| Title | : | The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1423197518 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781423197515 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2014 |
This beautiful novel filled with whimsical illustrations tells Aurora’s story in the upcoming Disney film, Maleficent.
The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty Reviews
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"The difference between a hero and a villain often depends on perspective."
-The Curse of Maleficent
Contrary to the evil Maleficent of old, an antagonist with no trace of a heart, "The Curse of Maleficent: The Tale of a Sleeping Beauty" builds a beautiful and fresh take on this so called "villain." The fairy, Maleficent, only ever wanted humans and fairies to get along with each other, a hard task when humans consistently pillaged her land. However, she finds it in her innocent and pure young self to connect with a human boy even though her parents were murdered by these very same people. Not long after, her beautiful and radiant soul turns black when the boy, now a young man, does the unthinkable and turns on her. Upset and filled with revenge, she storms in on a celebration for his and his wife's young daughter. As the fairy tale traditionally goes, she curses the infant with a horrible fate that will befall her on her sixteenth birthday. As the girl, Aurora, grows older, she and Maleficent start to collide in an unusual tale of magic, friendship, and heartbreak.
This book was filled with gorgeous illustrations that were breathtaking to look at. I loved this particular take on "Sleeping Beauty" because I have always been a huge fan of Disney princesses and the stories that they hold. The book definitely gives a promise of change and compassion that has yet to be placed in this old yet timeless tale that all audiences are sure to enjoy. -
This was horrible and super cheesy. Maleficent was given no personality and Aurora was boring and naive. I think a 5-year-old could have written a better and more believable story. There was no continuity throughout the book and left me confused with so many unanswered questions. A huge disappointment after watching and enjoying the movie.
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Maleficent is a sprightly young faerie with an inexplicably ominous name who loves her life on the Moors, though she doesn't understand the animosity her people feel for the humans who inhabit the neighboring kingdoms. She even goes out on a limb to befriend a human boy, which friendship develops into romance, but which romance results in betrayal. Brokenhearted, Maleficent takes her revenge however she can, but when the curse she casts on her former lover's child backfires, will she be able to redeem herself and once again believe in the good of her fellow beings and finally bring peace to the warring peoples?
So there's this trend that Disney's been doing to rewrite its classic stories from the point of view of the baddie to either shed more light on their character or turn the story on its head completely (thanks for that, Wicked). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time it didn't. I get that this is basically a promotional tie-in for the movie, but based on its design and information I kind of thought there would be a little more to it (especially if it fleshed out the flawed and sometimes quite silly story in the movie -- which it did but also didn't). The writing was basic and passable and run-of-the-mill, nothing very special, the characters were bland and one-dimensional, more so than even in the movie, and there were some very odd storytelling decisions. The voice of the narrator or point of view shifted throughout, which is usually all right, but, even putting aside that they all sounded basically the same, sometimes it was characters that never ever appear again, and it was NOT ONCE from the point of view of the title character. She has the potential to be the most dynamic figure in the whole story and they don't even go inside her head! Almost every single key event that happened to her was mentioned in passing (seriously, the betrayal was muttered as an afterthought?? The inciting incident, the thing that caused the character to completely change directions, barely even uttered by a character that immediately thereafter disappears?? And then they don't even have the pivotal moment when she tries to undo the curse?). It's like Maleficent is a background character in Maleficent's story. Now, it occurs to me that there was another tie-in book released around the same time, more of a novelization of the movie than even this, and maybe her thoughts and feelings are explored more in that (I'm not willing to find out for myself, I already had to request an order for this at my library), but really, what a wasted opportunity. The way Disney changed this story for the movie isn't exactly like Wicked in that it can't really coexist with the original, being instead more of a retelling than a behind-the-scenes sort of thing, but in this medium this could have been so much more interesting and meaningful, even if the writing were still so-so. The relationship that develops between Aurora and her faerie godmother has some real potential for depth and nuance, but instead it was just a going-through-the-motions sort of thing with a drippy would-be foundling and her sort of guardian with questionable motives. I mean really, her vendetta against Stefan, and then Stefan's complete disregard for Aurora (why in the world does he even care about getting revenge on Maleficent if he doesn't even care about his daughter? What's HIS motivation? HE'S the one who betrayed HER), the three fairies' complete lack of credible motive, it all just comes across as so silly and shallow. Don't even ask about Diaval. That whole thing could have added some dimension and interest to the story too. I didn't have the highest expectations for this book, underwhelmed as I was with the movie, but it didn't really meet even those. It had all the elements of a great story, and it could have been pretty moving actually if done in the right way, but Maleficent was a barely-there semi-antagonist, and it just seemed like a lot of telling and not much showing.
