I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and it truly did not disappoint. It was a fun way to enjoy familiar characters but in a new setting.

I LOVE villains and I was so excited for this one! Right from the beginning, I was intrigued by the world and how it related to other stories and I loved spotting little nods to some of my favorite stories and I can't wait to see more from this series!

City of Villains was a book I was highly looking forward to as I am a fan of retellings and just love many of the Disney villains in general. That being said, City of Villains left me wanting a little more. While some of the villain origins were done interestingly enough, I did find myself wanting to explore some of the origins a little more or to spend more time with certain villains.

Of course, that is hard to fit all into one story, especially when it's classified as a middle-grade novel. Despite that, it was still an enjoyable book, mainly due to the mystery that's found throughout.
3.5/5

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion, the author, and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw. I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the crime aspect of the book because it is something that readers have not seen in a Disney book before. It was nice to read a book about the Disney villains and learn more about their backstories as teenagers. This was a great start to the City of Villains series and I can not wait to read the next one.

The beginning of this book was very hard to follow and the whole thing felt like trudging through molasses. The last fifty pages seemed to have all the action. One of the things I wished Laure had explained that the Legacy characters were descendants of the Disney characters that would have made the book an easier read. I for the life of me could not figure out why Capt. James Hook and Ursula were in high school.

2.5 out of 5 stars

City of Villains is the start of a new series which is very Disney meets Gotham. It has a lot of potential to be an interesting series however I did feel it lacking. The world building fell a little more short for me - I need a Book Zero prequel with more details about the world before the magic disappeared. It seems like there is so much to tell and I was dropped into the middle of the story too rapidly.

Lots of potential but more backstory needed to make it a fully scoped out world.

It did take me a bit to get fully invested in the book but once I did, the story moved along faster and I enjoyed it. Billed as a young adult version of Disney meets Gotham, I went into it thinking it would be a tad bit darker. I think it could definitely go in that direction. The story leaves enough unresolved, open spots that a sequel could take that darker turn. It felt a touch Descendants at the beginning but not so much by the end. Overall, it was a good beginning to a series .

I am in my thirties and still I love everything Disney so I expected to love this but I could not get into it. The writing is choppy and the meaning is unclear. I just couldn't figure out what the author was trying to do. Cute cover though. It will probably appeal to middle schoolers.

Title: City of Villains
Author: Estelle Laure

Ch: 28

Pg: 240

Series: City of Villains

Genre: retelling

Rating: 3.5 stars

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion



I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would as fairy tale and Disney retellings have been hit or miss for me lately. But City of Villains by Estelle Laure was a hit. I enjoyed the noir crime novel aspect of the book. Mary Elizabeth and Bella have this weird detective duo going on and I love it. I want more of those two in the next book in the series.



As the first book in the series it is a little slow, but that’s to be expected of a first book in a series as it sets up the world and develops the characters. And of course like most first books in a series there’s a cliff hanger, but with this being a bit of retelling and backstories as well as a slight crime novel you won’t a bit of a cliff hanger to get to come back for more.



This is indeed a YA novel so there is more than its fair share of teenage drama. That I didn’t care for and not just because I’m older than your typical YA reader, because I didn’t even care for teenage drama in my YA novels when I was a teen. But to me that’s the only con of the book. But I loved Mary Elizabeth and Bella enough to overlook it. Because City of Villains gave me a different take on Captain Hook’s back story. And I’m always a sucker for a new twist on Hook’s story. Since I’m still convinced that Hook was never the villain of the Peter Pan story.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I thought many times about not giving feedback on this book but I did manage to read 30% of it. I think maybe I'm just not the reader for this book, I enjoyed to nod to disney villains, etc... but this book does read a lot younger, maybe it's marketed as teen because of later stuff that happens in the book but I really was not enjoying reading it. I don't normally enjoy reading middle-grade because it's hardto connect with the characters and it usually just feels really young. Kind of like the writing for this. I'm not going to post an officail review because I'm dnf'ing it and normally I like to promote things on my blog. But this was just really not for me.

