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Tangled: Mother Knows Best (Villain Tales 400 Disney)

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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. Mother Knows Best is a psychological thriller about a controversial scientific experiment that involves genetically modifying an embryo to eliminate genetic mutations by creating a three-parent baby. Gothel decides to find a way to save her sisters but the only one that she was to make them drink the blood of their mother, although they flatly refuse. As Gothel is searching through her mother's books, reading in the forest, she is interrupted by three odd triplets witches: The Odd Sisters

Ten years later, she has a daughter ... free of any genetic mutation. How was this possible? It's a secret ... a secret that could put Claire, her doctor Robert Nash, and his assistant Jill at great risk. They have discovered how to eliminate inherited diseases ... but anything they do is entirely illegal. After burying her 8-year-old son who died of mitochondrial disease, Claire Abrams vows not to have another child. She doesn't want to pass on the disease that killed so many in her family. That is until she hears of Dr. Robert Nash, who is experimenting with the possibility of eliminating genetic illness by creating a baby who has 3 genetic parents. But this experiment spins out of control, destroying a once happy family. Fast forward to 11 years after the experiment--a psychopath is on the loose, and Claire might lose the child she fought so hard to conceive. Fantasy Springs • Disney Animation Building • Castle of Magical Dreams • Fairy Tale Forest • Garden of the Twelve Friends • It's a Small World • Princess Pavilion • Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival • Le Pays des Contes de Fées • Voyage to the Crystal Grotto It's a really good book and it doesn't have anything graphic or descriptive in it, but it's pretty creepy. Which, of course, is why I enjoyed it so much.The suspense of Claire and her new husband’s life is good. Claire essentially lives in hiding because her face was plastered everywhere when the story came out. When Abby turns 11, she starts to get curious about her ancestry, and, as part of a class project, she and Claire agree to test their DNA. What Claire has been keeping secret leaks out to the very worst person possible. This has been a thought-provoking, poignant and informative read that has helped me to reflect on my own experiences as a mother. Unfortunately, this book dragged. This is the biggest book in the series so far, and I feel like it could have been shorter. I understand why Serena Valentino felt like she needed to add this level of detail to Gothel's story, but I still think the book could have been shorter. I was VERY pleased with this book. It had me gasp at the right times, cringe at the right times, and laugh at the right times. I was surprised at how much I adore this book.

Regardless, this was a fantastically fun read that I devoured in just a couple of days. It had magic, adventure, deceit, monsters, and betrayal. I was completely drawn in and hooked on the story. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and had a hard time putting it down. With all its spookiness and dark magic, it makes a perfect Halloween binge-read! Claire and Ethan Abrams lost their first child Colton at eight years old from a degenerative disease caused by faulty mitochondria, the energy driving components of our cells. They would dearly love to have another child but while Ethan is prepared to take a chance that another child would not be as badly affected, Claire doesn't think she could go through watching another child suffer and die. As the genetic material in mitochondria is only passed on from the mother, she also knows she is responsible for passing on this disease. When she hears of a team of IVF specialists working on an experimental new technique that involves transferring combining mitochondria from a healthy donor into an embryo (known as three parent IVF) she thinks that might be the answer to their prayers. Although the technique is illegal and she knows her husband, a professor of bioethics, would never approve of it, she offers herself as a guinea pig to the IVF team. However, just before her baby is due, news of what they have done is reported to the FDA, leading to the IVF team being charged and Claire fleeing into hiding. Books: The Art of Tangled • Comic Books • Rapunzel and the Lost Lagoon • Rapunzel and the Vanishing Village • Royal Weddings I have been slowly but surely making my way through this villains series by Serena Valentino. I really enjoyed the first two (Fairest of All and Beast Within) and then was not a fan of the third one ( Poor Unfortunate Soul). I read Mistress of all Evil directly before reading this one, and I’m glad I did that because it gave me a better familiarity of some of the characters who also appeared in this story – Mother Knows Best.

