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Descendants: Mal's Spell Book
For fans of Descendants, this spell book, which formerly belonged to Maleficent before she passed it on to Mal, is full of comments, notes, and inside jokes between Mal and the other villains' kids. Laugh and cry along with Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos as they find their way in the world of Auradon Prep.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2015
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2460 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
October 10, 2015
I think I can use the spells?
May 2, 2025
A Quickie Review
I'm a longtime fan of Disney, especially the Disney Channel; in fact, I still watch their old-school shows, i.e., That's So Raven, to this day. However, I was very disappointed with this book; it's just a cheap cash-in attempt. Sure, I liked the telefilm it was based on, but this book is a complete waste of time. There's a cute moment here and there, but, that's about it. Stick with the DCOM and the related "shorts".
Score: 2/5
I'm a longtime fan of Disney, especially the Disney Channel; in fact, I still watch their old-school shows, i.e., That's So Raven, to this day. However, I was very disappointed with this book; it's just a cheap cash-in attempt. Sure, I liked the telefilm it was based on, but this book is a complete waste of time. There's a cute moment here and there, but, that's about it. Stick with the DCOM and the related "shorts".
Score: 2/5
January 10, 2016
Mal's Spell Book
5/5 stars
I am in Love with this book! It's so soft and pretty and just like the movie one.
I'm gonna try to split this into two parts:
The first part being the "spell book" part of it. Which was awesome. I own a lot of occult books and most of the pages looked as though they were taken straight from one. The drawings were awesome as well. I also adored the classic tales like Goldilocks or The Three Little Pigs they were so cute with the "villainous" version of them.
Now the other part is what really made this special, this books is formatted pretty much exactly the same as The Shadowhunter Codex from The Mortal Instruments that was released that was basically the official codex with annotations from the main characters. There were so many slight details thrown in that I loved such as
•I didn't realize that when Jay and Carlos were fighting in the limo, that it was over a blanket. If you read Isle of the Lost and know of Carlos' sleeping arrangements... This fact made me very sad.
•I loved how fluidly the drawings and spells went with the current issues that the kids were facing.
•I adored that I still got to see some Jaylos in there... It made the fangirl in me very happy.
•They went into so much more detail when it came the time towards the end where the school was alienating them and I loved to get a reading on their emotions for that.
•Overall I just adored that it was the story that I already known and loved, told in details. (Which isn't helping with my ever growing Descendants obsession)
Loved it.
5/5 stars
I am in Love with this book! It's so soft and pretty and just like the movie one.
I'm gonna try to split this into two parts:
The first part being the "spell book" part of it. Which was awesome. I own a lot of occult books and most of the pages looked as though they were taken straight from one. The drawings were awesome as well. I also adored the classic tales like Goldilocks or The Three Little Pigs they were so cute with the "villainous" version of them.
Now the other part is what really made this special, this books is formatted pretty much exactly the same as The Shadowhunter Codex from The Mortal Instruments that was released that was basically the official codex with annotations from the main characters. There were so many slight details thrown in that I loved such as
•I didn't realize that when Jay and Carlos were fighting in the limo, that it was over a blanket. If you read Isle of the Lost and know of Carlos' sleeping arrangements... This fact made me very sad.
•I loved how fluidly the drawings and spells went with the current issues that the kids were facing.
•I adored that I still got to see some Jaylos in there... It made the fangirl in me very happy.
•They went into so much more detail when it came the time towards the end where the school was alienating them and I loved to get a reading on their emotions for that.
•Overall I just adored that it was the story that I already known and loved, told in details. (Which isn't helping with my ever growing Descendants obsession)
Loved it.
April 13, 2019
My review will probably be a little different compared to other readers out there.
I am a fan of the movies, yes, but I am also a Pagan Witch. I also use pop culture magic, SO, this book was actually incredibly resourceful for me.
While it will give me a lot of material to work with, it also has enough open-ended-ness in order for me to expand my practice.
For example - at the beginning, there are magical items listed. I took it upon myself to write a real-life spell to go along with them, as shown here: http://ristoria.tumblr.com/post/18401...
I am a fan of the movies, yes, but I am also a Pagan Witch. I also use pop culture magic, SO, this book was actually incredibly resourceful for me.
While it will give me a lot of material to work with, it also has enough open-ended-ness in order for me to expand my practice.
For example - at the beginning, there are magical items listed. I took it upon myself to write a real-life spell to go along with them, as shown here: http://ristoria.tumblr.com/post/18401...
June 28, 2015
An advanced copy of this hardcover book shows how much this would be the perfect gift for the fan in your life! I am so impressed with the quality!
