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Black, Holly. Heart of the MoorsOctober 8th 2019 by Disney Press
Copy provided by the publisher
Aurora is struggling with the fact that she must have such a large roll not only in her kingdom, but also as the ruler of the fey-dominated moors. Having been awakened from her sleep in Sleeping Beauty by Maleficent rather than Prince Philip (Maleficent feels motherly towards her), Aurora is conflicted about her feelings for Philip, although Maleficent sees him as an interloper and wants him gone. The alternative suitor, Prince Alain, doesn't seem any better, but has definite designs on marrying Aurora and taking over the kingdom. Since the fairies Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle raised her, she feels a deep connection to the Fair Folk. Lord Ortolan is trying his best to get Aurora to separate from both Maleficent and Philip so that he can control her via Alain. A young stablehand has gone missing, and Aurora's court seems concerned that beings from the Moors have taken them, but Aurora is unconvinced and attempts to join her two worlds by having a festival. This doesn't go particularly well, since distrust on both sides goes deep. When Maleficent is captured and Philip injured, Aurora must come to their rescue, and when she finds the culprits, she takes matters into her own hands to deal with them.
Strengths: This was an imaginative fairy tale re imagining, and Aurora is an intriguing character. Readers who find the idea of evil interesting will appreciate how Maleficent is cast as a more sympathetic character, ala the witch in Rapunzel in Napoli's Zel (1996). Ortolan and Alain are clearly evil, in sort of a bumbling, inept way that you know they can't prevail. The relationship with Philip is complex, so adds an air of Young Adult, angsty romance to the book. Readers who identify their Hogwarts house as Slytherin will enjoy this.
Weaknesses: I was a bit confused by this, since I did not know the changes in the canonical story made in the live action movie (Maleficent, 2014). This story takes place between that movie and the new one that is being released.
What I really think: Perfect for fans of Black's work, the movies (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 2019), or retellings of classic tales where the traditional villain becomes the hero. Black is a good choice of author for this tale, since it has many of the elements that are found in her original work.
I'll go with Darkstalker, in Wings of Fire. I kept expecting him to reform, and he never did!
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