Spoilers:

Well this one was an interesting read. The story is told from the evil stepmothers point of view, and I must say….it did not disappoint. She was lied to, tricked, abused, neglected, and so much more. You really feel bad for her with all she went through. She was MADE to be evil and she fulfilled her destiny perfectly.

I’m usually not a villain person but I do love all things a Disney and I always enjoy a different take on. Disney classic or a back story on a character that we might not have known as much about. Being a huge Cinderella fan I had to check this one out! These are a good companion to the Disney Press fairytale series that feature new takes on The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Her Ike’s ect. I believe there is also an Ursula title as well if you enjoy this one!

My son loves watching _Cinderella_, and this has ruined it for me.

Not really, but it definitely makes me view all the characters, especially Lady Tremaine and Cinderella, in a different light.

The novel starts off before Lady Tremaine marries Cinderella’s father. She is a widowed mom raising her children alone (well, in a house full of servants). She meets a man at a grand party, moves to the Many Kingdoms, and if you’ve read any of Valentino’s novels before, you know exactly where this is headed.

The writing style of this series is...interesting. The tone, the vocabulary, and some of the names used makes the books feel like they are for older children, but the subject matter seems to be for teens. However, I will definitely keep reading these because even though some villains are evil just because they are, I like pretending that maybe something caused them to be that way.

I am currently working through a backlog of NetGalley reviews. I am so sorry I am so behind, but I was super overwhelmed for awhile, so I took a break. My apologies to NetGalley and various publishers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for an e-ARC of this book.

I adore re-tellings, they're some of my favourite stories to read. The way people can interpret a story we've heard thousands of times as children in a different light is always so inspiring to me. I cannot wait to continue reading on in the Disney story world.

When Cinderella asks her Fairy Godmother to help her stepsisters, the Fairy Godmother is reluctant to help. She doesn’t agree with the way her stepmother and stepsisters treated Cinderella, so she doesn’t want to do anything for them. The Fairy Godmother has to read the story of the stepmother, Lady Tremaine, to learn why she treated Cinderella the way she did. Lady Tremaine wasn’t always an evil woman. She was a kind wife with a future planned for her daughters, when she met the man of her dreams. She was whisked away to live with him and his stepdaughter. However, things happened in this new life that turned Lady Tremaine into the evil stepmother that we know in the story of Cinderella.

This was a great origin story about Cinderella’s evil stepmother. She wasn’t inherently evil. She was actually a kind lady in London before she met Cinderella’s father. However, after she moved in with him, she became a different woman.

It was interesting to finally see what Cinderella’s father was really like. He is the person who brought Cinderella and her stepmother together, yet he is rarely seen in the stories about Cinderella. He played an influential role in this story and shaped Lady Tremaine into the woman she became.

Cold Hearted is a great origin story for Lady Tremaine!

Thank you Disney-Hyperion for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love retellings and this one didn't disappoint! Cinderella is one of my favorites, and I'm really glad to get Lady Tremaine's back story as to why she is so cruel. It's always great to see that, while it's its own book, they are all connect with the Odd Sisters coming in to try and "help".

I read this book so quickly because I was so intrigued to know about her story, that I couldn't put it down. I love the way Serena Valentino writes these stories and I will continue to buy each one every time a new one comes out. I hope she continues with all the villains!

I have really enjoyed this this series and hope it doesn’t end any time soon. One thing that was exciting about this particular installment was that it covers a decent bit of time time after the events we are already familiar with. I thought this was a nice twist to add some freshness to the series. It also didn’t have the cookie cutter portrayal and Cinderella and her father which was an interesting twist.

This wasn’t my favorite book in this series, but still a solid addition.

What an entertaining read!!! I love a good villains story and this one did not disappoint. I never did like Lady Tremaine but I can certainly see now why she was the way she was in Cinderella. The story had a nice pace and great build up and world building. Would recommend to anyone who likes retellings or villain origin stories.