In addition to being a high school senior, with all that entails, Mary Elizabeth Heart is also an intern at the Monarch City Police Department. She delights in meeting all the detectives as they check in and rush off to help clean up the city. For years there has been a deep divide between the city's elite and a section known as The Scar (which the elite have been wanting to develop. The Scar has been the center of the city's magic.

When Mary's friend Ursula is reported missing, the Chief of Police invites Mary to join the team of detectives searching for her. Her first real investigative case! But the deeper Mary gets into her search, the more unusual things she uncovers. There's a girl with a head of horns and a sea monster living in a poisoned lake. And all through her search she comes between those wanting to shut the Scar down and those who will do anything to get back the magic that was once so prevalent.

I have a number of reactions to this book. The first being: Why? Why do we need to invent, or reinvent, the origins of famous Disney villains? These origins take on a modern twist which ultimately changes the nature of the films in which they became so iconic. So, why? Of course the question is a bit hypothetical. The answer is "to sell books, to make more money for a corporation." Not a very sexy answer, but likely (I'm guessing) the honest answer.

My next reaction is: Whoa, I didn't realize this was going to be so classically a YA-style novel. What I mean here is that this takes on the tone of a YA novel full of pathos and angst. Think of books by authors like Laurie Halse Anderson, Stacey R. Campbell, Danielle L. Jensen, or even Maggie Stiefvater. These books tend to have a "woe is me" attitude and everything and everyone is against the main protagonist. I am generally not a fan of this type of YA fiction.

And my third reaction (which came in pretty much this order), was that I liked the basic story. If these were unique characters, I'd be really interested in seeing where the story was going. Knowing ahead of time that these were going to turn out to be Disney villains, some of the mystery and the magic (pun intended) was gone.

Author Estelle Laure's writing is quite good and the development of the stry is solid. If it weren't for the angst-y attitude, and the fact that we're changing up or unnecessarily adding back story to established characters, I'd probably really enjoy and recommend this. Even so, I think it will do well with the intended audience (young readers, not some old male reviewer).

Looking for a good book? City of Villains by Estelle Laure puts a dark twist into the creation of some of Disney's iconic villains. If you don't mind the idea of reimagining an established character, you might enjoy this book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

There were certainly things I liked about this book. I liked seeing our familiar Disney villains as regular people with motivations, fears, desires, and dreams. And this is a fantasy world that has lost it's magic, teetering constantly on the verge of it's return. The potential for magic and monsters is all over the place but holds off that return for the bulk of the plot, creating a natural tension. Ultimately, though, this is a noir story. Investigating a series of disappearances and a conspiracy. Powerful people at odds with the locals. Gentrification threatening a deeply entrenched way of life.There's plenty at play to capture our interest. I just don't think that the whole package is put together it's an especially appealing package.

3.5 stars. (I really wish all reviewing platforms had a half star option.)

This was a wild ride of a book. The beginning is very choppy because of being told instead of being shown, but it gets better at about 40% if you can make it that far. The action picks up and you see more character development, although not so much for the main character. James was probably the most interesting character, so I was upset when his page time went way down towards the end, even though what was going on with him was very important.

I think the next book in the series will be a lot better, and I am also left wondering if Mary Elizabeth Heart somehow becomes the Queen of Hearts, since with the other characters it is clear who they have (or rather, are) becoming.

It was an interesting origin story, but the beginning was too jumbled for me to really understand the Scar and what was going on with the Narrows and groups that want magic back. It also seemed that Monarch was part of the United States, but the rest of the country was operating like it is now, and yet Monarch was set apart because the citizens used to have magic. It just really wasn’t clear how they fit in with the U.S. as a whole, and so that part of it simply could have been left out without taking away anything from my understanding of what was going on within the story.

I want to see more of what could develop between Bella and Mary Elizabeth as partners, friends, and maybe something more down the line? Plus there is another thread left hanging about the police department.

I do want to read the next book(s) in this series to see where the story is going. Too bad it won’t be out til next year.

3.5/5 ⭐️ to City of Villains by Estelle Laure

Thank you to Disney Books and NetGalley for early access to the egalley!

