Disney Book Group is partnering with me for a giveaway!
MOTHER KNOWS BEST, is the newest book in the Disney Villains series! It is the fifth in series.
Rapunzel is adventurous, though naive. She is passionate about art. MacKenzie loves that she will stand up for herself when the situation requires her.
And then there is Mother Gothel.
To me, Mother Gothel is a villain that Disney didn’t really define.
When Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch arrived, I left it out in the open.
The more it sat there, the more curious I became.
I picked it up and the more I read, the more I learned about Mother Gothel. There were three sisters, who live in a dark place, one of them, Mother Gothel, wants only to care for them.
I learned how her heart of pure black came to be and the thoughts the consumed her when she captured the baby Rapunzel.
If you’ve heard the story of Rapunzel, you know it begins with a golden flower. A golden flower that has the power to keeps someone young and beautiful. A golden flower coveted by an old witch but used to save a dying queen who gives birth to a Princess. A princess whose hair is magical.
The old witch steals the princess and locks her away in a high tower, raising her as her own.
It’s only half the story.
The other half? It is a tale of the old witch. Her name is Mother Gothel.
It occurred to me one evening as I sat the book down, that perhaps Disney intended not to define Mother Gothel. She is, in a sense, the character of the stepmother, but she doesn’t have the theatrics. She seems to nurture with offers of warm hazelnut soup, an abundance of hugs and endless promises.
Then the backhanded compliments begin and our senses go to alert.
We learn she stole a baby. The plan seems genius–had it not been for the daring Flynn Rider, she would have gotten away with it.
MacKenzie will remind me, Mother Gothel and I offer similar advice:
“Ok, Rapunzel, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling, blah, blah, blah it’s very annoying. I’m just teasing; you’re adorable! I love you so much.”
I mean, seriously? What mother understands the mumbling?
Or how about when your child is being feisty and breaks the house rules. Don’t you throw down:
“You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. Now, I’m the bad guy.”
Which is usually followed by:
“Rapunzel, don’t ever ask to leave this tower again.”
And, honestly, how can you not love someone who could teach a class on sarcastic banter?
She is also a master schemer. It does tend to be for her own selfish reasons, rather than for, say, planning a surprise party.
There’s also that sinister moment she ruined the lantern lighting.
I think the realization that Mother Gothel might be Disney’s greatest Villain rests in the fact, that she could be any of us. She has characteristics that so easily walk among us.
I think of Mother Gothel and find eery similarities to Susan Smith, Amber Pasztor, or Diane Downs. Not so much the murder part, because Mother Gothel needed Rapunzel to keep her beautiful, youthful appearance, but more in the personality. A mother’s selfish greed for what they want overrides the best for their children.
Mother Gothel with her secrets and scheming is one of the most realistic villains, she is the abusive mother.
She allowed the worst in life to get to her and made poor choices that would be her demise.
One of the most heartbreaking moments for me in the book is when Mother Gothel begins to age. I’m on the backside of 50 and can relate to how much a body changes and how our appearance is sometimes unrecognizable to ourselves.
Mother Knows Best: A Tale of an Old Witch is part of the Disney Villians Series by Serena Valentino.
It is recommended as a young adult book (ages 12-18).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists.
The books in the best-selling VILLAINS series are recommended for best reading when read in the following order: Fairest of All, The Beast Within, Poor Unfortunate Soul, Mistress of All Evil, Mother Knows Best.
Follow Disney Books on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Follow Serena Valentino on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Learn more about the book at the Official Site
#DisneyVillainsBook
Pick up your copy of Mother Knows Best through these retailers:
Mother Knows Best Giveaway:
MOTHER KNOWS BEST
Moms deserve the best! One (1) winner receives:
- Set of all 5 VILLAINS books
- and a $100 Visa gift card to splurge on yourself.
Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by Disney Book Group.
My favorite witch is Ursula because she seems nice but is wicked.
Cruella de Vil is my favorite. So stylish and so fierce. Thank you- would sooo love to win.
MY FAVORITE VILLIAN IS MALEFICIENT
I like maleficient because she was misunderstood
Maleficent. I mean, she can turn into a dragon, that alone makes her the winner, but she’s also possibly the most evil.
Malificient because she is interesting.
My favorite Disney villain is Ursula.
