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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
3 and a half stars. As a fan of the Disney's Descendants, I love this book. It is definitely a middle school level read, but if you loved the Descendants franchise, you will love this book series. A quick read for me.
I like the idea of this book, and she's a good writer. The narrator of the audio book was hard to listen to.
Be prepared to slam head first into a Disney character set where all of the villains, heroes, and their new children run around on either the Isle of the Lost (for banished villains) or the Kingdom of Auradon (for those goody goodies). The plot focuses on 16-year-old Mal who is seeking revenge on Evie—daughter of the Evil Queen—for not inviting her to a childhood birthday party. Four unlikely characters come together in search of an evil, magical scepter, each representing their personal family histories. A parallel story follows Prince Ben who is trying to address very adult grievances in preparation for taking over his father’s kingdom. There are some cheesy adult-geared lines and jokes about how villains get their kicks in writing the wrong names on Starbuck cups and where in the much happier United States of Auradon (USA), the Department of Formerly Magical Vehicles (DFMV) has 5-minute wait times. A sweet story full of morals about good versus evil, bullying, and selflessness, the novel is designed for fourth to sixth graders. I find the characters’ ages only slightly problematic since they are teenagers but clearly their shenanigans and the vocabulary of the story are designed for younger children. I would prefer that the characters were ten or eleven. I read mixed reviews for this book, but at work, The Isle of the Lost has been a hit with our elementary-aged readers who want a fantastical, Disney-fluff read. I am not inclined to read any further in the series, but I can see why younger readers would read more.
It was good. Certainly not her best in terms of writing but it was good fluffy and a nice lead up to the movie
This book brought back childhood feelings. The love for fairytale and magic. I enjoyed it a lot, reading about the infamous fairytale villains' children was refreshing. The story may not be as deep as some of the books I've read but it gave me the feeling of familiarity and of wonder
So I finished this book last night and had to laugh out loud. I had enjoyed previous books by this author so when I saw that Disney was making a movie based upon one of her books I thought that it would be fun to read. I put it on hold at my local library and waited months for it to become available. By the time I read it, the movie had played on the Disney channel several times though I had not watched it. I knew enough of the movie to notice that it did not match the story that I was reading in this book. I enjoyed the story, a very light read, definitely appropriate for the target age group. It was fun to imagine all the Disney villains cooped up in one place and trying to survive without magic. It also was sad to see them given just the cast offs and trash of the Disney heroes. It would seem that the heroes would be more generous but then we realize that they weren't particularly generous with the "sidekicks" either. The four main characters are interesting extensions of their parents, yet with individuality that makes them more compelling as you want to get to know them better. It was fun, but what made me laugh out loud was that the book is actually a prequel to the movie and at the end of the book you are told to find out what happens by watching the movie! Crazy! What a brilliant marketing plan! Anyway, I thought that it was funny.
Meh..........
Nice writing terrible story likewise in the rest of the books
Nice writing terrible story likewise in the rest of the books
Maybe I'm just too old for this book. I really wanted to like it more, but I couldn't seem to get into the story. I really like the concept though, and would most likely read a sequel. I mean, kids of Disney villains is a pretty unique idea.
2025 update: I'm obsessed with these movies and read like 3 more of these books and I like them a lot! 2015 me was taking themself very seriously.
2025 update: I'm obsessed with these movies and read like 3 more of these books and I like them a lot! 2015 me was taking themself very seriously.