Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel

Melissa de la Cruz really elevated the Descendants series in the book Rise of the Isle of the Lost, the third book in the saga. This book is the prequel to the new Disney movie, Descendants 2, coming out in late July. When Uma, daughter of Ursula, catches wind that King Triton's trident is floating in the waters of the Isle of the Lost (an island where all the villains and their brethren have been exiled to), she wants to embark on a journey to find it in order to free them from the island. Back in Auradon, Mal and the crew discover that the trident was washed away, and they need to find it before Uma does. Meanwhile, Uma gathers up her crew alongside Harry Hook, Gil, and other rogues on the island. And with King Ben away, they don't have to play by all the rules, right? The thrilling, perilous race to the trident pits old friends—and current enemies—against each other with the future of Auradon on the line. Both teams might like to make waves, but only one will come out on top of this one.

My Review: Overall, the book was pretty good. I mean, it was okay, considering what happened in the second book, which I actually found boring. I didn't expect much from this book, but it blew me away. I liked the suspense in the beginning of the book, talking about a new character, Uma, befriending Mal. The secretly hidden enmity between them made me want to know more. The exposition really "hooked" me in (get it? Harry "Hook"?). However though, I felt disappointed that that feeling faded away as the book went on. In my opinion, the chapters talking about what King Ben was doing was really excessive, unnecessary, and distracting to the plot. The chapters about Uma were full of suspense and adventure. In contrast, the chapters about Mal and the crew were just plain boring. Nevertheless, I would rate this book 4/5 stars.