Review: The Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Title:  The Isle of the Lost

Author:  Melissa De La Cruz
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publishing Date:  May 5th, 2015

Pages: 320
Genre: Middle-Grade Retelling/Fantasy

Series:  Descendants #1
Source:  Audio

 

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.

This book has been on my TBR for a while. I love the Disney movie and I thought this just would be fun to read. It took me a while to get to it but I did and I was right. It was a very fun read. 

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This is the story of the Isle of the Lost, this is an island where all the fairytale villains were banished to. It is years later and most of the villains have children. Of course, they can't be that villainy anymore... all the magic is gone. They can steal, harass, lie, and all that evil stuff but no curses. This doesn't sit well with Maleficent. She sends her daughter, Mal on a mission to find her scepter. She believes magic is seeping through and she needs her scepter before the magic increases. Mal and her new found friends- Evie, the evil queen's daughter- Jay, son of Jafar- and finally Carlos- the offspring of Cruella De Ville- head off on a journey together.  There are also snippets of the kingdom where the good guys reside... showing what Ben, son of Belle Beast, is going through..... to set it up for the movie.

This book was cute and fun and I am really glad I took the time to finally read it. I really did enjoy the two movies, Finn loves them too and we watch them together. There is always something fun about seeing things from the evils' side. 

What is fun about this story and the story in the movies, the kids only thing they want to be evil but find in their heart, they aren't their parents and they don't have to evil. They learn to work together, to trust each other, and to actually care for one another. Awe I know.... warms my heart. 

I didn't have a hard time at all connecting to any of the characters. Since I have seen the movies, I know these characters and they are done well in this book. I could totally see them as the same characters as in the movies. 

These kids are a band of misfits. They are fun and they mesh well together to make me laugh and giggle and smile. Mal is the bad girl. She is mean and doesn't have friends, or want friends. She does have Jay, out of convenience though. Jay is a jokester and a thief. He likes to give others a hard time, really though all he wants is his father's approval. Carols is the nerd. So smart and so into his gadgets. Shy and lonely. Evie- which is my favorite- is cute and sweet, so far from a villain I have no idea how she makes it in this worlds. 

The friendship that grows between these misfits is just so wonderful and I loved this the most, but the book has some action too. The journey was exciting and I really liked watching all them work through the puzzles and the dangers. 

The ending was cute and really sets it up for going straight into the movie. I can't wait to read more. This really was a fun read and I do believe middle-grade kids would get a kick out of these books. 

A really fun, fast, sweet read. 

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.