The Isle of the Lost

3.5 Stars

I was solely looking forward to reading this book because of the premise and because I wanted to read about what happens after the happily ever after. With the movie coming soon, I wanted to read this before I watched the movie, since this is a prequel novel of sorts. Since this is a prequel novel, I was expecting an info dump of sorts and lots of back-story with very little plot. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised to find an actual plot.

This book focuses specifically on Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Jay (son of Jafar), Evie (daughter of Evil Queen), and Carlos (son of Cruella de Vil) and their lives on the Isle of the Lost. I was also presently surprised to see that even more children of Disney characters made an appearance (but I'm not going to say who because spoilers).

For me this book was great because of all the Disney references. There were so many instances that went back to old school Disney movies including the princess and even more modern day Disney. Just to name a few, there were references to Sleeping Beauty, Tarzan, Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Princess and the Frog, and 101 Dalmatians. I really enjoyed picking up on all of them. I was also presently surprised that I was able to. I think many people may miss some (and I'm sure I did not catch them all). Melissa de la Cruz's attention to detail was paramount in this book and it made the book for me.

I haven't given this book that amazing of a review only because it was a children's book and that was apparent in both the writing and the story. It was too “childish” for me to truly love. I did enjoy the book and look forward to the continuation in the movie, however this book was not up to my typical standards when it comes to books.

For me this book brought me back to my childhood of constantly watching Disney movies and loving every second of them. This book I think is great for a younger audience, especially kids who are a little apprehensive toward reading. I think this is a great book to get them interesting in a story. I borrowed this book from a family friend, whose 9.5 year old absolutely loved this book. I think for me I enjoyed the references to my childhood, but it was a little too juvenile for me.