I honestly was pretty excited about this book when I requested it! I was definitely getting Decedents vibes from the synopsis and cover, which are some of my favourite Disney Channel movies! And although I did enjoy this book and will probably continue with the series in the future, it sadly didn’t live up to the hype. I thought the writing was pretty good, as with the overall concept for the book. The magic was reminiscent of Disney and worked well for the story, but didn’t have quite the same sparkle or nefariousness. I also thought that the characterization was pretty well done, especially with our MC, Mary Elizabeth. We get a great backstory that really helps us understand her as a person, what makes her tick, and really helps develop the story! I would have like to have gotten to know some of the side characters a bit better, especially Ursula and ME’s police officer partner. The pacing was pretty good as well and did keep me engaged! As for the overall mystery, I thought it was handled well, albeit being a bit predictable. Finally, I will agree with other reviews that this book and the characters read younger than the teenage age and YA rating. The danger could’ve felt a bit more intense and the villains could’ve felt a bit more evil, and there could’ve been more overall complexity to the story and plot. By no means was this book poorly executed, or would I not recommend this book, but these are just my overall thoughts. If you are a fan of Disney, definitely check this series out!

Disney is really trying to cash in on the villain craze, huh. But I can't say no to a Disney book because I love them so much... Keep that in mind as I review.

So this is listed as YA, but it's solidly Middle Grade. It's like if Disney Descendants met Zootopia, although it's trying to be like... Gotham level mysterious. It falls a little short, especially because the characters aren't written well as teenagers. It's just off enough to disturb the flow of reading.

Luckily, it's a quick read (Again, more Middle Grade) with an interesting premise. It does give some great imagination fodder to see all the villains interacting, but. Fanfiction level.

Maybe the next one will be better.

As someone who grew up a Disney kid (and is very much still one at heart), I was immediately drawn in by the premise of City of Villains. Our protagonist Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior interning with the Monarch City police department. She finally gets the big break she’s been waiting for when the Chief assigns her to help out with a missing persons case involving the daughter of one of the city’s most powerful businessmen. But as the investigation goes on, Mary finds herself uncovering a much bigger conspiracy that involves the ever-growing conflict between those who once had magic and want it back and those who want magic for themselves. Great concept with so much potential, yes? Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t do it for me. Part of that has to do with not being in the target age demographic for this new series, I’m sure. But the other part of that is the storytelling style, with the chaotic world-building, uneven pacing and lack of character development. I did appreciate the nods to all the Disney properties sprinkled throughout the tale (and found some of them especially amusing), and the actual plot is alright (though the mystery is a little convenient). But while I don’t regret the time I spent reading City of Villains (because it’s a really quick read!), the novel is far less memorable for me than many other stories I’ve read this year.

This book looked so promising but I was Physically Unable to read it. The formatting I received it in was unreadable, compressed so far that I struggled to make out the words without crossing my eyes. So, I'm giving it three stars so as to avoid messing with the rating it should have had.

Amazing novel. City of Villains is incredible at building up the atmosphere while giving readers a unique spin on a classic retelling.

Fairy Tales Come Alive

Fairy tales are fantastic but by now, who does not know them by heart. Laure has done the incredible by giving readers something unique to behold. In City of Villains, characters like the Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, and Ursula come to life in a contemporary setting.

Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior and an intern at the Monarch City police department. She lives in the Scar, a place where magic once roamed freely, until one day it vanished into thin air, taking some residents with it. Now the Scar is just like every other place on earth.

It is such a cleverly written story, structured so well. It has incredible fluidity to it. Laure does enough world-building to ground the reader in the story, making it as realistic as possible. The realism makes Laure an incredible author; they draw inspiration from what is around them, but they make it something new, fresh, and unique.

Mary is best friends with Ursula, who trades in secrets and commodities at the school. Her boyfriend is James Bartholomew, and everyone calls him James Crook. Seeing these characters given new life is a breath of fresh air. It is unique, not only in setting but in the elements, drawing from Disney’s classic films while creating something new for the reader.

