Cinder and Ella (edition 2011)

I've always loved 'fractured' fairy tales, so I was immediately drawn to this title! From the title you would expect a retold Cinderella story, and while this draws elements from Cinderella, it is entirely a new story. There is a prince, but he is evil. Instead of a cruel stepmother and 2 cruel stepsisters, there is a family consisting of a mother, a father, and four sisters; Katrina and Beatrice, and the 2 middle daughters, Cinder and Ella. They are a happy, normal family, until the prince calls on the father. Things become strange after that, and the father disappears. Katrina turns into a selfish me-first person, and Beatrice becomes needy. The mother, in her grief, or perhaps he need to support her daughters, becomes obsessed with spinning yarn. Cinder is selfless, waiting on the others, and poor Ella is ignored. Her mother even forgets she HAS a 4th daughter, referred to the middle daughter as Cinderella!

This story can be read on so many levels. At a basic level, it is a fun fairy tale and even reads like a fairy tale, using a similar tone. But if you go deeper, it can be used to illustrate any number of lessons. There is the lesson of naivity and trusting the wrong person (the father and Cinder). There is the lesson that your choices have consequences (the father). There is the lesson that your bad choices can have negative consequences on those around you (again, the father). There is the lesson that good overcomes evil, and even the lesson that a benevolent king is watching everything and can step in to set things right when things get to out of hand. This was a quick, fun read and I recommend it for lovers of fairy tales and fables!

This book was provided to me by Netgalley.com in return for an honest review. ( )

RECEIVED FROM: Net Galley ARC For Review

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

The Grimm Brothers and Disney had it wrong, there was no Cinderella and there certainly wasn't a Prince Charming in the tale of the sisters Cinder and Ella. Cinder and Ella come from a home broken by the evil machinations of the young Prince Monticello. When their father disappears, their mother goes into a deep depression, while their oldest sister demands everything the family has and their youngest sister behaves like a spoiled little brat. Cinder steps up to care for them all while Ella tries to ignore them, though she often helps Cinder with her errands only because she doesn't want Cinder to suffer alone. In her state of depression their mother blends the two middle girls into one within her mind, calling them Cinderella. She only recognizes Cinder upon sight and has no idea who Ella might be when faced with her. Cinder finds work at the castle leaving Ella behind to care for their family. Disheartened that her mother doesn't know who she is, Ella runs away, taking a job as a servant in a faraway village. When Cinder returns she's heartbroken to find that Ella is missing and her family doesn't even seem to notice or care. Her late night tears are heard by a castle knight who requests to find the missing Ella and return her to her sister. Unfortunately the request brings Ella back into the scope of the evil Prince who is determined not to let her slip away. Will Cinder be taken in by the Princes lies? Will Ella survive his attention? Find out in this fairy tale of love and adventure.

The story of Cinder and Ella is a well written fairy tale with beautifully constructed pose. It features a distant narrator style voice as is common in the fairy tales of old. Unfortunately this sort of point of view doesn't allow you to connect to the characters in the same way that a closer third person point of view would. As a reader you find yourself outside the action watching it like it's on a television screen rather than inside the story experiencing alongside the characters. This sort of point of view is fine for younger children and possibly preteens who enjoy being told a story, however I don't feel it will appeal as much to older teens and adult readers of young adult fiction. Unfortunately, I think the length will seem daunting to the readers this story will most appeal to.

Being a fairy tale the characters also don't seem to take shape as much as they would in a regular novel. They had flaws and positive attributes yes, but they didn't come to life for me or seem three dimensional. Again I feel this is because of the voice or point of view used rather than the lack of character construction.

In the beginning of the story the character descriptions are a little confusing and I'll admit that I was a few chapters into the novel before I could place which physical description belonged to which character. It's easier to understand when Cinder and Ella are separate than when she's trying to describe all four of the sisters at once. The confusion though did make it a little difficult for me to really connect with the story from page one.

Overall the story is extremely interesting and is completely not what you'd expect from a story spun from the fairy tale of the original Cinderella. It's not a love story where the poor abused girl is pulled from a bad family into the loving arms of Prince Charming. It's a tale of mystery and deceit, adventure and magic. It's a written example of both manipulation and cunning as well as one of a character growing and finding strength to overcome impossible odds. In the theme of fairy tales, the story is written to portray a moral lesson and even includes discussion questions at the back of the novel for classroom use.

If younger readers are able to make it through the length of the novel, I think they'll highly enjoy this tale. However, reading this as an adult who enjoys young adult fiction it didn't appeal as much to me because of the reasons stated above. It is extremely well written and includes a very interesting story within its pages. Some of the scenes are exciting and fast paced, however for the most part the book as a slower pace, drawing the reader in by weaving the tale around them. I believe children will find the book exciting and view Ella as a positive role model. I just don't feel the story has as much appeal to older readers of the genre.