I just love Cruella de Vil she is my favorite villain love the puppies in the story and he trying to keep them for herself
My favorite villain is Maleficent. She is just so classic bad!
Gaston is my favorite because you love to hate him. He’s truly awful but people overlook it because of who he is and how he looks.
Scar was truly a memorable villain.
Maleficent is my favorite. She gives me the shivers.
The Queen/Witch from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” scared me when I watched the movie as a kid…she is my favorite villain !
I like Gaston because he’s funny
My favorite villain is The Beast. I love that he has a huge library and seems to change in the end of Beauty & The Beast. He really doesn’t seem much like a villain to me.
Ursula is my favorite
Mine is probably oogie boogie! I love his song.
The Beast from Beauty and the Beast because he makes a miraculous change
Ursula, because she is such a savvy businesswoman.
Just read your contract before you decide to sign or not.
Ursula because she was funny.
Ursula will always be my favorite, I just loved her when I was younger and of course the eels!!! She just has a very nice way of being evil that I dig!
I think mine might be Captain Hook because he could never the get the best of Peter Pan.
Mother Gothel! Love her and I love Tangled. After all. Mother knows best.
Ursula from The Little Mermaid! There are so many great Disney characters!
Gaston because he is handsome.
Mother Gothel is the most evil villain because she is so psychologically abusive.
These look so awesome, My favorite Disney villan is Sher-Khan sp? from Jungle Book.
My favorite is Gaston from Beauty and the beast because that is my favorite movie
Ursla is my favorite Disney Villain!
My favorite is Gaston from Beauty & The Beast because he is handsome.
I like Maleficent, her story is interesting.
My favorite villain is Ursula; I like her magick and I think she looks awesome.
I think my favorite is Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove. Everything seems to go wrong with her evil schemes so while she tries to be evil it turns out funny.
I would say Maleficent ( Sleeping Beauty )
My favorite is Maleficent because her backstory is intresting.
MY favorite villain is The Beast from Beauty and the Beast because beneath the rough exterior, he truly loved Belle 🙂
My favorite villain is cruella. I love how evil she is and her tantrums are hilarious.
Like Maleficient, like how evil she is.
Cruella DeVille is fun and she has a theme song!
Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain.
Cruella De Ville is my favorite villan
I think my fav would have to be Cruella De Vil. Because she is soooo bad LOL
My favorite Disney villain is Captain Hook from Peter Pan because we love pirates and the original movie was always my favorite.
Maleficent. I love her evil look!
The wicked witch in wizaed of Oz. Because she is super scary and I like old movies.
My favorite villain is Mother Gotham, and the Beast. Even if he doesn’t stay a bad guy. I like when the bad guys have stories behind them, that make them more complicated.
Ursula is my favorite because The Little Mermaid has been my favorite movie since I was little!
I like Maleficent because of her back story!
The wicked queen from Snow White.She just needs some therapy for those self-esteem issues.
Cruella De Ville will always be my favorite! She is classy in her wardrobe, car and style, yet has a gloriously evil laugh!
Cruella de Vil is my favorite because there isn’t anything more villainous than wanting to hurt puppies.
My favorite is Ursula. She looks and acts menacing. I’d be scared if I encountered her. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
Cruella de Ville in the original 101 Dalmatians has to be one of the most despicable villainesses ever! My little ones cried the first time they saw the movie, they were totally convinced the puppies would end up as coats. Hooray for justice
Malificient is my favorite! She has an interesting personality and back story.
I thought Yzma from Emperor’s New Groove was really funny!
Gaston is my favorite to hate.
Scar from The Lion King…so mean but a cat, which I love.
I would say Cruela Devile, because that movie just is awesome classic!
So hard to Choose! I like Ursula bc I love the little mermaid
I like Ursula because she is funny
My favorite villain is the genie in Aladdin. He comedic timing is amazing and to witty. I love the fact that Disney makes movies that both adults and children enjoy for decades.
My granddaughters love Disney
My favorite Disney Villain is Ursula. She is truly evil!
My favorite Disney villain is Yzma because she’s all of us who have had to deal with an awful boss. She’s also very funny and was generous enough to let that one guy be excused because he got turned into a cow.
I like Cruella DeVille , was fun to see my granddaughters react to all the puppies
Ursula is my favorite, I had a teacher who looked like her (different style of clothes though) and it always cracks me up thinking about it.