The Review

A truly haunting and engaging story, the author has masterfully brought to life the story of Cinderella in a whole new light. Seeing the story through Lady Tremaine’s eyes was amazing, not only showcasing who she was before her marriage to Cinderella’s father but showcasing how all the girls of the household became victims of his cruel nature. Even Cinderella, beloved by her father, found herself a pawn in his game of control. The pacing of the novel really helped draw readers in, while the setting changes from London to the Many Kingdoms highlighted the change in magic and its effect on those not of that world.

The character growth was definitely the highlight of the narrative. The story helped balance the original characters and gave them more dimension. From Cinderella inadvertently giving her father the means to push Lady Tremaine over the edge to the inclusion of the Fairies and their dark counterparts, The Odd Sisters, and even the tumultuous path that put the stepsisters in the path of villainy, readers won’t be able to help to feel sympathetic towards the women.

The Verdict

A brilliant, entertaining, and chilling take on a classic fairy tale, author Serena Valentino’s “Cold Hearted” is a must-read YA novel of the summer. Capturing the essence of classic fairy tales and elevating the narrative to include much more well-rounded characters, the book is one reader won’t be able to put down. Be sure to grab your copy today!

I love a good villain origin story and cold hearted did not disappoint.

Cinderella isn't one of my top favorite fairytales but I really like how it was tied into this origin story. This story follows Lady Tremaine became the abusive and cruel woman she wasn't always. And gives a backstory on what happened to her first husband. The build up is so perfect from her meeting Cinderellas father and continues to build until the events of Cinderella. I almost feel bad for her and her daughter after reading this story. I want to hate her but the point of this villian series is to show you who they might have been before they were bad.

This is a quicker read. I found it flowed well and it was an overall enjoyable read. I can't wait to see what the other villains have in store. Definitely a story for disney fans.

I was given this book via Netgalley and Disney Publishing in return for an honest review. Once again Serena does a wonderful job of making you feel for the Villains in this story. Poor Lady Tremaine is tricked into a life of poverty and servitude.

Ultimately leaving us to the tale we all know and love of Cinderella. She does a great job building this magical world and getting you to root for the evil stepsisters.

This is a delightful easy read that you don't even realize you've ripped right through until the end. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a book that I ended up not finishing due to lack of interest in content. For that reason I was unable to rate more than one star.

This was such an interesting read. The main character, though someone I hated at first, made me not hate as much by the end of the book: will definitely recommend to any Cinderella twisted lovers

Whoa! What a completely different take on the Cinderella story. Changing the point of view makes a huge difference to the narrative and if we take as "canon" would make the entire movie a reverse.

Lady Tremaine is a lovely widow, good natured, kind and indulges her daughters too much. Much like the princesses in fairy tales, she meets a man, falls in love and upends her entire life to be his wife. The only difference is that she did not get the happily ever after promised.

I really liked the descriptions of the different kingdoms, however i was completely confused since this was the first I had read in this series. There is a lot of underlying magic and characters that I could not place and understand. That being said, it made me interested enough to go back and read the rest to get the complete picture.

Full disclosure: despite the note in the author’s bio (which is also on the dust jacket) that you should read the series in order, I will admit that COLD HEARTED is the first of the Villains series that I have read (oops!). I certainly understood everything that was going on, although there were probably a few references that went over my head since I hadn’t read the prior books. However, I still really enjoyed it and think you could go in blind and be fine - although if origin stories and/or retellings are your thing, you’ll no doubt enjoy the whole series!

I loved reading this take on Cinderella’s stepmother’s back story, and I felt *so* badly for Lady Tremaine the whole time! I flagged so many passages while I read - and keep in mind, this is a short book - because they were just so incisive and cut to important truths about society, class, marriage, and general treatment of women. I will say the only thing I didn’t care for was the ending - I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t explain in detail, but I personally didn’t like the way Lady Tremaine’s redemption arc was handled in the very end. Overall, though, I love getting a villain’s origin story, and I enjoyed COLD HEARTED very much. This is a book you can finish in one sitting, and one I’d definitely recommend!

