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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book! I liked how Gothel was at first just misunderstood but that led to her becoming the Mother Gothel we know from the original stories. She was just a woman who cared about her sisters too much and did anything she could to save them; it just so happened that all her choices ended negatively.
I'm a big fan of the reference in this book to the classic Gilles de Rais/Bluebeard tale with the reference to The Bloody Chamber. The chapter names in this book were outstanding!
I'm a big fan of the reference in this book to the classic Gilles de Rais/Bluebeard tale with the reference to The Bloody Chamber. The chapter names in this book were outstanding!
This series keeps getting better!
Of the first five books in Serena Valentino’s Villains series, Mother Knows Best is my second favorite (behind Fairest of All, the first book).
Mother Knows Best goes into the most detail about the villain’s childhood, I thought worked very well for the progression of the book. We’ve always known that characters like Mother Gothel are “evil,” but no one ever truly tells us why—or how—she got that way. It’s so interesting to see what made these Disney villains so evil in the first place.
The whole first half of the book (almost 200 pages) takes place during Gothel’s childhood, long before Rapunzel is even born. The whole time, I’m flipping the pages, wondering, “Is she going to turn evil now? Is it this chapter? Where the hell is Rapunzel?” Knowing the part of the story that’s coming increases the anticipation of what’s to come, and that drove the story forward for me.
Some of the details in this book are more graphic and gruesome than the others, which took me a little while to get used to; this series hasn’t quite been this bloody. I also could have done without all of the exclamation points—they make the dialogue seem insincere after a while of overusing them. These two elements sort of contradict each other in terms of YA Fantasy.
More and more characters are starting to carry over from the earlier books in this series, and it’s creating a nice depth of plot. The stories are increasingly more complex now than what they were in the first and second novels, and the characters themselves are becoming more developed, too.
I’m excited to read Book 6 (The Odd Sisters), but I might have to put it off for a while to avoid impatiently waiting for Book 7 in the summer of 2020.
Of the first five books in Serena Valentino’s Villains series, Mother Knows Best is my second favorite (behind Fairest of All, the first book).
Mother Knows Best goes into the most detail about the villain’s childhood, I thought worked very well for the progression of the book. We’ve always known that characters like Mother Gothel are “evil,” but no one ever truly tells us why—or how—she got that way. It’s so interesting to see what made these Disney villains so evil in the first place.
The whole first half of the book (almost 200 pages) takes place during Gothel’s childhood, long before Rapunzel is even born. The whole time, I’m flipping the pages, wondering, “Is she going to turn evil now? Is it this chapter? Where the hell is Rapunzel?” Knowing the part of the story that’s coming increases the anticipation of what’s to come, and that drove the story forward for me.
Some of the details in this book are more graphic and gruesome than the others, which took me a little while to get used to; this series hasn’t quite been this bloody. I also could have done without all of the exclamation points—they make the dialogue seem insincere after a while of overusing them. These two elements sort of contradict each other in terms of YA Fantasy.
More and more characters are starting to carry over from the earlier books in this series, and it’s creating a nice depth of plot. The stories are increasingly more complex now than what they were in the first and second novels, and the characters themselves are becoming more developed, too.
I’m excited to read Book 6 (The Odd Sisters), but I might have to put it off for a while to avoid impatiently waiting for Book 7 in the summer of 2020.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I was so excited to read this book, especially because it focuses on the Tangled adaptation of Rapunzel!
Unfortunately, this book dragged. This is the biggest book in the series so far, and I feel like it could have been shorter. I understand why Serena Valentino felt like she needed to add this level of detail to Gothel's story, but I still think the book could have been shorter.
Because of that, the pacing felt off. We only got some bits and pieces of the Tangled story, which was hands down my favorite part of the book. The author did a fabulous job of including the scenes from the movie into the storyline. I felt like I was watching a movie commentary, and it was absolutely hilarious. She also included scenes of the movie almost verbatim, and I enjoyed that tremendously.
I feel like this book lacked a little bit of nuance when it comes to Gothel's character. She went from being really good to really bad, and everything felt very black and white. I wish we had gotten more of the gray area, I wanted to see her struggles as she fell to the dark side.
This series remains very fun to read, especially for all of us Disney fans out there!
I was so excited to read this book, especially because it focuses on the Tangled adaptation of Rapunzel!
Unfortunately, this book dragged. This is the biggest book in the series so far, and I feel like it could have been shorter. I understand why Serena Valentino felt like she needed to add this level of detail to Gothel's story, but I still think the book could have been shorter.
Because of that, the pacing felt off. We only got some bits and pieces of the Tangled story, which was hands down my favorite part of the book. The author did a fabulous job of including the scenes from the movie into the storyline. I felt like I was watching a movie commentary, and it was absolutely hilarious. She also included scenes of the movie almost verbatim, and I enjoyed that tremendously.
I feel like this book lacked a little bit of nuance when it comes to Gothel's character. She went from being really good to really bad, and everything felt very black and white. I wish we had gotten more of the gray area, I wanted to see her struggles as she fell to the dark side.
This series remains very fun to read, especially for all of us Disney fans out there!
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was fun to see the background of Mother Gothel and Rapunzel. I enjoy how all these stories intertwine.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Serena Valentino and Disney Press bring a series of origin stories about the Disney villains. This, the 5th book in the series, can also be a stand-alone read. Where did Rapunzel's kidnapper, Mother Gothel, come from, and what happened to her to make her so selfish and cruel?
I would say these are geared towards a middle school audience. Some loose ends were left open but I think as I read through other books in the series I'll learn more. It seems like my local library system has all of the books available now, so I'm eager to see how they handle the back stories of other Disney villains.
I would say these are geared towards a middle school audience. Some loose ends were left open but I think as I read through other books in the series I'll learn more. It seems like my local library system has all of the books available now, so I'm eager to see how they handle the back stories of other Disney villains.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced