Mistress of Evil

Maleficent Novelization #2

by Elizabeth Rudnick (Adapter)

A deluxe novelization of the Walt Disney Pictures film Mistress of Evil , starring Angelina Jolie.

This visually stunning live action film continues the fantasy adventure started in the "origin" story of Maleficent . This sequel explores the complex relationship between the horned fairy and Princess Aurora, as they face new threats to the magical land of the Fair Folk.

The movie stars Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie in the titular role, and is directed by Oscar-nominated Joachim Rønning ( Kon-Tiki, Pirates of the Dead Men Tell No Tales ). The film co-stars Elle Fanning ( Super 8 ) as Princess Aurora and Golden Globe-recipient Michelle Pfeiffer ( The Fabulous Baker Boys , The Wizard of Lies) as Queen Ingrith . Mistress of Evil also features Chiwetel Ejiofor ( 12 Years A Slave, Doctor Strange ), Imelda Staunton ( Harry Potter and the Deathly Part 1) , and Lesley Manville ( Phantom Thread ).

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Magic, Audiobook, Fiction, Romance

281 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

About the author

his is the part I'm always the worst at—talking about myself! So as you've figured out, my name is Elizabeth Rudnick and I'm a young adult author. I'm also a Senior Editor at Disney Press in New York City. I've edited books based on movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Prince of Persia as well as Miley Cyrus's memoir, Miles to Go, which was a New York Times bestseller (imagine if Tweet Heart was too!) and a total blast to work on.

When I'm not working, I live in Connecticut with a big mutt named Jack Dyson (because he has the ability to suck up anything in his way) and have a habit of watching hours of mindless television. I like to think of it as research!

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good movie tie-in, I really do! If it's well written, so the writing is smooth, and well-packaged, it's so fun to read, especially if you loved the movie. Which I did! I really loved both Maleficent movies, and I love how they're packaging these "villain" stories, with the velvety black hardcovers and the decorated pages! I liked that this book gave you more of a view into Queen Indrith's thoughts and motives (the appeal of tie-ins is this, and if there are any deleted scenes they kept in the book). I feel like the parts with Maleficent's people went by too fast, because she didn't (thankfully) stop to describe every twig of every nest and every feather of every wing . . . so much of these stories is so visual! But it's a very nice novelization, and if you're a Maleficent fan from way back, as I am, obviously you need this!

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book! It completely blew me away! Once I got into the story, set after the events of the first movie, of course – where Aurora is trying to maintain her Realm. There’s definitely troubles, though, as the Fae folk can’t help but notice some of their kind are going missing, not turning up without a trace or even a whisper of their whereabouts!
As it happens, not all is exactly healthy with the human realm, with a traitor in their midst, plotting the downfall of not only all of the Fae but also some of their own!
What stood out to me the most when reading this and I wasn’t surprised at all given the impact of the previous and first installment, Malificent, was how much love and heart that was embedded throughout this book! Between Aurora and Maleficent, and of course the to be wedded Aurora and Phillip. Of course though, this is where it started to get angsty and heart wrenching, it was just so heartfelt! I felt the characters pain and hurt! See, Aurora and Phillip as we know utterly adore one another, but Aurora adores Maleficent too, essentially she’s the surrogate Mother that raised Aurora so beautifully, I just felt how much they love one another!The hurt when Maleficent thinks Aurora would choose her future Mother-In-Law over her (it just hurt so much!) and the anger that built in Maleficent at this, only to be escalated by finding out that there are actually more Dark Fey, more of her kind….just, wow!
But really, what catapults everything into chaos is a dinner plotted by …well, I’m not at all going to say, but lets just say someone has a huge hidden hatred for the Fey! What followed was such an epic, nail biting quest for revenge, but with a hope of literal unity between the humans and Fae!
An absolute must, must read for any Disney fans!

For more of my book reviews, check out my blog - brooklynthebookworm.wordpress.com :)

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just amazing. Maleficent is the best Disney “villain” in my opinion. The story just flowed and went with the narrative. I’ve been on such a Disney kick hope it doesn’t end! Now gotta watch these movies 🥰

[Jenny (Bookbookowl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Scholastic Australia for sending me a copy of Maleficent, in exchange for an honest review!

I know the story of Sleeping Beauty, but I haven't actually got around to watching Maleficent yet, however that didn't affect my enjoyment of this book.  I absolutely love fairytales focusing on the villains side of things, especially when we get to experience the glimpses behind why they are the way they are.  As an aside, the stunning cover, with the spot gloss damask background, is also a beautiful edition to my shelf!

In this book, Queen Ingrith is a cold character, prejudiced against the folk of the Moor in all their forms and unwilling to entertain the idea of them living in peace.  She is not at all impressed by the news her son intends to marry Aurora and sets out to use their pending marriage as a way to pull off her own plans. Maleficent just as unhappy about the upcoming nuptials, but is willing to try her hardest for the sake of Aurora's happiness.  

The story unfolded so well as a standalone book, making this a fun fairytale read, whether you've seen the movie or not.  I especially enjoyed Diaval's character and the magical descriptions of the Moors.   I'm looking forward to watching the movie now, to round out the experience!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maleficent mistress of evil takes place five years after the events of the last book. Faeries have been going missing from the moors, and Maleficent believes humans are the cause. Aurora is 21 and in love with prince Phillip, and soon to be married. Phillips parents, are overjoyed at the news, or the King is anyway. Queen Ingrith is a cold and evil character. She despises faerie folk and moor folk alike. Ingrith wants to destroy the moors and all who dwell within it, simply because she believes that humans and faeries can’t live peacefully together. Maleficent doesn’t like queen Ingrith from the second she lays eyes on her, and framing Maleficent for the kings sudden ailment doesn’t make it any better. After Maleficent is shot down from an iron bullet and proclaimed dead, she is rescued and saved...by dark fey, Maleficent's own kind. They’ve been forced to live in hiding because of humans and their destructive ways. Maleficent finds hope and friendship amongst her own kind, and confusion too since she grew up believing she was the only one of her kind. Queen Ingrith wants a war, and because of her cold and evil ways, she gets one. I hated Queen Ingrith, she was so determined to start a war and cause problems that didn’t exist until she made it happen. She’s a cold vile woman who doesn’t deserve to be married to such a wonderful king who only wants peace and prosperity like his son Phillip. King John is nothing like King Stefan, who Maleficent was forced to kill. King Stefan was riddled with paranoia and determined to exact revenge and outsmart Maleficent for something he started, by cutting her wings away. Whilst King John only craves peace and happiness, very unlike his evil wife. I think Queen Ingrith got what she deserved in the end, she stirred the pot and caused all this chaos, she deserved worse in my opinion. I was certainly surprised by Maleficent's...transformation. I certainly didn’t see that coming. This book was an excellent read and I can’t wait to see it in theatres on October 18. Definitely a five star read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Disney and a story with lots of magic.

[Luce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look I just really love Maleficent ok

[Stef (Noveltea Corner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


There’s something deeply compelling about the stories of villains, and the villains of Disney films have always been iconic. Maleficent is perhaps one of the most striking villains, and her story, retold in the first film Maleficent, was a deeply compelling tale of what happens when love goes wrong and you’re betrayed by the ones you least expect.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a novelisation of the sequel film, following the events of the first film and how Maleficent and Princess Aurora have become family, and how that family is once again threatened by those who distrust anyone from the Moors. As Aurora accepts Prince Phillip’s marriage proposal, the possibility of united the Fair Folk and human realms seems possible, until a curse befalls Phillip’s father, the King, and the blame falls on Maleficent’s shoulders.

I enjoyed reading this middle-grade novelisation. It prompted me to finally sit down and watch the first Maleficent film. It was nice to have the visuals to support the description in this book. The language and storyline are easy to follow and we have the added bonus of perspectives from different characters – Aurora, Maleficent, Phillip and others.