October 23, 2017
Rating: 5/5 stars
I absolutely loved this book, because I am completely obsessed over the movies. I read all 3 books, and this is just based on the books because it seemed to not know about all the small book details, so it seemed a bit off but I still adored all the different writings.
I think that the spells were so awesome, I wanted to use them so quick. I actually used most of my sticky notes, on all the pages I loved and all my notes were written in the book because I had a lot to say. The back and forth, just told me exactly what happened during the movie but it was another experience that I appreciated.
I absolutely loved this book, because I am completely obsessed over the movies. I read all 3 books, and this is just based on the books because it seemed to not know about all the small book details, so it seemed a bit off but I still adored all the different writings.
I think that the spells were so awesome, I wanted to use them so quick. I actually used most of my sticky notes, on all the pages I loved and all my notes were written in the book because I had a lot to say. The back and forth, just told me exactly what happened during the movie but it was another experience that I appreciated.
July 17, 2015
I am so excited for this movie :) The books make it so much better.
September 11, 2024
Descendants was no masterpiece of a movie by itself but watching it is certainly a lot better than having to read it again through the perspectives of the four main characters. There’s hardly any differentiation between them in writing, because there’s none of the acting that brings them to life on screen. The spell book in itself is a really cool idea, and the art is gorgeous, but if this is supposed to be a spell book, then why is the entire movie plot getting retold to us?
August 16, 2023
I don't know how this counts as a book but I read it
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March 28, 2024musze koniecznie zrobić rewatch
January 4, 2020
This book shows courage, bravery & persistence.
The kids of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil & Jafar are chosen to go to Auradon and this is THEIR story of how things went.
The kids of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil & Jafar are chosen to go to Auradon and this is THEIR story of how things went.
September 4, 2025
This was super cute! I love all the different notes and fonts in it. The fact it was a “spell” book but had their story in it too. Enjoyed it
July 3, 2018
I read this book because my 7yo daughter likes Descendants, and asked for this when we were at the bookstore. So this rating is based on a younger perspective.
This is a cute book for kids and YA book-lovers. The illustrations and art were nice, plus it was fun to get to know the characters through their notes in the book. This is based on the movie, but I didn't need to see that to understand the plot.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The four main characters started out as villain kids, but you see where they start to enjoy going to the "good kids' school" and make real friends. If your child is impressionable, this would probably need parental guidance, especially at first, because the characters talk about stealing and manipulating other people. Other than that, it's good in that the lost/lonely kids decide that goodness and friendship matters. Not all people are bad, and that they too have the choice whether to be villains or not.
This is a cute book for kids and YA book-lovers. The illustrations and art were nice, plus it was fun to get to know the characters through their notes in the book. This is based on the movie, but I didn't need to see that to understand the plot.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The four main characters started out as villain kids, but you see where they start to enjoy going to the "good kids' school" and make real friends. If your child is impressionable, this would probably need parental guidance, especially at first, because the characters talk about stealing and manipulating other people. Other than that, it's good in that the lost/lonely kids decide that goodness and friendship matters. Not all people are bad, and that they too have the choice whether to be villains or not.
August 19, 2017
I liked this book, but there was not enough "book" in it. A lot of the text in the book is notes by the charaters, not spells, potions etc. Still liked it, but it needed more for me to really love it.
March 14, 2016
of course this book was good...so was the movie...it was not the best that Disney has made but it still was good! it was neat to kind of be in their head while going through the movie.
May 13, 2023
What a great book !
November 28, 2023
I still love the whole concept of descendants.
March 30, 2024
It's extending Descendants 1 so much! I love that we can see the core 4's point of view and what they felt in different parts of the movie.
December 13, 2021
I’ve never seen this tv show. But this book does a marvelous job of filling in the story with just scattered inserts of the four main “villains”.
Having passed this spellbook down to her daughter, Mal, the evil fairy Maleficent has set child and Mal’s friends a very difficult task: grabbing the Fairy Godmother’s wand. She’s made it clear to Mal that the girl can’t come back to the Isle of the Lost without it.
Mal states that her mother made her and her friends go to Auradon Prep school but doesn’t make it clear exactly how the wicked fairy managed to get them all registered. After all, these children are known to be the offspring of famous villains and many of the students in the school are princes and princesses who don’t trust them. So how did Maleficent overcome that distrust to get them all registered as students? But that’s glossed over as we read the thoughts of this quartet.
Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay all have distinct “voices”, as shown by their writings in Maleficent’s grimoire. Jay is an unrepentant thief who finds his nimbleness and agility are appreciated in surprising ways; Carlos has cynophobia but learns to overcome his fear; Evie is glad for a fresh start and thrilled at being in a place that provides decent meals, a sumptuous room and proper schooling where a fight doesn’t break out during class every day. Mal is determined to resist any attempts at being changed by the do-gooders around her and is focused on her mother’s plan. But we sense her chafing at Maleficent’s command and the inner despair of a child who must live up to her mother’s demanding nature.
Slowly but surely, the adolescents see the benefits of living in a place where people aren’t scheming to dominate their foes, watch out for cutthroat competition and rule the world. They find genuine warmth among decent people and learn that you don’t have to live up to your parents if what they want isn’t in your best interests.
The spells in this book are amusing (don’t try them at home or anywhere else, really) and the scribblings play on their end results and the intentions of the people writing in them. Even if you’ve never seen the show, this book carries its own charms.
Having passed this spellbook down to her daughter, Mal, the evil fairy Maleficent has set child and Mal’s friends a very difficult task: grabbing the Fairy Godmother’s wand. She’s made it clear to Mal that the girl can’t come back to the Isle of the Lost without it.
Mal states that her mother made her and her friends go to Auradon Prep school but doesn’t make it clear exactly how the wicked fairy managed to get them all registered. After all, these children are known to be the offspring of famous villains and many of the students in the school are princes and princesses who don’t trust them. So how did Maleficent overcome that distrust to get them all registered as students? But that’s glossed over as we read the thoughts of this quartet.
Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay all have distinct “voices”, as shown by their writings in Maleficent’s grimoire. Jay is an unrepentant thief who finds his nimbleness and agility are appreciated in surprising ways; Carlos has cynophobia but learns to overcome his fear; Evie is glad for a fresh start and thrilled at being in a place that provides decent meals, a sumptuous room and proper schooling where a fight doesn’t break out during class every day. Mal is determined to resist any attempts at being changed by the do-gooders around her and is focused on her mother’s plan. But we sense her chafing at Maleficent’s command and the inner despair of a child who must live up to her mother’s demanding nature.
Slowly but surely, the adolescents see the benefits of living in a place where people aren’t scheming to dominate their foes, watch out for cutthroat competition and rule the world. They find genuine warmth among decent people and learn that you don’t have to live up to your parents if what they want isn’t in your best interests.
The spells in this book are amusing (don’t try them at home or anywhere else, really) and the scribblings play on their end results and the intentions of the people writing in them. Even if you’ve never seen the show, this book carries its own charms.
August 29, 2020
A cute little book that I think any young descendants fan will like. When I bought this book, I thought it would be full to the brim with all sorts of spells and the thoughts of the VKs. Now, it does have spells and things, but it's pretty standard and basic things. Some pages are empty of spells or had small images. I was a bit disappointed with this.
As for the VKs writing all their thoughts as their stay to Auradon progresses, as well as tbeir plan to steal FG's wand; it was really distracting from the actual spell book. There were a few small fun tidbts, but nothing really major or anything that really stood out much. Again, all their scribbling really ruined the actual spell book and was distracting. Some basic teenage stuff.
We get a lot of the VK's personality and likes throughout the book, but it was pretty meh to me. Seeing them descend to goodness and liking Auradon was personally, yuck to me. Though, I am biased as I prefer them being villains rather than good.
Overall, a sort of disappointing book. Expected a lot better. I also didn't expect the VK's scribbles to be so distracting and devoid of more evil even if this is dinsey, same with the actual spells. For Malifecent being the Mistress of Evil, the spellbook itself was so lack luster. Though, I was surprised by how accurate it was to some things on actual magick. I was like, whoa, did disney do actual research on real magick???
Anyways, a subpar and meh book. Expected better. Was cute I guess, but again, nothing special. More disappointment than anything. Other fans may enjoy it though.
As for the VKs writing all their thoughts as their stay to Auradon progresses, as well as tbeir plan to steal FG's wand; it was really distracting from the actual spell book. There were a few small fun tidbts, but nothing really major or anything that really stood out much. Again, all their scribbling really ruined the actual spell book and was distracting. Some basic teenage stuff.
We get a lot of the VK's personality and likes throughout the book, but it was pretty meh to me. Seeing them descend to goodness and liking Auradon was personally, yuck to me. Though, I am biased as I prefer them being villains rather than good.
Overall, a sort of disappointing book. Expected a lot better. I also didn't expect the VK's scribbles to be so distracting and devoid of more evil even if this is dinsey, same with the actual spells. For Malifecent being the Mistress of Evil, the spellbook itself was so lack luster. Though, I was surprised by how accurate it was to some things on actual magick. I was like, whoa, did disney do actual research on real magick???
