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Ella Enchanted


Summary: 
Ella receives the gift of obedience from a foolish fairy, which turns out to be a curse instead of a gift. Forced to always follow orders, headstrong Ella fights the curse. When Ella's mother dies and her father remarries Dame Olga for her money, Ella finds herself in an untenable situation. Her stepsisters use her curse to keep Ella under their thumbs. Meanwhile, Ella has befriended and subsequently fallen in love with Prince Char, but is afraid her curse could be used to harm him. When Char comes back from a diplomatic mission, a ball is held in his honor. Ella attends in disguise but is unmasked. Char orders her to marry him but Ella, still afraid for his safety, is able to fight her curse and refused. This refusal breaks the curse and Ella then accepts his proposal and they are married.

Strengths:
 The novel's strength lies in the character of Ella. Headstrong, intelligent and kind, Ella fights against convention and the enchantment put on her in creative and surprising ways. The world that Levine creates is vibrant and while the story has almost all the traditional fairy tale elements, Ella Enchanted turns those tropes around and gives the reader a much more real heroine than the traditional archetype. The narrative tone is energetic, matching Ella's personality.

If you like this book, you might enjoy: 

The Midwife's Apprentice
Song of the Lioness Quartet

 Levine, G. (1997). Ella enchanted. New York: HarperCollins. 

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