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A review by betwixt_the_pages
The Isle of the Lost by Robert Venditti, Melissa de la Cruz
4.0
Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.
But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?
Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.
Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.
Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.
Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.
Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.
Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: the villains of Disney!; chuckle-inducing moments; interesting plot twists; a new, inspiring look into the lives the most loved (or hated?) Disney characters
Oh my goodness, where do I even start with this book?
Okay. So, confession time: I LOVE Disney movies. I grew up watching (and owning!) pretty much all the animated films on VHS...and have since collected, and expanded, them in my DVDs. This book is a brilliant glimpse into what happens AFTER "happily-ever-after"......specifically, to the most loved (hated?) villains of the Disney universe--and their descendants.
I went into this book unsure WHAT to expect, save some mischief, shenanigans, and evil-doings. And from page one, it appeared that's pretty much what we were going to get--the book starting off with the villains pissing off (rather unwisely) Maleficent, the island's queen.
But as the story progressed, a lot of other things started happening in rapid succession. Friendships and alliances began being formed with the descendants; rules started being dismissed (even more than they already were); in general, the children and grandchildren of the villains....began thinking for themselves.
I think what makes this book most fun was the fact that Melissa de la Cruz KNOWS her Disney movies. She introduces characters, plot lines, and story concepts from the original movies; keeps the big baddies to their already-decided personalities....and still gives them a sense of quirky individuality. Evil Queen, for instance, is still ALL ABOUT being the fairest of the land...but because magic is forbidden and her mirror no longer talks to her, she makes HERSELF the mirror (personality disorder, anyone?) Jafar is still all about treasure and gold and being king....but on an island of throw-aways and leftovers, his big schemes tend to fall on deaf ears. Besides, who would listen to a man in lamp pajamas anyway?
There are so many fun, light-hearted twists to the stories we all know so well, I found myself cackling (very loudly, at times, to the chagrin of my husband). The writing, while a little bit sloppy in places (there are some typos and repeated words that are pretty noticeable, and distracting), is entertaining. The characters--both the big baddies, their descendants, AND the citizens of Auradon on the other side of the lake (they make several appearances, as well, with their own unique and individual stories!)--are endearing, though still pretty villainous. They don't, after all, quite know how to do anything but live for themselves and loathe everything else. They aren't, to be honest, really sure how to even love their children.
But the thing I think I MOST enjoyed was the growth of our four main descendant characters--Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Starting out practically hating each other, the adventures and misdemeanors they find themselves committing to--the journey that, as usual, turns out to be just another disappointment to their parents--bands them all together and shows them that just because the rest of the family doesn't understand what it means to be happy, doesn't mean they have to live that way too.
This was an overall entertaining, heart-warming sort-of-retelling of the stories so many of us grew up cherishing; I definitely enjoyed this read!
But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?
Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.
Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.
Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.
Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.
Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.
Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: the villains of Disney!; chuckle-inducing moments; interesting plot twists; a new, inspiring look into the lives the most loved (or hated?) Disney characters
Oh my goodness, where do I even start with this book?
Okay. So, confession time: I LOVE Disney movies. I grew up watching (and owning!) pretty much all the animated films on VHS...and have since collected, and expanded, them in my DVDs. This book is a brilliant glimpse into what happens AFTER "happily-ever-after"......specifically, to the most loved (hated?) villains of the Disney universe--and their descendants.
I went into this book unsure WHAT to expect, save some mischief, shenanigans, and evil-doings. And from page one, it appeared that's pretty much what we were going to get--the book starting off with the villains pissing off (rather unwisely) Maleficent, the island's queen.
But as the story progressed, a lot of other things started happening in rapid succession. Friendships and alliances began being formed with the descendants; rules started being dismissed (even more than they already were); in general, the children and grandchildren of the villains....began thinking for themselves.
I think what makes this book most fun was the fact that Melissa de la Cruz KNOWS her Disney movies. She introduces characters, plot lines, and story concepts from the original movies; keeps the big baddies to their already-decided personalities....and still gives them a sense of quirky individuality. Evil Queen, for instance, is still ALL ABOUT being the fairest of the land...but because magic is forbidden and her mirror no longer talks to her, she makes HERSELF the mirror (personality disorder, anyone?) Jafar is still all about treasure and gold and being king....but on an island of throw-aways and leftovers, his big schemes tend to fall on deaf ears. Besides, who would listen to a man in lamp pajamas anyway?
There are so many fun, light-hearted twists to the stories we all know so well, I found myself cackling (very loudly, at times, to the chagrin of my husband). The writing, while a little bit sloppy in places (there are some typos and repeated words that are pretty noticeable, and distracting), is entertaining. The characters--both the big baddies, their descendants, AND the citizens of Auradon on the other side of the lake (they make several appearances, as well, with their own unique and individual stories!)--are endearing, though still pretty villainous. They don't, after all, quite know how to do anything but live for themselves and loathe everything else. They aren't, to be honest, really sure how to even love their children.
But the thing I think I MOST enjoyed was the growth of our four main descendant characters--Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. Starting out practically hating each other, the adventures and misdemeanors they find themselves committing to--the journey that, as usual, turns out to be just another disappointment to their parents--bands them all together and shows them that just because the rest of the family doesn't understand what it means to be happy, doesn't mean they have to live that way too.
This was an overall entertaining, heart-warming sort-of-retelling of the stories so many of us grew up cherishing; I definitely enjoyed this read!