Ella Enchanted Book Review

Let me get something straight. This is no Cinderella story! Gail Carson Levine writes a fantastic and compelling twist on the Cinderella classic where a fairy's gift becomes a curse, where Ella is a strong female protagonist, and you find out exactly why her glass slippers didn't disappear at midnight. In "Ella Enchanted," Ella was cursed by a fairy at birth to be obedient. The fairy thought she was giving Ella a gift, but in the end, Ella grew to despise it. The spell makes it so that whenever someone tells her to do something, she does it. Desperate to break free of the commands of her wicked stepsisters, father, and stepmother, Ella embarks on a quest to reverse the curse, fighting ogres, meeting giants, and finding love along the way. This book is the perfect fantasy adventure. It is filled with magic, mythical creatures, and a grand castle. My only issue with this book is that it is a twist on the classic Cinderella story, but the actual part of this book that tells generally the same story as Cinderella is just the last 30 pages of this 230 page book. Now I'm not saying this is a bad thing. In fact, it kept the book from getting boring. This is more of an original fantasy story with a Cinderella-esque ending, which I wasn't expecting, but was a welcome surprise. If you are looking for a unique, new, fairytale reminiscent of the stories of old, this book is perfect for you! This fantasy/adventure novel is great for ages 9-14.