Estelle Laure

Mary, a troubled teenage detective, must solve a missing persons case as she discovers the reimagined origins of infamous Disney Villains.

City of Villains Book 1

Ingrid 

3.5 stars.

This was a take on the Disney villains I haven’t seen before. It’s being pitched as a dark YA, but I would say it’s not that dark. I struggled to connect to the main character. I felt like the book should have been another 100-200 pages longer. I felt like it wasn’t fleshed out enough (is that the saying?). If you find the premise interesting, give it a read and you’ll probably enjoy it. But it’s not a must read. Unsure if I’ll pick up the next book or not yet.

Ashton Reed

3.5/5 stars

Hmmm… this book leaves something to be desired, but it isn’t a total waste of time! :)

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Goodreads summary:

Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior by day, but by night she’s an intern at the Monarch City police department. She watches with envy from behind a desk as detectives come and go, trying to contain the city’s growing crime rate. For years, tension has simmered between the city’s wealthy elite, and their plans to gentrify the decaying neighborhood called the Scar—once upon a time the epicenter of all things magic.

When the daughter of one of the city’s most powerful businessmen goes missing, Mary Elizabeth is thrilled when the Chief actually puts her on the case. But what begins as one missing person’s report soon multiplies, leading her down the rabbit hole of a city in turmoil. There she finds a girl with horns, a boyfriend with secrets, and what seems to be a sea monster lurking in a poison lake. As the mystery circles closer to home, Mary finds herself caught in the fight between those who once had magic, and those who will do anything to bring it back.

The concept of City of Villains is very interesting and is probably its strongest asset. Estelle Laure has created a Renegades + Descendants + Nancy Drew world that approaches infamous Disney villains from an entirely different angle while still including intriguing characters and magic for days. As the various threads of mystery begin to unravel and characters begin to change, the anticipation really hooks you to the finish. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t have a great amount of plot; by the end, it doesn’t quite feel like you’ve read a whole book, making this a solid introduction to the world and the characters but not as solid of a story arc on its own. 

Also, I have to address the writing; although it gets better by the end, the content feels YA while the writing style feels MG. It’s honestly a little insulting how childish the language is at the beginning since this is targeted for teens and young adults - I’m seventeen, and I promise I understand things without the internal dialogue’s over-explaining, thank ya. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It was comfortably paced and kept me company, but I’m not sure I recommend it if you’re looking for anything older than a younger-YA novel.

*Thank you Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own! This book releases on January 26th, 2020 if it sounds like something you’re interested in!*




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City of Villains Book 1

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