I will say that the design is great and the art is at times striking (hence the two stars), but even that started to feel a lot like fanart scraped from the annals of DeviantArt after a while, probably because it was so hard to care about the story.
So think of the recent movie, take away the charm and depth and heart (which were slim and middling to begin with...), add some random narrators who come and go, and then spend hardly any time with or in the mind of the most potentially dynamic character -- whose name still makes no sense -- and you have this marketing tie-in. It could have improved on the story in the movie but missed the opportunity. Illustrations, sure, writing, nah. It was so-so fanfiction significantly featuring slightly less so-so fanart. -
In reality, I would like to give this book two separate ratings;
For the illustrations - 5 stars. They are the reason I bought the book in the first place; exceptionally beautiful and fairytale, full of soft curves and sharp angles, and some really enchanting backgrounds. Top marks, Nicholas Kole.
For the text itself - 1 star. Not for the story - I had already seen the film before I read it, so I knew I was going to like the story and the characters - but for the actual writing. I was prepared to give it two, or maybe even three, stars because, even though it was perhaps overly simplistic and fell often into the trap of telling instead of showing, it was after all intended as a kids' book and was sort of charming in a way. UNTIL I CAME TO PAGE 166. Let me quote;
Several older women sat around [the table], mending sheets and dresses by hand.
That's odd, Aurora thought. In a place this big, one would think seamstresses would be given spinning wheels to use. Her aunts had always told her that spinning wheels were silly things. That you could sew much better with your fingers than with a wheel.
Well, this is true. Because I think what you mean, Ms Rudnick, is a sewing machine - which would not, in fact, have been invented in the time period this story is loosely set in, and also has nothing whatsoever to do with spinning wheels. A sewing machine attaches two pieces of cloth together; a spinning wheel applies twist to raw fleece and spins it into yarn for weaving. Therefore, it would not at all have been unusual to see seamstresses hand-sewing, since the sewing machine had not been invented, and it would have been ridiculous for them to have spinning wheels, as it would be impossible to sew with one.
Now, if this were fanfiction - written for love, not money, by an enthusiastic amateur - I would have tutted, rolled my eyes and quickly forgiven them. But it wasn't. It was written by a professional - someone with access to research materials and training in the use thereof, who expected to be paid for their work - and therefore this kind of lack of attention to detail and apparent inability to do a five-second fact-check that basically amounts to authorial laziness is inexcusable in my opinion.
So, 1 star. D- Please try better next time. And, for goodness' sake, do your research! -
This book was based off the movie Maleficent. It finally gave Arora a personality that didn't need to be supported by animals and prince Phillip. I also like how Disney is starting to have the women save each other instead of needing a prince. This book gave Arora backbone. not only did Maleficent and Arora get back stories but so did King Stephan and the three fairies! Wonderful book.
Pictures were beautiful too! -
I can't really give this book a star except it did have nice drawings, but I don't generally read books for their drawings. This is just a very long-winded "fairy tale", with a different, yet not any more believable, ending than the original. I think that they should have just left the classic alone. Very disappointed.
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I don't know why so many people gave this such horrible ratings. I actually really liked it.
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Sleeping Beauty has always told the story from the side of the "good guys." Princess Aurora and her true love Prince Phillip vanquishing the curse from the evil fairy. This book--based on the movie--gives us the story from the "villain's" point of view. And shows us that things aren't always black and white; that evil has deep roots and sometimes love gets twisted into hate. And, if we're lucky, just might get another twist that will bring it back to love.
The artwork in this story is gorgeous and the motivations behind Maleficent's actions are interesting. There is a good basic plot here, but it didn't feel like it was realized as fully as it could have been. The characters should have been flushed out a bit more and a bit more action and less telling would have gone a long way.
First posted on my blog
My Reader's Block. -
2.5 stars.
Here we have Maleficent, the wicked fairygodmother to Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. The princess is the side character here; this is Maleficent's malevolent and magnificent tale, in which she is both the heroine and the villainess. Unlike the Disney adaptation, which was maledicted with instalove and inexplicable evil that seemed to exist solely to be evil, Maleficent here is a morally grey character, although still a bit inexplicable at times.
I do not know how much freedom the author has been given in this novelisation effort, but it reads like a faithful transcribe, with minimal fleshing out of characters and events. Therefore, it is subject to the same shortcomings that movies generally face: the short duration utilisable to tell the story usually necessitates in cutting off corners when it comes to, for example, world-building and character development. I have not watched the movie, though, so I cannot confirm this.
The story is told in a narrative matter-of-fact writing style, giving the impression of telling instead of showing. I felt like I was being told what happens in the movie, scene after scene. I'm sure the actors brought the characters to life, with gestures and body languages, which are sadly lacking in this book. Character study/Introspection is weak, hardly delving into the characters' thoughts - everything extra added seems to be on the surface.
