Sunday, June 26, 2011

(Book Blog Tour) Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon (ARC review + Giveaway)

Genre:Young Adult, Action & Adventure, Fairytale
Publication.Date  November 8th 2011
Pages:208
Published By:  Bonneville Books (Cedar Fort)
WebsiteCinder and Ella
Cinder and Ella - Goodreads
My review copy:netGalley
Where to get: Barnes and Noble | Amazon





     After their father’s disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn’t long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself—the most dangerous place in all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you'll never forget.
(goodreads.com)





Please note:  Quotes are from an ARC and will be verified against a published copy.

Tanner: "I think that I might kiss you to keep your lips busy from something other than insulting me."
Ella: "If you think you can do it without getting lost."

"Shut-up, you fool! I will not listen to your snide remarks any longer. I will stop crying as soon as you can learn to keep your mouth shut for more than a few seconds at a time."



           
     Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon was a big surprise! When I started reading this book I expected yet another re-telling of the classic fairytale. You know the one with evil stepmother and stepsisters, handsome prince-charming, glass slippers, pumpkin turning into a beautiful coach, ball at the palace and a girl trying to escape the life of abuse and servitude.  This book, however, was nothing like the original story. As a matter of fact, it was so different from the classic Cinderella fairytale that if not for the title, I never would have connected these two stories.  

     Let’s talk about the plot, shall we?

     Cinder and Ella, together with their parents and two sisters, lived in a small cottage on the side of a steep mountain.  For a time, the family lived a happy and peaceful life. They all loved and respected each other. The sisters grew in joy and their days were filled with happiness. Their lives were absolutely perfect, and they never foresaw the dark days ahead of them.  

     One night Prince Monticello came knocking on their door. He didn’t come in search of a bride. Nor did he want to invite the ladies to a ball. What he wanted was to gain supporters of his treasonous intentions. He spoke of the injustice and lunacy of the king. Most of his words, though, were pure deception. Unfortunately, both Weston and Adela of Willow Top were trusting people. They believed in the prince’s good intentions and they fell for his lies. 

     After the prince’s visit the family of Willow Top started to fall apart. The father, bewitched by a dark, invisible spell, eventually started to lose his mind. The prince’s words poisoned his thoughts and he became bitter and gloom. He started to neglect both his blacksmith business and his family, until one day he disappeared without a trace. 

     The sisters started to mistreat each other and often fought over silly things. Devastated by the disappearance of her husband, the mother was no longer capable of taking care of her daughters. She became disconnected from the reality and spent her days at the spinning wheel.  

     Cinder, the kindest of all daughters, ends up having to care for her whole family. Treated more like a servant than a family member, she now has to look after her sisters, Katrina and Beatrice.  Just like Cinderella in the original fairytale, Cinder is in charge of all the chores in and around the house, working from early mornings to late evenings.  

     The tough family situation is not everything she will have to deal with, though.  Both Cinder and her sister, Ella, will have to face a huge danger. The evil prince is out there to get them, and he is charming and deceitful. Will the sisters be able to recognize the danger in time? Or will the evil triumph this time? 

     I really enjoyed reading this novel. The writing is simplistic, yet very captivating. The book is slightly more than 200 pages, which makes it a quick read. The plot is fast moving and you don’t really get those slower moments, when you feel like you can cast the book aside for a while. It’s the kind of book you can easily devour in one sitting. I found myself really engrossed in the storyline and wanting to find out what will happen next and how the whole thing will end. 

     My only complaint about this book would be the nonsensical or absent motives for many characters’ actions. The prince is evil, dark and devious, but we never really learn what caused him to be like that. I mean, he comes from a good, loving family. The king and queen seem to be perfectly reasonable people who care for their son. There was no wicked witch to cast a spell on him and he didn’t fall on his head when he was a child. There just doesn’t seem to be any logical explanation for his evilness.  Same goes for the father and the king and queen.  I just didn’t understand the motives behind their decisions. I do, however, believe that this is just how the traditional folktales are and that’s the beauty of the genre. It’s meant to be simple. And you’re not supposed to question the motives. We’re talking about a story, which is written in a way that preserves the tone of a classic old fairy tale. The guy is evil because he likes it this way. Period. 

      I highly recommend this book for a beach read. It might be slightly darker than the original, but it’s not heavy or depressing at all. If you’re looking for a quick read to pass the time, Cinder and Ella may just be the novel for you.






Here's the complete tour schedule, some blogs -- like Bookish -- are hosting giveaways, so make sure to visit them all! :) Happy hopping! 

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday



1 2 3 4



I Like These Books   ReaWrite I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Reflections of a Neurotic Writer  

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Reflections With Coffee   The Victorian Vanity
Lost for Words
Librarians Life in Books   Dr. Stravagante’s Traveling Book Circus   Not on Shelf
Bending the Spine
  Reading Through Life
Burning Impossibly Bright
I know good books
  Awesome Bookworm
modOration
The Fiction Fairy
Living, Laughing, Loving, Reading   Fire and Ice Holes in my brain  Burning Impossibly Bright
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
  A Backward Story   iLive, iLaugh, iLove books
It’s all about books
  Books and Things  
The Great YA Escape
Jessica’s Bookshelf  Reading Vacation
Bookworm 1858
A Casual Reader’s Blog  It’s all about books Makobi Scribe
  Splash of our Worlds
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Supernatural Snark My Disorganized Ramblings   Sonette’s Bookworm Blog
Eclectic Eccentric
Lovez 2 Read   Reading in the Corner
Literature Young Adult Fiction
Book Loving Mommy  Reading Angel  Keepin’ Up with LDS bookstores Rex Robot Reviews   Bookworm Nation My Love Affair with Books   Darcy’s Review
Witchy Book Reviews
26 27 28 29 30

Book Twirps   Evie-Bookish
  Manga Maniac Cafe
Lost for Words
Wakela’s World   ReaderGirls Books R Us  Kawzmik World
Stiletto Storytime
Curled Up With Books   Books R Us
A room without books is empty
Confessions of a YA writer





Giveaway Time! 