Great Storytelling

From the beginning, Laure has the reader hooked. Laure’s world-building is solid, and the introduction of characters is unique. However, more importantly, Lauredoes not drag the story down with detail. There is enough history of building up the character dynamics and story.

Then there is the mystery. Mary has to work alongside Belle in order to find missing classmate Mally F. Saint. However, in looking, she uncovers more secrets and realizes that magic was not as gone as she always thought. Magic always comes with a price.

The story’s pacing and evolution make reading it a breeze because it builds up wonderfully rising tension. Laure focuses on creating this dark and gritty atmosphere while also bringing to life the fantasy and magic all readers can associate with Disney.

Final Thoughts
Ultimately, City of Villains is incredible. This novel stands apart from all the retellings out there, creating something new and fresh for readers interested in crime, mystery, fairy tales, and fantasy.

City of Villains is the first installment in author Estelle Laure's City of Villains trilogy. I like to think of this book as a villains re-imaging story. The story takes place 20 years After the Fall when magic disappeared. It's also the 2 year anniversary of the night the Ward, the crown jewel of the Scar, came crashing down killing thousands Legacies who worked at the tower in the center of their corner of the city. Now, the only thing remaining is a lake made of black water that is highly toxic where the building used to be. 17-year old Mary Elizabeth lives in an area called the Scar. The Scar is an area where magic once thrived, but now supposedly no longer exists.

Having lost her family and now living with her Aunt Gia, Mary's main goal is to one day become a police officer under the woman who allegedly found her families killer. In addition to her schooling, Mary interns for the Monarch City Police Department where she is pretty much a paperwork pusher. Things change when a classmate, Mally Saint, disappears without her trusty side kick Hellion. Police Chief Ito actually assigns her to the case along with a Isabella (Bella), a young police officer tired of being ignored and disrespected by her male partner.

Mary sees this as her chance to seal a position within the department after she finishes school. Mary and Bella begin their investigation, but instead of gaining any clarity, the mystery only thickens. After Mary's best friend, Ursula Atlantica, (yes, that Ursula from the Little Mermaid), disappears as well, Mary knows something more sinister is happening than just kids running away from the Scar, but who will believe her? Her boyfriend James is acting strangely.

The same James who knows when someone is betraying him, or when someone is lying, or when someone is a lost cause. But James has a few secrets of his own which is bottling Mary up inside knowing that he may hold the answers she needs to help her friends. I think it's fair to call this a villains origin story featuring Maleficent, Ursula and Captain Hook. But there are others mentioned as well: Belle, Flora, Fauna, Merrywether (three protagonists in Walt Disney's 1959 film Sleeping Beauty), Gaston (the main antagonist of Disney's 1991 animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast), and The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.

This book is set in a Gotham-style setting where there are those descended from magical families called Legacies, and those that aren't called Narrows. As the Narrows multiply in Scar, the heated rivalry between these two groups threatens to boil over into the streets. Mary belongs to the Legacy group. The disappearance of magic is a driving force of many of the events in the book, and a large source of conflict between different groups in the novel (i.e. Magicalists vs. Naturalists). There's a third group known as Amagicalists who are not fully against magic where we find Mary's Aunt Gia and her friends.

City of Villains ended up being a better book than I thought. There is a stunning cliffhanger ending that will leave readers curious about what's next. I disagree with others that this is aimed at Middle Grade or Young Adults. I do think Young Adult and some adults will enjoy the darkness of this story as well as the appeal of discovering new origins of some of their favorite Disney villains. Mary Elizabeth is an interesting character to follow but I would have liked to learn more about her family and what makes her a Legacy.

This is a great story that allows you to delve into the world of Disney villains. it's nice to see some of what they might go through growing up, including being in the seedy side of town and experiencing some prejudices. I enjoyed the missing magic which allowed a fun plot point as we are trying to figure out where it went and if it will come back. I liked the characters but thought they were just okay.

I am a sucker for anything Disney or retellings so this story fueled my desires for deeper meanings and information on classic characters.