I fell in love with these characters. Ella is of Hispanic descendance (her mom was Chilean) and she went through a horrible accident and even worse recovery. Her life is full of pain, disappointment, despair, constant therapy and doctor’s appointments, and to top it all she needs to move to a new place with people she doesn’t know. She’s fun, smart, pretty, geeky, a fantasy hard-core fan, and a book blogger! She was a bit whiney, but she had the right to be, and she was also very strong.
“I sat in my chair, staring at the e-mail while the room spun around me. Ella was alive. Ella had e-mailed me. And she missed me. It was almost too miraculous to believe.”
Cinder - is handsome, brilliant, closet geek, upcoming actor Brian Oliver – user name. He found Ella through her blog and became best friends through their love of books and movies. They fell in love with each other in a platonic sort of way. Cinder was devastated when Ella disappeared out if his life and he feared she was dead (she almost was.)
The banter between these two! Their conversations and even their thoughts are gems to be treasured. I loved their relationship and specially the way that Cinder always made her a priority, even when he as pressured by others to do things he didn’t want to do. This sort of devotion, in spite of all the odds, is just so sweet and touching.
“Ella: You wouldn’t know normal if it bit you on your ridiculously good-looking face
Cinder: You’re never seen my face. How do you know it’s good-looking?
Ella: Because no ugly person could have an ego as big as you.”
Julliette, the good twin (as opposed to the evil twin) turned out to be a great friend and ally. She introduced Vivian to Ella and they bonded instantly. Not only that, but Vivian’s dad sort of “adopted” her and supported her emotionally. Rob is interested in Ella and also becomes a good friend when he realizes that her heart belongs to another. Anastasia (the evil twin) and Kaylee were awful typical bi**** (pardon my French.)
Don’t get me started on Ellla’s dad! Why is it that common for men to remarry and forget about their children from the previous marriage? He sold Ella’s books, I felt faint at the very though! He and his new family were quite oblivious to Ella and her emotional turmoil. I don’t think that most of the time they were cruel on purpose (well, except Anastasia, she was horrible), but rather lacked understanding, empathy and common sense. Most of them redeemed themselves by the end, but I think they needed to work a lot more on becoming, if not a family, friends.
“Cinder? I wanted to kick myself for how small my voice sounded.
“Ellamara! That is you. My beautiful and wise mystic priestess of the Realm, we speak at last.”
“Holy crap, your voice is sexy!”
The writing is awesome. As I said, the dialogue is a gem. This is not a fluffy romance, it deals with a lot of issues, such as abandonment, suicide, gay marriage, divorce, and abuse. It is intense and at moments heartbreaking. But it’s SO good.
Overall, Cinder & Ella is a must read for all lovers of contemporary romance. Trust me on this, you won’t regret it.
About the cover: I’m not a fan of the cover. It is too literal and it doesn’t do this awesome book any justice.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC