Fairest-- Gail Carson Levine
Aza isn’t beautiful, she isn’t even cute. She’s ugly. Everyone knows it, she knows it. She’s big, awkward, and her dark hair clashes horribly with her pale face. She’s surprised when she’s asked to the castle and even more so when she’s asked to stay. Soon she starts to realize that not all is well in the kingdom, but if she plays her cards right she may find beauty… or more.Fairest… Fairest, Fairest, Fairest. Hm… I’m just going to say it. I’m disappointed. I wonder if I wouldn’t be disappointed if Levine hadn’t written something like Ella Enchanted. Then again… Fairest really wasn’t very good. The story was interesting, but the characters were confusing and complex. And things happened that didn’t seem right. People changed their minds too quickly. The love story in the book didn’t capture me, in fact it made me think, “You think that is love? Are you crazy?” there were a few rare moments when I thought it was a really fascinating story, but not many.
Levine is going to be in my area soon and I’m planning on going to see her. I suppose I’ll have to bite my tongue instead of shouting, “What happened?!”
I think… I would recommend this book, but not if you’re a die-heart Ella fan, because it’s no Ella. Have patience, some parts may not agree with you, but I thought the epilogue was very sweet.
So there’s my slightly-ambiguous entry.
~Enna Isilee
Coming soon, a review on Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange.
I actually really enjoyed Fairest, but I didn't quite buy the love story either.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think Ella Enchanted was a bit better :o)
ReplyDeleteElla Enchanted was a thousand times better than Fairest. I'm glad I read Fairest (and I couldn't put it down) but I'm so glad that I got it from the library instead of . It was just an okay book, nothing stellar, though the premise was very interesting. It just wasn't as well-executed as I expected.
ReplyDeleteIt's intresting how many mixed reviews there have been over Fairest. I personally really, really liked it, and I've known others to feel the same, but there are also a lot of people who really didn't like it at all.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree.
ReplyDeleteYou've got me intrigued. I liked Ella, I'll have to see what I think of this one. (I'm a sucker for a princess story.)
ReplyDeleteAnd who isn't?
ReplyDeleteBoring people.
ReplyDeleteI kind of liked it, but it didn't seem like they loved each other more than they liked each other.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to hold a candle to anything so I don't get disappointed easily. To me, Fairest was good. It's amazing how much my brain can forget. I'll have to do a rereading soon.
ReplyDeleteyou guys are mean. lets say that Levine actually saw this. Something to think about, huh?
ReplyDeletethey aren't being mean, they're just saying thier honest opinions. if i was an author i'd like to hear feedback. and not alwasy the"omg you're so good!" kind.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that a lot of these types of books tend to have a love interest like that. it isn't very believable, more liking than love. but i think it must be hard to try and write about love convincingly. its a very complex emotion, so i can imagine it would be hard to write it just right.
I liked this book though. and i loved ella enchanted. was anyone else hugely disappointed with the movie version of the book? i was shocked by how bad it was.
I love this book! This book is my favorite!!!!! I just love this book so much i cant even explain it!
ReplyDelete