Being that I read this as an ARC some of the things may change upon actual publication, and if it does please comment and tell me what's different. ( )

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. The book releases November 8, 2011.
From Benneville Books (Cedar Fort, Inc.):

"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."

This book is a slow starter. So much so that I put the book down for a week or so before going back to finish it. This is definitely not your childhood version of Cinderella. There are a few parallels drawn between the tales, but Cinder and Ella in this book bear very little resemblance to the Disney or Grimm version. For one thing, this tale is much darker. The Prince may be handsome, but he is not good. In fact, he is quite evil (and not in a good evil Jace or Patch way either). This Prince uses his dark magic to bring his subjects under his control, convincing them that there is no hope, no reason to go on and this darkness is spreading throughout the Kingdom. Cinder and Ella are sisters who live a miserable life in which their father became influenced by the darkness, and one day, just wandered off. Cinder and Ella then take over the household as their mother has a mental breakdown and their two sisters become spoiled brats.

One day, Cinder applies for a job in the King’s castle as a servant to help provide for the family. With her new job, she will have to reside in the castle most of the week and will return home on her one day off. She leaves the care of the family to Ella. Unfortunately, Ella has little patience for the tantrums and antics of her family and she too, wanders off. Ella finds a new place with a family far away, helping to take care of the family's children. This family is warm, bright and loving. Exactly as Ella wishes her family was. Ella finds a sense of peace and happiness, until one day a Knight and two of the Prince’s aids come to return Ella to the Castle.

The Knight worked in the Castle and each night during his rounds, he would hear Cinder crying and talking in her sleep from the hallway. One day the Knight, Tanner, approaches Cinder to ask her about the sister she speaks of during her sleep. Cinder confides in the knight that her sister has disappeared and she fears that Ella may be in danger. Tanner, being a brave and honorable Knight, seeks permission from the Castle advisors to go on a quest to find Ella. The advisors go to the Prince, who agrees for his own nefarious reasons and insists that Tanner take along two of his aids, the lecherous William and the stoic Flescher. Tanner does not trust the Prince or his aids, but must take them on the quest.

During the journey to return Ella to the Castle, Tanner begins to care for Ella, and in true fashion, then becomes a clumsy fool. Tanner soon discovers that the Prince may want to harm Ella and after an encounter with the drunken William, Tanner and Ella break from the aids and devise a plan to find out what the Prince wants without turning Ella over to him. The rest of the book covers the attempts of the good Knight and the sisters to thwart the evil plans of the Prince and the darkness that spreads throughout the Kingdom. I won’t get all spoilery, because truly, this book does not follow the fairytale path. You get the main points though, love, danger, intrigue, magic and a very stubborn horse.

As I said, it takes a while to get into the meat of this book. I kept going because I had never read a book told in the manner of a fairytale; therefore was intrigued and curious to find out where Ms. Lemon was going with the plot. Ms. Lemon kept me guessing until the end. I give the author credit, she kept to the fairytale style of writing and storytelling. She wove the different plot lines and points of view flawlessly. I am giving the book 3 stars. If you enjoy fairytales and want to see a different and darker version of Cinderella, I recommend you pick up Cinder And Ella in November.

~ Shel

http://www.bibliojunkies.blogspot.com/ ( )

Review originally posted on Pretty in Fiction.

Title: Cinder and Ella
Author: Melissa Lemon
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Pub. Date: Nov. 8th, 2011
Rating: 3.3 Crazy Hearts

Read the sample here!


If you drink water and breathe air, then you have heard the story of Cinderella. And, if you drink water and breathe air, you have heard it . . . wrong. {Cinder and Ella; p. 1, first sentences - Kindle Edition}

When I first learned of this book during my early days of traipsing through the treasures NetGalley has to offer, I was intrigued immediately. I've always been fond of fairy tale retellings, when done right, and this particular story was offering a spectacular twist in one of my favorites.

The idea that Cinderella was not one girl, but two sisters (the Cinder and Ella of the title) left me wondering how they would take the story of one stepsister-turned-servant-girl and format it to fit two separate personalities. Such a thing (to my knowledge) had never been undertaken before in the retelling of a fairy tale, and trying to figure out how the author would approach it had me eager to pick this book up.

Once I started reading, I quickly learned this was no simple retelling of the tale at all. The description of the story was brief, so I had not been prepared for this – or for the intrigue that would grip me tighter the more pages I turned.

Cinder and Ella is the story of two middle sisters who, after their father's disappearance and their mother's subsequent shut-down (she merely sits at a spinning wheel paying only enough attention to her daughters to call for another), are forced to take the reigns in their family. Cinder (who is kind, goodhearted, and eager-to-please) is more than willing to take care of the others, and give them the attention they think they need. The more independent, fiery Ella thinks they should stop acting like children and learn to do things for themselves.

