A solid installment in the Serena Valentino Disney "Villains" series. This volume exposes us to Cruella De Vil. Narrated by Cruella herself, we get a peek into how the mind of this woman works. We learn all sorts of things about her friendship with Anita, her relationship with her mother, her hatred of Dalmatians, etc.

The book marries with the animated film perfectly. It's all very believable. There were one or two surprises in Cruella's story that I wasn't expecting. This book doesn't need to be read in sequence with the earlier books in the "Villains" series. There are a few passing references to previous characters, but these are so slight it doesn't make a difference if you hadn't read the other books.

Excellent. ( )

Distinguish Yourself.
One Disney villain who has never been given a deeper backstory is Cruella De Vil. Anita’s “dearly devoted old school mate”, in Disney’s 1961 original animated movie, 101 Dalmatians. A majority of this book is about Cruella’s disenchanted relationship with her mother, and her steadfast friend Anita. I just wish there was a little more story about her father, he seemed like an interesting man. This book does explain quite a few things. Such as, where her fortune came from, why she finds Anita’s marriage tedious, why she likes furs, why kidnap puppies, and has she always been evil? Cruella is relatable, and there are even a few points where she is likable. If anything, her descent into dognapping resulted from a neglectful upbringing. This retelling will leave you nostalgic for the movies, and it could have used a bit of the 1996 live action movie. Overall, this is a great coming of age character study, showing that not all little girls grow up to be good.
“The world was such a wholesome place until Cruella, Cruella De Vil” Songwriter Mel Leven, Cruella DeVil lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company ( )