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haplessreader 's review for:
The Isle of the Lost
by Melissa de la Cruz
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In this week's episode, Prince Ben realizes the other half does not live in palaces with servants and cream cakes!
In all seriousness, I like Ben as a protagonist more and I looked forward to his chapters. Particularly, the Council scene was spectacular because you actually get to see what the heroes are up to post-Auradon, not just the villains. Out of all the VKs, though, Evie's perspective is the most interesting. Carlos you feel the worst for, Jay really has only one characteristic, and Mal feels like a husk of her version in the films.
You can tell the author had a ton of fun writing this, the first quarter of the book is the best, really. From tickling wordplay to just the most fantastic world-building I've seen in a while (this will definitely change later, the movies and books will never align). Side note, there's light flirting throughout, this book takes place immediately before the events of the first movie so everyone is 15 or so, and really all it makes me realize is I don't think I'm capable of writing characters this young. Everytime I've written my books I've always just made the characters the age I was when I started writing them, but after writing this long I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm more inclined to write about later YA years and even just New Adult.
The books are meant to serve as sequels (this one releasing a couple of months before the movie, and I suspect the author had access to an early draft of the script while writing this), and while the book provides a bit of context to the characters and are meant to lead directly into the first movie, there is a bit of a misalignment. The villains are never close in the book, and you can't tell that Mal and Evie were sworn enemies just days before Ben's proclamation. I do like the revelation that Mal is literally named Maleficent, after her mother, but that she is only referred to as Mal because she hasn't earned her full name yet. With that logic, Jay could literally just be the first letter of Jafar's name, and Evie is named after the very title her narcissistic mother goes by. Carlos is the only one who's spared this fate but his conditions at Hell Hall aren't much to write home about either.
I like the world the books set up, there's so much to grab onto for my D&D version of Auradon. I'm going to base my third adventure in Auradon on the very structure of this first book, and really, I just am glad I finished a book which is an increasingly rare occurrence these days.
In all seriousness, I like Ben as a protagonist more and I looked forward to his chapters. Particularly, the Council scene was spectacular because you actually get to see what the heroes are up to post-Auradon, not just the villains. Out of all the VKs, though, Evie's perspective is the most interesting. Carlos you feel the worst for, Jay really has only one characteristic, and Mal feels like a husk of her version in the films.
You can tell the author had a ton of fun writing this, the first quarter of the book is the best, really. From tickling wordplay to just the most fantastic world-building I've seen in a while (this will definitely change later, the movies and books will never align). Side note, there's light flirting throughout, this book takes place immediately before the events of the first movie so everyone is 15 or so, and really all it makes me realize is I don't think I'm capable of writing characters this young. Everytime I've written my books I've always just made the characters the age I was when I started writing them, but after writing this long I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm more inclined to write about later YA years and even just New Adult.
The books are meant to serve as sequels (this one releasing a couple of months before the movie, and I suspect the author had access to an early draft of the script while writing this), and while the book provides a bit of context to the characters and are meant to lead directly into the first movie, there is a bit of a misalignment. The villains are never close in the book, and you can't tell that Mal and Evie were sworn enemies just days before Ben's proclamation. I do like the revelation that Mal is literally named Maleficent, after her mother, but that she is only referred to as Mal because she hasn't earned her full name yet. With that logic, Jay could literally just be the first letter of Jafar's name, and Evie is named after the very title her narcissistic mother goes by. Carlos is the only one who's spared this fate but his conditions at Hell Hall aren't much to write home about either.
I like the world the books set up, there's so much to grab onto for my D&D version of Auradon. I'm going to base my third adventure in Auradon on the very structure of this first book, and really, I just am glad I finished a book which is an increasingly rare occurrence these days.