Reviews Week 31

 Reviews Week 31

August 1st-7th

Book 96: Ogre Enchanted

By Gail Carson Levine 

Read on August 1st

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Ella Enchanted was one of my favorite books when I was a young teen. I remember reading it three or four times in ninth grade, and I adored Ella as a character. Ella, Char, and Mandy were some of my favorite characters then. So, I was excited when I heard that Gail had written a prequel to Ella Enchanted. This book was pretty good, and I liked Evie as a character.

It was interesting to see Evie try to control her ogrish feelings throughout the novel. She still had human tendencies, such as her need to heal someone, which got pretty humorous. This mixed in with her wanting to eat people and fighting these feelings, gave a lot of laughs. I thought it was interesting to see a character written in this way. There were a lot of great moments that Gail wrote in these scenes.

Evie's whole idea of marriage was annoying. She's so against marrying Wormy at the very beginning of the book, which is entirely understandable. I liked her character in these early scenes, especially her decision after Lucinda changes her into an ogre. Lucinda is still the same as she was in Ella Enchanted, annoying as ever with her "gifts." I put the rest as a spoiler for this, but I will say that I was not too fond of many scenes after Evie leaves to find someone to propose to her.

Spoiler in red. 

Then, Evie falls in love with the first guy she meets and wants to marry him immediately. Well, at least she thinks she does, and I was not a fan of that whole storyline. After everything she said when Wormy proposed to her, it felt like a 180 for her as a character. I'm completely fine with the idea that she does not want to get married at such a young age and should not be forced to by a meddling fairy. I did not like the way she fell for Sir Peter the way she did. Then, how she thinks she is in love with every other eligible bachelor afterward. This being said, I'm not the intended audience for this book who might enjoy all the love interests much more than I did. I just think that the love story in Ella Enchanted was much better than this. 

The setting of this book and the world that Gail has created are the best aspects of the book. It is great being back in this world again, and it was just as enjoyable as Ella's. Also, Gail's writing style is beautiful, and I did not want to put this down once I got into the plot.

The ending was probably the most enjoyable part of this book besides the setting, especially with Lady Eleanor and Mandy. I was excited to see Mandy make an appearance. She was always one of my favorites from the original book. I have to say I had a hard time not comparing this to that book the entire time while reading this, and it's been a long time since I have.

I'm glad that I have finally read this and getting back into the land of Frell and those surrounding it made me happy. It was an enjoyable read for the most part, and it made me want to pick up Ella Enchanted again for the first time in so many years. I believe that this book would be great for the young teens out there. I'm sure I would have enjoyed reading this book even more when I had first read Ella Enchanted.

Book 97: Disney Masters Vol. 9: Mickey Mouse: The Ice Sword Saga

By Massimo De Vita

Read on August 2nd

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I had a good time reading this and the sequel. They both made me think of the old Mickey Mouse cartoons I used to watch as a kid on the Disney Channel. I always enjoyed those, and I enjoyed the fantasy world that they created here. It was based on Asgard and Norse Mythology, which was just neat. Mickey and Goofy in Norse worlds, what a concept. Also, the illustrations were beautiful.

Book 98: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Ice Sword Saga Book II

By Massimo De Vita

Read on August 2nd

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I enjoyed this sequel, especially Goofy's fourth wall breaking.

Book 99: The Other Alice

By Michelle Harrison

Read on August 3rd-

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Ever since I first read Inkheart, I have always been a fan of books where the author of a story gets to meet their creations. It would be cool to travel into your own story and meet your characters or have them come out in your own world. In Alice's case, it's not everything I would hope it would be. I wouldn't want to meet some of the villains I have created over the years.

I won't get into how Alice's characters start traveling into our world, but it was such a neat idea. This book was so entertaining from the beginning until the end. I want to read the book within this story so much, especially to see more of Alice's characters.

It was great that this story was told from someone else's perspective other than Alice. Midge was a great protagonist in this story, and I liked following him as he tried to find his sister. This story had so many elements that I love in fantasy, talking cats, witches, great villains, a curse, and mysterious aspects.

Overall, I really loved this book quite a bit and cannot wait to read more from Michelle Harrison sometime.

Book 100: Almost There

By Farrah Rochon 

Read on August 5th-6th

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I am a big fan of The Princess and the Frog and have been highly looking forward to this new take on the story ever since I first heard about it. This story was absolutely beautiful!

Tiana is one of my favorite Disney princesses, and I was looking forward to seeing more of her story and the other characters. There was so much to love about this book, especially the characters and setting. One of the most important aspects of Tiana's story is the restaurant that she opens with her father. It was great finally getting to see her fulfill this dream and see the success she got from opening it. The setting of New Orleans is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the movie, and I love what Farrah Rochon did with that in this book. It feels so true to that setting.

Tiana is such a strong character that you can't help but root for in all her actions. The deal that she makes with Dr. Facilier makes sense for her to make, even though you know it won't work out in her favor. I love how hard-working she is as a character, but it was great being able to see her learn to let others help her. I loved seeing her work with Naveen, Louis, and Charlotte throughout this book. It was great being able to see even more of these characters and even Dr. Facilier. He's such a fantastic villain, and it was interesting to see more of his motivations throughout this book. I'm glad we got to see his perspective throughout the book. Naveen and Louis were just as great as ever. I won't spoil the plot with them.

I'd also like to talk about Charlotte. Charlotte is such a sweet character who cares so deeply for Tiana, and I'm glad we got to see so much more of their friendship. Her development and story with everyone else was probably one of my favorite aspects of the book. I love Charlotte in the movie, and I'm glad that she was given a more significant role in this book.

Also, seeing more of Tiana and her family was another great addition to this book. The ending was so touching and hit me hard.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 101: Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix

By Anna-Marie McLemore

Read on August 5th-6th

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One of the books I have wanted the most for years was a retelling of The Great Gatsby where Nick and Gatsby fell in love. I'm happy to say that this beauty came out after nine years of this hope. The Great Gatsby is one of my all-time favorite stories, and as Anna-Marie McLemore says in her author's note, I always believed that Nick loved Jay. I have wanted a story like this ever since I first read the original.

This story was so beautiful, and I loved the audiobook narration. It was narrated by two different people, Avi Roque and Kyla Garcia. They both did an incredible job and helped draw me even more into the story. It was great having both narrators and getting Nick's and Daisy's distinct voices. Daisy's letters to various people throughout the book gave me even more insight into this character and made me love her.

The romance was beautiful and sweet. I loved getting so much of Gatsby and Nick spending time together throughout the novel. Also, the representation in this book was phenomenal. We had so many queer and Latinx characters. Nick's search for his identity as a Latinx trans man was so important to the overall story. It was so special seeing how many people accepted him in this version of 1920s New York and the community that he was able to form with these people. Especially at the club behind the shop, on Nick's birthday. Those scenes were great. I'm glad he was able to connect with Jay, who was also a transgender man, and how Jay helped him learn about New York society.

I have never been a fan of Daisy's character in the original novel, but I loved her in this book. Her letters to her family back home and other characters were some of the best parts of this entire novel. They gave a look into this character that is unexpected at times. She is a character trying hard to make her way in a society she knows will not accept her for who she is. It's wonderful to see where Anna-Marie takes this storyline with her. Also, I want to touch on Jordan. She was a wonderful character I adored from her introduction in this story until the end. The Jordan in the original novel will never have anything on this Jordan.

I could gush about this book for days, and I'm glad that we get to have a book like this for teens to be able to read. Gatsby is one of my favorite stories, but I have got to say that this version makes me so happy, and I know I will read it over and over again.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*