Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch (Villains)

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Serena Valentino’s Mother Knows Best is the tale of Mother Gothel and what was going on with her before she became Rapunzel’s kidnapper/mother. It’s a decidedly darker tale than the ones we’ve previously read in the Villains series, at least I thought so. It seemed Gothel was always on the path towards darkness. We start the story with Gothel’s childhood, which made it a little difficult to place where this fell in the odd sister timeline, it seemed to be before most of the events of the series to date, but we eventually get back to the current time. Like many a villain, Gothel didn’t have an easy childhood. She and her sisters lived with their mother, the queen in the dead woods. This is basically where the nearby village took their dead after a person passed. The dead belonged to the queen and she planned on passing her legacy to her daughters one day when she was ready to die. Gothel was the youngest out of her sisters who were triplets, but not identical. It was that fact that made their mother not love them as much. Gothel was always trying to read and study up on magic in hopes of pleasing her mother, while her sisters dreamed of leaving the dead woods and seeing more of the world. Then one day, Gothel’s mother, Manea, showed her why the woods are so special and what was basically the source of her power, it was the rapunzel flowers that grew in her observatory. When you sang the magic song, the flowers could heal anything, including age. When Manea threatens to kill Gothel’s sisters, Gothel reacts in a finishing way and basically leaves her and her sisters on her own. The story was decidedly more focused on Gothel and her sisters, we watched Gothel slowly descend into darkness and of course the odd sisters make their appearance in the guise of help. It’s really not until the last quarter of the book or so that we enter what would be the movie, Tangled. Tangled is definitely one of my favorite Disney movies and I rather liked reading this interpretation of Gothel’s character. It did make things interesting and Serena definitely knows her Disney movies, for she always touches on those right little moments that came from the movie and kind of made you wonder…what was the villain thinking in THAT moment. Well, Serena answers that question for us. Not only does Serena know how to expand on these little moments, but she’s on point with her dialogue when it comes to reliving those movie moments. I was also quite pleased that my favorite animal friend, Maximus makes an appearance too! Though, I thought it would be funny if the odd sisters, who watched these events unfold would’ve commented on his prowess of moving aside the ruffians that Snuggly Duckling, but I guess you can’t win them all! This story was very much a Mother Gothel story. It’s really not until the very last page or two that we see something that might help steer the story into the next book’s direction which of course is titled, The Odd Sisters. We’ll finally get to learn more about the witches who have been causing a bit of havoc in Disney Fairytale Land! It’s definitely going to be a more interesting story since—as far as I know—there’s no key Disney movie directing it. Alas, that tale is not here (in my reading queue) yet. Soon though! Mother Knows Best was an interesting tale on its own. I just wish that there would’ve maybe been a bit more at the end that directs what will happen next in regards to the odd sisters. I’ve heard that next year’s book will be about Cruella, so that ought to be interesting. I’m rather curious if Hades will ever get a book since his name gets thrown out a lot when characters are cursing. Makes you wonder… As I was saying, Mother Knows Best was yet another enchanting installment in the Disney Villains series. While I feel like it didn’t do much to add to the greater story arc at large, it’s still probably one of my favorites out of the series to date as it just had such a detailed history of who Gothel was before she became Mother Gothel. Which is likely the point behind these villain stories! Definitely a worthy read! Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Arrived in great condition and is a gift for someone so im happy.

Absolute reconmended , Tangled is my fav movie , And off course mother Gothel Is my baddieee the story is so perfect for me Tank you to the author serena , for create Amazing stories . My next book is lady trimane other cool villan Tank you so much:) reconmended 10/10

The book was really good but it took until about 40% into the book before it hooked me. For those that say you don’t have to read the books in order, I would say you really should otherwise it wouldn’t make as much sense!

Now I get it. I actually like the book but feel bad for the witch. Wish we would have seen her real potential.

The story begins with Gothel's childhood, which is difficult to align with the Odd Sisters series timeline. It seems to occur before most events in the series but eventually connects to the present. Gothel’s early life was far from ideal. She lived in the Dead Woods with her mother, the queen, and her sisters, where villagers brought their dead. The queen controlled the deceased and planned to pass her powers to her daughters after her death. As the youngest of non-identical triplets, Gothel struggled with her mother’s lack of affection. She devoted herself to studying magic to earn her mother’s approval, while her sisters dreamed of escaping the Dead Woods. A key moment unfolds when Gothel's mother, Manea, reveals the significance of the woods and the source of her power: the Rapunzel flowers in her observatory. These magical flowers, activated by song, could heal any illness and even reverse aging. When Manea endangers Gothel's sisters, Gothel intervenes, ultimately granting them freedom. The book delves into Gothel and her sisters’ journey, exploring Gothel's descent into darkness with guidance from the Odd Sisters. The connection to Disney's "Tangled" only appears in the final section of the book.

This book is amazing! I could barely put it down! I finished it in a little under a month! It was fantastic so many twists and turns!

Great book

Wonderful twist on the tale of an old witch who locked up a princess in a tower for her own gain

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My 10 yr old daughter chose this book,she had seen Tangled the film when she was small ,so she found this a brilliant read . It’s a lot darker than the cartoon but a real page turner.

Fun to image the difference to a beginning of a story of villians.