Review: Evil Thing (Villains #7)

Title: Evil Thing (Villains #7)
Author: Serena Valentino
Genre: Young Adult, Retelling
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cruella De Vil is the perfect villain: stylish, witty, relentless…and possibly cursed. 

From her lonely childhood, to her iconic fashion choices, to that fateful car crash (you know the one), Cruella tells all in this marvelous memoir of a woman doomed. Even the cruelest villains have best friends, true loves, and daring dreams. Now it’s Cruella’s turn to share hers.

This latest novel by the author of the wildly popular and darkly fascinating Villains series brings readers a tale told by the Evil Thing herself-a tale of the complicated bonds of female friendship, of mothers and daughters, and of burning, destructive desire.

After all, nothing is as simple as black and white.

Review:

Cruella De Vil was a spoiled little girl. Her father loved her and spent time with her, but her mother only bought her gifts to show her love. When Cruella’s father died, she was abandoned by her mother, who decided to travel the word after sending Cruella away to school. The only way that Cruella knows how to give and receive love is through money and gifts. The ultimate gift to her is fur, and it would be an even more special gift if it was a unique fur coat made from black and white puppies.

This is the first book I’ve read in this Disney villains series and I loved it! Cruella De Vil is one of the meanest Disney villains. She wanted to make a fur coat out of Dalmatian fur. This story didn’t try to justify what Cruella wanted to do, which is so horrible it can’t be explained. What the story does though is show how Cruella became a woman who wanted a coat made out of puppies.

Cruella narrates this story herself. She tells the story of her upbringing and her confusing relationships with other people. Cruella was from a high class family, who lived in a large house with servants. She would describe the people who she was close to, but weren’t quite at her high level in society, as in-betweens. This included her best friend Anita, who lived with an upper class family but was not given the same privileges as them. Anita later becomes the owner of the Dalmatians which Cruella wants to have for their fur. The relationship between Cruella and Anita was much more complex than in the movie 101 Dalmatians. This story explained why Cruella behaved the way she did.

I really enjoyed this story!

Thank you Disney Book Group for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• Fairest of All
• The Beast Within
• Poor Unfortunate Soul
• Mistress of Evil
• Mother Knows Best
• The Odd Sisters

Have you read Evil Thing? What did you think of it?