Serena Valentino Books In Order

Publication Order of Disney Villains Books

Publication Order of GloomCookie Books

Publication Order of Nightmares & Fairy Tales Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Villains Graphic Novel Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Serena Valentino is a comics & graphic novel, literature & fiction, and horror fiction author. She has made a name for herself for stories that combine guile and mythos with her comic graphic novel series “Nightmares & Fairy Tales” and “GloomCookie” that she initially published under SLG Publishing. “Nightmares & Fairy Tales” which combines horror and comic genres has earned Serena critical acclaim as she is known for her extraordinary and beautiful female protagonists, frightening but exquisite worlds full of terror, and unique storytelling style. Going forward, Valentino has said that Fearsome Library Publishing her own publishing press will be responsible for the publishing of all her future graphic works. In addition to her graphic novels, she is also the author of “How to be a Werewolf” and “How to be a Zombie,” which are two young adult novels. Serena’s first published work was “Fairest of All” that she first published in 2009. She currently has more than ten novels in the “Disney Villains” series among several single standing novels.

Serena grew up reading a lot of books as she was born in a family that loved to read. She wanted to become an author right from when she was a child but it was not until she was in her twenties that she got her first story published. Since she loved reading, she is inspired by a wide range of authors from all manners of genres. Serena has also been influenced by Disney movies and remembers how taken she was by the “Hound” and “Bambi” that got her upset for weeks when they were released. She was never fond of villains as a child but grew to love villains when the movies for “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White” came out. She found them so fascinating that she just had to learn more about them but never knew that she would be recreating their lead protagonists as wicked villains. She got her first start writing when she gave her manuscript for “GloomCookie< her first graphic to Roman Dirge, a friend who introduced her to the publisher Dan Vado. Vado was interested in her comics but said that it had a bit of narrative uncommon with comics from that era and that she should change it. After making the changes, the publisher gave her a chance and the rest as they say is history. She then went on to make a splash with the “Nightmares & Fairy Tales” comic book series which opened even more doors for her. After Serena Valentino had been working for several years writing “Nightmares & Fairy Tales,” she was approached by one of the Disney editors who loved her work and asked if she would be interested in writing about any of their characters. She said she wanted to write about the villains though she was skeptical and surprised at the offer, only for it to turn out so well. She had all the creative freedom she needed to create her comics as her editor gets her vision and they share inspirations. He told her that he never intended to change her storytelling style to make them more Disney like since he had already read and loved her body of work. Serena now writes both bloody and dark tales and the witty and humorous stories that we have all come to love. She loves writing background stories to the stories she has always loved and she could not be happier. The first novel she wrote was “Fairest of All” that she published in 2009 that became the first of the “Disney Villains” series. By 2020, she had seven titles in the series and four single standing novels. Valentino’s “Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen” tells the tale of Cinderella and her wicked stepmother. While there have been different iterations of the story, much of the essence is the wicked stepmother getting jealous of the girl and ultimately making an attempt on her life. Not that many people have written a story on how the stepmother became so vile. Serena tells the story of a woman that married the love of her life and in the process became the stepmother to Snow White, a dainty but naïve girl that is too sweet. The King had given his wife a looking mirror as a present and she spends much of her day looking at herself in it. She believes she can see someone in the mirror but everyone tells her that she is just imagining it. It turns out that her abusive father’s soul is trapped in the mirror and that she had a terrible childhood. When the King dies in battle, the queen is crushed and begins changing, abhorring any form of beauty and happiness. She has depression that borders on madness and is soon pushed over the edge looking into her mirror. “The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince” is a story giving the background to the story of “Beauty and the Beast.” However, the villain in this story is not the Beast but rather Gaston. As the only Disney Prince that is cast as an antihero, the Beast is a very interesting character. He starts out as a horrible but very handsome and desirable character who then loses his status and looks. The Beast then becomes a decent fellow when a girl shows him kindness despite his temper and ugliness. He then becomes a hero when the girl that had been so important in changing his life is under threat of violence and death. He is one of the most dynamic protagonists you would ever see in animated Disney canon. On the other hand, a novel about the character Gaston would maybe have consisted of him killing and hunting things. While the Prince/Beast technically does not fit in a lineup that would have the likes of Ursula and Maleficent, he nonetheless makes for a great villain. Serena Valentino writes in some evocative imagery and combined with his promising ideas, it makes for a beautiful and enchanting story. Serena Valentino’s “Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch” is a story that tells Ursula’s perspective of the “Little Mermaid” story. Ariel does not feature much in the story that introduces Princess Tulip who is quite a fascinating character. Ariel is something of a side story but having read the previous novels in the series, it makes sense to write the novel that way. Valentino tells the story of how Ursula became full of hate and so vile a woman, that she finally went beyond redemption which would then result in her demise. Serena's name drops the likes of Drizella/Anastasia/Cinderella, Maleficent, and even asserts that Princess Tulip’s mother is Sleeping Beauty’s, Queen Leah. She also mentions that the events of Sleeping Beauty were happening in a different kingdom at the same time as the events in the story.