A splendid way to blend Maleficent with YA and I loved it so much!

Holly Black’s Faerie was the perfect way to portray Maleficent in my opinion! I have been a huge fan of Holly’s previous Faerie books and this matchup did not disappoint!

I loved how this book ties in with the two films and even so, the story was easy to follow and enjoy. Maleficent has been one of my favorite Disney villains for years and I think Holly Black perfectly captured the voice and essence of The Mistress of All Evil!

I’d honestly love to read more of Maleficent written by Holly Black!

Holly Black's world building and character building skills are on a level few can reach. It didn't matter that these weren't her characters, she was able to put them into a story that is all her own.

I read half of this book and enjoyed the writing style (it is Holly Black and her writing is amazing) but for some reason I was struggling connecting to the story. I am thinking it might be a mood thing so I will go back to it I think but currently it wasn't for me.

From what I read it very much felt inline with the movies which I think might have it be less for me.. I should have known this going in but sort of expected the dark twisty turny Holly Black style. Perhaps there will be more of that as I read further on.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC <3

I had a really hard time finishing this book. I understand that it is for a middle grade student, which I took into consideration when reading it- but it still didn't meet my exceptions.

First thing: if you do not watch the Disney movie Maleficent you will most likely feel a little lost. The story will seem like its a sequel and that you are missing pieces of information. I'm really not a big fan of this because it is not outright said. I know a lot of my students would simply pick this book up just because it seemed interesting- not because they know that its a continuation of the Disney movie.

The writing style was O.K. Obviously Holly Black had to tone it down a bit for the age level- and that's just fine. The plot was predictable and I have to be honest: I could not invest my self into any of the characters. I wanted so bad to love Aurora and Maleficent, but I just couldn't. Their personalities just weren't doing it for me.

All in all I'm disappointed. Big sleeping beauty fans and fans of the movie might enjoy this novel.

real rating is 2.9/5 (decent, but not my cup of tea)

I love Holly Black so this was not a hard sell for me. While it is not my favorite book from her, stories like this are always popular and her writing has a strong pace that keeps even reluctant readers interested.

I loved this adorable little gem of a book. It was a wonderful, sweet read. Not like the new movie, it was so much better.

I tried so hard to love this book. I really really really wanted too. Maleficent is one of the best Disney villains ever. This book was not very good to me. I love Holly Black, so I just don't know what wasn't doing it for me. I found that I was just bored with the story.

For those that have seen the first movie this story is a nice sequel. The characters continue the previous story in a believable way.

A very great story about Sleeping Beauty and Malificient! Holly Black does a great job of following the new movie version of this story! Highly recommend if you love DIsney or this story line!

Queen Aurora is trying to learn how to be a great leader. Maleficent is no longer trying to take over everything and Aurora is learning how to be friends with Prince Phillip. She knows they aren’t in love, because his kiss did not wake her up, so she puts all of her energy into their friendship. But is their friendship becoming more?

Heart of the Moors is an original novel that takes place between the two Maleficent movies. Readers do not need to have watched either movie to enjoy this book. Just a little knowledge of the original fairy tale will let readers know some basic background about the characters. Black has definitely taken characters most young people know about and given them more depth and additional storylines. This is a quick read and I recommend it to fairy tale fans of all ages.

I am a huge Holly Black fan, so when I saw this book, I immediately requested it. That being said, I am not the target audience for this book. I enjoy the story of Maleficent and Aurora, but I don't know all of the nuances in the storyline, so I felt myself backtracking in order to fill in the gaps. This book will definitely be amazing for those die-hard fans though.

A solid Holly Black take that won't disappoint. No one else could capture the essence of the origin of Maleficent we all love than Black. If you're planning on seeing the movie sequel, pick up this book!

This is a middle-grade novel that assumes you know a lot about the world of Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty already. This definitely picks up from the events of the first film, and it sort of served as a refresher for me since I haven’t seen it since it was in cinemas years ago.

