The Princesses Read: Maleficent

The Princesses are back! Or really…the villains/princes/Disney heroines?? I keep trying to debate whether or not to keep The Princesses Read title to keep it continuing or if I need to change it up with The Villains Read. I don’t want any confusion, so we’ll keep The Princesses Read for now? I think?? XD

Each Saturday, I will be showcasing what one of the Disney Princesses, Heroines, Princes, Villains, or Sidekicks might be picking up if they were reading YA today. It will be based off their likes, interests, personalities, and their storyline. At the end, I will also feature a book that the character would NOT be picking up and a section of books that are based off either the plot or original princess fairytale. Check out more info here on my original post! We’ve featured all of the princesses, and we have also done two non-princesses but epic Disney heroines, Alice, The Muses, and Tinkerbell! We’ve also done Fear from Inside Out for some spooky goodness. I also started my own tag for this as well, The Disney Princess Sidekicks Tag!

This week we will be featuring…

Maleficent!

Oh, Maleficent. Sleeping Beauty was my favorite princess growing up, so of course, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Maleficent. I mean, she tries to kill her and curse her and make her sleep forever, so I mean…struggles. Plus, her in dragon form scared me, so I was clearly cheering on Prince Phillip the three fairies when they battled her. However, as I have grown up, I really do have a new appreciate for Maleficent. I did watch the Angelina Jolie live action version of the movie, which gives you a lot further insight into what drove Maleficent to her breaking point, but um, I forgot almost all of it??? Oops.

Maleficent is the coolest dragon around. She’s also the most evil, but that’s kind of okay because she’s a total kickass lady with green magic fire breathing abilities. She slays adorable princes, she has a cool pet raven that has a really intense name, she is a fairy (BUT REALLY A DRAGON???) that isn’t quite so good, and magnificent cane-thing that is the coolest thing to stroll around with. She really hates not being invited to parties, but I mean, I’m totally with her on that one. She has seen darkness in her life, and instead of overcoming it, she embraced it. I kind of just convinced myself to really like her in this paragraph that I wrote about it, so let’s just take a moment to huh about that.

What YA books would Maleficent not put a curse on?

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Kaz Brekker is one lovable antihero that I feel like Maleficent would love. She would definitely be taking notes on his schemes, bond with him over his epic cane accessories, and a crow is pretty close to a raven, right? They would totally revel in their love of black birds. Plus, there is some epic strong females in this book, and I feel like Maleficent is all about the strong girl power…even though she did kind of murder another one…which only brings her closer to Inej!

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kessel

Well, clearly, I was feeling the Sleeping Beauty vibes when I was taking this picture for Black Bird. I feel like Maleficent would love the setting of the small town with darkness creeping about. Plus, a black bird again…which is also a harbringer of death, which I mean, Maleficent’s bird kind of is, too, since Maleficent likes to bring the curses.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Fairiessssssssssssssss. But guess what! They’re not the normal fairies that you think about, but instead kind of twistier fairies? They definitely have a few issues, and I think Maleficent would be intrigued by all the court politics involved. She could imagine storming down a few of their courts to cause mischief and mayhem there, too. Plus, there is kind of a jerky guy like King Stefan there (cough, that guy that went a little crazy in ACOMAF, cough, cough). Plus, Maleficent does create a forest of thorns to entrap Prince Phillip so, there’s that, too.

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Oh, look, more thorns. This was a collection of short stories set in the Grishaverse, but I think she would love these twisty, dark stories full of strong women, creepy villains and protagonists, and sinister woods. I feel like Maleficent would love the settings for each one. One showcases a witch in a different angle than we’re used to, which I feel like Maleficent would connect with, and another showcases a dark, creepy woods, much like the one Aurora was in. This book just has a super Maleficent feel to it.

Bonus Book: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

I get a very Maleficent vibe from this. There’s a wizard called the dragon, and I mean, he takes girls from their homes and puts them in this wooded castle-thing (um, basically what Maleficent forced Aurora to do to go into hiding in the woods). Plus, there’s mentions of shadows and malevolent power. So, you know. Maleficent vibes. Plus, there is a rose on the cover for Briar Rose. 😉

A Book Maleficent would NOT pick up

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows

Illegal dragon trafficking. Enough said?

Want to read more about Maleficent?

Welllllllllllllll, so do I! I would love for a book to feature Maleficent leading things around and taking names. That would be epic. Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell does feature Maleficent in a very odd role, but it still kind of a continuation of the Sleeping Beauty story.

So, what do you think? What other books do you think Maleficent would read? What books do you think she would not pick up? Let’s discuss in the comments below!