Beauty and the Beast, by Cheryl Ziegler

Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty fight over the prince. How can the Dragon Lady of the kingdom gain favor and the heart of the charming prince? By putting a spell on Sleeping Beauty to keep her out of the way—that’s how. It’s simple and oh so evil, yet non-invasive.

Maleficent then kidnaps the object of her affection and seals him in her castle. The beastly sorceress has plans for her charming prince, though he doesn’t know it. While Sleeping Beauty slumbers away the hours under Maleficent’s spell, the poor prince is planning his escape.

Maleficent, in her creepy, sadistic, beastly sort of way, may have a heart. Maybe that’s why she acts the way she does. She wasn’t loved as a child and, therefore, this is the only way she knows how to show affection. Scary thought, right? Her pet raven, which gets turned to stone, triggers the most tragic emotional outburst.

So does Sleeping Beauty represent all we dream of being, and is Maleficent the way we actually feel inside? Is there a happy medium between Beauty and the Beast, or our inner Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde?