The book “Rise of the Isle of the Lost” is the third book written by Melissa Del la Cruz and is the direct prequel to the Descendants 2 movie. I must say that this book led into the movie perfectly for many reasons. Descendants 2 is a good movie without reading the book – but is a much better movie if you read the book first, in my opinion anyways – since I believe that all of the books should have been made as movies so they could have been shown in order. The Rise of the Isle of the Lost is basically centered around King Triton’s trident and trying to recover it after it crossed over to the Isle. The next adventure that the four villain kids (VK’s) go on is the quest to recover it to keep a friend out of trouble. The friend in question was Arabella,one of King Triton’s many granddaughters and a niece of Ariel. Arabella, did something out of character for someone resident in Auradon – she borrowed the trident and did not return it. Mal and company had to recover it as it would have caused many dangers to Auradon if it fell into the wrong hands.
Rise of the Isle of the Lost gives us a better introduction to the villains who will eventually make Descendants 2 very entertaining to watch such as Uma, Gil, and Harry Hook as well as building on to their characters. On top of that the reader will learn how Uma had come across her much hated nick name “Shrimpy” as well as her overall rivalry with Mal. Uma can be seen as a negotiator much like her mother Ursula. Harry is made to be seen as an unpredictable bully, and Gil is made out to be the stereo typical guy who is really strong but not all there – he is actually made out to be dense. Del la Cruz also introduces the reader to some of the scenes that will make their way into the movie such as Ursula’s Fish and Chip Shoppe, the famous hair salon “Curl Up & Dye” and of course the lost revenge (the ship deck). The book is also able to bring the image of the Fish and Chips Shoppe to life along with the famous phrase “You’ll take it how I make it”.
Del la Cruz does a very good job in the development of Uma’s character as she is able to accurately create Uma’s many emotions such as rage, jealousy, and her narcissistic tendencies. One is able to see Uma’s true character when she enters a race to get a ship – she needs one when the news of the missing trident breaks. She also creates an accurate image of Harry Hook that, in my opinion will eventually be portrayed perfectly down to his obsession with his hook.
One of the main themes that plays out in this book in my opinion is how far should you go for a friend. Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay wanted to get the trident so that Arabella would not get in trouble and without informing King Ben on top of it. The whole situation with the trident created a dilemma – should the VK’s get the trident without informing Ben and risk getting caught or not getting the trident and having Auradon fall. The reader can see that Arabella is being selfish and greedy since she does not want to get caught for the situation she had caused. Arabella did not want to own up to her actions – thus showing cowardice – once again not a behavior worthy of Auradon. Can the VK’s be considered evil for trying to protect their friend?
Such behavior, trying to protect a friend despite the consequences is highlighted well too when Fairy God Mother is angry with the VK’s stealing (speed boat) – would she have been as angry if she know that the villain kids had to steal so that they could get back what Arabella stole (trident). I think that the book illustrates the fears and concerns of the VK’s well when they ask themselves if they did the right thing not informing Fairy God Mother or Ben before attempting to get the boat. When reading Rise of the Isle of the Lost, the reader can actually feel bad for the VK’s when they fear getting sent back home since thievery is an unacceptable behavior in Auradon, even to help a friend. The main question in this case is “is helping Arabella worth sacrificing all of the good things in Auradon?’ – in reality would Arabella get sent to the Isle if she did get caught – the answer is probably a no.
Other things that make more sense if you read the book before watching the movie would include how Jay became captain of the R.O.A.R. team over Prince Chad, Evie’s growing business and how it got it’s name as well as how and why Carlos was beginning to have feelings for Jane. The movie was a good stand alone which will be discussed later but it made a lot more sense to those who want substance. I actually watched the movie before reading both “Return to the Isle of the Lost” and “Rise of the Isle of the Lost”.
The Rise of the Isle of the Lost had a perfect ending for the set up – the trident was recovered with both Mal’s spell book and Evie’s magic mirror, Uma’s ship destroyed and the three villains trying to figure out how to deal with Mal next. Through the writing of the “Rise of the Isle of the Lost”, Del la Cruz had created the perfect back drop for Descendants 2 and the conflicts within.
5/5