One Quarter Villain by Cori Cooper – Review by Angela Hayes

One Quarter Villain by Cori Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

‘ Villainy shows up in the blood ’

Maddy set the genealogy kit next to the computer and dug deep for some real sincerity this time.
“Thanks for always remembering my birthday, Grams. You’re the best.”
“Oh!” Grams placed a hand over her heart. “You sweet, sweet thing. Please make sure you call me as soon as you get those results back. I want to see what you are made of.” Her laugh sounded like fairy bells.
“I will…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Maddy noticed Leo start to squirm. He was probably questioning his life decisions right about now. Instead of a gift, Leo always gave Maddy a day to do whatever she wanted. This was bold because the things Maddy liked and the things that Leo liked rarely ever matched up.

Time screeched to a halt. Maddy’s heartbeat slammed against her ribs so hard it was painful to breathe. “Mom?”
“Yes?” Her mom was focused on wiping counters, so she didn’t look at Maddy.
Pounding filled Maddy’s ears as her knees began knocking together. “Mom?”
“Yes, Maddy? I answered you the first time.”
“Yeah, but you won’t look at me.” Her voice sounded shrill. “Mom!”
Maddy’s mom finally stopped what she was doing and placed one fist on her hip. “You have my full, undivided attention. What is it?”
Words rushed up Maddy’s throat and got stuck there. She swallowed and tried again. “Am I adopted? Is that why Grams gave me this DNA test?”

Maddy—you have…. the blood of a villain.”
If Elle had stood up and dropped the mic, those words could not have packed a harder punch. Maddy’s mind was officially blown. She knew it was happening because her thoughts went completely blank. All gone. This was something that had never actually happened to her before, and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. She couldn’t form words. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t blink.

One Quarter Villain by Cori Cooper is such a fun YA fantasy, winning the way to my favourite of her books, so far. There was so much to love about this clever and imaginative fantasy- so much going on, but in a really great way- with adventure, action, wonderfully quirky & endearing characters, fantastic worldbuilding & fantasy lore, a cute fairytale vibe, magic, teenage drama/angst, friendship, family, 2nd chances, humour, banter, quips, antics, gaffs/blunders, (family) secrets, family dynamics, trials, challenges, emotion, mystery, intrigue, suspense, romance, lessons (in consequences of actions~reprocussions~not giving in to anger and hate~taking responsibility for your actions~making amends~forgiveness), danger, different realms, a journey of discovery/coming of age story, and much more.
I loved the references to the various fairytales we all know and love, and love how Ms. Cooper weaved those elements into her storyline in such a creative and original way. It certainly added extra interest to the overall storyline. Very clever.
Maddy Hutton isn’t particularly thrilled when she receives a DNA test from her beloved Grams for her 17th birthday, and even though she loves her Grams dearly, Maddy procrastinates instead of just getting the test done- and it takes her mother blackmailing her sometime later, into finally doing it. When the results come back- Maddy’s world turns upside down. She’s One Quarter Villain. What does that even mean? Well, Maddy finds out when she is thrust into an adventure to save her best friend who has been mistakenly banished to another realm. Maddy sets off on a quest to rescue him- but fate throws her a bit of a curveball along the way. Things go awry and Maddy can’t help but wonder if she really is a true villain at heart? What happens makes for a very cute, sweet, fun, and entirely enchanting read.
I have loved all of Ms. Cooper’s books, so far- but this one IMO is the best yet!!! I am excited to see that she plans on this being part of a new 5 book series- so colour me one happy little book worm. I can’t wait to see what Maddy and Leo get up to next.
Highly recommended to all YA Fantasy readers, or anyone who loves a great little adventure with a touch of magic…… definitely worth the read!
Bring on the next instalment!
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Cori Cooper!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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