My reading hit a dry spell, but I was feeling that urge to read something! The closest book to grab was one of my daughter’s most recent library books.
If you love Disney princesses and villainesses (the latter is not coming up as a correct word, but using it anyway), then Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy by Serena Valentino is the book for you. This book makes mention of just about all of them: Snow White and her mother, Ursula, Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, Circe… So many names and scenarios in the beginning that a reader may feel a bit lost.
The main story, though, is Maleficent’s. We flashback to her abandonment in the fairy woods as a baby; even the kindly Fairy Godmother left her for dead. Luckily, the Godmother’s sister, Nanny, decided to take Maleficent in and raised her. Life turned sour when she became sixteen, and unleashed her horrible rage in the form of a dragon that destroyed the fairy land. She became reclusive until a temptation pulled her from her lair.
SPOILER AHEAD- The temptation is the big twist: finding out that Aurora is Maleficent’s daughter. And this is where the story just gets away from me. I can’t wrap my head around Maleficent’s intention of killing Aurora to “keep her safe from herself.” The story has some cool moments and twists, but some of the attempts to connect the tales feel a bit forced.
Those who love the combination of all these tales will be enchanted.
Read, Review, Repeat 