Review of Ever After High: Next Top Villain by Suzanne Selfors

Review of Suzanne Selfors' Ever After High: Next Top Villain

Release Date: January 6th, 2015

Synopsis as found on Amazon.com:

A brand-new series of school stories from the world of Ever After High!

Duchess Swan and Lizzie Hearts are roommates at Ever After High. While their personalities are very different, they bond over not quite fitting in with the other Royals. Lizzie, however, has one thing that Duchess doesn't: a happily-ever-after at the end of her story.

While Lizzie and the other princesses train for the day when they will rule their kingdoms, Duchess is torn between her role as the perfect, dutiful princess and her rebellious ambition to be a queen. When both girls are selected to attend General Villainy class, Duchess sees an opportunity to be a rebel while following the rules. But can she play a prank on her roomie to ace the class? Find out if Duchess' desire to change her destiny will make her Ever After High's Next Top Villain!

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I am really excited that this new series of Ever After High books is introducing different characters that have never been written about before. This first book in the entirely new series, written by a new author to the Ever After High family, Suzanne Selfors, is through the eyes of Duchess Swan.

While Duchess was mentioned once or twice, we never got to know her character.

Since Duchess' 8th Birthday, she has known what her fairy tale future would bring. She would be cursed to become a swan and she would have no Happily Ever After like many of the Royalty she knows. All she wants is to meet a Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset, but that future is not in the cards for her. There is one plus side for her, though. As a swan, she gets to be a Prima Ballerina... and that is the one thing she is good at.

When Duchess is placed into Mr. Badwolf's General Villainy class, she believes there must have been a mistake. She is not the villain in her story. She is the princess in distress. When she overhears a conversation between Badwolf and Headmaster Grimm, she gets the clue at to why her life is being flipped upside down. Grimm believes that Duchess wants to change her future and get her Happily Ever After. With Raven Queen having gone Rebel, they are going to need another Big Bad Villain to fill her shoes. He believes Duchess may be that person. Everyone may have the spark inside of them to go Evil and it looks like within Duchess, there just might be a Black Swan.

Before this story, the only picture I had of Duchess Swan was one of a stuck-up Princess who didn't look forward to her future and treated everyone else poorly. This story really changed my point of view on her character and there were quite a few times when I actually felt sorry for her.

I have to say, I think I enjoyed this book more than the books from the other series. Without the voice of the Narrator, this book feels less Juvenile and it made it feel like it was written for a broader audience. I love the series... and really most series that adapt fairy tales, so I am excited for the upcoming books. The new character point of views are really exciting and I can't wait to see what else Suzanne Selfors has in store for us.