Every fairy tale has a villain, but what happened before the poisoned apple, the stolen voice, or the curse? Author Serena Valentino’s Villains series invites readers into the shadows of familiar Disney stories, exploring how some of their most memorable characters became the figures we love to fear.
For anyone just discovering these books, there is already a wonderfully wicked collection waiting. Although the series may be new to your bookshelf, it began in 2009 with Fairest of All, a reimagining of the Evil Queen’s story from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then, Valentino has expanded her dark fairy-tale universe to include sea witches, scheming stepmothers, a notorious pirate, and even the ruler of the Underworld.
The appeal lies in a question that the animated films often leave largely unanswered: What makes someone become a villain? Valentino explores that question through stories involving grief, insecurity, ambition, betrayal, and the desire to be loved—or obeyed. Understanding a character’s wounds does not automatically excuse their cruelty, but it can make the journey toward that cruelty more unsettling.
In Fairest of All, the Evil Queen’s relationship with her magic mirror becomes part of a larger exploration of her past. Mistress of All Evil turns toward Maleficent, examining the experiences behind her anger and the curse she places on Princess Aurora. Mother Knows Best reaches into Mother Gothel’s history, weaving together family relationships, dark magic, and her obsession with remaining young.
These are imaginative expansions of Disney’s familiar characters, offering a connected literary interpretation of their worlds. Readers should expect new relationships, unexpected histories, and developments that reach beyond what appears on screen.
One of the series’ most distinctive features is that its books are connected. The Odd Sisters, a trio of meddling witches, influence the lives of multiple characters, creating an ongoing story beneath the individual villain portraits. Their own book, The Odd Sisters, pulls that thread further into the spotlight. What initially looks like a collection of separate origin stories gradually becomes a larger web of magic and consequences.
For that reason, publication order is the best place to begin. The twelve published main novels are:
- Fairest of All — The Evil Queen.
- The Beast Within — The prince who becomes the Beast.
- Poor Unfortunate Soul — Ursula.
- Mistress of All Evil — Maleficent.
- Mother Knows Best — Mother Gothel.
- The Odd Sisters — The witches whose interference connects several stories.
- Evil Thing — Cruella De Vil.
- Cold Hearted — Lady Tremaine.
- Never Never — Captain Hook.
- Fire and Fate — Hades.
- Kill the Beast — Gaston.
- Heartbroken — The Queen of Hearts.
The inclusion of the Beast adds an interesting wrinkle. Unlike many of the other featured characters, he is best remembered for his redemption. His place in the series brings attention to the selfishness and cruelty that preceded his transformation, making the boundary between hero and villain feel less comfortable.
The latest published main installment, Heartbroken, arrived on July 29, 2025. It explores the Queen of Hearts’ own arrival in Wonderland, her relationship with the White Rabbit, and the anger behind her terrifying rule. Wonderland’s famous nonsense becomes the setting for another question: What happens when someone tries to impose control on a world that refuses to make sense?
There is also a conclusion on the horizon. The thirteenth book, Call of the Dead, is scheduled for July 20, 2027. Announced as the series finale, it brings together the Headless Horseman and Chernabog, the imposing demon from Fantasia, as a new threat rises in the interconnected Many Kingdoms.
Although the books feature Disney characters, their interest in manipulation, loss, obsession, and destructive choices gives them an appeal beyond younger readers. Adults who grew up with these films may find particular pleasure in returning to their familiar worlds through a darker doorway.
After all, the princess usually gets the happy ending. Valentino gives the person lurking outside the castle something just as irresistible: a chance to tell the story.