The book itself is gorgeous, with illustrated chapter titles and decorative elements throughout the book that make it an aesthetically pleasing book to look at. (Or gift to someone who loves to read stories set in the world of Disney stories!)

This is the perfect book for younger, avid readers who enjoy fantasy books filled with magic and mystery.

[Meredith Spidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Disney publishes these books to accompany new movie releases--perfect for my young book-lovers in this house! And what a wonderful way to celebrate the new Maleficent movie and keep the fun going! Thanks for sending an ARC my way, Disney!

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always get nervous reading books around a Disney universe. I generally worry that the book won’t set the scene as well as the movie would, the characters won’t be written accurately or even the storyline won’t be as smooth and portrayed correctly. So when I received this book, I started to get nervous before I started reading but soon found that I had nothing to worry about at all.
From the very first line of the book, you fall into the wonderful world that Disney has created, you can see the characters clearly in your mind, as well as the settings. Honestly there wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t like, nor made me think that it wasn’t based around Maleficent at all.
While this story is based on the second movie instalment (if you haven’t watched the movie then maybe don’t continue to read on) and with such a small book you would figure that they haven’t captured almost a 2 hour movie within the pages but they actually have.
Straight away you follow the engagement of Aurora to the Prince and how this impacts the two lands and how Maleficent is torn between her duties to the land and her love for Aurora.

Overall this was a beautiful read and the book you need to devour in one sitting. I highly recommend that you add this to your TBR!

[Mohammed omran · Rating 4 out of 5]

الفكرة الفلسفيَّة عن عن تفسير نشأة الشرّ في النفس البشريَّة. ولا شكّ أن موضوع “الشرّ” من أشد الموضوعات جدليَّةً في تاريخ الفلسفات والأديان، وإحدى معضلات الفلسفة العامَّة. فما بين مذاهب ترى الشرّ مُكوِّنًا من مكونات الحياة، وما بين مذاهب جعلت الشرّ إلهًا مساويًا للخير (مثل الزرادشتيَّة) نطالع في مؤلفات الفلسفة الكثير من التفسيرات. لكنَّ الفيلم اهتمّ اهتمامًا بارزًا للغاية بمناقشة فكرتين:

فكرة نشوء الشرّ في النفوس، وليس نشأة الشرّ أو خلقه الأوَّل. أيْ حاول الفيلم تفسير اتجاه النفس الإنسانيَّة للشرّ وللفعل الشرير. فعل ذلك من خلال تتبُّع اتجاه كل شخصيَّة شريرة إلى شرِّها؛ كيف حدث؟! .. هنا يبرز لنا اسم الفيلم “سيدة الشرّ” ونرى من خلاله هل “مالفسينت” سيدة للشرّ حقًّا؟! وهل للشرّ سيدة أو سيد؟! هناك نجد “البشر” الذين يتأهبون دومًا لفعل الشرّ تجاه “الغابة” ومخلوقاتها العجيبة؛ لأنَّهم يرون فيهم غرابةً عنهم، واختلافًا يدفعهم إلى تبنِّي حدوث الشرّ من تلك الغابة ومخلوقاتها. لذا اختاروا موقفًا ابتدائيًّا هو “العداء” واستباق الغابة بالشرّ. ونرى على الصعيد الآخر “الغابة” ومخلوقاتها الذين يرون في البشر عدوًّا فطريًّا من اعتداءات سابقة من البشر عليهم، مما جعلهم متوجِّسين خِيفةً من هؤلاء البشر ومن كل ما يأتي منهم. ونجد “جانّ الظلام” الذين تأذوا من حرب البشر القديمة عليهم، وما ألحقوه بهم من الإي��اء. مما جعلهم في حال من الكراهية الفطريَّة في أجيالهم الجديدة من هذا الشرّ الذي يسمَّى البشر؛ خاصةً مع أجيال تلاحق أجيالاً تلقن هذا التعليم وتنبه من أخطار البشر.

