Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All options are my own.

Author: Holly Black

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Recommended Age: 13+ (the past comes back to haunt and I don't think some of it is appropriate for younger kids especially since in the first movie Maleficent losing her wings was an analogy for rape. Nothing is really that bad in this one but I worry about the context younger kids might get from watching the movies then reading the book).

Genre: MG (ehhhh) Fantasy

Publisher: Disney Press

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes a captivating original novel set between Disney's Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in which newly-queened Aurora struggles to be the best leader to both the humans and Fair Folk under her reign; her beau, Prince Phillip, longs to get to know Aurora and her kingdom better; and Maleficent has trouble letting go of the past.

Review: Overall, this book was pretty good. It had a lot of detail that were in the movies and some that wasn't. It had a lot of great insights as well.

However, I didn't really like the writing style of it and the book was a little weird to read. It's basically marketed as an MG book but the movies were definitely PG 13 and up. Like... There was a lot of stuff in it that would be a bit scary or over the head of younger children. Kinda confused about the marketing but it's whatever. The characters felt flat to me too and Maleficent just didn't feel like Maleficent to me.

Verdict: It's an okay book, just watch it around youngers.