“Fairest of All” from the Villains Series- A Disney Nerds Book Club Review
About the Book
The Disney Villains series by Serena Valentino is a collection of seven books, each focused on their own evil doer’s history. Book 1 entitled “Fairest of All,” tells the story of the original
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves antagonist, the Wicked Queen. Other tales in the series include “The Beast Within” (Beauty and the Beast), “Poor Unfortunate Soul” (The Little Mermaid), and “Mother Knows Best” (Tangled).
Valentino is no stranger to the dark side of stories. While she may be the best know for her Villains books, she has also worked on two comic series. Gloom Cookie is a goth-centric storyline following star-crossed lovers, and Nightmares & Fairy Tales follows a doll named Annabelle. Annabelle experiences many different owners during her lifetime, acting as a witness to both wonderful and horrible things – all of which, of course, are chronicled in the comics.
The Fairytale
Unless you led a very sheltered childhood, you’re probably familiar with at least the basic storyline of Snow White and Seven Dwarves. A beautiful princess’s hateful evil stepmother drives her away from the kingdom by attempting to have her killed. The princess runs for her life and finds shelter within a house inhabited by seven men, all with very distinctive personality traits.
Unfortunately, the Wicked Queen finds out where the princess is hiding, disguises herself into an old witch, and tricks the girl into biting a poisonous apple. Appearing to be dead, the seven men prepare her burial until a handsome prince arrives. Taken by her wondrous beauty – even in death – the prince kisses the princess and revives her. Everyone lives happily ever after – except the Queen, who dies an unceremonious death.
While there are various theories as to why the Queen carries so much hatred for the princess (Snow White reminds her of the king’s first wife. Her existence could threaten the Queen’s throne. Etc..), none of these really explain how the Queen became so blind to her own evil. To kill an innocent girl simply based on your own dislike is a special kind of awful – one that requires deep roots in the Queen’s past relationships and emotional baggage.
“Fairest of All”
This is the question that “Fairest of All” attempts to answer. Instead of beginning the story with an adult Snow White and an already degraded step-mother, we first meet the Queen on her wedding day to Snow White’s father. We’re introduced to a beautiful, caring woman who’s deeply in love with her husband and clearly devoted to her new step-daughter. Calling Snow White her “little bird,” the Queen seems intent on making sure the girl is allowed to heal from her mother’s death while still honoring her birth mother’s overall role in her life. The Queen seems to balance the two sides of this equation quite well, and we even learn that Snow White calls her “Mama” indicating that she has fully embraced the woman’s new role.
When you first begin the book, it’s hard to comprehend how this loving, young woman will end up being the Evil Queen as we know her. The first few chapters are so full of happiness, warmth, and perfection that – honestly – they were kind of boring. It doesn’t take long, however, for the action to start and the descent to begin.
First, we learn a little bit more about the Queen’s past. We find out that her father was a mirror maker, devastated by the loss of his wife. She died in childbirth, giving life to the Queen herself. Of course, in his grief, he blames his daughter and becomes emotionally, if not physically, abusive towards her. He calls her ugly, worthless, and worst of all, accuses her of enchanting any one who dared show the slightest interest in her romantically.
Returning to the present, we see the king give his new bride a special wedding gift – an ornate, gilded, oval-shaped mirror. Those familiar with the story will recognize the description immediately. We all know the mirror is enchanted and will soon reassure her on a constant basis that she is indeed the “Fairest One of All.” However, before we get to all that, Valentino shows us a new fact about the mirror that we didn’t know before. We learn, through the tellings of three twisted sisters (who apparently will go on to feature prominently in the rest of the villain series), that the spirit inside the mirror is actually the trapped soul of her father. While the mirror cannot change the family’s haunted past or alter his character, he is now unable to tell lies.
While the Queen successfully avoids the mirror and her dead father for the beginning of the book, it isn’t long before the king is killed on the front lines of battle. In her grief, the Queen is searching for anything to dull the pain of her loss. And soon, she begins asking her dead father one question. A question to which she knew the answer, and a question which he could not twist.
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall… Who’s the fairest of them all?”
“You are, My Queen.”
The Descent
Well, it isn’t hard to understand how the Queen becomes literally addicted to this. She had a horrendous childhood, yet somehow overcame that tragedy to become ruler of her kingdom. Of course, she’d only been married a short time when the man that saved her from her own internal demons and insecurities was robbed from her as well. Instead of dealing with her grief, she pushes everyone away – including Snow White – and relies on the only thing that brings her any solace:
Finally hearing her father say something nice about her.
Remember that she couldn’t ask him his opinion. He’s still the same wretched man that raised her. She could only ask an objective question to which he could not lie. So, when the objective answer to her question was threatened, first by her friend Verona’s beauty and then by Snow White’s youthful countenance, the Queen lost it. She was willing to do whatever possible to maintain her status as fairest in the land – including sending her friend far away or having Snow White killed.
Of course, the Queen can’t initially fathom the idea of killing Snow White herself. She calls her trusted Huntsman and gives him the instructions we know well. Take her into the woods. Kill her. Cut out her heart, and put it in this box.
And we all know what happens next. The huntsman can’t bring himself to kill an innocent girl. He sends her into the woods, and Snow White meets the seven dwarves. Meanwhile, the Queen asks the mirror her beloved question and receives a shocking answer in return.
When the Queen decides to pursue Snow White herself, she really goes insane. Hurriedly she learns a new spell, transforms herself into the old woman, and poisons an apple. She barely has time to make sure she’s done this spell correctly before leaving the castle and searching for her step-daughter.
—Major Spoiler Ahead—
Once the deed is done, the Queen expects to feel joy, elation even, at her victory. All she feels, however, is exhaustion. It is only then that she realizes she failed to consider an antidote.
Through another appearance of the three sisters we learn that, indeed, there is none. The Queen has sacrificed everything for her vanity and gained nothing. She’s lost her friend. She lost her daughter. She lost her sanity, and she’s even lost her beauty. In the final pages, the Queen voluntarily brings her life to an end. Unable to face all she has become, she chooses to let go.
—Spoiler over—
My Take
I would certainly describe this book as a slow burn. As I mentioned, the first few chapters are borderline boring, but they are important to establish all the Queen had and all she would sacrifice for her own addiction and obsession.
Once the descent begins, however, this book is a page-turner. Valentino has a graphically descriptive way of writing so that you can really visualize each scene as she intends. She uses a combination of recognizable elements from the Disney movie and new information to keep her readers engaged.
I enjoy dark stories, and I would recommend this book to anyone who also enjoys those types of themes. However, I would caution any potential reader that this book gets incredibly dark, incredibly fast. The themes of addiction, depression, and obsession are inescapable throughout the majority of the story. It was very difficult for me to watch her turn away Snow White and sink into depravity. Even I, as a fan of horror stories and dark tales, had to take breaks from time to time. Consider your own triggers and sensitivities, and decide accordingly.
However, Serena Valentino is a talented writer with a creative story-telling style. If you think you can handle the themes, I highly encourage you to give this book a try! Grab your copy here!