وعلى جانب الأفراد نجد “مالفسينت” التي تتأذّى من البشر وأفعالهم -منذ الجزء الأول- وكيف تتأرجح بين الخير والشرّ نتيجةً لأفعال بعض أفراد البشر قديمًا وحديثًا -في جزئنا هذا-. ونجد “الملكة” التي بدتْ طوال الفيلم رمزًا للشرّ هي الأخرى بدأ الشر يتسلل إلى قلبها جرَّاء ظلم قديم وقع عليها. ونجد “الأميرة النائمة” نفسها جنحت إلى ما يشبه الشر عندما خُدعتْ -دون كشف للأحداث-. ونرى في تحول ضخم لمسار القصة مفاجأة تُرينا كيف بدأ الأمر كلّه، ومَن صنع ولماذا أسطورة “الأميرة النائمة” ولعنتها.

كل ما سبق يؤدي بنا إلى نتيجة هامَّة يريد الفيلم أن يقودنا إليها؛ هي أنّ “الشرّ” نتيجة. الشر في الفيلم نتاج أفعال أخرى، وليس مُركَّبًا في النفس البشريَّة. فما فعلتْ إحدى شخصياتنا فعلاً شريرًا إلا اكتشفنا أن الشخصية قد فعلت هذا مدفوعةً بفعل آخر شرير وقع عليها قبله. أيْ أنّ الشرّ “ردّ فعل”، وليس “فعلاً” ابتداءً. وأن إيقاف هذا الفعل الشرير بيد الشخص متى اختار ذلك (عندما اختارت الشخصيات منع الاقتتال). كما يدلُّنا على أنّ من أسباب إيجاد الشرّ وممارسته على الآخرين عدم المعرفة بالآخر أو بالشيء (كما يُقال في الحكمة: المرءُ عدو ما يجهل)، وظنّ السوء بالآخر، وقبول ما أتاك كما أتاك دون تأكُّد منه.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is OBVIOUSLY better than the movie

Although, I've seen the movie first - and obviously loved the movie, I was incredibly thrilled with the book. There was so much more detail in the book (of course). Causing me to notice things I didn't really pick up on while watching the movie. I will likely go watch the movie again now 🤷🏽‍♀️ . . .


5 stars

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is the novelisation of the movie, which is the sequel to Maleficent, exploring the complex relationship between the horned fairy and Princess Aurora, as they continue to face new threats to the magical land of the Fair Folk.

I read this book before I watched the movie, and I enjoyed it. It was very well adapted to a novel, and drew me in. One should note that it’s a direct novelisation, so there’s nothing new in this book that wasn’t in the movie.

The only parts I could criticise were parts of the plot and characters that I wish had more depth, but this isn’t Rudnick’s fault as it follows the movie exactly. As you’d expect from a Disney fairytale movie, the characters can be a little black and white, with Aurora especially being so sweet it’s a little frustrating. However, if you’re after a Disney fairytale for young readers, I think this one is perfect.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard that there was going to be another Maleficent movie, I couldn't help but roll my eyes, I mean, really, is a sequel really necessary? Doesn't Disney make enough money without having to start making unneeded sequels? The only reason I ever planned on even watching it was because Michelle Pfeiffer is in it. I stayed dubious through the beginning of this book, but somewhere in the middle, I got enraptured and now I really want to go see the movie in theaters. I didn't think this book would be able to surprise me, but actually Queen Ingrith's plan and execution of said plan actually did surprise me. Overall, a good book; an easy, fast-paced read.

[Ang -PNR Book Lover Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, this was so good. I listened to the audio with my 7 year old and we really enjoyed it. I cant praise this enough, truly read this quick novel. She really did have reasons for doing what she did. I never did up seeing the movie, but from reading and listening the novel I feel like I do not have too.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stands on it's own; also a nice recap of the movie.
Unfortunately the King comes off as a puppet and buffoon.

