Maleficent

By: Disney Press

Narrated by: Lucy Rayner

Maleficent was a different sort of faerie. For one thing she was raised by all the Fair Folk after her parents were killed. For another she believed there had to be some good in everyone, even humans. Happy and spirited, Maleficent was beloved by all who knew her. That is until she experienced the ultimate betrayal by a trusted friend.

Enraged and embarking on a quest for vengeance, Maleficent must forge her own path in the world to make sense of it all. And while she learns to harness her great powers, the forces against her only grow stronger. The question is, who really is the evil one in this fairy tale?

©2014 Disney Enterprises, Inc. (P)2015 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Excellent

I couldn’t stop listening. The book was excellent and so was the narration! I could listen to this book several time and still enjoy it just as much

Enjoyable

It was a bit slow at times, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Overall I enjoyed it

True love found in an unusual place

Villains, fairies and royalty, the perfect tale.
Definitely a must listen to refresh your memory

THE HORNED WOMAN

HUMANS ARE A PART OF NATURE TOO
I never saw the movie, but will probably buy it now. It took me a little while to warm up to it, but once I did I was amazed at the depth of the writing. Adapted by Elizabeth Rudnick, she was able to get her points across without being preachy or giving lectures. It would be nice if some writers for adult fiction would take a lesson from this work. There were several twists, some I saw coming and some I did not. The first twist, I did not see coming and was shocked at the cruelty. The second twist, was one I saw coming, but loved it. Sometimes you can guess an outcome and it is a nice to be proven right and to see it happen. The last I did not see coming, but loved it.

TRUE LOVE, DIDN'T EXIST
This is a lesson in real love and in revenge. Humans can be cruel, but when seeking revenge, who else will get hurt? The kids will like this a little better than the adults, but both will enjoy it.

HEDGEHOG FAIRY
Production and Narrator were good.

Maleficient: a story of love, and redemption

This is a delightful retelling of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty from a completely different perspective. The life of Maleficent.

This retelling is much kinder to Maleficent herself. From her early childhood surrounded by love, to the deaths of her parents in war, being raised by fairies, and the betrayal that breaks her heart. All of these and the bitterness inside caused her to utter a curse against her betrayer's daughter.

A spinning wheel...

Maleficent's love for a girl she's practically raised and her attempts to save her.

Only one thing can save her now: True Love's Kiss

I recommend this book.

JustLove;)

The story is very similar to the movie. Personally, I enjoyed the movie more. Angelina Jolie does a great job as Maleficent.

Love the story

I really enjoyed the story and was so rapped up in listening that it was difficult to have to take the smallest break. I was intrigued by the differences from the movie.
On the down side, the narration was grating. The sing song quality and high beginning of each sentence was tedious. I usually don’t have any trouble with English accents, but the quality of her voice made it difficult to understand in places.

Surprising!

As an adult who probably takes herself way too seriously and who no longer indulges in Disney fairy tales, I fully expected to dislike and be disappointed in this audiobook. Instead it surprised and delighted me! I thought it was a great, lighthearted listen.

Lopsided story engineered for pre-adolescent girls

Would you consider the audio edition of Maleficent to be better than the print version?

I'm surprised there is a Disney book for this, considering books usually came before films. But it illustrates how commercially engineered the story is. It doesn't make it bad, just contrived, possibly designed to create interest in spinoff products.

What did you like best about this story?

The main character, Maleficent is portrayed in human terms as a person of depth, conflict and dimension. No other character in this book has any depth - they're all very one-sided.

Have you listened to any of Lucy Rayner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Her voice and elocution are immaculate, first-rate. She scores somewhat less on acting, and sounds at times as someone would, reciting from a book. It sounds superficial, but I got this audio book because the reading sounded very high-quality - something I could easily tolerate for hours of listening. Was not disappointed. Clear and crisp reading. Scottish accents were magnificent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was both mildly touched and offended at the same time. Neither emotion reached high on the Richter scale. Touched because of the redeeming, yet predictable quality of character of the champion. Offended at the lopsided treatment of the real villain. This book is engineered to be sexist, contains clear undertones and themes of spousal abuse. It tells a story of an evil man and a good woman, and serves adequately as an instructive warning to younger females of the potential peril of entering relationships with men. Sad, but true.

I found the pixie and fairie portrayals to be true to 19th c. English mythology. This story is quite British, culturally.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this for younger female listeners. It's bound to be a favorite they will remember.

A solid 5 Stars!

A perfectly enchanting little story, beautifully narrated, with a bunch of darling little characters. With a solid 5 star rating, I highly recommend it for children 5 years to 100 plus!! ☺