I love Ursula. The animation brings her alive!
The Beast. I like him because he started off and ended up as a kind person. He was only evil to push people away from what he was turned into.
My favorite character is the evil queen because she is so scary and able to disguise herself.
I like Ursula she is funny and sassy and can sing well
I love Maleficent !
My favorite Disney villain is Scar from The Lion King. He was just so good at being evil and I love cats.
I have always loved Captain Hook as my favorite villain. Because I was a huge Peter Pan fan when I was a kid.
My favorite has been Maleficent since I was very young. Aurora has always been my favorite princess, so it’s fitting.
Gaston because he’s scaiest because of how many people in real life are like him.
I love Maleficent she is a perfect diaster
The Beast would be one of my favorites because he changes for good.
Malificent, she turns into a dragon.
My favorite villain is Maleficent.
My favorite has to be Capt. Hook because I love reading about pirates.
I love Ursula because she has the best voice (for a villan)!
Cruela Devile is my favorite villain!
Maleficent is my favorite.
Ursula is my favorite villain. Her songs are awesome and she’s just rad!
Cruella Deville is my favorite because she is most scary.
I think Cruella de Vil is the worst one because who can be mean to dogs.
My favorite villain is Scar. You know, because he has a scar.
I love Disney books. And this would be super cool to read the story of the villians
My favorite Disney villian is Cruella de Vil. She is so scary!
Ursula was a pretty outrageous character
i like ursula beceause she is creepy
My favorite Disney villain is Ursula. She is my favorite villain because she is funny somewhat and stylish in Little Mermaid.
Scar from The Lion King. He committed the ultimate betrayal. How do you come back from that?
Cruella de Ville because one of our girls always said she is the best dresser.
I love Mother Gothel because she’s beautiful and wicked!
My niece will love these books. I’ll splurge on myself and get a massage.
My favorite is Malificent, she was the misunderstood villain. I love her.
I like Cruella DeVil. She’s evil in a funny way, not scary. I’ve always found her humorous.
The classic villain is the evil witch from Snow White.
Thanks for the contest.
Ursula is my favorite. Cruel but has a sense of humor
Probably Ursula just because Little Mermaid is my favorite movie.
Oops I used my insta name instead of my twitter handle in the entry for twitter followers should be @minimisfit
I love Gaston he such a brute and a funny one!
From old Disney, Maleficent because of that amazing voice talent! Of new Disney movies, Yzma (of Emperor’s New Groove), for the same reason – but also a hilarious villain.
Dr. Hook is my favorite villain.
I love disney so much and although the princesses are great even the villians are super cool too, so having this book would be great
My favorite would be gaston,pretty funny and entertaining.
Gaston! I love how full of himself he is. It reminds me of dating.
Ursula – she had the post personality!
Malelifiecent is my favorite because she has a side of good to her.
Cruela Devile becasue the puppies win.
My favorite Disney villain is Ursula because she is so fun and over the top.
Edgar Balthazar in “The Aristocats”!
The Evil Queen because she’s fabulous
My daughter would love to read these books. She has been in a stage of liking the underdogs and villians in books lately.
We love malificent We like her because she is a strong protector.
My favorite villain is Ursula – mostly because I loved her makeup and her attitude – I related haha
The evil queen/witch from Snow White was mesmerizing to me as a kid.
My favorite Disney villain is Jafar
Maleficent is my favorite, I loved how the storyline goes into depth about why she does what she does instead of being just a villain.
Cruella. I like her style.
I like the the classic original villain – the evil queen from snow white.
Thanks for the contest.
I enjoyed the backstory on Maleficent and how she became very bad!
Mine would be the queen of hearts . She is just chaotically evil.
My favorite villain is Maleficent.
Cruella de Ville I am more of a cat person
What iime about the Disney version of villains are they really make them dark and somewhat scart when you’re a kid… Maleficent was the ultimate evil when I was a kid.
As an adult you still remember how these villains made you feel as a kid. Of course the perspective is different, but you always remember the introduction to “villain” by Disney
I need to read all of these! Each villain looks like they have such an interesting story.
My favorite “Villain” is the Beast, because he shows us to look beyond appearances to see the good in everyone
My favorite “Villain” is the Beast. I love the inherent lesson in him to look beyond appearances to see the good inside of everyone.