Fireworks: Celebrate the Magic • Disney Dreams! • Disneyland Forever • Disney Enchantment • Happily Ever After • The Magic, the Memories and You • Momentous • Once Upon a Time • Remember... Dreams Come True • Illuminate! A Nighttime Celebration • Wondrous Journeys And yet this is only half the story. So what of the old witch, Mother Gothel? Where does she come from? And how does she come across the magical golden flower? Here is one account that recounts a version of the story that has remained untold for centuries . . . until now. It is a tale of mothers and daughters, of youth and dark magic. It is a tale of the old witch.

Ten years later, a spunky girl named Abigail begins to understand that all is not right with the reclusive man and woman she knows as her parents. But the family’s problems are only beginning. Jillian, hardened by a decade of jealousy and loss, has returned—and nothing will stop her from reuniting with the man and daughter who should have been hers. Past, present—and future converge in a mesmerizing psychological thriller from acclaimed bestselling author Kira Peikoff. Season Three: " Rapunzel's Return" • " Return of the King" • " Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?" • " The Lost Treasure of Herz Der Sonne" • " No Time Like the Past" • " Beginnings" • " The King and Queen of Hearts" • " Day of the Animals" • " Be Very Afraid" • " Pascal's Dragon" • " Islands Apart" • " Cassandra's Revenge" • " Race to the Spire" • " A Tale of Two Sisters" • " Flynnpostor" • " Once a Handmaiden..." • " Plus Est En Vous" Claire, Robert, and Jillian work together to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents—an unprecedented feat that could eliminate inherited disease. But when word of their illegal experiment leaks to the wrong person, Robert escapes into hiding with the now-pregnant Claire, leaving Jillian to serve out a prison sentence that destroys her future. The younger reader distinction caused me some issues too, although granted I’m a smidge (decades?) past the targeted age range. The writing is over simplified at times and incredibly repetitive at others. (Give younger readers some credit!) I did learnone new vocabulary word though. It’s necromancy, which refers to communing with the dead.A scientific drama, “Mother Knows Best” by Kira Peikoff, takes the world genetic medication and turns it on its heels. A desperate mother, a savvy doctor, and his manipulative yet brilliant research student, is all it takes to make this novel a suspenseful tale of secrets and lies.

This is quite possibly the worst series I have ever read. It is a classic case of the cardinal rule of writing being broken - show, don't tell. This is apparent by the appearance of Original Characters being introduced and then gaining more and more book space as the series goes. This can work well, as is the case with the Kingdom Hearts video game series despite bizzare storytelling. In this case, however, the author claims authorship for all Disney villain origins and does it in the most irritating way possible, with the Original Characters speaking at great length, in disjointed and unintelligible dialogue mind you, about the respective movies in question through their point of view. It is extremely lazy writing for the writer to allow the characters to "speak for themselves" in that the dialogue goes in odd tangents, but the author does not take charge of the story by planning nor guiding it. The author has framed the medical discovery (which is real, although I don’t know how far the technology has been used to date in humans) as a breakthrough unreasonably stifled by conservative American moral concerns, thereby leading to unnecessary suffering. Personally, while I have sympathy for affected families, rules and close monitoring are there for a reason, and the way the trio go about creating Abby is unforgivable. It was June 1993. Pamula's son was born the same year as mine. Just a few days into what should have been the happiest of times, there was trauma and uncertainty. She knew things weren't right, she saw health professionals who all tried to reassure her. They said all was fine. It wasn't.I was so excited to read this book, especially because it focuses on the Tangled adaptation of Rapunzel! Then: Claire and her husband, Ethan, are still grieving the loss of Colton, their 8-year old son who died due to a hereditary mitochondrial condition. Now the couple wants to expand their family and open their hearts to another child, but Claire is worried about passing her genes onto yet another child, only to meet the same fate as Colton. Abby is unique child who shares not 2 but 3 parents' DNA. 2 Eggs taken and fused to perfection (from 2 donors - 2 mothers) and 1 sperm (1 father) created perfect embryo, past 8 months that frankenbaby is Abby. Summary: “The tale of Rapunzel is widely known. So what of the old witch, Mother Gothel? Where does she come from? And how does she come across the magical golden flower? Here is one account that recounts a version of the story that has remained untold for centuries . . . until now. It is a tale of mothers and daughters, of youth and dark magic. It is a tale of the old witch.”

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