Cinder & Ella
Hi and welcome to my very first book review! I am so excited to start sharing my thoughts and reading experiences with all of you.
When I first came across Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram I honestly didn’t know what to expect. There are so many different adaptations of the same story. This book puts a modern Hollywood spin on the tale and it’s one I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed. Ellamara, the main character is witty, sassy but most of all raw and real.
The book starts with an introduction of the main character. Ella, a girl abandoned by her father and raised by her mother, delves into a world of books and blogging. She reveals a prior developed relationship with a user named cinder who she's grown very close to over the last three years.
The interesting thing is that both characters have remained anonymous and have no clue as to each others identities.
The story takes a turn when Ella and her mother suffer a tragic accident in which Ella’s mother dies. To top it off Ella is left with severe burns covering 75% of her body and in the care of a father who she assumed wanted nothing to do with her.
Prior to Ella’s accident, she lived in Boston Massachusetts while her best friend “Cinder” who we later find out is none other than Hollywood playboy/teen heartthrob Brian Oliver lived in Los Angeles. Ironically Ella is now living in Los Angeles with her father, step mother and two step sisters Anastasia and Juliette.
Ella has a hard time fitting in and adjusting to her new life due to bullying because of her disabilities. While her sister Anastasia is trouble and gives her a hard time, Ella soon finds out that just maybe her step sister Juliette isn’t so bad. Friends come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes in the most unconventional ways.
The story takes us on a journey of developing self worth, the mending of a relationship between father and daughter and the blossoming of a love story that even appearances can’t sever for beauty is only skin deep.
I recommend you read this book for a refreshing spin on a classic story.
