Mal wants to be exactly like her villain mother, Maleficent -
dark, powerful, and strong. When Mal discovers that
Maleficent's scepter, the Dragon's Eye, has awakened on the
island they were all banished to without magic, Mal sees her
chance to prove herself. With the help of the Evil Queen's
daughter, Jafar's son, and Cruella de Vil's son, they might
find something along the way to the scepter that they never
imagined.
As a huge fan of Melissa de la Cruz, I was so excited to
discover this new Disney story from her. THE ISLE OF THE
LOST tells the story of what happens to the villains after
the heroes get their happily-ever-afters. All of them, now
with their children, live on THE ISLE OF THE LOST, a place
without magic where they are trapped. The setting is fun and
exciting. Mal and her 'friends' go to a school of Evil, and
their goal is to be as bad as possible. Disney fans will
love seeing these new characters along with the familiar
parents.
Keeping in line with many of the Disney movies themselves,
the story seems a little fluffy at first. It is very
entertaining, full of a younger kind of humor, and plenty of
sass from Mal. However, once you really get into the story,
there are many heartbreaking themes at play. Mal, Jay
(Jafar's son), Evie (Evil Queen's daughter), and Carlos
(Cruella de Vil's son) are all emotionally abused by their
parents. They have to live with the fact that their parents
will always love something more than them. For Mal, her
mother loves power and revenge; Carlos can't separate
his mother from her furs; Evie will never want to be as
beautiful as her mother wants her to be; and Jay can never
fulfill his father's greed. This creates several touching
moments as the four friends discover that perhaps friendship
and goodness will make them happier than they ever were
trying to please their insatiable parents.
Readers should keep in mind that this story is written as a
prequel for the Disney Channel movie, DESCENDANTS. There are
several plotlines that are left unanswered because they are
set to be dealt with in the movie. This definitely isn't a
story for someone who wants everything to wrap up. The story
definitely succeeds in making the reader want to watch the
movie.
THE ISLE OF THE LOST is a fun and surprisingly emotional
read. Melissa de la Cruz does a remarkable job with the
Disney villains, and readers shouldn't be surprised if they
leave the story with a few new favorite 'villains' when it's
all said and done.
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.
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