Maleficent Audio CD – CD, April 29, 2015

I am so excited for the movie to come out next month that the minute I heard there was a novelization I pre-ordered, on the spot. Luckily for me I pre-ordered just hours before it was released. I'm not certain if the movie will follow the book exactly or if there will be deviations or scenes cut out for time. But my impressions of the book is that it's a good story, excellent moral values for kids and anyone who likes that sort of thing, but it isn't preachy. In many ways the story is exactly the same and in others it changes rather drastically. I wasn't sure about the decision to make her a fairy. I miss certain aspects of her original character, but it's still a really good story with a happy ending. It isn't particularly dark making it perfectly acceptable for children to read. In some ways I would have liked to see a darker, deeper version of the character, but for what it is, it's still pretty good. They did do very well in humanizing Maleficent. She isn't the petty, albeit extremely scary and fun villain she was in the classic cartoon. She is more like a real person, who happens to be a fairy, who suffers at the hands of others. I felt that her characterization was well done, although, in some ways I still feel a tinge of disappointment that she isn't the dark villain I hoped her to be. I gave it 5 stars anyway because it was a really good story, taken on it's own merit, and I think the movie will be awesome too.

Once apon a time there was a young Fae who lived in a magical land called the Moores. No this girl was different than the other Faery there. Not only did she look different, but unlike other Fae, had a secret friend. A human friend. But when the girl had grown into a young woman, and her friend a man, herfriend betrayed her. She fell into a darkness so thick thatit was thought that there was no greater villain. And that she not be pulled from it. And yet she found love in a very special person's heart. And her name was Malefocent…

I picked the Kindle edition up this morning as a follow-up read to the film, which I saw last night. I felt that there was some holes that needed to be filled, and the novelization did help in this regard. It is a children's book, so I was able to read 272 pages in an hour and a half with a break for lunch and refills on my coffee, but consider that a good sign, as I usually tend to ask Amazon for a refund after the first two pages of a book I do not like.The movie itself picks up at chapter 3, which allows for additional backstory for those that choose to pick up the novel. Of course, any time a book is available, readers are often treated with extras not seen in the movies. I definitely feel like it could be fleshed out more, or given an adult adaptation, but I recommend this read for anyone who has seen the film, and is looking for that bit extra.

The story of Maleficent is the story of Sleeping Beauty wonderfully told from Maleficent's perspective. The story is told in third person through Maleficent with a splatting of Stephan's view point (you were learn about him from either of the two books based on the live action film or from the film itself.) The story tell the origins of Maleficent, how she grew up, why she placed a curse on Aurora and how her interactions with Aurora changed her destiny. Be warned, this is a darker version of the story based on the film and not really intended for young children. If you want to read the story of Maleficent to younger family members, check out, The Curse of Maleficent.Maleficent is a fast paced read based more closely on the live action film Maleficent and being more heavily focus on Maleficent. It goes into more depth on the character of Maleficent and goes into more detail on her interactions with those around her (particularly with her raven) more so than The Curse of Maleficent.All in all it is a great read!

STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK'S PLOTI'm very sorry to say that I just couldn't like this story. I have been really looking forward to the movie, but now that I have read the novelization, I'm sorry that I did. It's not a direction that I would have liked to have seen the story go, and I find many of the choices the authors made confusing if not downright ridiculous.With that said, I will do my best to review the BOOK itself: it's an easy read. I finished it in about an hour and a half. It moves quickly, and the story is vivid and engaging. It's a lovely book, with a matte finish satiny black jacket, and beautiful black-edged pages. It's the same size/printing as the popular "Fairest of them All" book, so it will look good on the shelf next to it.Oh yes - and to the other reviewer who said they didn't like the fact that Maleficent was made into a fairy in this version... this character has always been a fairy. Go check out a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales from your local library and have a read. Heck - just go check out the Wikipedia page for the original story, even.

When I saw the original Disney "Sleeping Beauty" I always wondered why Maleficent was so angry, as I grew up I learned what it felt to be left out, cut off and shunned by the "High School" clique of popular girls. And being betrayed,When I read this book and saw the movie I felt very satisfied with the development of the back story, and I recommend this little book to any girl growing up, and any parent to use it at a teaching moment. The book expands more of the parents of Maleficent which was not shown in the movie, and of motives. I enjoyed it.It is a quick read, but one worth going back to for any young person. The design and lay out of the book is well done. I recommend it as an anecdote for the "fluff bunny" fairy tales.

Ho acquistato il libro per mia figlia quattordicenne e lo ha adorato. È di facile lettura per chi ha un livello base di inglese e lo consiglio a chi ha amato il film e vorrebbe approfondire il personaggio di Malefica

It's perfect.

Merveilleux et très beaux livre, facile à lire, si vous avez une bonne base en englais, vous comprendrez facilement, pas besoin d'être bilingue.

Un livre sublime et belle adaptation du film. Pour ceux qui ont des bases en Anglais et qui ont adoré le film n'hésitez pas je vous le recommande.

A really beautiful book, with an elegant feel to it. Almost every page has an extra little black swirl in the corner, adding to its feel of quality. The cover is smooth and the book has just the right size. I have it on display in my room. The contents match the design. Well written and with further insight into the characters of the movie. Would buy again.