Last year, Disney Channel made waves with a TV movie titled Descendants, which introduced a new fictional setting that revolved around the sons and daughters of the villains and heroes from across the Disney Canon. The success of that film gave the channel something it hasn’t had since High School Musical: a mega-franchise to call its own.
Even as a sequel has been set in motion for an as-of-yet unknown premiere date, Disney Channel is wasting no time in finding other ways to expand the franchise. In fact, you might not have to wait long for the continuation of the Descendants story.
New York Times best-selling YA author Melissa de La Cruz is returning to the world of Descendants for a second novel, titled Return to the Isle of the Lost. Whereas the first book (Isle of the Lost) served as a prequel to the first film, Return picks up after the events of the first film and sees the titular group of teens return to the island to deal with some unfinished business, especially in the wake of what happened to Maleficent and the state of the island itself.
WARNING: The following synopsis spoils crucial plot points from the movie. If you didn’t see the movie, stop here and/or skip past the italicized font:
Mal’s an expert at intimidating her enemies, but she’s broken the habit since leaving her villainous roots behind. So when she and her friends Evie, Carlos, and Jay all receive threatening messages demanding they return home, Mal can’t believe it. Sure, she’s King Ben’s girlfriend now, and she’s usually nice to her classmates, but she still didn’t think anyone would be silly enough to try to push her around.
The thing is, it kind of worked. Especially since she and her friends have a sneaking suspicion that their villainous parents are behind the messages. And when Evie looks into her Magic Mirror, what she sees only confirms their fears. Maleficent’s just a tiny lizard after her run-in with Mal at Ben’s Coronation, but she’s the worst villain in the land for a reason. Could she have found a way to escape? Whatever’s going on, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay know they have to sneak back to the Isle and get to the bottom of it.
Without its infamous leader, the island’s even worse than when they left it, but the comforts of home-even a home as gloomy as the Isle of the Lost-can be hard to resist for recently reformed villains. Will the kids be able to beat the evil bubbling at the Isle’s wicked core, or will the plot to destroy Auradon succeed?
Like with the previous book, Return to the Isle of the Lost will introduce new characters into the Descendants universe—mainly the children of other iconic Disney heroes and villains. For example, while this remains unconfirmed, the novel will reportedly introduce Pin, the son of Pinocchio.
Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel will bow in physical and digital bookstores on May 24. Right now, you can pre-order the novel on Amazon.
What do you think? If you read the first novel, would you check this one out?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
