Chapter Thirty-Five: Ella Enchanted

This is another old favorite that I decided to reread, and this was definitely a solid decision.  Gail Carson Levine's retelling of Cinderella is pure fun!  Ella is a great character: she's spunky, strong, smart--and allowed to stay that way!  Prince Char is also pretty great: kind, accepting, intelligent, and heir to the throne--what more could a girl ask for?  Maybe my favorite aspect of this retelling is the addition of the curse of obedience that has been placed on Ella and which she is attempting to break.  Not only does this curse create some interesting plot twists, but it also allows the main focus of the story to be Ella's struggle to free herself rather than a simple quest for a hunky prince.  This retelling of Cinderella is fun, sassy, and definitely worth the time it takes to read it!