Anyways, a subpar and meh book. Expected better. Was cute I guess, but again, nothing special. More disappointment than anything. Other fans may enjoy it though.
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September 20, 2025Mal’s Spell Book
This was a good *idea* but a waste of a book. Instead of just focusing on SPELLS its cluttered with things that distract you from the spells themselves. 1. It has commentary all through it from Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Mal. It’s the first Descendant book with spells from the book thrown in. There are fashion tips from Evie (who has a whole SEPARATE book for this called Evie’s Fashion Book). There are stories in like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “The Big Big Bad Wolf” that don’t make sense why they’d be in the Maleficent’s diary. There’s even a page written sideways. There are some good spells like “The Invisibility Spell”, “Out Away”, “How to Perceive Deception”, “Lost and Found” but all the other stuff is so distracting it takes away from it. I was just thinking as I read this why would you take a cool thing like your mother’s heirloom spell book and deface it in this way (smh). I get that these “extras” are just probably an un-needed cash grab but take my advice SKIP THIS!
Rating: 5 I wanna give it lower but I'll give it atleast this for the few good spells it has.
This was a good *idea* but a waste of a book. Instead of just focusing on SPELLS its cluttered with things that distract you from the spells themselves. 1. It has commentary all through it from Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Mal. It’s the first Descendant book with spells from the book thrown in. There are fashion tips from Evie (who has a whole SEPARATE book for this called Evie’s Fashion Book). There are stories in like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “The Big Big Bad Wolf” that don’t make sense why they’d be in the Maleficent’s diary. There’s even a page written sideways. There are some good spells like “The Invisibility Spell”, “Out Away”, “How to Perceive Deception”, “Lost and Found” but all the other stuff is so distracting it takes away from it. I was just thinking as I read this why would you take a cool thing like your mother’s heirloom spell book and deface it in this way (smh). I get that these “extras” are just probably an un-needed cash grab but take my advice SKIP THIS!
Rating: 5 I wanna give it lower but I'll give it atleast this for the few good spells it has.
December 26, 2021
This book was so adorable. It really adds a lot to the characters, since we don’t get to see a lot of their thoughts in the movie. The progression from evil to good is much more smoothly visible and believable. plus, it was just a blast to read. I thought it would be similar to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” where it’s just the characters commenting on things in the book, but this was way beyond that. It actually takes you through the first movie as the characters are sharing their thoughts and experiences with each other while trying to stay connected. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
February 15, 2023
This was more enjoyable than 'Spirit Book: Highlights and Memories.'
Again, the written commentary 'from the characters' basically guide you through the story in the movie as 'they' reference things and give 'their' thoughts or feelings about it. 'They' also write back and forth to each other. The only thing that I noticed that was really wrong with this book is that twice 'the characters' forgot to add a word to a sentence, but that just might make them seem a bit more human to the readers.
Again, the written commentary 'from the characters' basically guide you through the story in the movie as 'they' reference things and give 'their' thoughts or feelings about it. 'They' also write back and forth to each other. The only thing that I noticed that was really wrong with this book is that twice 'the characters' forgot to add a word to a sentence, but that just might make them seem a bit more human to the readers.
May 10, 2019
First of all, this book is extremely amazing! The book gives me an thought that they had really written on this book because of the ink drops and the drawings of the magical items. Adding the “in the isle of the lost they say and in auradok they say” gives knowledge about their slangs or mottos of two different worlds or culture.
February 29, 2020
This book was super cute! You have to be a Descendants fan to appreciate it and understand all of the commentary. Not only do you get a glimpse into the villainous mind if Maleficent, but also what the VKs are thinking during their time off the isle. Even the fonts used fit the characters perfectly.
May 24, 2021
I thought that this was pretty average, not a lot more in here than what's in the movie. At times I was really more interested in the spell book aspect of it than what the characters were writing on the pages in universe. I did really enjoy the extra friendship moments that were included in this though, I'm always looking for that.
April 24, 2019
I loved the spell book so much. I love magic, spells and potions, especially. I love to pretend to cast spells and brew potions and create my own. I don't do that as often but I like to still once in a while.
May 2, 2020
We absolutely adored this book! The pages and the VK secrets little notes are spot on when it comes to the Descendants movies! The spells are magical too my girls particularly enjoyed reliving the “new hair spell”
We can’t wait to delve into the second book!
We can’t wait to delve into the second book!
June 26, 2020
i love love love love love love love love love love love love love love this book my fav when i join goodreads i stared reading and it free i can read whatever i want am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy =)
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