In summary, the fairies of the moor are in a state of perpetual warfare with humans, for land and freedom. In the midst of this, you get a fairy/human love story, and I am not a writer, so if you want to know more, you should read the novella. It's only 130 pages long. Or just watch the movie, because I suspect that would be the better option. You'll find out why Maleficent becomes wicked, and it leads on to Sleeping Beauty as we know it (by which I mean the modernised version by Disney), but retold with some twists, some snark, some clichés, and a whole load of redemption.
Examples of the writing in this book that I do not like:
-For some reason Maleficent becomes the de facto leader of a battle between fairies and humans, without any explanation as to why, since there should be others older and more experienced than her. Apparently the movie decided to skip the reasons why, and the book decided to follow suit?
-There is hardly any description of the Moors in which the fairies lived. We're told that it is beautiful and has a lake full of jewels (because it's necessary to the plot), and the rest is simply left to the imagination.
-Poor description of a battle sequence: They moved forward and backward, their motions a terrifying mockery of a romantic waltz. - and that's all she wrote. Right. I have read canon-compliant fanfics written better than this.
I believe this book would work excellently as a bedtime story narrated by a parent to his/her child. As a reader, though, I expect the characters between the pages to come to life for me, instead of needing life breathed into it, and this falls short of the mark. -
Personal Rating: 2.5
I LOVE the tale of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent. It's been one of my all time favorites ever since I was a kid so while looking for something quick and easy to read before the year ends, I thought to pick this up and indulge in this wonderful story of my favorite characters.
Unfortunately it's disappointing.
This is basically a book adaption for the movie Maleficent which came out in 2014. Go watch that instead. Yeah, I'm actually say that. I enjoyed the movie way more than this book. There is something about the writing that put a bad taste in my mouth and I really didn't like how the author portrays the characters. Maleficent is so bland. The 3 fairies are dumb as rocks to an over exaggeration. This just wasn't for me and it's terribly sad because it's Sleeping Beauty... -
First of all, apart from the briefest mention of Maleficent's parents in the prologue and a few scenes from Aurora's POV, the book adds nothing to the film. It follows the film word for word and does not ever bother to delve deeper into the motivations of the characters. I was hoping for some depth and development for Diaval and Aurora. Some mention of Aurora's mother, perhaps. Alas, it was not to be.
That said, it is a lovely book. I love the illustrations! The book is a hardcover. I wish more books were as lovingly made. -
Very few additions to the movie Maleficent, which was a bit of a let-down. Really the only thing that stands out as being any different was a mention of Maleficent's parents in the prologue. Other than that, it was exactly the same as the movie, but with 80% less of my favorite character, Diaval. Bother. That being said, I still enjoyed it, probably because I liked the movie. But this really didn't add anything to the story.
I did very much enjoy the intermittent illustrations, mostly for their coloring, which was superb, and not for the faces, which were pathetic. -
"Aurora smiles. Yes, she thought, there is more to this wall than just thorns and brambles. And I intend to come back every chance I get until I find out what lies beyond....".
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Aurora was lucky to have such a kind woman looking out for her. And if I may say, it worked out very nicely the other way round, as well. May Maleficent never take such a blameless godchild for granted.
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Meu Deus que livro lindo!!! Aqui conhecemos toda a relação fraternal da Malévola e da Aurora, e é lindo ver como a Aurora ama a natureza seja como for, e que a partir dela a paz entre os dois mundos foi selada, que livro incrível!!!
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Beautiful illustrations and a easy read. Really enjoyed this, just as I enjoyed the movie.
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I loved to read a fairy tale where true love was not necessary romantic
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Based on the 2014 live-action film, this novel doesn’t fill in the blanks so much as tell the story from other points of view. Rather than hearing Maleficent’s inner thoughts, we get the story from the three sprites who watch over Aurora, Robin (last name Goodfellow, or Puck, as Shakespeare termed him) and Aurora herself.
The story throws in references to one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays (a nice touch, though one that may fly over the heads of most children). In doing so, we get quite a bit more backstory about Maleficent, including her parentage and her initial belief that it was possible for humans and faeries to coexist in harmony. But many others had their doubts and their fears were born out by human greed and treachery.
By shifting attention to the other characters, the reader is presented with more fully fleshed-out beings, rather than silly cardboard cutouts floating in Maleficent’s orbit. The three sprites don’t care for outdoor living. Instead they are the types to cling to human households; this trio has a particular fondness for the trappings and comforts of living in a royal palace and cower before King Stefan’s anger. Aurora is more than a pretty blond girl with a fondness for playing in the mud. She’s filled with boundless curiosity, kindness and loves the outdoors as her guardians do not.