Cruella de Ville is my favorite. I liked her style.
My favorite Disney villain is Scar from The Lion King. He was a smooth character that was fun to watch.
Malificent is my favorite villan. I like her because she can transform into a dragon.
My favorite villian is Captain Hook from Peter Pan. He is both bad & comical.
Scar from the Lion King is my favorite villain.
I like Maleficent. There’s a story to her being evil, she wasn’t born that way.
Cruella De Vil has always been my favorite villian because she was so mean and I loved the dalmations! She has always struck me deep as one of the meanest!
Maleficant. She is so misunderstood.
I would say my favorite is Ursula because I have always loved The Little Mermaid.
my favorite villain is Cruella de Ville. i love her.
My favorite villain is Cruella DeVille — love the hair and was one of my favorite movies growing up.
Ursela from the little mermaid has always been my favorite villain…. she is spunky and reminds me of my mother in law!
The evil queen in Snow White.
Maleficent is the most interesting. I like her story
Cruella de Ville – she’s styling while being evil
Gaston, he’s so vain he reminds me of an old high school jock I went to school with.
I like maleficent
favorite is cruella de ville because she is bringing out the bad side
Cruella Deville is my favorite! Shes so mean and devious!
I actually love Mother Gothel,I think she is misunderstood and I believe she loved Rapunzuel
I LOVE Maleficent! She has always been my favorite! I’m not sure why honestly. I collect her Disney pins.
Ursula because she’s fabulous!!
Mine is probably Maleficent. I always found her fascinating and wanted to know more about her as a character.
My favorite Disney villain is Cruella de Ville because looks and sounds so evil.
Ursula is my favorite villian because she is mysterious!
Scar from The Lion King. That villain is polarizing.
Cruella de Ville is my favorite villian. She’s so mean, but so stylish!
I would have to go with Scar because he is so devious and wicked.
My favorite is Maleficent. I think a lot of people can relate to her and feel a bit sorry for her.
I like Ursula. She intrigues me!
Ursula is my favorite because she was the first one I saw. It was amazing!!!
My favorite villian is the Evil Queen because our beauty makes us all a lil crazy sometimes.
My favorite Villian is Ursula from the little mermaid
Always been into Maleficent. Her Vengeance is epic
I like Ursula from Ariel. What a fun set of books!
My favorite Disney villain is Cruella de Ville because she takes the time to dress well whenever she causes mayhem.
One of my favorite villains is Gaston, because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story and he’s such a jerk. Someone you just want to punch. Love that he gets his in the end.
Ursula is my favorite! Her imagination is wild!
My favorite is Ursula b/c The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney film.
I love Cruelle de Vil because she is someone you love to hate and I love the 101 Dalmatians movie.
The Evil Queen because when I was little she scared the heck out of me. She just IS evil!
Cruella in 101 Dalmations is my fav!
My favorite villain is Hook from Peter Pan because he’s a pirate.
Cruella in 101 Dalmations
the evil queen from snow white because she was the classic original villain!
My fave Disney Villan is Maleficent because she is evil dark and has ice in her veins …..perfect to love/ hate
Jafar, since Aladdin is our favorite movie!!
My favorite Disney villain is Cruella de Ville because 101 Dalmations is the first Disney movie I remember watching as a kid!
Cruella DeVille. Those outfits!!!
Scar-the Lion King Villon. I think that is his name.
Ursula because Poor Unfortunate Souls is a jam.
Maleficent is my favorite! Scorned and trying to fight back
I think Cruela Deville is my favorite villain because she had the best entrance music and style!
My favorite is the Beast because he has a heart even though he didn’t want to show it!
I’d say Ursula!
I like Ursula best, she is funny and dedicated.
Ebenezer Scrooge
My favorite was Jafar because Aladdin was my favorite move! I liked Hades too.
My favorite villain is Maleficent because she had a good heart.
Maleficent because she is cool
My favorite villain is Captain Hook from Peter Pan.
Mistress of All Evil looks really good! I love Maleficent! She’s totally misunderstood!
I think Malieficent is a great villian. She knows how to be really good at being bad.
I’ve always liked Maleficent, she is so cool looking!
My favorite is Ursula she held my attention and was on the edge of my seat
I really don’t have a favorite. I guess Maleficent, I like her style.
