Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Prequel (Descendants, #1)

by Melissa de la Cruz

Sofia Willingham (Narrator)

Evil tree. Bad Apple?

Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost–a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world.

Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon’s Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The 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 four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain’t so bad.

• ISBN10: 1490673814
• ISBN13: 9781490673813
• Publish Date: 21 April 2015
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Out of Print: 19 February 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Recorded Books
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 8 hours and 15 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Chelsea]

Initial Thoughts

I had high hopes for this book. I love the idea and I’m a HUGE fan of fairy tales. I liked how this wasn’t really a retelling but more of a continuation.

My New BFF

I liked Mal the most for characters. I feel like she’s got this big personality and her life path is already planned for her. She lives on an evil island and there’s nothing else to do but be evil. I’m looking forward to seeing her break out of her shell and choose her own path.

My Crush

I’m crushing on Prince Ben for sure. Who wouldn’t crush on the Prince though? I feel like him and Mal are similar because both of them were pushed into their positions by their parents. I especially like how he handled it though. He had all these expectations and then let his parents down sort of. He ended up doing things his own way and actually turned out to be a great prince.

Writing Style

I found the story a little childish, especially compared to the movie. I understand that it’s a middle grade series but the main characters are all more of young adults so I’m hoping the next books evolve a little. I found the characters are really well developed and I loved seeing their lives at home. I think this is a series to keep an eye on.

Closing Thoughts

I had high expectations and I was a little disappointed. That doesn’t mean it won’t turn out to be a great series though! I see lots of potential with this book and I think it’s going to turn out to be an excellent series. I think the story was unique and fun because we’re seeing the villains point of view. That doesn’t happen very often and I was impressed. I also liked seeing the little glimpse of the “good guys” I’m hoping we get introduced to more characters soon! If you read this book watch the movie for sure. It has a different feel but the stories follow each other nicely.

[Baroness Book Trove]

I can only think of one word to say about this book is WOW!

Melissa de la Cruz has always been one of my favorite authors, especially after this book. Okay so probably the characters actually belong to Disney but with this book we understand the characters and how they become the way they seem like in the movie Descendants.

Mal, the daughter of Maleficent (and her namesake) has always been trying to make her mom proud of her. But the one problem is that Maleficent doesn’t seem like she ever will be proud of her daughter. This is especially true in this little prequel book of the movie.

Jay, the son of Jafar, doesn’t really seem like he is that evil in this book. He just wants to have a place that really makes him belong and with Mal, Evie, and Carlos he has found that. Even though he, much like Mal, doesn’t seem like he will ever make his dad proud of him.

Evie, the daughter of Evil Queen, can be seen even in this book that she is quite smart and not as vain as her mom, which can be a good or a bad thing. Probably with Evil Queen she wouldn’t be proud of her daughter being smart and not focusing on her beauty. Though she along with the other two aren’t doing their parent’s justice/evil and that is something that every second generation villain wants to try and do. But also wanting to do something better than their parents as well.

Carlos, the son of Cruella De Vil, is the youngest of the other three and is really trying to get more credit and love in his mom’s eyes but this is hard for him as his mom’s one true love isn’t him. Carlos is quite smart which is something that is needed in this little rag tag gang of “friends”. But like the first three he is also a disappointment to his mom.

We also see a little bit of Auradon but not a lot since this book is mostly about the main four starting to become “friends”. This book is really good and I am giving it a five butterflies.

I’m also happy to say that this book is good and now I can’t wait to watch the movie again and see if I like the movie even more now. :D I’m also hoping that there is another book!!!

Please look at my blog for more reviews: baronessbooktrove

[tweetybugshouse]

I totally picked this book up cause yeah it Disney and their going to be a tv movie and it is just awesome. It totally made for a younger audience then me but i young at heart and this was a great read. This book is a must read as it sets you up for the movie that coming out July 31st on disney channel. The author does a great job of pulling you in and reading tell the end. Excited for the movie read this to tide you over tell then.