Rules:
Open to US & Canada (sorry Internationals!)
Ends: Sunday, July 10th 


*Mandatory entry: be a GFC follower of my blog and fill out the form below
*Extra entries: 
+1 Follow me on Twitter @SeoEvie
+5 Follow Melissa on Twitter @Melissa_Lemon
+5 Follow Melissa's Blog HERE
+5 Be Melissa's Fan on Goodreads HERE
+5 Follow Cedar Fort Books on Twitter @cedarfortbooks
+5 Leave a comment on this post


38 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for the great review and giveaway, Cinder and Ella looks like a fun book. :)

ElfRenee said...

Sounds good, this book is on my wishlist!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the review and giveaway! I'm always interested in retellings, especially if they have unique takes on the story (I just finished reading Zoe Marriott's retelling of Cinderella, Shadows on the Moon :) ).

Val said...

So I've always been a big Cinderella fan and all variations. Can't wait to read this one.

Thanks for the interview and giveaway.

StuckInBooks.com

Diana said...

Thank you for your review. It's very in-depth! I'm really looking forward to reading this book because I love fairytales!

ladyofnarnia(at)yahoo(dot)com

Shirley said...

Yours is the third review I've read for this book and it looks like a good summer read. Thanks for hosting the contest.

The Novel Nymph said...

Thanks for the great giveaway!

Amanda said...

Have already added the book to my wish list!

Thanks

Darlene said...

I'm following you on GFC (Darlene), and my email address is darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com.

I have already added this book to my TBR list!

Thanks for the giveaway!

Literary Chanteuse said...

Another Cinderella story bring it on!
This one looks good!

Bonnie said...

Evie, this book looks like so much fun! June was an absolutely crazy month for me and I really need some light, fun reading! Thanks for hosting a giveaway!

Wolfluvr420 said...

Thank you for the review and giveaway! I just love fairy tale re-tellings!

Anonymous said...

Great giveaway!!

Cait said...

I pretty much dismissed this book when I first heard about it, but reading your review it actually sounds really good! I'll be adding to to my wishlist, thanks for sharing =]

The Cait Files

Casey (The Bookish Type) said...

This sounds like a really cute read =) I love the title for some reason -- it's just fun to say aloud. Thanks for the review!

Asheley T. said...

This book sounds intriguing and fun. Definitely on my list to read...

Barbara E. said...

Cinder and Ella sounds like a fantastic story and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Julie S said...

I've heard really good things about this book!

Texas Book Lover said...

This book sounds like a fantastic read!

Thanks for the chance!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Giveaway, i've been wanting to read this. The name is so epic, Cinder and Ella.:

Harpreet Singh said...

WOOO!! Thanks so much for the giveaway! I've been trying to get my hands on a copy for ages! Thanks so much! :D

~Harpreet
xoxo

SweetShenanigans said...

The title draws me in- very enthralling!

M.A.D. said...

Mary D

This book looks and sounds simply amazing - am drooling to read it LOL

Thank you for the opportunity to win :D

Jamie said...

This book sounds very interesting! Thank you for the chance to win a copy :)

Chen Yan Chang said...

I love fairy tale retellings, and this one seems interesting! That's awesome that the author split the Cinderella name into 2 characters. That's a unique twist!

landofbooks said...

I am just now currently reading this. It has been amazing so far!

aurora M. said...

This sounds like a very sweet read. I think I will be picking this up for a present for a FRIENDS DAUGHTER. Thanks for the review. I have heard lots of good things about this book. Sweet and a quick read.

Krystal Larson said...

I just bought this for my sister :) I'm glad that you liked it, now I know I chose a winner!

Leah said...

From everything that I've heard about this book, I very much want to read this now! great review!
Leah

Sky said...

Nice review.I've been wanting to read this book.I like the story of Cinderella

Yvonne @ The Shadow Realm said...

Great review :)

FairyWhispers said...

sounds good, but i don't really like the cover

Munnaza said...

I'm not really a fan of the cover, but I love the way this story itself sounds. I love fairy tale retellings, but I love how this is even more than just a spin on a classic tale. Cinder and Ella sounds unique and enchanting, and even a little dark. Definitely my kind of book. Thanks for the review!

Donna said...

Sounds like a great book!

Unknown said...

Wow!! The story sounds great. I have to read this book. And your review is great too, made me can't wait to read this book by myself.
A deceitful prince? Hemmm....I'm so curious with the ending.

Thank u for the review :)

Jaime Lester said...

I want to read Cinder and Ella. A retelling that is completely different? But still a retelling? Yep, I want to read it. Even more so after your review. I have actually seen this one before, but I passed it up because I (wrongly) assumed that it wouldn't be anything new. Shows me not to judge, huh?

Unknown said...

Another re-telling of a fairytale. Cinderella is one of my favorite childhood fairytales!Can't wait to read this! Thanks for the review!

E_V_E said...

wll, this re-telling of a fairytale seems very good! I love Cinderella and this story is a little different 8) It could be nice reading 8)

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