RATING: 4 stars!

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I am so happy that I stumbled upon this book because it was the reason that I decided to read the entire series.

Anyways, as for the book it self. I felt it was underwhelming in a way when compared to the other books in the series. But this also may have been due to the fact that the beginning was so drastically different than the others. This one began with a call for help from Cinderella to Fairy Godmother and Nanny. And because the Fairy Godmother was hesitant to answer Cinderella’s call for help to assist the Evil Stepmother and the Stepsisters, Nanny began recalling Lady Tremaine’s backstory. Typically in the other books the backstory sort of just begins at the start of the book (with few exceptions). Now, this backstory was one that went back to the very beginning, almost immediately right before Lady Tremaine met Cinderella’s father.

Once Lady Tremaine and Cinderella’s father meet, the story suddenly picks up speed and Lady Tremaine is abruptly moving her and her two daughters across all the Many Kingdoms to come live with Cinderella and her father. Which was sort of okay because all in all it was the ideal situation for Lady Tremaine: here was a single, rich father with a young daughter around the same age as her own two daughters looking for a significant other because he was lonely. But, once Lady Tremaine arrives she realizes things were not at all what she thought them to be. Things are now not adding up. Not only is Cinderella all her father cares about, but now Cinderella is talking to mice in her pockets. A fact that Lady Tremaine finds mental but it is supposedly a normal thing in this Kingdom. And to make matters worse Cinderella’s father actually hates Lady Tremaine—he only wanted someone to maintain his house and watch Cinderella while he was away. But as Lady Tremaine is slowly losing her composure Nanny appears trying to stop Lady Tremaine from doing anything drastic that would make her become the villain. Nanny attempts to tell Tremaine how she is meant to become the villain but that it was not too late to change. Nanny even goes as far as telling Lady Tremaine about the Book of Fairy Tales (you know, the one that outlines each and every fairytale and their outcomes). But Nanny is abruptly swept away and Lady Tremaine does not know if she can believe Nanny without proof, but she knows that she has had enough. So she decides to take matters into her own hands and ultimately finds a way to deal with her husband. The story then unravels as we know it: Cinderella is now a bit older without her father, living each and everyday doing the same chores as her father once made Lady Tremaine and her daughters do, years prior. But, whatever happened to Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters after Cinderella got her happy ever after? Thankfully Valentino has an explanation. Because Lady Tremaine created such a miserable childhood for Cinderella after her father’s untimely passing, the Fairy Godmother spelled their home: forever preventing Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters from ever leaving. And because Cinderella was worried about her Stepsisters, she contacted her Fairy Godmother which finally was convinced by Nanny to help the Stepsisters. In the end Lady Tremaine became a statue and the Stepsisters were released to live their life as they wished.

My thoughts are as follows: I am beyond happy Lady Tremaine decided to stand up for herself, because she did not deserve the hell she was receiving day in and day out. And I despise the fact that Lady Tremaine standing up to Cinderella’s shitty father meant that she ultimately became the villain. And to me it was underwhelming because the reason Lady Tremaine became the villain was because Cinderella’s father and Cinderella herself were so shitty to her? Whereas in the other ones you had situations like Triton ruining Ursula’s life and taking away the right she had to rule Atlantis along Triton like their father wished. I cannot say I did not enjoy it, because I did. I just think it is not only a bad reason for Lady Tremaine to end up the villain but it is also unfair she ended up as stone while her daughters got to live out their lives. Because in the end, all Lady Tremaine even wanted was to return to her home and get her daughters married off like they were meant to.

