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My brother and mother fought over who would gift me this starting book series for Christmas last year — the Villains Series by Serena Valentino. All growing up I was an avid reader, but after college and required reading, it wasn’t as fun. The day after Christmas though with this series, I stole away from family constantly to power through the first book. Finished it the first day. I decided to wait until we got home to read the rest of the original set of three books. But it didn’t take long!
This really is the most interesting book series I’ve read in a long time. They have also rekindled my love for reading, pulling me away ever-so-often from social media, which is a great thing!
Books In the Series
- “Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen” – Queen Grimhilde from “Snow White”
- “The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince” – The Prince from “Beauty and the Beast”
- “Poor Unfortunate Souls: A Tale of the Sea Witch“ – Ursula from “The Little Mermaid”
- “Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy” – Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty”
- “Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch” – Mother Gothel from “Tangled”
- “The Odd Sisters: A Villains Novel” – New characters that tie the above storylines together
- “Evil Thing” – Cruella De Vil from “101 Dalmatians”
- “Cold Hearted” – Lady Tremaine from “Cinderella”
Series Premise
So the general idea of the books is understanding the villains from the Disney Princess stories. You learn their backstories, and why they did what they did. The background reminds me a lot of the current obsession with crime podcasts. You want to get to know the background of the characters, and what happened to them. You get to know both sides of the story. Not that you condone or accept their actions, but the life experiences of these villains have guided their actions.
I really enjoyed that the stories don’t retell the princess side of the story much. The part of the villain’s life where the princess is introduced isn’t more than a few pages. The story we know from the Disney movies is barely mentioned, with some memorable phrases repeated. You really are getting fully new adventures.
As for reading the stories in order, I don’t think it’s necessary. But it definitely helps to piece some sub-plots together. The books reference things from other fairy tales, but if you have seen the Disney movies, you should be fine.
Sub-Storylines
There are almost two different sets in this series. Books 1-6 become tied together with another sub-storyline. You can picture the different villains actually knowing each other in the Many Kingdoms. I never pictured the Disney princesses all living within the same time and location, but they fit together! Especially with the addition of The Odd Sisters, who are integral troublemakers through each of the stories.
Nothing for certain, but I suspect that books 7-9 will connect together with a new subplot. The plot of “Evil Thing” didn’t seem to fit the original series, but it’s has similarities to the next book, “Cold Hearted.” There is a connection between Cruella and Lady Tremaine — cursed jade jewelry sold by a pirate, and the upcoming book is about Captain Hook. Nothing for certain, but I suspect he will be connected to the cursed jewelry somehow.
Caution For Younger Readers
My daughter is eight-years-old and an avid reader herself. When she saw me reading these stories, she wanted to join in. But the content is a little more mature and dark than most of the other books she reads. The stories are the backgrounds of the villains, and there was darkness that drove them to evil. This includes things like suicide, planning killings, bigotry, and lots of hate. They aren’t gory or graphic, but they do have a darker feel to them. Check with your younger readers to make sure they understand what’s being discussed. The most intense book is probably “Mother Knows Best” about Mother Gothel. The Odd Sisters are pretty intense throughout most of the stories as well.
My Ratings and The Ones I’ll Reread
DISCLAIMER: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD. NOT ANY BIG DETAILS, BUT SOME SMALL MENTIONS.
The Winners
“Fairest of All,” about Queen Grimhilde from “Snow White,” is definitely a favorite. It might be because it was such a new feeling to books I’ve read before. Being the first book in the series, it gets to set the pace for the other stories.
“The Beast Within,” about the Prince from “Beauty and the Beast,” is also a great read. Without giving too much away, you also get to learn more about Gaston’s backstory.
I’ve always been intrigued by Maleficent, and “Mistress of All Evil” does not disappoint. The story clashes slightly with the live-action Angelina Jolie versions, but still creates connections you may have not realized. You also get to learn more about Fairy Godmother.
“Cold Hearted” about Lady Tremaine will truly break your heart. If you compare her to the other villains, she’s one of the few without any interaction with magic. Her story is much more relatable to real-life situations than the others.
The Okay Stories
“Mother Knows Best” and “The Odd Sisters” were much darker, but they did resolve a lot of open plot lines. So, you definitely need to read them but I didn’t enjoy them as much as the others. I also just didn’t crave to know what was happening in these stories. Maybe because the “Tangled” storyline hasn’t been connected to me for as long as the other Princess stories? Or with The Odd Sisters being new characters? Mother Gothel’s story is definitely the darkest though, so that might have irked me away more.
The Disappointments
My favorite Disney Princess movie is “The Little Mermaid” and I was really disappointed by Ursula’s backstory in “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Like with Maleficent, the book story clashed with her background from “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.”
“Evil Thing” about Cruella De Vil was the hardest book to read, because the writing style changes. This story is told in first-person by Cruella herself instead of told as an onlooker, like the other books. The change really threw me, and it took me longer to read because I didn’t connect as quickly.
Awaiting The Next Title
Coming out Summer 2022 is book nine, “Never Never” about Captain Hook from “Peter Pan,” and I cannot wait! We’ll see how well my prediction holds up!
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