Hexed turns the beloved Disney movie The Little Mermaid on its head by casting the villain as the protagonist. In the film, “Vanessa” is the identity the sea witch Ursula adopts to sabotage the relationship between the protagonist, Ariel (here Aria), and Prince Eric. Further, the novel’s graphic sex and violence depart markedly from standard Disney fare. In these respects, Hexed resembles all the preceding titles in the Never After series, which largely skewer the Disney renditions of fairy tales and classic literature. 

McIntire does this to highlight the sympathetic characteristics of each of the story’s villains. In exploring the factors that turn someone into a villain or a monster, she also highlights the less attractive features of those traditionally lauded as heroes. Hooked (2021), for example, is Peter Pan from the viewpoint of the Captain Hook character. In the novel, Hook and Pan run rival criminal organizations. Hook kidnaps Pan’s daughter, Wendy, for revenge and ends up falling in love with her. Wendy also finds herself falling for her captor. Similarly, Scarred (2022) recounts The Lion King from the perspective of the usurper and murderer Scar. In this instance, the dark prince falls in love with the heir’s betrothed while conspiring to steal the throne from his brother. The betrothed has an assassination plan of her own: She intends to kill everyone in the royal line but ends up falling for the king’s brother. Twisted (2023) tells the story of Aladdin from the perspective of the sorcerer Jafar. He wishes to marry the daughter of his employer, a sultan who runs the global diamond market. He blackmails her into marrying him for personal gain but then makes the mistake of actually falling in love with her. Lastly, Crossed (2023) is The Hunchback of Notre Dame told from the viewpoint of the evil priest Claude Frollo. In the novel, the priest becomes obsessed with a strip club dancer. Perceiving her profession as sinful, he wants to kill her, but his attraction toward the dancer ultimately supersedes forbidden love or church morality.

One installment in the series is based not on a Disney film but on a tale that employs a similarly binary moral framework: Wretched (2022) tells the Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. In this instance, she is part of a criminal drug empire but becomes emotionally involved with a DEA agent sent to destroy her family’s business. The drug agent must then choose between his job and the woman he loves.

Each of the books in the series runs true to a single principle: Love has the power to transform. The protagonists in each book start out as unabashedly immoral characters acting on their worst impulses. Despite this, they all demonstrate a genuine capacity for love that the characters who superficially appear “good” or “virtuous” lack. This feeling comes at a price, as the protagonists must choose between the life they’ve known and a love that might ultimately cost them their lives. They choose love over wealth, power, or personal safety every time. Through their stories, McIntire suggests that selfless love is the truest measure of heroism after all, thus embracing a traditional moral code despite the series’s subversive elements.