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Mistress of all evil : a tale of the dark fairy

Valentino, Serena. (Author).

The tale is told as if it's happening once upon a dream: the lovely maiden meets her handsome prince in the woods. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the maiden finds out that she is a princess-a princess who has been cursed by a dark fairy to prick her finger on a spindle and fall into an eternal sleep. Though her three good fairies try to protect her, the princess succumbs to the curse. But the power of good endures, as her true love defeats the fire-breathing dragon and awakens the princess with true love's first kiss. The two live happily ever after. And yet this is only half the story. So what of the dark fairy, Maleficent? Why does she curse the innocent princess? What led to her becoming so filled with hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account, pulled down from the many passed down through the ages. It is a tale of love and betrayal, of magic and reveries. It is a tale of the Mistress of All Evil.

Book  - 2017
FIC Valen
2 copies / 0 on hold

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  • ISBN: 9781368009010
  • Physical Description 320 pages ; 19 cm.
  • Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2017.

Additional Information

Syndetic Solutions - The Horn Book Review for ISBN Number 9781368009010
Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4
Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4
by Valentino, Serena
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The Horn Book Review

Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4

The Horn Book


(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Valentino provides an often-convoluted backstory for Disney-movie villain Maleficent, the Dark Fairy from Sleeping Beauty. Neglected as a baby and bullied by other fairies at school, Maleficent seems doomed to follow the path of evil. Flashbacks to her unhappy childhood intertwine with the adult decisions and painful secrets that lead to her destruction in this forgettable fourth series entry aimed at die-hard Disney fans. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Syndetic Solutions - Kirkus Review for ISBN Number 9781368009010
Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4
Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4
by Valentino, Serena
Rate this title:
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Kirkus Review

Mistress of All Evil-Villains, Book 4

Kirkus Reviews


Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Disney's Villains series' fourth installment highlights Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent.Maleficent turns to the villainous witch trio the Odd Sisters for aid finding Aurora. Although they were lost in the land of dreams after Poor Unfortunate Soul (2016), they give enough advice that Maleficent succeeds in the spindle plot. But Maleficent needs Aurora gone for good, so she abducts Prince Phillip and seeks the assistance of two other powerful witches, Circe and Nanny, to ensure Aurora never wakes. The connections with the previous books of the series (including periodic recaps and reminders as well as appearances by Princess Tulip, Snow White, Queen Grimhilde, and more) as well as the back story shared among Maleficent and the other characters are told in lengthy, sometimes-clunky expository passages and flashbacks. The nonlinear plotting allows for forward plot progression on the storyline with Circe and her sisters, as well as a metafictive one about a storybook. In flashbacks, Maleficent goes from an isolated outcast adopted by Nanny to a victim of extreme bullying to the villain. Feminist Maleficent sneers at the princesses-needing-rescue trope, thereby insidiously reinforcing it, and the book primarily concerns itself with all manner of relationships between females. The story builds to a revelation that answers the question of why Maleficent seeks to destroy Aurora. Aside from colorful Maleficent (she modulates between green and lavender), if other characters' skin tones are described, they're pale. Despite frequently inelegant prose, the story will probably please series fans. (Fantasy. 10-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.