In this prequel to Ella Enchanted, which can stand on its own, young healer Evie is transformed into an ogre by the meddling fairy Lucinda. She’ll turn back only if someone proposes and she accepts!
Returning to the land and many of the characters from her beloved Newbery Honor–winning Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine has written a delightful tale about a clever and endearing heroine who is determined to defy expectations.
Evie is happiest when she is healing people, diagnosing symptoms, and prescribing medications, with the help of her devoted friend (and test subject) Wormy. So when Wormy unexpectedly proposes to her, she kindly turns him down; she has far too much to do to be marrying anyone. And besides, she simply isn’t in love with him.
But a certain meddling fairy named Lucinda has been listening in, and she doesn’t approve of Evie’s rejection. Suddenly, Evie finds herself transformed from a girl into a hideous, hungry ogre. Evie now has only sixty-two days to accept another proposal—or else be stuck as an ogre forever.
Jan’s Review
I received this ARC as part of Miss Print’s ARC Adoption Program
This one was not one of my favorite middle grades that i read, i tend to gravitate towards the ones that have more plot to them. This one has a very simple story line and it does not seem that a lot happens, we have a girl who proposed to, turned into a ogre until she gets someone to fall in love, she very hungry and trys to find out about being an ogre, and she falling love a lot.
No details are spared, from Evie’s constant hunger, eating habits and particular odours, to the eating habits of the other ogres, as well as details surrounding illnesses, death, and beheadings. Which for a middle grade i thought went a bit far in the descriptive area for what and how an ogre acts and feels.
I would of love to see the orgre/dragon lore expolored more then it was and the word meat stick used a whole lot less. I really loved ella enchanted and thought this one would really fall right into my wheel house of good reads but it just did not go that route. So this one ended up at three for me as it was somewhat humorous in the way Evie was as an ogre and did have a few lessons about staying true to who and what you are. A three just as it was just a ho hum read for me.
