Shireen Hakim is the author of the award-winning refugee story "Rabbi the Rabbit" in the anthology OUT OF MANY, ONE: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY. She is a Contributing Writer for We Need Diverse Books. She has written for HelloGiggles and NaNoWriMo blog. Shireen has a writing certificate from Stanford University Online.
Here’s why you should pick up Heart of the Moors, written by powerhouse author Holly Black, before watching Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
The book cover is almost as beautiful as Angelina Jolie’s face.Heart of the Moors: An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel is the most beautiful book cover I’ve ever held (The Hazel Wood is runner-up.) Trust me, the cover of this book is a sight to behold. You will feel like you are a Disney princess in a castle. With it’s 3D metallic words and thorns, you will feel like you are immersed in the kingdoms of Perceforest and the Moors.
You need something to tide you over before Maleficent: Mistress of Evilcomes out. The movie comes out October 18, but it’s still so much time to wait! The book came out October 8, so it’s available now.
Refresher from the first movie. The brilliant blockbuster Maleficent came out in 2014, five whole years ago. It was memorable with its female friendships and empowering fight scenes, but with all the Marvel movies you watched in between, you need to brush up on Maleficent, Aurora, Diavel, and Prince Phillip’s adventures in Perceforest and the Moors.
New York Times Bestselling Author. Holly Black is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Cruel Prince and the upcoming The Queen of Nothing. Her fans are as loyal to her as Maleficent is to Aurora, and after reading this book I understand why.
An Original Disney Book.Heart of the Moors: An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel contains completely new and untold story and character development. It perfectly follows up the first film and ties in the gaps between the second film.
Get to know Aurora. When I watched Maleficent in 2014, I was in awe of badass Angelina Jolie, fiercely leading the Moor army against the king’s soldiers. Elle Fanning’s Aurora was sweet and genuine, but kind of a supporting character. In Heart of the Moors Aurora is front and center, learning the ropes as the new young queen, representing the creatures of the Moors and the hungry poor in the kingdom. She fights incessantly for her throne against shady usurpers, and communicates brilliantly with her unruly godmother.
Maleficent’s snarky comments. Maleficent has calmed down slightly but she’s still up to some of her old tricks, and definitely maintains her sarcasm in Heart of the Moors. She still keeps an eye on her “Beastie,” and slings some shots at Aurora’s love interest, Prince Phillip.
More adventure. “When Maleficent put a crown on Aurora’s head, she didn’t know she was putting her in danger.” There are actually more nail-biting scenes in this book than the first film, since this time there are thorns creeping up Aurora’s back rather than Maleficent’s.
Back story. Find out Prince Phillip’s motives and journey to Aurora’s kingdom, plus Aurora’s understandable PTSD after the aftermath of Maleficent. (Her father was evil but he was killed, after all.)
Romance. Honestly, when I watched Maleficent idgaf about the Prince. I was like stop interrupting the girl gang, pretty boy! But Heart of the Moors makes the Prince three-dimensional, and I appreciate him. Usually Disney romance consists of the heroine and hero falling head over heels from love at first sight. But as Prince Phillip explains in Heart of the Moors, he’d been unable to wake Aurora…since…they’d only just met. Plus, we get to see a real relationship develop between a Disney princess and a prince!
Diavel/Raven. The raven’s highlight in Maleficent was turning into a dragon and breathing fire all over the soldiers who chained Maleficent up in iron. In Heart of the Moors, we see his sweet, loyal nature as he unflinchingly helps Maleficent and Aurora time and again.
No King Stefan. King Stefan sucked in Maleficent. He broke Maleficent’s heart and totally betrayed her. Her sobs when her wings are cut off still haunt me. Plus, his accent was annoying. Sure, there are baddies in Heart of the Moors, but no one as backstabbing as King Stefan.
No Kids Allowed. Obviously when you go to the theater to watch Maleficent 2, there will be kids in the audience since it’s a Disney movie. That’s fine, but you will have to put with up their crying and popcorn munching. When you read Heart of the Moors, you can sit in your room quietly and in privacy.
