Book Review: "The Rise of Flynn Rider" is a fun origin story

by Candace Kaw

Lost Legends is a new middle school book series about “the adventures of Disney's most loveable roguish heroes as kids.” Author Jen Calonita starts off with the most lovable rogue of all, Flynn Rider.

Remember the dramatic scene in Tangled where Rapunzel and Flynn Rider are stuck in a cave flooding with water? They confess to each other their deepest secrets, including Flynn Rider’s real name:

“I’ll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. It’s a little bit of a… it’s a little bit of a downer. There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The Tales of Flynigan Rider! The swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies either. Not that he’d ever brag, of course… He had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do. He could go anywhere that he wanted to go. And – and for a kid with nothing, I don’t know. It just seemed like the better option.” - Eugene Fitzherbert

Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider is an exploration of this line. A prequel to Tangled, it follows the adventures of 12-year-old orphans Eugene Fitzherbert and his best friend Arnwaldo Schnitz, though they are better known as Flynn Rider and Lance Strongbow.

The adventures of these “thieving” best friends are hinted at during the series and movie, so it was nice to get a full story of how these kids turned to a life of crime.

After reading A Twisted Tale: What Once Was Mine, which was only based on the film, I was happy to read references to Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure in this book. There are many characters from the show that fans will find amusing however might confuse younger children who are only familiar with the movie.

It was also interesting to know more about the Corona Kingdom before Rapunzel was found. Calonita captures the magic of a “Tangled” adventure without Rapunzel. Many times I could hear the score by Alan Menken in my head while I read.

The Rise of Flynn Rider is a fun origin story that will delight Tangled fans of all ages. The TV show ended last year so it was nice to spend some more time with these familiar and lovable characters. I can’t wait to see what lovable rogue gets a book in this series next.

Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider by Jen Calonita is out on September 21, 2021.

Thank you Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney-Hyperion, and NetGalley for the early copy for review purposes.