[Julie Kwiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maleficent mistress of evil takes place five years after the events of the last book. Faeries have been going missing from the moors, and Maleficent believes humans are the cause. Aurora is 21 and in love with prince Phillip, and soon to be married. Phillips parents, are overjoyed at the news, or the King is anyway. Queen Ingrith is a cold and evil character. She despises faerie folk and moor folk alike. Ingrith wants to destroy the moors and all who dwell within it, simply because she believes that humans and faeries can’t live peacefully together. Maleficent doesn’t like queen Ingrith from the second she lays eyes on her, and framing Maleficent for the kings sudden ailment doesn’t make it any better. After Maleficent is shot down from an iron bullet and proclaimed dead, she is rescued and saved...by dark fey, Maleficent's own kind. They’ve been forced to live in hiding because of humans and their destructive ways. Maleficent finds hope and friendship amongst her own kind, and confusion too since she grew up believing she was the only one of her kind. Queen Ingrith wants a war, and because of her cold and evil ways, she gets one. I hated Queen Ingrith, she was so determined to start a war and cause problems that didn’t exist until she made it happen. She’s a cold vile woman who doesn’t deserve to be married to such a wonderful king who only wants peace and prosperity like his son Phillip. I love a good movie tie-in, I really do! If it's well written, so the writing is smooth, and well-packaged, it's so fun to read, especially if you loved the movie. Which I did! I really loved both Maleficent movies, and I love how they're packaging these "villain" stories, with the velvety black hardcovers and the decorated pages! I liked that this book gave you more of a view into Queen Indrith's thoughts and motives (the appeal of tie-ins is this, and if there are any deleted scenes they kept in the book). I feel like the parts with Maleficent's people went by too fast, because she didn't (thankfully) stop to describe every twig of every nest and every feather of every wing. If you're a Maleficent fan from way back, as I am, obviously you need this!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Longer and more reference-laden version of this review will be posted at a later time.)

Pro:
I /loved/ the development of Maleficent and Conall's companionship...as rough as the writing often was.

Con:
I don't feel like this was intentional, but I wonder if anyone thought to give this a sensitivity glance-over? I'm not comfortable with the way an entire society of largely-minority-represented magical beings was reduced to two, /highly/ questionably worded, paragraphs.
The way Ulstead is introduced (as this borderline utopic medieval village) also Doesn't Vibe Right for me, nor does a line during the retelling of the Phoenix scene (abridged: (Conall) "made (Maleficent) nervous." Why would we get that line there when we didn't even get it about the palace of Ulstead or the circumstances surrounding the dinner scene? Why did no one pause in editing to go "maybe we should be aware of how black men are portrayed in media enough to take this line out?") Only Conall and Borra are named, if I remember correctly, despite knowing the names of three other members of the dark fey council, and Borra is dumbed down to "angry. Angry angry angry. Angry, warlike." I spent an unnecessary amount of time wondering if we were referencing the same source material.
While I enjoyed some of the instances of added context, I really am not sure why so many novels are focusing upon "humanizing" the Awful Terrible War-Crime-Committing villains these days. The TSOW novelization did it with Strickland, I'm sure y'all heard about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and I don't really want to follow Ingrith or her motivations. We know Ingrith's motivations, she's a colonizer actively plotting genocide in a /really/ Specifically Coded Kind Of Way. The language in the narrative is just so /lax/, stylistically as well as narratively speaking.
(The fact that the dark fey exist in this and that there were .5 seconds of Added Material for Conall and Maleficent are really my only motivations for not ranking it a 2/5. I'm sorry; I'll come back to break down why more thoroughly.)

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this as much as the novelization of the first movie.

This is my personal review.
You can take it for what it is.

Because the movie came out before the book I expected the novelization of the book to be exactly like the movie or mirroring it. I was very disappointed when realizing that characters were changed from what happened, Plots were missing, and those tidbits that you look for when a movie has been novelized we’re missing as well that give you more.

When the first book was made for the first movie there were some things that were changed but I felt like it stayed true to the story and characters stayed true to themselves.