When Cinder goes off to work at the castle (because, well, somebody needs to provide for this dysfunctional family), she leaves her family's care in Ella's hands, but it soon becomes to much for Ella to bear, so she takes off -- literally walking right out the door leaving her sisters and mother screaming, in search of something else.

It's not long before she's dragged back home, however, to face the nefarious plans of a certain Prince Not-So-Charming, and that's when the real craziness begins.

It was simply mind boggling to read this book. I had no idea which way was up. Melissa Lemon weaved such a dark, twisted tale beneath the innocent tone of a fairy-tale narrator, I was left little time to process the story, yet I just could not put it down. From the moment I opened the book, I had to know more.

Even if the fairy-tale style narration was a bit irritating at times. Though that is part of what made this story so interesting, the style made the story seem too young, which greatly conflicted with and distracted from the darker themes, in my opinion.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story. I blazed though the pages, which is always a great thing in any book, and the story was most definitely original.

There are some things that I wished were focused on more and explained better, like the prince and his tree's indestructibility (I did not buy the whole: he's just so evil now, you cannot defeat him), or the connection of a person to their tree – a very intriguing concept that I don't feel was explored as fully as it should have been, in my opinion. For the most part, it was explained well enough, but I'd like to have known, in particular, why chopping Ella's father's tree down had no adverse affect on him if people are, indeed, so connected to their trees.

Also, I feel the mother's fusing of Cinder and Ella to Cinderella was too hastily done, and I don't think it was explained properly why, upon fusing the two girls, the mother completely forgot the look of one of them. Or, another thing, how were the mother and two daughters left in the family home able to survive, when they seemed so incapable of fending for themselves before Cinder and Ella left?

I wasn't too fond of the ending. The bad guy, in my opinion, wasn't really defeated. Were this any other book, I'd say this seemed like the opening for a sequel (though I don't believe that to be the case, here), that's how little of a conclusion it felt to me. And that brings us back to the whole indestructible-prince thing.

"It no longer has the capacity to produce goodness, and therefore it is no longer vulnerable to anything." {Cinder and Ella; p. 260 - Kindle Edition}
That was the explanation in reference to the Prince and his tree. I'm sorry, I know this is Melissa Lemon's world, but that is something I absolutely refuse to believe in, even in fiction. Especially in fiction, where good is supposed to trump evil.

As I said before, for the most part, this book was enjoyable.

I loved Ella's romantic interest, the bumbling knight, Sir Tanner, though his awkwardness did seem a bit forced at times. He was a major klutz, which I found endearing, especially at times when he was trying to help Ella and, say, practically tossed her over a horse. Still, he was willing to do anything to ensure her safety, and even a stint in the castle prison couldn't keep him away for long.

I also loved seeing Ella develop as a character. Again, though, this is something that seemed forced, and even rushed at times, but the end result was favorable. She was not one of the nicest of people to her two spoiled sisters. Being a sister myself, I could somewhat understand her frustration, but Ella acted almost as bad as those two in how she handled them. When the book came to an end, though, after everything Ella had gone through, she came out more mature. Possibly, even, better equipped to deal with those opposing personalities.

Overall, I liked this story. It kept me entertained, but I wasn't in love with it. I would rate Cinder and Ella 3.3 Crazy Hearts, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, dark, twisted fairy tale retelling(-ish), because this book is definitely worth a read. ( )

Cinder and Ella is a fairy-tale re-telling. If you read many of my reviews, you know this is a specific genre that I absolutely adore. Even at 35, I never get tired of fairy tales and Cinderella is one of my favorites.

Melissa Lemon takes a far different path then anything I’ve read yet. She splits Cinderella into two people – Cinder, a daughter who is obedient, servile, meek, and calm and Ella, a fiery-tempered girl who wants something more for her life. Added into the mix is a legend of trees, kidnapping, evil Princes and clumsy Knights.

I will admit, this was a cute story. It had a good message, dealt with some universal themes (needing independence, showing responsibility) and had a sweet love story threaded through it. I think it’s a story that any young girl in her teens would enjoy, provided she wasn’t overly cynical and looking for sparkly vampires or the like.

Still… there was something a bit lacking. I can’t really place my finger on it, but I think it had to do with Cinder. I just couldn’t connect with her, instead getting the feeling that the book was more about Ella. That isn’t in itself a problem, but when you name your book after two characters, I sort of expect them to be equally treated, and they weren’t. Cinder came off as a bit of a sop and Ella was definitely the likeable, easy-to-connect-to character.

All that aside, if you are wanting a bit of a different twist on Cinderella, this isn’t a waste of a read. It’s interesting, cute, will make you laugh and is short enough to read in one sitting. ( )