Villains
11 primary works • 14 total works
Book 1
For anyone who's seen Walt Disney's Snow White, you'll know that the Wicked Queen is one evil woman! After all, it's not everyone who wants to cut out their teenage step-daughter's heart and have it delivered back in a locked keepsake box. (And even if this sort of thing is a common urge, we don't know many people who have acted upon it.)
Now, for the first time, we'll examine the life of the Wicked Queen and find out just what it is that makes her so nasty. Here's a hint: the creepy-looking man in the magic mirror is not just some random spooky visage-and he just might have something to do with the Queen's wicked ways!
Book 2
This adaptation of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST explores what transformed the Prince into the Beast. The plot contains mild violence.
Book 3
The tale of the sea king's daughter Ariel is a beloved one of losing-and then finding-one's own voice.
The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the mergirl wants more than her world can offer, and her father demands that she live within the confines of his domain. Her rebelliousness costs the little mermaid her voice and nearly her soul. But the power of good prevails, and Ariel emerges proud and unchanged.
And yet this is only half the story. So what of Ariel's nemesis, Ursula, the sea witch? What led to her becoming so twisted, scorned, and filled with hatred? Many tales have tried to explain her motives. Here is one account of what might have shaped the sea witch into a detestable and poor unfortunate soul.
Book 4
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 malice, anger, and 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.
Evil is made, not born.
Book 5
Evil is made not born.
The tale of the legendary golden flower is widely known. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the flower is coveted by an old witch to keep herself young and beautiful. And always the flower is used to save a dying queen, who then gives birth to a princess with magical hair. Not willing to lose the flower, the old witch steals the princess and locks her away in a high tower, raising her as her own. But the princess always finds out who she truly is and manages to defeat the old witch.
And yet this is only half the story. So what of the old witch, Mother Gothel? Where does she come from? And how does she come across the magical golden flower? Here is one account that recounts a version of the story that has remained untold for centuries . . . until now. It is a tale of mothers and daughters, of youth and dark magic. It is a tale of the old witch.
Book 6
Throughout the Villains series, the Odd Sisters have meddled in the lives of the Wicked Queen, The Beast, Ursula, Maleficent, and Mother Gothel, changing the course of fate for the greatest villains ever known. Now, it's time for their reckoning.
This latest novel by the author of the wildly popular Villains series goes deeper into the lives of the twisted, diabolical Odd Sisters, finally revealing the dark truth about who they are and where they're from. The Odd Sisters will appeal to fans who can't get enough of the mischievous sisters, as well as draw new readers to Serena Valentino's darkly fascinating take on the Disney Villains.
Book 7
Cruella De Vil is the perfect villain: stylish, witty, relentless...and possibly cursed.
From her lonely childhood, to her iconic fashion choices, to that fateful car crash (you know the one), Cruella tells all in this marvelous memoir of a woman doomed. Even the cruelest villains have best friends, true loves, and daring dreams. Now it's Cruella's turn to share hers.
This latest novel by the author of the wildly popular and darkly fascinating Villains series brings readers a tale told by the Evil Thing herself-a tale of the complicated bonds of female friendship, of mothers and daughters, and of burning, destructive desire.
After all, nothing is as simple as black and white.
Book 8
Lady Tremaine, widowed and raising two headstrong girls alone, finds herself falling for a dashing knight from a far-off land who is looking for a stepmother for his own young daughter. But stepmothers in the Many Kingdoms never tend to fare well?and Lady Tremaine may be destined for a not-so-happily ever after.
Book 9
The 9th book in the New York Times bestselling Villains series tells the tale of the rise and fall of the infamous pirate, Captain Hook―a boy who grew up.
Before Peter Pan and Wendy. Before the Lost Boys. There was just a boy named James who wanted to get back to Neverland.
As a baby, James Bartholomew fell out of his pram and was taken to Neverland. James is claimed by his parents just shy of seven days―after which he would have officially become a Lost Boy. Once he returns to London, he never stops thinking about Neverland. As he grows up, he hates his life in London, and everything to do with growing up and eventually becoming a gentleman. So he seeks a position on the ship of the infamous pirate, Blackbeard.
On Blackbeard’s ship he learns to be a cutthroat pirate, and eventually becomes captain of his own ship, which James is determined to sail to Neverland. With the help of the Odd Sisters and a bit of magic, he just might get his wish. But returning to Neverland comes at a price―and now that he’s grown up, the whole world seems to be rooting for his demise…
Book 10
The myth has been told for centuries: Brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades waged a years-long war against their father Cronus and his tyrannical Titans. Upon their mighty victory, Zeus split the world into three. For himself, he claimed the Sky and what fell below it. To his brother Poseidon, he assigned dominion over the Sea. And his oldest brother, Hades, would rule the Underworld.
While Hades tries to make the best of a lonely situation, eternity proves a long time to be forced live in a role—a domain—he never wanted. And the part of the story no one tells is that when your family treats you like a villain, it is far too easy to become one.
Years of being ignored and shamed by his family reach a fiery head, when three perfectly alive witches find their way into the land of the dead. Bored and lonely, Hades befriends these mysterious Odd Sisters and makes a bargain that will change the course of fate. But when you’re a god, making a deal has the potential to rewrite more stories than just your own . . .
Book 11
He knew he was the best. He knew he was everyone's favorite guy.
You may think this tale as old as time has been told before.
You may know about the Beauty, and the Beast, and the curse they broke together. But some stories have more than one ending. Some stories have more than one villain.
Such is the story of Gaston. Growing up, young Gaston and the prince were brothers in all but blood. Their boyhood adventures led them throughout the many rooms of the castle, and into the deep woods beyond. The woods that were home to the legendary Beast of Gévaudan, a terrifying creature whose presence loomed larger than life in their imaginations.
Then one fateful night, a violent tragedy changed their lives—and their friendship—forever, setting each of them down a very different path: the first, of greed and entitlement, the second, of determination to right the wrongs of the past.
The prince, as we know, paid a price for his wicked ways. And Gaston, fueled by the magic of three meddling witches, grew ever more haunted by a singular mission: to become the hero who killed the Beast.
Books 1-3
Books 1-3 of Serena Valentino's Villains series is now available in a hardcover boxed set, with a sneak peak at Book 4 in the series, Mistress of All Evil!
After helping Zeus defeat the tyrannical titans, Hades is given dominion of the Underworld. Though it's a role he never wanted, Hades tries to make the best of a lonely situation. However, he soon finds that when your own family treats you like a villain, it is far too easy to become one.
Part of the official Disney Villain Tales series, and written by the best-selling author Serena Valentino.