In this novelization rendition of the movie maleficent Mistress of evil the story line was there but the characters did not have the emotion or their personalities that we are fond and aware of.

I feel like this version was rushed and not all the notes from the movie were fully taken in interpreted into the novelization. I truly and honestly wanted to enjoy this as much as the movie. The book by Holly black in “The heart of the Moore’s” completely transported you to Ulsted and the Moors. Maleficent was witty and motherly and all the characters where just amazing! I’m sorry to say that this book just did not hold my interest even though I finished reading it.

It lacks so much that it made me sad.
At the end of the day it is just my review of it I know a lot of people really enjoyed this novelization and that’s fine but I feel that if a movie is going to be turned into a book that it should embody it’s essence in all its totality.

[Starri Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I finished this book quickly. Honestly wish it could gone on forever. I will never tire of reading about Maleficent, she’s my favorite Disney villain. But in this book she’s not much a villain. I found myself gasping at parts with the characters. I never wanted to put down the book. People change people and it’s true. Aurora was to be the complete down fall of Maleficent instead she came to love Aurora as her own. They formed a bond unbreakable even though things take a turn for the worst, it turned out to be a good thing because Maleficent was found by other Dark Fey after going her whole life thinking she was the only one. She got to learn about her history and how there is different kinds of Dark Fey. In the end Maleficent finds complete peace and The Moors and Ulstead are forever joined in peace. And Maleficent is helping the Dark Fey as well, teaching the young Fey. The Dark Fey live in the Moors with the other faeries. Aurora and Phillip do end up getting married and everything works out.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Maleficent and the way she was personified in the movies/books but when she has to have her whole life circling around Aurora and her spoiled life and how she treats Maleficent. Maleficent treats Aurora like her own flesh and blood the daughter she seems to want even though she is the daughter of the man that ruined her life but sadly Aurora seems to share some qualitys with her father and when Phillip's mother brings up some bad memories that the other two women eant to forget and they have moved on from Aurora has no problem with blaming Maleficent with a crime that she did not commit and a long arduous journey begins for Maleficent that helps her find her own people she would not have been able to find otherwise even though they have known about her and have been ghosting her and leaving her alone and in the dark which I do not believe is fair at all but Fae folk have their own rules I guess. This book all in all was a wonderful read and having it in my collection and recommending it to other people is a must.

[Jem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to @scholastic_au for sending me a copy of the book to read and review 😊 The book is a novelization of the movie of the same name, and not having watched the movie yet I didn't know what was going to happen. It is a middle grade book, however I still very much enjoyed the story told and I am now excited to finally watch the movie 😊 It is told from third person POV and flows well from chapter to chapter.
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The story again explores the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora, and I like that it shows that relationships aren't always happily ever after and they need work sometimes. Both Aurora and Maleficent continue to grow as characters and begin to find there place in the world. We see Prince Philip attempting to make things work between the humans and Faeries but there are those within his own family that are working against this.
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Overall a fun and enjoyable read for all ages 😊 I gave this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

[Joana Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book of the “Maleficent” series and I simply loved it! 💕
As of the first volume, this one also follows the story of the movie, with some slight changes, some things new while others where completely different from the screen!
Even so, I enjoyed this retelling all the same, watching the relationship between Maleficent and Aurora’s change and bloom in a new and stronger way, the appearance of more of Maleficent’s kind and at the end, the happily ever after we all longed for!🥰
Wouldn’t mind a new movie/book around this new and enchanted world, which I suspect might just happen, if what Maleficent says at the end of the book is a good hint at that!😉
Now.... just a quick question: is it just me, or a romantic relationship between Maleficent and Diaval would be the cherry on top of the cake? They already act like Aurora’s parents and they look so good together! I can almost see a spark going on between them!!😍

[Audrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this story at all.
The original Maleficent story and its world in the Moors gets almost completely abandoned. Instead we get two new worlds Ulstead and the Nest in which the uncreative writers could just do whatever they wanted instead of doing more with the already existing world.