Cold Hearted is the eighth book in the Disney Villains series, Although it can be read as a standalone, references to previous installments might be missed but it doesn't detract from the overall story. All of the Villain's novels focus on one infamous Disney character and twists their back story into a new novel for readers to enjoy. The basic premise of this novel is that the classic story of Cinderella that we have known, where poor Cinderella is mistreated by her stepsisters and stepmother might not be what actually happened. Although this wasn't my favorite book in the series, I feel like each book can be rated completely separately as their stories are all so unique. I wish we would have seen a stronger and more leading role out of Lady Tremaine - maybe this is what made her character turn into someone so cold and cruel at the end - but I found myself wanting more depth from her character. Overall, the book is still highly enjoyable.. I can't wait for the next in the series as well as going back and reading books 4 and 5 which I am behind on.

Cold Hearted, written by Serena Valentino, is the eighth novel in her Villains series. As you might be able to guess from the cover, this is a series that takes the stories of Disney villains and twists their tale into something else.

Serena Valentino has covered many of the classic villains by this point, including Ursula, Maleficent, Mother Gothel, and more. While this latest is meant to be an installment in the series, it can be read as a standalone for the eager Cinderella fans in the audience (just be aware that some minor plot points might not make sense).

Part of what made Cinderella’s story so famous is how her stepmother and her stepsisters treated her. But what if the classic fairytale story didn’t actually tell the whole story? Or the truth, for that matter.

Lady Tremaine is a widow and a woman who desperately wished that her heart was made of ice. That way, she would no longer feel the pain that came with the loss of her husband. And yet, quite suddenly, a magical story appeared around her.

“I can't go flying here and there just because Cinderella is worried about her stepsisters.”
Okay, so usually, I adore this series, as well as the core premise behind it. In addition, I love retellings focusing on the villain, as in many instances, I feel like it gives those characters more agency than they are typically granted.

It didn’t feel that way this time around. If anything, Lady Tremaine’s true story is all the more heartbreaking and upsetting because it feels like everything is happening to her, with her merely reacting after the fact.

It was disappointing, as much as I hate to admit it. I was really looking forward to seeing how Lady Tremaine's story would be twisted around to fit this new narrative. Additionally, I'll admit more than a passing curiosity for how Lucifer would have gained his name in this context.

On the bright side, while I didn't love this particular addition, it has done nothing to diminish my love for the rest! I am very much looking ward to seeing what the next Villains novel has to bring with it.

While this was not my favorite novel in the series (go read Beast, if you’re hoping for that!), I will admit that it did have plenty of exciting elements to keep me reading. And it has made me all the more curious to see what Serena Valentino’s long-term goal is here.

I really enjoyed this one! I was a little hesitant diving into it since I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous book in the series, but I was thoroughly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying my reading experience.

I feel like Lady Tremaine is an overlooked Disney villain. Perhaps because she doesn't have any magical powers, but that doesn't make her any less villainous. Most Cinderella retellings I've encountered so far focused on Cinderella herself, so reading a book from Lady Tremaine's perspective was refreshing.

I really loved what Serena Valentino did with her story. Lady Tremaine wasn't a bad person. She just ran into the wrong circles. Let's be honest here, Sir Richard was the true villain of that story. So I didn't feel sorry for what happened to him. (To be completely honest, he deserved everything that happened to him. And then more.)

But while I did understand Lady Tremaine's motivations and what drove her to become the villain we all know, I did feel like the shift in the book happened rather abruptly. The pacing felt off. We spent more than half the book getting to know Lady Tremaine and her story, but the minute she turns into a villain, everything happens quickly. We gloss over the entire Cinderella story, and next thing you know, we've reached the end of the story. The ending was also a little bit unsatisfying.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. (It might be one of my favorite books in the series so far.) However, I did have a few issues with it, mostly in the pacing of the story. I wanted more time with Lady Tremaine, to truly understand what happened to make her become the evil stepmother she's famous for.

I love the story of Cinderella so I had to pick up Cold Hearted to be able to expand more of Lady Tremaine’s story. Serena Valentino did a phenomenal job of bringing a new perspective to one of my favorite villains. She actually made you feel sorry for her and her two bratty daughters. The character development was fantastic. The pacing was on point. I didn’t want the story to end. I look forward to reading more from this author.