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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!
Classic Disney films were magical for many reasons. Part of what made those films so memorable was the portrayal of the villains. Villains such as Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty" and Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians" simply do not exist anymore, as political correctness and the dumbing down of children's entertainment now dominate culture.
Fairest Of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino is a glimpse into the life of one of Disney's most sinister villains, the Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Known for her vicious plot to kill Snow White and remove her heart after the Queen's Magic Mirror declares Snow White to be the fairest in the land, fans of this classic film have wondered for decades exactly why the Evil Queen is just so evil. Fairest Of All provides an explanation in the form of a prequel to the original tale.
The daughter of a talented maker of mirrors, the woman who is to become the Evil Queen is a simple person of low self-esteem, suffering the ridicule of her father after he blames her for the death of his beloved wife during childbirth. When the King takes interest in the renowned crafter's mirrors and visits his shop, he meets the mirror maker's daughter and is enchanted with her, ultimately marrying her and welcoming her into his kingdom as the Queen.
Initially, the relationship between the King's daughter, Snow White, and his new bride, The Queen, is exceptional. Although unrelated by blood, the two are as close as any biological mother and daughter would be. These are during times of war, and the King is not one who leads his troops from a distance. He prefers to be on the front line, battling along with his soldiers for protection of his kingdom. He often leaves the castle for months at a time, leaving his Queen and daughter behind to spend time with one another bonding and sharing each other's company.
As is expected, events turn, and the relationship between the Queen and her stepdaughter slowly disintegrate. Valentino offers explanations and insight into the psychological state of the Queen as she descends into depression and madness. Long-held questions are finally answered. Why is it that the Queen practices witchcraft and magic, and how did she enter into those practices? Who is the man in the Magic Mirror and just how did he come to be there? Why does the Queen hate Snow White so very much?
Although promoted as a book written for young adults, adult fans of Snow White and the Disney villain will take pleasure in this novel as well. The Disney villain is a critical component to most Disney films. Fairest of All is officially published by Disney, thereby making it the official account of the tale of the Evil Queen. Disney would do right to publish similar tales, such as the tales of Maleficent and Cruella De Vil.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 15, 2009
if your a disney freak like me, who still watches disney movies at the age of 15 then you will really like the book. its untold story of the wicked queen in snow white. while reading the book i made connects with the movie and it woked completely every detail from the cook followed up with the movie, and it was just so interesting to read because it was kinda like " oh yea that makes sence" so if even a bit interested in reading the book, put it at the top of your list its a fast read and just over all amazing.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 7, 2012
This book i read in like 1 day! AMAZIMG! She needs to write more books
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DSDJ
Posted May 18, 2012
This book was my reading-aloud for a couple of months for my students in Santiago, Chile in 4th. They really loved it! Not only they were able to learn about a different character, but also, enjoy every scene in the story. It's a very interesting story, because it's sweet and scary at the same time. They wanted me to stop my English lesson just to read this book (and to be honest, me too!) We so want to read the second part... but it doesn't exist! Serena Valentino, if you read this, can you please, PLEASE, write a second part? A must read for someone who wants to have a different point of view of the "evil, but human" witch.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sophie_Spinnett
Posted April 16, 2010
This was a very good book. It dives further into the story of Snow White and explores the reason that the Wicked Queen is really wicked. It sort of gives you a behind the scenes look as to what the Queen truly thinks and feels about Snow White and the real reason why she is jealous of her beauty. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy fractured fairy tales and a good adventure.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I think that this book just isn't my style because I don't have anything negative to say about the book. I was just kind of bored reading it. The characters were good and it held pretty true to the classic story near the end. I recommend that anyone who is thinking about this one pick it up and read the first few chapters in the store just to make sure you are going to like it. It is very "Disney" I hope that explains it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 11, 2009
Die hard evil queen fans will love this book. It is the answer to why the Queen is the way she is. It gives a great insight into her story without breaking the mold we all know and love.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I got this book about a week ago and I just finished it. It was awesome! I love to read fantasy books, so I thought that this was going to be a really good read. I was right!!! This book is kinda sad, but it lets you know why the Queen is reffered to as "evil" in the Disney Classic, "Snow White and The Seven Drawfs". After all the queen has endured, I don't blame her for being so wicked! Serena Valentino has created a new twist on an old classic! Keep writing!!
