itself. I thought Melissa did a fantastic job with characters. The other two sisters, Katrina and Beatrice, were definitely of the evil variety at times, and they were definitely spoiled. I felt bad for poor Beatrice though, her brattiness seemed to be everyone else's fault because they just didn't want to pay any attention to her so they just gave her whatever she wanted. She was the character I kind of just wanted to hug because her mom was too busy stuffing her with candy. :P My favourite character was definitely Tanner, the knight. He and Ella were so adorable, and I loved their banter. I'm a big fan of well done banter, and Melissa did a fantastic job with hers. I also just loved the whole plot of the story, it was definitely more action-packed than the original, and while there were some slight similarities with Cinderella, it was actually pretty different, and it makes you wonder, if there really was a Cinderella, or even a Cinder and an Ella, how different would the actual story be?
I thought that Cinder and Ella was a fabulous retelling of Cinderella. It was unique, intriguing, and one of those stories that took me by surprise. I didn't expect to be surprised by a retelling of Cinderella. Melissa managed to make this story her own and she did it in a very magical way. I recommend Cinder and Ella to all fans of Fairytales, even if you aren't a big fan of retellings, I think you'll enjoy this one because it is one of a kind. :)
Cinder and Ella was so different from the traditional Cinderella story that we're all so familiar with, and I loved that. I thought that it was fantastic that Melissa made the story her own and she did it in a way where it still held some similarities with the original. One of the biggest changes she made, and it's one you might be able to figure out right from the book's title, was to break up the character of Cinderella into two, Cinder and Ella. She also changed the Prince into a bad guy, and I'm pretty sure there weren't any glass slippers...unless I missed them somehow. :P
Cinder and Ella are sisters, and they have two other sisters as well. They don't have an evil stepmother, but the mother they do have is really unobservant. She spends all of her time spinning yarn, and their father has left them. I don't want to go into too much detail because I think with this story, it's nice to figure out all of the differences for yourself, but I wanted to give you a taste of how different it is. Cinder is the one who seems to take on the whole cleaning and maid aspect of the original tale, and while she is beautiful, it's Ella who has the golden hair and hazel eyes and stunning beauty. Their mother also eventually seems to meld the two girls together in her mind, she goes from calling Cinder and Ella, to Cinder 'n Ella, to Cinderella. In this way, the mother has combined the two into one girl. Although honestly they weren't really anything alike, other than the fact that they both loved each other. :)
Now onto the story itself. I thought Melissa did a fantastic job with characters. The other two sisters, Katrina and Beatrice, were definitely of the evil variety at times, and they were definitely spoiled. I felt bad for poor Beatrice though, her brattiness seemed to be everyone else's fault because they just didn't want to pay any attention to her so they just gave her whatever she wanted. She was the character I kind of just wanted to hug because her mom was too busy stuffing her with candy. :P My favourite character was definitely Tanner, the knight. He and Ella were so adorable, and I loved their banter. I'm a big fan of well done banter, and Melissa did a fantastic job with hers. I also just loved the whole plot of the story, it was definitely more action-packed than the original, and while there were some slight similarities with Cinderella, it was actually pretty different, and it makes you wonder, if there really was a Cinderella, or even a Cinder and an Ella, how different would the actual story be?
I thought that Cinder and Ella was a fabulous retelling of Cinderella. It was unique, intriguing, and one of those stories that took me by surprise. I didn't expect to be surprised by a retelling of Cinderella. Melissa managed to make this story her own and she did it in a very magical way. I recommend Cinder and Ella to all fans of Fairytales, even if you aren't a big fan of retellings, I think you'll enjoy this one because it is one of a kind. :)
Some Links for you:
Melissa's Goodreads Author Page
Are you a fan of Fairytale retellings, or Fairytales in general?
Do you think Cinder and Ella sounds like a good story?
And if you'd like to read this one and you're a member on NetGalley, it's available on there right now, it also is set for release on November 8th. :)
Are you a fan of Fairytale retellings, or Fairytales in general?
Do you think Cinder and Ella sounds like a good story?
And if you'd like to read this one and you're a member on NetGalley, it's available on there right now, it also is set for release on November 8th. :)
Happy Reading!!!
♪♫ Ambur
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are like smiles. Free to give, but precious to receive. Thank you for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment. I treasure every one. Also, check back! You'll probably find a reply. :D