The book also comes with beautiful colored illustrations of sharp lines and soft edges, managing to capture the earthly and the unearthly with equal grace. I wasn’t looking for this book but I’m glad I plucked it off the vendor’s table. Treasures, like a villain’s heart, are often hidden until you look in the right place. -
Decidí leer este libro pensando que era la novelización de La Bella Durmiente, pero no, es la novelización de la película de Maleficient, y debo admitir que me gusta mucho más!
Amo las historias de los orígenes de los villanos, siento que finalmente les hacen un poco de justicia y suelen tener más carácter y determinación que las típicas princesas de Disney.
Por si no conocen la historia, Malefica vive en un bosque con un monton de otras hadas y criaturas mágicas, en un mundo donde le han enseñado a mantenerse alejada de los humanos, por la cantidad de guerras y muertes que hubo entre ellos. Pero Malefica cree que no todos los humanos pueden ser encasillados en el mismo lugar, y tiene esperanza que puedan hacer un mundo mejor conviviendo.
Un dia conoce a un niño humano y se hacen muy amigos, ella incluso se enamora de el, pero el chico decide cortarle las alas a Malefica para llevarlas como trofeo al rey y así heredar el reino, lo que hace que Malefica se vuelva mala y quiera vengarse de Robert. (y bien merecido que lo tiene).
Creo que la novela está bien armada, es entretenida y es tan descriptivo que uno puede armar todas las escenas en su imaginación. He visto que tiene muy malas críticas, pero a mi realmente me gustó. -
This is a beautiful book, and reminds me of the Disney books from my childhood (which my mum still has). It’s a truly beautiful edition, based on the Angelina Jolie adaptation.
This is littered with illustrations, which are really well done, and makes a change from the standard movie novelizations. Some illustrations are clearly based from Angelina’s Maleficient, while others are more loose, particularly Aurora.
Each chapter is beautifully decorated and the book is split into five parts, with almost watercolour double page paintings to separate each part.
The book itself is quite a basic retelling of the movie itself, suitable for children, with the more scary parts toned down slightly from the film.
Definitely one for the collection, if you want to read it to your older kids, or just want to read it yourself as an adult. -
This is exactly like the Maleficent movie. Sorry to burst your bubble. I thought it was some sort of a different retelling but maybe I just didn't get the memo because it's exactly the same. The one difference is the reader gets a tad bit more insight into what the three fairies were thinking and feeling. Other than that, nothing new. I did still like the read. It was decently written and the pictures were a nice touch but I kind of felt like I was wasting my time because I knew exactly the way things were going to happen. Luckily it was a quick read and I appreciate that.
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I really love this book. I enjoy this wave of backstories that Disney is doing. This one is no different. Such a beautiful nuanced telling. I also really like that isn’t not an exact replica of the film. There are a few unique aspects of the book that aren’t explained in the film- as it should be. Film and book are two different mediums.
The story is beautiful. The pictures are really well done. You should read it. -
Am I expecting too much at first? I thought this book is adapted from the screenplay but just a novel version. I expected a portration of a morally gray character. But most the time, this book is not even told from Maleficent perspective? And Maleficent character is too one dimensional in the book. I expected internal conflicts of such a complex villain. But obviously I was wrong. Huge disappointment.
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I read this to my children as a bedtime story, reading 2 or 3 chapters a night. They enjoyed the illustrations throughout as they are truly beautiful. However, the story in itself seemed vague in areas that there should have been more focus on and too detailed in areas that didn’t really matter. They down played the faeries taking care of Aurora, as well as Maleficent in my opinion.
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DNF, I had to throw in the towel when the fairies started neglecting baby Aurora.
Art is ridiculously gorgeous, story is blah and mostly just rehashing the movie. Just check out the art here and spare yourself the book:
http://conceptartworld.com/books/the-... -
I actually liked the movie better, which almost never happens to me. I saw the movie prior to reading the book, so maybe that had something to do with it. I feel like the book focused more on Aurora and the fairies compared to the movie which focused more on Malificent.
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This is about the fourth time I've read this, and I still love it. The way they captured the movie on the page is wonderful, and there are beautiful illustrations to top it all off. I'd definitely suggest this book if you're a fan of the movie.
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It's a kiddo book, but a fun companion to Maleficent movie. Seeing Maleficent from outside of Maleficent's point of view. Aurora tells how she views Maleficent which was cute. Wish there was more Diaval, but that's also my complaint about the movie. So overall, cute.
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Este libro está basado en la película Maléfica. Me gustó bastante a pesar de que sabía ya toda la historia (me he visto como 5 veces la película si no es más). Además está ilustrado y son preciosas las ilustraciones!