Keep Reading Everybody!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.As an avid reader of the retelling of fairy tales I was completely drawn to this title. I of course was drawn by the cover art, but once I picked it up I could not put it down. Miss Valentino weaves us a fabric of love and madness, vanity and betrayal. We as readers can revisit a classic tale with a twist. Who but Miss valentino could have looked into the mind of this eternally thought of "Wicked Queen" and shown us that it was her love and loss that drove her to envy Snow White. I reccommend this title to teens and adults alike. We can learn how differently death can devestate someone and how the focus of surface beauty can be very very dangerous. This title can not only be enjoyed for the grand piece of literary work that it is but it can also be used to teach a very valuable lesson. To embrace your loved ones when loss occurs and not isolate yourself and become wrapped up in who or what you are. I look forward to seeing what is next from this very talented author!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.loved it! this book reminds me of the song "snow white queen" by evanescence. you find out why the queen is the way she is and why she tried to destroy snow white. loved the story! the cover is amazing; under the book cover is the old hag. loved the ending. this book is great!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2012
The story of Snow White always intrigued me. But the Wicked Queen as always by far my most favorite Disney character. I had always wondered what made her so vain, evil, and reached. Well this book tells you EVERYTHING you want to know. It was honestly a tragic tale of a who who had a very bad childhood. It also made me think why she didn't just through the mirror when she had the chance. Many questions I still have, But this by far an amazing book. I highly recommend this book to all Disney Villians lovers. Valentino really should make one about the Queen of hearts, or even Jafar!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 15, 2012
I like snow white but there is a only of the snow whites i like.then i like is snow white and the huntsman.
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Posted July 5, 2012
This book is alright, but it is not my favorite book in the world. I just thought it could use more depth, and more events could happen. In some parts, you don't really know what's happening. I thought it could use a little more dialogue as well. I liked the concept of it, though.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2012
I just bought this book, and I'm about two-thirds of the way through it; but I doubt I'll finish it. It is not particularly inspired, it's simplistic, and worse of all, it has glaring spelling errors - was this book not proofread before publication? "Jealousy" is misspelled as "jealously", and "fowl" is spelled "foul". Good grief. I'm going to see if I can return it. It is NOT worth twelve bucks!
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 25, 2012
I am a total snow white nut, I cannot get enough of her so when I saw the book telling the story of the evil queen I just knew I had to pick it up. If you are a nut like me I believe you will like the book, it goes into great detail about who the evil queen becomes so evil and I do not regret purchasing the book one bit I am in love with it. If anything I am mad at myself because I sat down and read the book within a few hours tops with mini breaks in between for my eyes sake!
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Posted March 9, 2012
Great story! It improves upon the classic story in a plethera of ways. However, the ending was not sinister enough.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.amazing
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is definitely a book for the Twilight crowd. It was WAY melodramatic and flowery. It very much felt like I was reading a romance novel from time to time. It was, however, fun to read the way the scenes that we have grown up watching in Snow White are completely reinterpretted. Pretty clever, actually. Above all, the book was nothing but fluff, but more or less fun to read.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I bought this book on Monday, Oct. 26. I did not read it until the following day at school. And I immediately fell deeply into the story. I saw the characters as they appeared in the movie, Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs. But for some I had to imagine them on my own. And with the amazing detail Selena gave I could see the characters clearly in my mind. I was taken to a world that I wanted to know more about. I could not stop turning the pages. At school I would read the book, at home I would read, and sometimes even in public. This book in general is amazing. It fits so great with the movie that I think they should make a movie out of this book, well at least make a movie about the Wicked Queen. In a part in the book I actually cried. I understand now why the Queen became so evil and veil. It was her obsession with the mirror, her father's approval, and her longing to be known for her beauty...of which she did not believe she possessed unless the Magic Mirror, her father, said it was true. The art work for this book is amazing and the main reason why I was drawn to the book in the first place. But even reading the tiny detail on the opening flap, I was transfixed to this book and had to own it. This book is amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it to all who read. Selena did an amazing job in this book. It's going down as one of my favorites. <33
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Posted February 17, 2010
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Overview
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 ...