Exclusive: Lady Tremaine as Next Villain in Serena Valentino’s Disney Villains Book Series

In what feels like the longest wait of all time for Valentino Disney Villains fans (we are an impatient lot), reveal day has finally arrived for the next Disney Villain worthy of their very own origin story.

And that villain is none other than the cold-hearted Lady Tremaine.

Dare you ask, who is Lady Tremaine?

Lady Tremaine, along with her horrible daughters Anastasia and Drizella, is the villain in Disney’s Cinderella. She is Cinderella’s stepmother.

Voiced by the legendary Eleanor Audley (who also voiced Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty) in the 1950 film, and portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett in the 2015 live-action adaptation, the lineup of talented women who have told the story of Cinderella’s cruel stepmother doesn’t end there.

Now it is Serena Valentino’s turn.

The NYT Best-Selling Disney Villains Book Series

New York Times Best-Selling Series Author Serena Valentino has taken the world by storm with her Disney Villains novels published by Disney Press. Not only do Valentino’s stories give readers the opportunity to explore villains they know and love, readers are also introduced to new characters that operate behind the scenes of classic Disney plots, giving tales-as-old-as-time a bewitching new twist.

The books currently available in the series are as follows and are best enjoyed if read in this order:

1. Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen

2. The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince

3. Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch

4. Mistress of All Evil: A Tale of the Dark Fairy

5. Mother Knows Best: A Tale of the Old Witch

6. The Odd Sisters: A Tale of Three Witches

7. Evil Thing: A Tale of that De Vil Woman

“I'm really excited to share Lady Tremaine's story with my readers,” says Valentino. “She's the second villain in the series (in recent history) who doesn't use magic, but unlike Cruella's story which took place entirely outside of the magical realms, Lady Tremaine's story will also take place in The Many Kingdoms.”

For newcomers to the series, The Many Kingdoms is the primary magical realm in which much of the action happens in Valentino’s versions of her Disney Villain stories.

“I think the main difference [from prior Villains novels] is that Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella are not from The Many Kingdoms. It's pretty heartbreaking really, they travel so far from home, away from everything and everyone they know to a magical land where anything is possible only to find themselves miserable and at the mercy of magical beings, with no magic of their own. If anyone could have used a Fairy Godmother, I'd say it was Lady Tremaine and her daughters.”

The Odd Sisters Make a Comeback

Fans will also be excited to learn that some of Valentino’s original characters will, in one way or another, return in Lady Tremaine’s story.

“It was so intriguing to me to have a non-magical character in a magical land, especially a character as stoic and cold as Lady Tremaine having to deal with the likes of the Odd Sisters, Fairy Godmother, and Nanny,” Valentino said. “While the Odd Sisters are at the heart of the story, Lady Tremaine, Drizella, and Anastasia remain the focus, with the Odd Sisters, and the fairies weaving in and out of the pages reminding us that The Book of Fairy Tales is ever present.” 

But Wait, There’s More…

The name of the villain to appear in Book 8 and the Odd Sisters’ return is not all, dear readers.

We must have done something right in this life because Disney was kind enough to indulge us with TWO MORE REVEALS… the TITLE and COVER!

So, without further ado, we are excited to present the first look of Disney’s COLD HEARTED:

Are you squealing or is that just me?

Major props to cover artist Jeffrey Thomas and designer Phil Buchanan for a beautiful cover – one that is consistent with the first seven in the Valentino Villains Collection. I have goosebumps.

Release Date and Sneak Peak of What We Can Expect in Cold Hearted

While the release of Cold Hearted is not expected until July 2021, we could not help but ask Serena what more she could tell us about the story:

“All of my Villians stories are cautionary tales much like the original fairy tales the Disney films are based upon. This story is about a woman who closes off her heart, and even though it was for very relatable reasons, it is her downfall.”

“It is a heartbreaking story of betrayal, and unrequited love, but most importantly it's about how abuse can become a sinister and subversive cycle. It was such a pleasure telling Lady Tremaine's story, and equally exciting to return to the Many Kingdoms, and to our ongoing storyline where we left off in The Odd Sisters, and Fairy Godmother's battle with her sister Nanny who would like to extend their fairy magic beyond princesses-to-be.” 

Serena also shared what we might be able to expect in terms of outstanding questions from some of the prior novels:

“Though there won't be answers to some of the lingering questions readers may have had after reading The Odd Sisters, there will be some surprising reveals I am sure readers will be very excited about.”  

Mega thanks to Disney Publishing and to Serena Valentino for making our YEAR with this news!

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Jess Salafia Ward
Jess Salafia Ward is an Aussie, an attorney and a die-hard Disney fan. She grew up in a city not too far from P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney; and she still enjoys dancing around in Snow White pajamas and serenading her family members with Sleeping Beauty’s “Once Upon A Dream” (though, unlike Princess Aurora, she is not blessed with the gift of song). Jess is an Elvis-lover like Lilo, and when she doesn't have her nose stuck in a book, she delights in sharing with fellow fans all things Disney, books, movies and history.