Gwenette is Ella's mother and Mittie Purcy's sister. She is a very strong woman who instills the qualities of determination and hope in her daughter. Eventually, she, along with the others in her family, becomes banished to the States after her third offence. The thing that makes Ella Enchanted one of my favorite fairy tale retellings is that the clever and seamless incorporation of Ella’s curse provides the story a much bulkier message for young readers: one about the importance of free will and the control that others will always try to exert over us, and the fact that sufficient determination to do the right thing will prevail against even the most improbable odds. These are the truths at the hearts of Ella’s story, and it just so happens that they are presented in the midst of a story that is indescribably magical and charming. At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." In response to the first proclamation proscribing the use of the letter “Z,” Tassie warns, “it stands to rob us of the freedom to communicate without any manner of fetter or harness” [p. 10]. In what sense can Ella Minnow Pea be read as a satire of censorship and the restriction of free speech? Can she figure out what to do? Ella needs to catch the killer before he strikes again and takes down another victim. Can she use her photographic memory and tune into her instincts to catch a killer? Or will she find that she is the one that goes down? Read this novel to keep up with all that happens!

Overall Review: Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite fairy tale retellings of all time. It's a perfect fantasy: A `damsel in distress', a prince, an indifferent parent, fairies (including a fairy godmother!), man-eating ogres, future-telling gnomes, fun-loving giants, talented elves, an evil step-mother (of course!!), evil and greedy stepsisters... Put all those characters together and add some spur of the moment travels, finishing school, a few balls, and, above all, a curse, and you have a recipe for something unforgettable! The absence of a strong male figure within the family leaves room to shed considerably more light on inter-female conflicts (115). When council representatives come to confiscate Rory Cummel’s property, they tell him they are only doing the will of Nollop and that “There is no other Supreme Being but Nollop” [p. 121]. Seen in light of recent events, in the Middle East and elsewhere, can the novel be read as a commentary on religious authoritarianism? What does the novel suggest about the dangers of humans assuming they know God’s will with absolute certainty? I never liked Cinderella as a kid. It seemed like whenever she got into trouble, her best plan was to burst into tears and wait for someone to come along and help her. I also wondered, even if she couldn't leave her stepmother's house, could she at least tell the awful woman to go make her own damn breakfast once in a while? As far as little cynical-as-hell Madeline was concerned, Cinderella was a spineless twinkie who was painfully useless.

Female depiction

Georgeanne becomes more and more lonely with so few people left on the island, and she takes to painting her own body. She uses toxic paint to do so however, and she dies of lead poisoning. Tanya also leaves Nollop and takes Paula with her, feeling that Nollop is now a wasteland. Only 14 letters remain, with four days left to complete the Council’s challenge, and “G” has just fallen. Ella stops writing to her family in America, finding it too tiring to try to express herself with so few letters. Although not strictly a romcom, Ryan O’Connell’s uplifting Just By Looking at Him, published earlier this month, offers much-needed representation to LGBTQ+ people with disabilities – the main character being a gay man with cerebral palsy – while Florence Given’s Girlcrush, published in August, is described by the author as: “queer, hilarious and full of joy”. Matt Cain’s latest novel The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle follows Albert, a closeted 64-year-old postman, as he sets out to reconnect with his former boyfriend. Cain believes the increase in LGBTQ+ fiction is in part the result of “greater visibility”, which he says has “showed the general population that we’re just like them”. Then a killer makes their move in the Louisiana swamps, and Ella starts to find out that dealing with the reality of killers and their victims is something that she could have never fully participated for. Dealing with a real killer and with time running out, Ella knows that she cannot depend on her studies alone. Soooo I guess I’m gonna be the first one to say that I was a bit disappointed by this version of the book. Largely because of the popularity of Netflix’s Bridgerton, there’s a new demand for queer regency romcoms. One such historical romance is Alexis Hall’s A Lady for a Duke , which has a transgender heroine. Meanwhile Lex Croucher’s Infamous, out in July, is described on the cover as “ Booksmart meets Bridgerton”, and includes bisexual, lesbian and non-binary characters. Croucher’s previous novel Reputation was another regency-era romcom. “The publishing industry is coming to the realisation that there is an audience for this stuff, there is money to be made telling these stories,” Croucher says.

it's an interesting retelling because the classic cinderella is also endlessly obedient, though she doesn't have a curse on her like ella. she's obedient because of feminine socialization and cultural expectations. this book is wonderful for naming inescapable obedience a curse, as it is. Lots of adventure and action. This book is looking for someone - people - to share an adventure with. We join Ella as she embarks on a quest, to find a way to get rid of her curse. Take it from me, it was a wonderful experience. Have I mentioned I love middle grade? Because hey, guess what, I absolutely goddamn love middle grade. (I feel like I shouldn’t say “goddamn” in a review of a children’s book, but also I am still me. I still have my brand to look out for, regardless of target audiences.)

Publication Order of Ella Dark Books

Logan doesn't do relationships. Tate doesn't do men. But what would happen if they both just gave in and...tried?

What strategies do the islanders use to protest, oppose, and finally overthrow the tyranny of the High Council? How do these strategies create suspense in the novel? It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.Night after night Tate fends off the persistent advances of the undeniably charismatic man, but after an explosive moment in the bar, all bets are off as he finds his body stirring with a different desire than his mind.