#but still 10 years after initial publishing readers manage to find super interesting bits in it

[bookiemonsterph]

The Isle Of The Lost

Synopsis:

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.

Title: The Isle of the Lost Series: Descendants Author: Melissa de la Cruz ISBN: 1484720970 (ISBN13: 9781484720974) Pages:  311  pages (Hardcover) Published: May 5th 2015 by Disney-Hyperion Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children, Adventure

My interest in this novel was thanks to initially seeing advertisements for the first made-for-television Disney movie, The Descendants, which, much like the book here, focuses on the offspring of four of the most notorious neer-do-wells in the Disney universe. (And, as a sidebar, the movie is honestly good, clean fun! I know I’m not in the target audience for it but I really did enjoy it, and the songs are super-catchy.)

Overall, I found The Isle of the Lost to be a speedy, entertaining read. Plot-wise, the novel focuses on and fleshes out the lives of four young antiheros: Mal, daughter of the evil fairy Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty; Evie, daughter of the vain Evil Queen from Snow White; Jay, son of the wizard Jafar from Aladdin; and Carlos, son of puppy-hatin’ Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians. These four teens, their parents, and others like them (read: villains) have been eternally banished to the Isle of the Lost by edict of King Beast (from Beauty and the Beast) who rules the United States of Auradon. As far as the four leads are concerned, they aspire to be as bad as their parents, but they’ve not quite earned their proverbial stripes.

I really enjoyed the character dynamics here, which is what caused me to bump this up from three-stars to four-stars. Even though this is a fantasy story, the teens have to contend with making their parents proud (something that’s a part of growing up even in the real world). Mal struggles most of all as her mother rules the Isle; Evie hopes to maintain her mother’s high standards of outer beauty; Jay is determined to be the best thief on the Isle; and Carlos, who is an inventor at heart, struggles with his fur-loving mom and her demanding ways.

Even though these kids are the flesh and blood of notorious folks, I called them antiheroes for a reason. They’re not do-gooders by nature, so the titles of “hero” and “heroine” don’t fit. On the other hand, these kids aren’t full of cold-blooded, black-hearted evil either, so they don’t qualify as true villains. Instead, they’re antiheroes – figures who are neither consistently moral nor abjectly immoral and who make good, moral choices at times. The best instances of this arrive in the book’s latter half where the gang seeks out the Dragon’s Eye, a magical artifact that will cement Maleficent’s power. Even though from the start Mal acts like this is all about her, her attitude changes and she shows that she’s not entirely like her mom in a good way. As a whole, while there is some teenage drama here (something I cringe at if it happens too much), it’s not all-encompassing as the story focuses more on developing the lead characters as individuals, not having them constantly squabble or wallow in angst.

Overall, character-wise, this is a fun romp, and long-time fans of Disney will be pleased with the incorporation of many familiar faces, from the members of King Beast and Queen Belle’s court to the denizens on the Isle. The author clearly knows her Disney neer-do-wells and presents them in a light that, much like a Disney film, doesn’t negate the fact that they’re not heroes but doesn’t make them psychotic and bloodthirsty either.

As stated, the characters saved this from being a three-star read for me. Writing-wise, this novel is a simple, quick read for adults, but at times, it’s almost a little too simplistic though it manages not to insult an adult reader’s intelligence and, to be fair, this wasn’t penned with grownups in mind anyway. That being said, the best audience for this novel would be pre-teens and young teens (i.e. ages 10 to 15). Anyone younger probably won’t appreciate the character dynamics and/or Disney villain line-up (as they might be too young to be familiar with much of the canon), and anyone older than 16 might not be attracted to the novel’s delivery. However, I, an adult reader, liked it enough to keep it on my bookshelf and I’d definitely read any related books if this happens to become a series. It definitely has potential and I’d love to read more.

Content-wise, this is a very age-appropriate novel for its chief audience. There essentially is no profanity aside from some invented words and a PG-level word here or there, but the occurrence is so sporadic, if you blinked you’d miss them. There really is no violence other than some nasty (but overall harmless) pranks some of the villains pull. Lastly, there is no sexual content of any kind and the interactions Mal and Evie have with Jay and Carlos are chaste and appropriate for their characters’ ages. Overall, parents and guardians should have nothing to fear in handing this novel off to their Disney-loving pre-teen or teen (though I always encourage parents and guardians to read books first as everyone has a different spectrum for gauging appropriateness for various ages).

