Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Cold Hearted
Author: Serena Valentino
Book Series: Villains Book 8
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For…: Young adult readers, retelling, Disney retellings, Cinderella story
Genre: YA Retelling
Publication Date: July 6, 2021
Publisher: Disney Books
Pages: 294
Recommended Age: 13+ (death, emotional domestic abuse, emotional child abuse)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of death in this book with parents. A certain parent also contributes to a certain amount of emotional abuse to Lady Tremaine and there is emotional child abuse to Anastasia and Drizella and some to Cinderella.
Synopsis: It’s a familiar tale: A kind and beautiful young girl, reeling from loss. A doting father, frantic to bring a mother’s love back into his daughter’s life. And the selfish, cruel woman who insinuates herself into that family―a woman so unfeeling, so cold hearted, that when her new husband dies, she makes the girl a servant in her own home.
But who is that evil stepmother, that icy lady of the house? How did she become so closed off that, in the face of a child’s grief, she thought only to seek wealth and power for herself and her abhorrent daughters? Before that fateful ball, before the glass slipper and the prince, there was another story―a story of love and grief, of hope and of dreams dashed. It is the story of Lady Tremaine.
Even the coldest of villains are sometimes wives and mothers, women who loved and lost and hoped for something grander for their lives . . . once upon a dream.
Review: I really enjoyed this one! I absolutely love this series and while I’m not the best at reading them in order I do love that you CAN read them out of order. I love how the author made me sympathetic to Lady Tremaine and how well she crafted this revenge story. I also loved the character development and world building. The pacing was also spot on and I finished this one in one sitting!
My only criticism of the book is that I didn’t get that one satisfying death I wanted to see lol.
Verdict: Highly recommend!