Main issues I had with it:
- Aurora hardly spends any time in her own kingdom. What kind of "good" queen does that? She becomes an insecure little girl that can't say no to her future mother in law.
- Where is Diaval? I was hoping for a blossoming love story between Diaval and Maleficent. Instead he hardly appears in this story.
- A wedding in three days and let's have it going although a failed massacre just happened that killed many fairies? That's just bullshit and respect-less against those lost fairy-lives.

[Maddie butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five years later Aurora is queen of the moors. Prince Phillip has asked princess Aurora for her hand in marriage. Of course she said yes!
Phillip’s parents are a static, they want to met Maleficent, so they invite her to dinner. Maleficent couldn’t not be more against meeting Phillips parents. With a little help from Diaval Maleficent agrees to meet Phillips parents.
While at the dinner things are insinuated about missing fairies and then common folk which causes Maleficent to burst in to anger. Maleficent’s green power starts to spill out when King Jon Topples over in a sleeping coma. All eyes and fingers point to Maleficent, she did curse Aurora after all.

[Tahnaya (catsandpaperbacks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a super fun easy read, something a bit different from the usual YA fantasy I read. I loved the POV from Aurora and how she grows from the princess in the first Maleficent movie into the strong young woman at 21. I despise Queen Ingrith with a passion, she is a devious woman fuel with hate for the fae kind. The covers of the new evil queen/villains series are beautiful. The Maleficent cover is definitely my favourite with a contrast of matte and gloss detailing that really makes the dark cover pop! I highly recommend this book for loves of Maleficent and even those who like the fantasy genre.

[Amity Eagleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of Maleficent Mistress of Evil from @scholastic_au for review.

This book tells the story of the events that took place in the Disney film of the same name. It was a great experience to read it as a story, especially since I also watched the movie while reading.

As far as Disney fairy tales go, this sequel (and Maleficent in general) is particularly interesting as it humanises the characters in such a way that Sleeping Beauty did not.

This would be a great alternative for young readers out there that don’t connect to the big screen as much as reading.

For my full review check out my Blog: http://readbyamity.blog/2020/07/07/re...

[Astrid Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much! I'm definitely in a Maleficent hangover from the movie and this was the perfect cure. It went into more detail on some of the scenes from the movie which I enjoyed and the thoughts and emotions of the characters were explained well. Usually I get bored reading novelizations because there's not enough emotion or voice in the writing compared to the movie but this one held my attention so well that I read it in one sitting. One of the best movie novelizations that I've read :)

[Jodie- Readthewriteact · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little book that adds a new story to the world of Sleeping Beauty. This was my favourite fairytale growing up so I was very excited to read a Maleficent book. The plot is nice and easy to follow but with enough twista to keep it exciting. Overall I think this is a great boon for younger readers or Disney lovers like myself.

Thank you to Scholastic for sending me a copy to review.

[RumBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very dark sometimes cruel novel. Some of the events that took place were just horrifying. It dealt with a lot of opposites, good and evil, dark and light, nature and the city. Each were explored well, and the characterizations were really well done. There were just moments, for me personally, when I had a hard time reading it and wondered why it had to be so dark.

This story picks up there Maleficent ended. Aurora is Queen of the Moors, and Philip is Prince of Ulstead, when the two meet, and their two worlds collide the entire land is thrown into possible war. The culprit is Queen Ingrith, a truly horrible woman who is determined to wipe out the fey to the point of evil weapons and experiments. Here and Maleficent are the ultimate of opposites, and you really find yourself rooting for Maleficent.

It ends on a very uplifting note, but there is a lot of bleakness to work through to get there.

[Nayely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maleficent is my favorite villain of all time, but I don’t really see her as a bad person. Just a person that is misjudged by everyone. It didn’t take me long to finish the book and honestly I wish the book was longer. I genuinely think that there is anything about this book I don’t like, everyone in the story went smoothly. Elizabeth Rudnick The author did a great job of writing the books.