Dark Ascension Series

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Hafsah Faizal comes the untold origin story of Agrabah’s future royal vizier Jafar and his brother Rohan.

Before Jafar became Agrabah’s grand vizier, there were two brothers wishing for a different life.

Living in the shadow of their mother’s death and their father’s cruel whims, Jafar only longs to protect one person–his soft-hearted younger brother, Rohan. But Jafar knows he is destined for more, and if he has his way, he’ll soon be an apprentice at Maghriz’s elite House of Wisdom, studying alchemy.

Then a fire destroys the remains of their shattered life, and Jafar has no choice but to resort to ruses and trickery, including convincing Rohan that the House of Wisdom is their only chance at rebuilding their lives. But Maghriz holds more danger and intrigue than either brother can imagine. Its powerful Sultana is plotting a grand deception that could shape the nation’s future, and she believes the brothers are the missing piece of her scheme.

For the first time, Jafar can envision a future where he puts his own desires before Rohan’s–and Rohan feels ready to escape his brother’s shadow. As the brothers contend with their darkest impulses, they must decide: is their ambition worth their brotherhood?

Journey to Never Land in the second book in the Disney Villains-focused Dark Ascension series, which shares the untold story of teenaged Captain Hook and his twin sister Marlene, penned by New York Times bestselling author Lauren DeStefano.

Before Captain Hook became Never Land’s villain, there were two siblings seeking a home . . .

James and Marlene have always felt out of place in their humdrum fishing village, longing to escape the quiet lives their parents envision for them. But when Marlene’s birthday wish transports them both to an unsettling, magical paradise called Never Land, they discover an unexpected alternative: the chance to stay forever with the charismatic Peter and his Lost Boys.

As the twins delve into the island’s violent secrets, their actions reignite a conflict between the fractured Lost Boys—and for the first time in their lives, James and Marlene find themselves at odds. With a war brewing and their memories slipping away every minute they spend in Never Land, they must choose whether to stay or go. But even if the twins stand together, Never Land–and Peter–won’t allow them to leave so easily.

How far are James and Marlene willing to go to chart their own destinies? And if the price for freedom is losing their true selves–and each other–is it worth the cost?

In this first installment in the Dark Ascension series, Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine make their entrée into high society in this atmospheric, Disney-Villains-meets-Bridgerton tale of two sisters who have everything to gain–and even more to lose.

“Blood is blood…and one way or another, we all bleed.”

Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves—and each other—that they’ll be different. They’ll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party—their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations—the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

Now in paperback with a stunning new cover, this first book in the Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.