
Mother Knows Best
A Tale of the Old Witch (Villains, Book 5)
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $15.14
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lucy Rayner
-
By:
-
Serena Valentino
About this listen
The tale of the legendary golden flower is widely known. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the flower is coveted by an old witch to keep herself young and beautiful. And always the flower is used to save a dying queen, who then gives birth to a princess with magical hair. Not willing to lose the flower, the old witch steals the princess and locks her away in a high tower, raising her as her own. But the princess always finds out who she truly is and manages to defeat the old witch.
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.
©2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc. (P)2018 DisneyListeners also enjoyed...
-
Raising the Horseman
- By: Serena Valentino
- Narrated by: Natasha Soudek
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she's expected to fulfill her ancestor's legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow.
-
-
I thought it was going to be good
- By Joshua L. on 04-23-24
By: Serena Valentino
-
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
- Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- By: Shea Ernshaw
- Narrated by: Cissy Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sally Skellington is the official Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love, Jack, who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams—if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town. She can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr. Finkelstein for a different cage. But when she and Zero accidentally uncover a doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town, she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen, and the future of Halloween Town itself, into jeopardy.
-
-
I love it!!!
- By River Works on 08-22-22
By: Shea Ernshaw
-
A Whole New World
- A Twisted Tale
- By: Liz Braswell, Disney Press
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jafar steals the genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A "street rat" becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And listeners will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.
-
-
Loved this!!!
- By Catherine E on 08-04-16
By: Liz Braswell, and others
-
Prince of Song & Sea
- By: Linsey Miller
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Prince Eric's mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him about the details of the deadly curse that has plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, and rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona.
-
-
Every Prince Eric fan’s dream!!
- By Joshua on 08-08-23
By: Linsey Miller
-
The Wicked Ones
- The Dark Ascension Series, Book 1
- By: Robin Benway
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Disney press doing it right!
- By Janna on 07-10-23
By: Robin Benway
-
Maleficent
- By: Disney Press
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maleficent was a different sort of faerie. For one thing she was raised by all the Fair Folk after her parents were killed. For another she believed there had to be some good in everyone, even humans. Happy and spirited, Maleficent was beloved by all who knew her. That is until she experienced the ultimate betrayal by a trusted friend.
-
-
Just like the movie but better detail!!
- By artist4rags on 05-08-15
By: Disney Press
-
Raising the Horseman
- By: Serena Valentino
- Narrated by: Natasha Soudek
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she's expected to fulfill her ancestor's legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow.
-
-
I thought it was going to be good
- By Joshua L. on 04-23-24
By: Serena Valentino
-
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
- Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- By: Shea Ernshaw
- Narrated by: Cissy Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sally Skellington is the official Pumpkin Queen after a whirlwind courtship with her true love, Jack, who Sally adores with every inch of her fabric seams—if only she could say the same for her new role as Queen of Halloween Town. She can't help but wonder if all she's done is trade her captivity under Dr. Finkelstein for a different cage. But when she and Zero accidentally uncover a doorway to an ancient realm called Dream Town, she'll unknowingly set into motion a chain of sinister events that put her future as Pumpkin Queen, and the future of Halloween Town itself, into jeopardy.
-
-
I love it!!!
- By River Works on 08-22-22
By: Shea Ernshaw
-
A Whole New World
- A Twisted Tale
- By: Liz Braswell, Disney Press
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jafar steals the genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A "street rat" becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And listeners will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.
-
-
Loved this!!!
- By Catherine E on 08-04-16
By: Liz Braswell, and others
-
Prince of Song & Sea
- By: Linsey Miller
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before Prince Eric's mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him about the details of the deadly curse that has plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, and rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona.
-
-
Every Prince Eric fan’s dream!!
- By Joshua on 08-08-23
By: Linsey Miller
-
The Wicked Ones
- The Dark Ascension Series, Book 1
- By: Robin Benway
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Disney press doing it right!
- By Janna on 07-10-23
By: Robin Benway
-
Maleficent
- By: Disney Press
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maleficent was a different sort of faerie. For one thing she was raised by all the Fair Folk after her parents were killed. For another she believed there had to be some good in everyone, even humans. Happy and spirited, Maleficent was beloved by all who knew her. That is until she experienced the ultimate betrayal by a trusted friend.
-
-
Just like the movie but better detail!!