My favorite villain has always been Cruella de Vil!
My favorite is Cruella DeVille, because she’s so evil and crazy looking.
maleficent because she’s wonderfully bad
Ursula is pretty entertaining!
My favorite villain is Hades- pretty scary. In fact, very scary.
Cruella de Vil is my favorite Disney villain because I always liked the 101 Dalmatians movies as a kid.
Cruella Deville! I just always thought she was SOO scary when I was younger, LOL!
I like CruelaDeville, she is real evil
I always thought Ursula the Sea Witch was a great villain! She is scary and bold – and very evil!
Malificent is probably my favorite.
Cruella de Vil Is my favorite Disney Villian
I like Scar from the Lion King because he is one crazy lion.
The Beast because he had a change of heart!
I like Scar from The Lion King because he’s so uncaring.
I love to hate Cinderellas evil stepsisters. THEY MAKE ME ROOT FOR SWEET Cinderella
Cruella deVille, she was so easy to dislike because what kind of a monster wants a puppy coat.
Rattigan , it is fun to hear Vincent Price singing
Beast because him and belle remind me of my husband and I.
I like Ursula best, she was delightfully evil.
I like Cruela Deville.
i always loved Ursula.. plus its my fav movie!
I love Ursula from The Little Mermaid because she is fabulous!
I too love Maleficent for the same reasons everyone else is saying!
My favorite villain has to be the Queen of Hearts or the Red Queen. She is evil but in an absurd way.
I always liked Cruella de Vil because I liked the way she dressed and found her to be amusing.
I have to go with the beast. He is so misunderstood; but has a good and loving heart.
My favorite is Ursula because I like powerful female villains.
Maleficent is my favorite villain, because she ended up caring even after what happened to her.
Jafar from Aladdin is my favorite villain. He’s regal yet so devilish!
Ursula is definitely my favorite villain
Hans from Frozen. My 3 year old is obsessed and the first time I actually saw the whole thing, I was surprised how bad he really was in the end.
I love Ursula because she is powerful!
I do not have a favorite as I never like the bad guys.
Ursula is my favorite because she is so devious and evil.
This sounds amazing, definately a side of the story i hadn’t thought about!
Out of these villains I would have to say the Beast. For the simple fact that he didn’t stay a villain and learned how to love which broke the spell.
Maleficent is my favorite because I think she was misunderstood.
The witch in Snow White. She has always been the most evil. Almost stopped eating apples when I was little.
I like Ursula because of her style.
My favorite disney villain is Ursula from The Little Mermaid because she just seems so big and powerful.
My favorite Disney Villain is Oogie Boogie. I think he is really interesting because he is pretty much made out of bugs. Not only is he really evil, but he is also really cool.
I like Cruela Devile becasue the puppies win.
Scar and Cruella de Vil are both my favorite villians because I like animals and Cruella can be nice if she wanted to.
My favorite villain is Malificent. Simply because I relate to the story line. Being so pure and being turned cold because of love being unrequited
My favorite is Maleficent. She’s powerful and surprisingly elegant.
My favorite Disney villian is Scar.
He looks so ferocious that he is actually cute.
thank you
My favorite villain is Captain Hook primarily because I just really like the whole Peter Pan story.
Cruella de Vil is my favorite. I love dogs so much and she was the first villain I can remember seeing from my childhood.
Favorite villain.. mega mind I suppose
I think one of my favorite Disney Villains would have to be Ursula from The Little Mermaid. She’s a villain yes, but she’s also a strong & very memorable female character!
My favorite villan is Ursula from the little mermaid!
subscribe on youtube as sissybella07@gmail.com
My favorite Disney villian is maleficent because she is misunderstood.
this is so hard, i am such a disney fan. I think my fave is Scar- he is pure evil and smart
Edgar Balthazar because the Aristocats is one of my favorite movies of all time.
We like Ursula. Thanks !!!
My favorite Disney villain is Gaston because he is so over the top and yet kind of handsome.
I like Maleficent, I like her story.
My favorite villain is Cruella DeVil because I like animal movies.
My favorite is Ursula because she has such a powerful, evil role and kept me intrigued in the movie!
I love Maleficent because her back story is pretty tragic.
My favorite villain is Ursula. There are many others I love to hate (Hades, Gaston come to mind). But she is so hilarious!