Reviews

Evil Thing by Serena Valentino

mirawrn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

nshk's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

theprincessh's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I personally have only seen 101 Dalmatians less than a handful of times so following along with this book was a little harder for me, compared to the first 6 books in this series. However, even if I couldn’t compare some of the timeline to the actual movie, the plot stands on its own for sure. Cruella was one of the villains in the series where I disliked her pretty much the entire time, even with knowing her background. But I will also add that this story gave me more childhood/psychological damage to read into the character than the others in the series. Also more humor in this book and found myself actually laughing out loud at times. 

sarahrose23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mickeyk101's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jacsmith9513's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

thefangirlingeditor's review against another edition

5.0

After the well-known events surrounding the dog-napping and rescuing of the 101 Dalmatians, Cruella De Vil finds herself recounting the story to author Serena Valentino in this eye opening account of heartbreak, betrayal, and fashion. Cruella explains her lavish upbringing and how the different aspects of growing up with an absentee mother, a loving yet absent father, and a best friend who does not rise to the same social status influences one's worldview. Through interacting with these three, Cruella recounts the events leading up to her desire for a spotted fur coat and how these events lead to her downfall.

Valentino's writing comes alive as she captures Cruella De Vil's distinct voice and mannerisms. Evil Thing will keep you up late, turning pages as you try to understand the least understandable Disney villain. The unique perspective presented will interest Disney lovers as they approach Cruella and walk away with a "sudden chill" that will leave them looking at the villain with new eyes.

delbert1090's review against another edition

5.0

Probably my favorite in the series thus far.

k8thi25's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

kate_oh's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed how it was written in first person. 
The point of view of Cruella throughout made this more engaging and a nice change of pace with the rest of the series. 
We stepped away from the Odd Sisters… and I’m not mad about it. 
I did find it a bit of a chore to read though at times.