In the end, The Isle of the Lost is a fun, frothy read with colorful characters and plenty of potential for future adventures. While the writing itself can be a bit too breezy in terms of simplicity, it works as a vehicle to carry the plot and characters. For pre-teens and young teens, this is a treat; and adult readers can enjoy it, too, for its homage to some of Disney’s best of the worst.

[erraticprojectjunkie]

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, created due to a fondness for lists. Each week they post a new Top Ten topic. After that, it's bloggers UNITE! Participate with your own Top Ten post, have fun, and get to know your fellow bloggers. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get this done. I actually meant to wait a little bit since I just finished a post earlier today, but I didn't quite mean to wait this long. However...I managed to get myself sucked in to the wormhole that is the bookosphere. I currently have over 15 open tabs as a result...blog posts from new bloggers I want to read, book sites I have been browsing, linky menus for reading challenges and read-a-thons I am or have been a part of. Not enough hours in the day...seriously. Today's Top Ten topic is a great one. The list is the Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR (to be read) List. Putting this list together has actually made me ridiculously excited. And...I just got a new charger for my Nook (my other one is lost somewhere in the recesses of our basement), so I can now bust out a whole BUNCH of books that I haven't had access to for over six months. It's like a whole new world has opened up again. Now...a lot of readers who are making their Top Ten lists today have books that are being published in the next few months. They're the newest hot things or the most anticipated releases. While I may have a couple on my list that meet this description, my list is a little different because I have books on here that I honestly just haven't gotten to. I've been eyeballing them for a while, but I haven't made chasing them down a priority. With my new Nook charger and the fact that I have access to a functional library card, stand back...I can read just about anything I want. And when it comes to the reads I want the most...these stand above the rest. 1. Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger I love Audrey Niffenegger. She's fabulous. The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my all-time favorite books. She released Raven Girl way back in 2013, but I am now facing a point where I realize that I need a little Audrey in my life again. 2. The Lauras by Sara Taylor I read The Shore a few years back. While I wasn't super thrilled with the story (which felt a little disheveled to me), I really enjoyed Sara Taylor's writing and I felt that she was an incredibly talented author. So I am oh so ready to give her another shot. I have fairly high hopes for this one.  3. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich Okay. I'm not going to lie. My initial reasons for wanting to read this book had NOTHING to do with the plot. 1...I'm from Idaho, so the title alone hooked me. 2...such a pretty cover. But, since my initial gut reaction of "ooooh", I have read the synopsis and I've read the reviews of a couple of book bloggers I trust. And now I'm truly interested in reading this book...for what are maybe the more "proper" reasons. 4. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz I'll be honest. I was torn initially on this one. I loved the original books of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series. They were awesome. He created some fantastic characters and gripping narratives. And then, unfortunately for millions of readers, he passed away. David Lagercrantz has since picked up the torch. I'm super excited to continue reading the stories, but I'm nervous. I really need the integrity of the original trilogy to be maintained. Please, please. 5. Slade House by David Mitchell Full disclosure...I had not heard of this book at all about two weeks ago. But it's the group read for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XII Challenge. So I popped over and read the synopsis. It sounds really good. Thus, I'm joining in on that part of the challenge and I'm now seriously looking forward to grabbing ahold of it as a read. 6. Caraval by Stephanie Garber Caraval has been on my list for a while. Pretty, pretty cover. Great title that made me initially think of The Night Circus. Pretty fantastic sounding premise. I'm ready. 7. Little French Bistro by Nina George I adored Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop. It was so, so good. This one was a must add for my TBR. And now that I have escaped my reading slump, let's add this one in. I need some feel goods. I have a feeling they will be in here. 8. Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan. HUGE. I am also a big fan of Lauren Graham. I loved her in Gilmore Girls (obviously) as well as Parenthood. I think she's smart and quirky and funny. I still have not (sadly) read her novel...though it too is on my TBR. When it comes down to it though, I decided I really need to read her memoir first. 9. Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard As with Lauren Graham, I am a big fan of Eddie Izzard. He is brilliant and incredibly creative. I have been a fan of him since I first saw him on the short-lived series, The Riches. From there, I found myself unable to find enough of his stand-up. I have even seen him live...something I can only say for one other comedian. As long as it remains true to his style, I have no doubt that this will be a fantastic read. 10. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green This book is probably ALL OVER Top Ten lists this week. I know a lot of readers who are impatiently waiting for this one. I have read a nice pile of John Green novels, I follow him on Facebook, and I'm a subscriber to his YouTube channel with his brother, Hank. I am very excited for this one. It's a must have. And...that's my Top Ten. I WILL be doing my best to read these before the year is out. It's a pile of what I think will be truly great reads and I cannot wait to get started. This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads