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The Isle of the Lost: The Graphic Novel (a Descendants Novel) by Robert Venditti, Melissa de la Cruz
nev_barton's review against another edition
4.0
i LOVED the descendants movies, and i LOVED this book, im prolly gonna watch the movies now again. i am going to definitely going to get the novels of this series.
untitlepoptartflavor's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mar038__'s review against another edition
3.0
Decided to read this immediately after finishing the book. The visual representation was really nice, the artwork is alright. There was a lot of detail missing from the book but that’s to be expected. Definitely 3 stars.
nhi_nguyen's review against another edition
5.0
I've read the actual book of this a long time ago. It was fun to read it again but in a different format.
oddio's review against another edition
2.0
Maleficent cursed Sleeping Beauty to die, not fall asleep for 100 years. The only reason Aurora fell asleep and could be awakened by a kiss was because one of the good fairies used her blessing to alter the curse.
I'm pointing this out because the entire book revolves around the fact that Maleficient used the Dragon's Eye to make Aurora fall asleep. In the actual Disney film, she did not. Yet, the book still treats Maleficient as if she was the most evil villain ever for cursing a girl to sleep. No. Actually, what she did was even more evil.
Plus, Aurora was 16 when she fell asleep, not 18,
That awkward moment when Disney couldn't even write their own fanfiction properly. Melissa de la Cruz even claims in her author bio that Sleeping Beauty is her favorite Disney film, so I'm wondering if Disney is actually censoring themselves...wait, what, why? A lot of people have watched Sleeping Beauty as young children. They can handle the word "die". Hell, Melissa de la Cruz even throws a couple "hells" into her writing here. Children can handle your own animated films, Disney. As a longtime Disney fan, I was used to the murder and teenage marriage in my favorite films by the time I was 4.
I'm pointing this out because the entire book revolves around the fact that Maleficient used the Dragon's Eye to make Aurora fall asleep. In the actual Disney film, she did not. Yet, the book still treats Maleficient as if she was the most evil villain ever for cursing a girl to sleep. No. Actually, what she did was even more evil.
Plus, Aurora was 16 when she fell asleep, not 18,
That awkward moment when Disney couldn't even write their own fanfiction properly. Melissa de la Cruz even claims in her author bio that Sleeping Beauty is her favorite Disney film, so I'm wondering if Disney is actually censoring themselves...wait, what, why? A lot of people have watched Sleeping Beauty as young children. They can handle the word "die". Hell, Melissa de la Cruz even throws a couple "hells" into her writing here. Children can handle your own animated films, Disney. As a longtime Disney fan, I was used to the murder and teenage marriage in my favorite films by the time I was 4.
Spoiler
Still, despite the clumsy writing and character work I was still thoroughly entertained, and the worldbuilding was better than the Disney Channel film so I bumped my rating up to two stars.michelle_chloe's review against another edition
4.0
3,5☆
So this is the first book I finished in 2019! That's crazy!
So here is my first real review of 2019...
This is probably going to be all over the place :)
I really enjoyed this book. I'd already seen the two movies that are out at the moment and I can't wait for the third one that comes out this summer!
This book takes place before the first movie, like exactly before the movie, like the book ends where the movie begins.
In this book we get to know the villain kids, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay, a lot more. The first half of the book is just about the characters, there isn't much plot happening. But for me this wasn't boring, I actually enjoyed getting to know the characters more.
About half way through, the plot actually begins. But still, the characters and their thoughts were more important than the plot. Most of the times I actually dislike these kind of books, but with The Isle of the Lost I really enjoyed it. You get to see how the villain kids sometime struggle with being evil and doing evil things.
Because I've already seen the movies, I already knew the ending of this book. But still the book wasn't what I expected it to be!
I really recommend this to everyone who has seen the Descendants movie(s) or who plans to watch them, it is a must read! I totally plan on reading the other two books in the series.
So this is the first book I finished in 2019! That's crazy!
So here is my first real review of 2019...
This is probably going to be all over the place :)
I really enjoyed this book. I'd already seen the two movies that are out at the moment and I can't wait for the third one that comes out this summer!
This book takes place before the first movie, like exactly before the movie, like the book ends where the movie begins.
In this book we get to know the villain kids, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay, a lot more. The first half of the book is just about the characters, there isn't much plot happening. But for me this wasn't boring, I actually enjoyed getting to know the characters more.
About half way through, the plot actually begins. But still, the characters and their thoughts were more important than the plot. Most of the times I actually dislike these kind of books, but with The Isle of the Lost I really enjoyed it. You get to see how the villain kids sometime struggle with being evil and doing evil things.
Because I've already seen the movies, I already knew the ending of this book. But still the book wasn't what I expected it to be!
I really recommend this to everyone who has seen the Descendants movie(s) or who plans to watch them, it is a must read! I totally plan on reading the other two books in the series.
lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cute story. Easy to read. It was fun getting to know more about the characters backgrounds before the movie Descendants takes place. This novel is a prequel to the Disney Channel movie Descendants.
betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
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!
mbenzz's review against another edition
DNF...this was just bad. The characters were silly, and while the premise sounded good, I did not care for the execution. The Villains were hollow and cardboard, and the teens were stereotypical. Pass.