- By artist4rags on 05-08-15
By: Disney Press
-
Heart of the Moors
- An Original Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Novel (The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Series, Book 1)
- By: Holly Black
- Narrated by: Lucy Rayner
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruling a kingdom is challenging under any circumstances. But Aurora - queen of Perceforest and queen of the Moors - is reigning under the weight of two crowns. Caught between the prejudices that divide her kingdom and eager to establish lasting peace, Aurora is determined to sign a treaty to unify the humans and the Fair Folk. But as spiky dark flowers grow fiercely around Perceforest’s borders and a stable boy mysteriously disappears, tensions between humans and faeries are at a dangerous high.
-
-
Fantastic exploration of the characters&universe
- By Kcow on 11-05-21
By: Holly Black
-
Wicked
- The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
- By: Gregory Maguire
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.
-
-
It's not easy being green
- By PangaeaReads on 07-30-08
By: Gregory Maguire
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
-
-
Bad part
- By Edgars Dumins on 05-19-20
By: Suzanne Collins
-
Bravely
- By: Maggie Stiefvater
- Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets—and her peaceful kingdom. But she's frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge—maybe even, someday, love.
-
-
Didn't love or hate it
- By Katy on 06-07-22
-
Kingdom Keepers: The Return Book One Disney Lands
- Kingdom Keepers: The Return, Book 1
- By: Ridley Pearson
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With the defeat of the Overtakers behind them, the five teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers should be celebrating. By all accounts they saved Disneyland from certain destruction. Why then did their mentor leave one last puzzle for them to decipher? The Keepers must solve a puzzle of the past, or be crushed under an evil that makes the Overtakers seem like gentle souls.
-
-
Why do I keep buying these?
- By Rebecca on 04-04-16
By: Ridley Pearson
-
The Witching Hour
- By: Anne Rice
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 50 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of four centuries of witches - a family given to poetry and incest, murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being called Lasher who haunts the Mayfair women. Moving in time from today's New Orleans and San Francisco to long-ago Amsterdam and the France of Louis XIV, from the coffee plantations of Port-au-Prince to Civil War New Orleans and back to today, Anne Rice has spun a mesmerizing tale.
-
-
THANK YOU AUDIBLE!
- By Wendy on 10-22-15
By: Anne Rice
-
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel
- By: Disney Press, A. W. Jantha
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shortly after moving to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan. Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's 17-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest vile scheme.
-
-
These characters deserved SO much more!
- By Edie on 08-29-18
By: Disney Press, and others
-
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
- By: Megan Shepherd
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack Skellington, the beloved Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, has grown tired of his home's annual scaring routines and longs for something new. So when he and his loyal dog, Zero, discover a series of doors in the Hinterlands leading to other holiday towns, he can't help but explore--and quickly becomes enamored with Christmas Town, a place filled with jolly laughs, merry elves, and plenty of presents. Jack shares all of his findings with the rest of Halloween Town, and together, they devise a plan to run Christmas themselves.
-
-
Very well written
- By Richard on 12-16-23
By: Megan Shepherd
-
Lore
- By: Alexandra Bracken
- Narrated by: Fryda Wolff
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man - now a god - responsible for their deaths.
-
-
Fast Paced And Really Enjoyable :D
- By Doha on 01-12-21
-
Rise of the Sea Witch
- Unfortunate Soul Chronicles, Volume 1
- By: Stacey Rourke
- Narrated by: Tiffany Marz
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born Princess Vanessa of Atlantica, the ambitious young royal was one of two children born to the great King Poseidon. She and her brother, Triton, were groomed from birth to rule. Yet only one would ascend that coveted throne. While carefree Triton flits through his training with a cavalier demeanor and beguiling charm, Vanessa’s hunger for her father’s acceptance drives her to push herself to the limits of magic and to combat to become a leader worthy of her people. When war against the humans ravages their once regal kingdom, political sides are chosen.
-
-
Fantastic narration and sound effects.
- By Lynn Shaw on 11-12-18
By: Stacey Rourke
-
Stepsister
- By: Jennifer Donnelly
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Isabelle should be blissfully happy - she's about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn't the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince's heart. She's the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe...which is now filling with blood. Isabelle cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. Sweet. More like Cinderella. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. Now she has a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.
-
-
What a precious story.
- By Bookworm on 06-25-19
-
Beautiful Creatures
- Beautiful Creatures, Book 1
- By: Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
-
-
warmed over young adult supernatural fiction
- By BumbleBee 456 on 12-27-12
By: Kami Garcia, and others