Plot-wise, things moved really quickly. I tend to have a hard time getting through books with slow pacing, but I barely batted an eye with the way Heart of the Moors progressed. Aurora has become the queen of both Perceforest (the land of the humans) and the Moors (the land of the fae), and her plans as her first task as queen is to unite both kingdoms—not that any of her subjects really want to be united as there’s animosity on both sides. Her advisors actively try to sway her against this, and even Maleficent herself is hesitant, but Aurora remains steadfast. After all, she, a human, grew up loving the fae. So why can’t others learn to do so?

What really set apart Heart of the Moors from any retelling I’ve come across is its worldbuilding. Holly has a way of writing in this particular book that really immerses a reader in her world. The descriptions written about the Moors was just breathtaking and as I was reading, I could really visualize myself in place of the characters.

Despite being an enjoyable and original story, I feel like Holly had to noticeably dumb down the content for middle graders. I know it’s a middle-grade novel, but whenever I read MG, I rarely come across the issue where I just felt like the author was holding something back from the story. Maybe it’s because I’m more used to seeing her work with steamier content? The characters felt a little two-dimensional as well, and overall the romance was just……lukewarm I guess. Either way, this novel was a quick and entertaining read, especially to me as a big lover of the film franchise.

Fans of the Maleficent movie will love this book, for sure. I closed the last page when I was about to see the sequel in theatres, and the book itself was at part with the movie in terms of enjoyment for me. Holly definitely made up her own world (which is really impressive given the page count of this book), and if you’re a fan of The Cruel Prince and her other works, you’ll definitely enjoy this as well!

I honestly think I need to be more of a Maleficent and Aurora fan to enjoy this story. I thought Maleficent was more of a bad person but she came across as very motherly. I expect out of Holly Black's books (even her middle grade because I've read Doll Bones) to have more of a dark side and that was missing. Probably a good middle grade story for the die hard Disney fan.

This might be my favorite Holly Black book I've read.
It's a great story about everything that has happened since we left both Maleficent and Aurora in the first movie. And also a perfect reminder that not everything is "happily ever after" once the story fades to black.
While the plot has a bit of a "been done" feel to it; it's a pretty appropriate fit for these two characters trying to bring two worlds together. I loved spending more time with Aurora; both getting to know her and seeing her doing everything she can to do what's best for her kingdoms.

Taking place between the two Disney Maleficent movies, familiarity is assumed so there is no realm building or any real character development. For readers familiar with Disney's Maleficent, this is a solid middle reader, a fresh tale with a compelling plot and just enough intrigue.

A solid 4 stars for my favorite Fair Folk fantasy author, Holly Black. It would have gotten 5, if the human characters and world weren't so two-dimensional.

This is the story of Maleficent and Aurora after the girl has become queen of both the Moors and Perceforest and is trying to unite the Fair Folk and human kingdoms. Neither group trusts the other and there are those who would like to keep it that way.

The descriptions of the Moors was breathtaking. I could feel myself in that setting, surrounded by the Folk who call it home. Perceforest, not so much.

Maleficent's sense of humor was spot on. If you didn't love her before, you will now. Even Prince Philip was bearable, and that's saying something.

Bear in mind that this is a middle grade novel, so it is 100% PG. Those of us who lean towards the more meaty Holly Black stories will just have to get our fixes in her other books.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to love this book. Maleficent is one of my favorite Disney villains, but I just could not get into this one. I've had this trouble before with some of Holly Blacks books. Where I struggle in the beginning but then love the last 25% of it the book. I've been dealing with constant headaches/migraines for the last month and decided to give myself permission to not force a book if I don't love it. Sadly this is one that I'm going to pass on finishing.

It was really good. Everything was fast paced and loved that it picks up right after the first movie. My favorite parts are how well Holly Black is able to describe this world, it’s so magical! If you love Holly Black’s books, enjoy middle grade reads, and the movie, I would definitely recommend it!

Heart of the Moors by Holly Black is set after the events of the movie Maleficent, and is a story about Aurora learning to reign over both the humans and the faeries and the political issues that arise. Overall, while an enjoyable story, there was nothing remarkable about it. The love story is average at best, and it wasn’t so much political intrigue as just people scheming. The characters seemed a bit OOC, though I haven’t seen the movie in a few years, and everything tied up neatly in the way that was expected.