Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Middle Reader. Fantasy. Fairytale. Romance. Magic. 

Read & annotated for Rachel.

Rating: 4/5 

Pages: 232

Started: 20 July 2023

Finished: 21 July 2023

Summary:

    Ella was given the gift--curse--of obedience by her fairy godmother. Forced to comply with every direct order she is given, Ella still manages to find happiness with her mother and her cook, Mandy. But when her mother dies and Ella is sent of to boarding school with a cruel girl aware of the secret of her curse, Ella finds nothing but misery. Finally she escapes, determined to break the curse. From close calls with ogres to the befriending of a prince, Ella's adventures take her through excitement and misery, but will she be able to free herself from the spell that cost her her freedom? 

Thoughts:

    This was such a lovely book! It lacked the excellent soundtrack of the movie, but it had a slightly more emotionally nuanced feel to it that I really enjoyed. For it being a middle reader novel, and one following a fairytale plot to boot, I was startlingly invested. The successes felt exciting and the close calls felt stressful, and I had so much fun reading and annotating the whole thing. On top of that, the turn of phrase was a total blast, clever and precise and interesting. Gail Carson Levine is a really talented author!